CALL TO WORSHIP AND OPENING PRAYER

The Lord is our light and our life:

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.

Alleluia!

Blessed are you, O Lord our God,

you are our life and salvation;

yours is the glory, this day and always.

     [words of gratitude and adoration may be said here]

Open our eyes to behold your presence

and strengthen our hands in doing your will;

that the world may rejoice and give you praise,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Blessed be God for ever!

PSALM, AND SCRIPTURE SONG

Psalm 147

Praise the Lord!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
   for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting. 
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
   he gathers the outcasts of Israel. 
He heals the broken-hearted,
   and binds up their wounds. 
He determines the number of the stars;
   he gives to all of them their names. 
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
   his understanding is beyond measure. 
The Lord lifts up the downtrodden;
   he casts the wicked to the ground. 

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
   make melody to our God on the lyre. 
He covers the heavens with clouds,
   prepares rain for the earth,
   makes grass grow on the hills. 
He gives to the animals their food,
   and to the young ravens when they cry. 
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
   nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner; 
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
   in those who hope in his steadfast love. 

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
   Praise your God, O Zion! 
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
   he blesses your children within you. 
He grants peace within your borders;
   he fills you with the finest of wheat. 
He sends out his command to the earth;
   his word runs swiftly. 
He gives snow like wool;
   he scatters frost like ashes. 
He hurls down hail like crumbs—
   who can stand before his cold? 
He sends out his word, and melts them;
   he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow. 
He declares his word to Jacob,
   his statutes and ordinances to Israel. 
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
   they do not know his ordinances.
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 Zechariah

[Luke 1.68-79]

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

who has come to his people and set them free.

The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through the holy prophets, God promised of old

to save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us,

to show mercy to our forebears,

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous before him,

all the days of our life.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

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 5.15-18

The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

a time for reflection on the scriptures …

… completed with:

I rejoice before you, Lord, let your word bring me light.

Reach out and lead me; let your word bring me light. [from Psalm 119]

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’:

Lord of all, we give thanks for the power of the sun above us,

for the warmth of the ground beneath us,

for the freedom of the wind around us,

for the strength of waves and the rhythm of tides.

We pray for ingenuity and inspiration

in the research and development of renewable energy.

… and sum up your own prayers with these responses:

Make your ways known upon the earth, Lord God;

your saving power among all peoples.

Renew your Church in holiness;

and help us to serve you with joy.

Guide the leaders of this and every nation;

that justice may prevail throughout the world.

Do not let the needy be forgotten;

nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Make us instruments of your peace;

and let your glory be over all the earth.

CONCLUDING PRAYER, AND ENDING