The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI
January 15, 2023, 10:00 am
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray,
Almighty God, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world. May your people, illumined by your word and sacraments, shine with the radiance of his glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7
Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away! The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he named me. He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." But I said, "I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity; yet surely my cause is with the Lord, and my reward with my God." And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength he says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." Thus says the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One, to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations, the slave of rulers, "Kings shall see and stand up, princes, and they shall prostrate themselves, because of the Lord, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the Lord.
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
Happy are they who trust in the Lord! they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods. Great things are they that you have done, O Lord my God! how great your wonders and your plans for us! there is none who can be compared with you. Oh, that I could make them known and tell them! but they are more than I can count.
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
In sacrifice and offering you take no pleasure (you have given me ears to hear you); Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, and so I said, "Behold, I come.
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: 'I love to do your will, O my God; your law is deep in my heart.'" I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I did not restrain my lips; and that, O Lord, you know.
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation. You are the Lord; do not withhold your compassion from me; let your love and your faithfulness keep me safe for ever.
Behold, I come to do your will, O God.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." And John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God." The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb of God!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
O God of steadfast love, encouraging us to live lives worthy of you: Accept our prayers on behalf of your creation, and gather all people into your presence, as we pray: hear our prayer.
Hear our prayer.
You humble the exalted and exalt the humble: Be with the leaders of the nations and all in authority that they may work for an end to war in Ukraine and all places of violence. May there be a spirit of compassion, with the hope that everyone will come and see your call to justice and peace. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
You lift the burden of those who suffer – help us work for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people: Hear your children when we cry out to you in trouble, and deliver us from distress, that we will come and see in you a place of comfort and belonging. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
You have led us to this place in our lives: Lead us as you led Andrew, Simon, Mary Magdalene and the whole company of followers to create a peaceful and fruitful community. Help us to come and see your presence with us today and continue to inspire us with the lives of people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
You bless the servant-leadership of this congregation: Grant us strength to be a people of love and justice, a people of hospitality and peace, a people of joy and generosity: that we may also come and see your glory with grateful hearts. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
You hear the hearts of all who are burdened: Accept our prayers on behalf of those for whom we pray, people we know who are ill at home or in hospital, especially,
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And others we may name out loud or in our hearts
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God of love,
Hear our prayer.
We thank you for the abundance of creation; hear our prayers of gratitude, especially for World Religion Day which is celebrated today, for preparations for the Canada Winter Games, and for our Outreach & Social Justice committee. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
You bring into your eternal land of promise those who have died; we remember especially:
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And help those who mourn to come and see your presence in their lives, helping to be strengthened in the midst of their grief. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Perfect Light of revelation, shine in us and through us, that we may become beacons of truth and compassion, enlightening all creation with acts of justice and mercy. We pray this in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us confess our sins,
confident in God’s forgiveness.
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Let us pray,
Living God, you have revealed your Son as the Messiah. May we hear his word and follow it, and live as children of light. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
we remember his death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory;
and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life,
and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
grant us your peace.
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
352 Amazing Grace
273 Sing of Andrew, John’s Disciple
438 O Jesus I Have Promised
74 For the Bread Which You Have Broken
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
God of glory, you nourish us with bread from heaven. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that through us your light may shine in all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
May the God of infinite goodness
scatter the darkness of sin
and brighten your hearts with holiness;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
620 How Sweet the Sound of Jesus Name
rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
