Preparation
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
My trust is in you, O Lord.
I have said, ‘You are my God.’
Praise
Gracious Father, you gave up your Son out of love for the world:
lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,
that we may know eternal peace
through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd;
therefore can I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures
and leads me beside still waters.
He shall refresh my soul
and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You spread a table before me
in the presence of those who trouble me;
you have anointed my head with oil
and my cup shall be full.
Surely goodness and loving mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Reading
Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’ They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, sir.’ And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.’
John 8:1-11 (NRSV)
Prayers
In penitence and faith seeking the path of holiness, let us pray to the Lord.
Inspire your Church to witness to her Lord by following him in humility and simplicity of life. Give us the light that we cannot find without your guidance.
We pray for those who use the good things of this world selfishly and for those whose power makes them insensitive to the needs of others. Cleanse the peoples of the earth from worshipping the false gods of wealth and possessions.
Fill us with the grace of prayer and service. Enable us to give ourselves more readily, in our homes and in all our dealings with others. Shield those known to us who are beset by temptation to do wrong.
We pray for those who lives are austere not by choice but by misfortune. For those who have no comforts and who struggle to survive. We pray for the hungry and the homeless, for the refugee and the fearful.
Have mercy on those who have died in this world. In your unfailing love, grant them the eternal life which all may gain through faith.
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you
for all the benefits that you have won for us,
for all the pains and insults that you have borne for us.
Most merciful redeemer,
friend and brother,
may we know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Conclusion
May Christ, who bore our sins on the cross,
set us free to serve him with joy.
Amen.