CALL TO WORSHIP AND OPENING PRAYER

The Lord is risen. Alleluia!

Come, let us worship.

Give praise to the Father almighty,

to his Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord,

to the Spirit who dwells in our hearts,

both now and for ever. Amen.

Blessed and praised are you, God our Father,

for raising Christ our Lord from the dead

and giving us the hope of immortality.

     words of gratitude and adoration may be said here

The joy of the resurrection renews the whole world:

a new age has dawned,

the reign of sin is ended,

a broken world is being renewed,

and humanity is once again made whole.

Blessed be God for ever!

PSALM, AND SCRIPTURE SONG

Psalm 146

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
   I will sing praises to my God all my life long.

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
   in mortals, in whom there is no help.
⁴ When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
   on that very day their plans perish.

⁵ Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
   whose hope is in the Lord their God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth,
   the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
⁷   who executes justice for the oppressed;
   who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
   the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
   he upholds the orphan and the widow,
   but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

¹⁰ The Lord will reign for ever,
   your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

Give praise to the Father almighty;

to his Son, Jesus Christ the Lord;

to the Spirit who dwells in our hearts,

both now and for ever. Amen.

The Song of Mary

[Luke 1.46-55]

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

who has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed:

the Almighty has done great things for me

and holy is his name.

God has mercy on those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

The Lord has shown strength with his arm

and scattered the proud in their conceit,

casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

God has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

to remember the promise of mercy,

the promise made to our forebears,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Give praise to the Father almighty,

to his Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord,

to the Spirit who dwells in our hearts,

both now and for ever. Amen.

SHORT READING

John 16.7-15

Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.’

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.’

a time for reflection on the scriptures …

… completed with:

You have come to trust in God, who raised Christ from the dead.

Your faith and hope are set on God, who raised Christ from the dead.

[1 Peter 1.21]

CANTICLE OF THE SEASON

THE LORD'S PRAYER,

thanksgiving, petition, intercession

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.

a time for personal prayer and intercession …

… you may include this ‘Prayer for the Earth’:

God of our salvation,

as changing weather patterns and rising sea levels

affect the poorest peoples of the world,

we acknowledge our contribution

to the threat of climate change.

Bless the work of Christian Aid,

guide the leaders of the world

into the ways that make for justice,

and help us to help others

by treading lighter on the earth.

… and sum up your own prayers with these responses:

Give thanks to the Lord for he is gracious;

he has loved us from all eternity.

By his cross and resurrection he has redeemed the world,

and has washed us from our sins in his blood.

On the third day he rose again,

and has given us the victory.

He ascended into heaven,

and opened for us the gate to everlasting life.

He is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and lives for ever to intercede for us.

A CONCLUDING PRAYER, AND ENDING