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Invitation to Worship
Come, let us return to Adonai our God– our God who is gracious and merciful.
O Holy One,+ open my lips.
~And my mouth will proclaim your praise.
This is the acceptable time-
~This the day of salvation!
Morning Hymn for Lent
This is our accepted time, This is our salvation;
Prayer and fasting are our hope, loving our vocation.
God of pardon and of love, Mercy past all measure,
May our hearts be found in you, You, our only treasure.
Please look now upon your own, Look upon our yearning;
We are dust and unto dust We shall be returning.
Lift us up, O God of Life, Sin has brought us sadness,
Hear our plea, bestow on us Everlasting gladness. Amen
Text: Michael Gannon (1955) alt. Tune: WEIMAR 7.6.7.6. Melchior Vulpius (1609)
Psalmody
Antiphon/Refrain
Adonai Sabbaoth is with us, the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Psalm 45/46
The Holy One is for us
both refuge and strength,
Our Helper close at hand,
whenever we’re in trouble:
So we can stand unshaken,
when solid earth is cracked,
when volcanoes slide
into the depths of the sea,
when its waters rage and foam
and mountains tremble in the swell.
Adonai Sabbaoth is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
The waters of a river give joy to God’s city,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
With God dwelling there, it cannot be shaken;
God will help it at the dawning of each day.
Nations rage and empires fall,
God speaks, the earth melts and shrinks away.
Adonai Sabbaoth is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Come! Behold the wonders of Adonai
the amazing things God does across the Earth:
Stopping wars all over the globe,
smashing and crushing all the weapons of war.
“Be silent and know that I am God,
supreme over your nations, supreme on Earth.
Adonai Sabbaoth is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love;
as always before,
so now and evermore, Amen.
READING Ezekiel 47:1-3
The angel brought me, back to the entrance of the temple of ADONAI,
and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the right side of the temple, south of the altar. He led me outside by the north gate, and around to the outer gate facing the east, where I saw water trickling from the right side.
Responsory
R. I saw water flowing from the right side of the temple, * and everyone who drank from this stream was restored to life. V. Then one of the soldiers lanced his right side out of which there flowed both blood and water * and everyone who drank from this stream was restored to life. V. Glory to the Holy One, and to the Word and to the Breath of Love.
Canticle of Zachariah
Antiphon
“Sir, I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is stirred;”
Jesus answered him: “Rise up, take up your mat, and walk.”
Blessed + be Adonai, the God of Israel,
Who visits this people to set us free
Raising for us a sign of salvation
In the house and family of David.
God promised throughout past ages
In words of holy prophets
To save us from our enemies,
And from the control of our oppressors.
Adonai favored our ancestors
And remembered the sacred covenant.
The pledge to Abraham and Sarah
Is now renewed for us;
That freed from the grip of our foes
We might worship without fear
And be both just and holy
For the rest of our days.
And you, child, called “prophet of the Most High,”
Will go ahead to prepare the way,
By teaching this people of salvation
Through forgiveness of their sins.
For the loving compassion of the Holy One
As the Rising Sun will shine upon us
To illumine the darkness and dispel death’s shadow
To Guide our feet on the way of peace.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
And to the BREATH of Love!
As always before,
so now and evermore. Amen
“Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up;”
Jesus answered him: “Rise, take up your mat, and walk.”
Litany of Intercession
When we hallow your Name in prayer but use it to justify religious or racial hatred… ~ Forgive us O God.
When we pray that your will be done on Earth but treat creation as nothing more than a resource to be used and discarded … ~ Forgive us O God.
When we ask you for our daily bread but refuse to share what we have been given with those who are hungry or in need… ~ Forgive us O God.
When we ask forgiveness but refuse to forgive others… ~ Forgive us O God.
When we ask you to help us in time of temptation but spend hours shopping for what we do not need … ~ Forgive us O God.
When we ask you to deliver us from evil but do little that is good for ourselves, our neighbors, or creation… ~ Forgive us O God.
Prayer of Jesus
Abba in Heaven, holy is your Name!
May your reign of love come and your way of loving be lived on Earth as it is in heaven. Give us no more than the bread we need for today. Forgive us our sins as we forgive all those who have harmed or wronged us. Keep us free in times of temptation and protect us from evil. For yours is the glory and power of love, both now and forever. Amen.
Blessing
May the Spirit of God + kindle in our hearts the love of God and neighbor that is the fulfillment of the law. ~Amen
Let us bless the world with peace. ~And give thanks to God.