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Invitation to Worship
Our Risen Love,
who called and sent the Apostles,
Come, let us praise and adore.
O Holy One, + open my lips,
~And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Throughout all the Earth their voices carry;
~Their message resounds with hope for all!
HYMN FOR St. James the apostle
By all your saints still striving, For all your saints at rest,
Your holy Name, O Jesus, Forevermore be blest.
You rose, our Love, victorious, That they might wear the crown
And ever shine in splendor Reflected from your throne.
O Christ, for James, we praise you, who fell to Herod’s sword.
He drank the cup of suffering And thus fulfilled your word.
Please curb our vain impatience For glory and for fame,
Prepare us for those sufferings Which glorify your Name.
Then let us praise the Abba And worship Christ the Son
Adore the Holy Spirit, Eternal Three in One,
Till all the ransomed number Who stand before the throne,
Ascribe all pow’r and glory And praise to God alone.
MORNING PSALMODY
Antiphon
This one command I give you,
that you love each other just as I have been loving you.
Psalm 18/19a
The heavens proclaim the glory of God,
and the firmament shows forth the work of God’s hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night makes the message known.
No speech, no word, no voice is heard
yet their span extends through all the Earth,
their words to the utmost bounds of the world.
There God has placed a dwelling for the sun;
it comes forth like a bridegroom coming from his tent,
rejoices like a champion to run its course.
At the end of the sky is the rising of the sun;
to the furthest ends of the sky is its course.
There is nothing concealed from its burning heat.
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love.
As always before
so now and evermore. Amen.
This one command I give you,
that you love each other just as I have been loving you.
READING Ephesians 2 :19-20
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Responsory
R. Throughout all the earth, their voices carry. V. Their message resounds with hope for all. V. Glory to the Abba and the Word and the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Canticle
Antiphon
Whoever would be great among you must be the servant;
and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
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
Whoever would be great among you must be the servant;
and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.
Litany of Intercession
You called James and his brother, John, to leave their fishing nets and become your disciples, ~call us to leave behind whatever prevents us from following you.
You invited James, along with John and Peter, to witness your transfiguration and to support you with their presence and prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, ~ make us conscious of the presence of your glory in the beauty of every day and in the faces of all those who suffer.
You understood the desire of James and John to sit close to you in glory, but explained to them that real glory comes from self-emptying service, taking the place of a slave, and giving up your life for others, ~may we seek not to be served but to serve and to be close to you in the persons and species who count for nothing in the eyes of the world.
You strengthened James to bear witness to the truth in the face of bitter persecution and execution by Herod Agrippa~empower us to bear witness to the reality of your love at all times and in every place.
The legends of Saint James tell us he spent time preaching at the “ends of the Earth” in Spain before returning to guide the early Christian community in Jerusalem, ~bless the people of Spain on the feast of their patron saint, and may all who make pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela or celebrate this feast be blessed with a spirit of companionship and hospitality for all who are on journeys.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father…
Closing Prayer
Gracious God of Life and Love, you called St. James to stay close to Jesus and to learn from him that the most important position on earth as in heaven is being the servant and slave of all. He quickly learned that serving a community of disciples makes one a target of religious and political leaders whose power is built on wealth and violence which “lord it” over others. May we who celebrate his life and legends on this feast, learn from his example that sitting in glory with Christ means finding and serving him in the least of our brothers and sisters. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ, who lives and loves with you and the Holy Spirit, One God for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
May God bless + us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to freedom and the fullness of life, ~Amen.
Let us bless Adonai. ~Thanks be to God.