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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
God of constant mercy,
who sent your Son to save us:
remind us of your goodness,
increase your grace within us,
that our thankfulness may grow,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 24.1-6
The earth is the Lord’s and all that fills it,
the compass of the world and all who dwell therein.
For he has founded it upon the seas
and set it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord,
or who can rise up in his holy place?’
‘Those who have clean hands and a pure heart,
who have not lifted up their soul to an idol,
nor sworn an oath to a lie;
They shall receive a blessing from the Lord,
a just reward from the God of their salvation.’
Such is the company of those who seek him,
of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
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: Luke 5.1-11
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.
This is the word of the Lord.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray for the Church and for the world, and let us thank God for the abundance of his mercy.
Bless the Church with power to preach the word at all times and in many places. Give to her ministers the courage and the guidance to launch out into the deep and draw many into the fellowship of believers.
Grant the grace and wisdom by which the resources of the land and of the sea may be used for the good of all. We pray for those who go out into the deep waters, that they may be preserved from danger and that their labour may be blessed.
Keep us, our families and friends, confident and comforted in the presence of the Lord. Bless all who work in this community, and give them a sense of purpose in their calling.
Come in compassion to those who have lost hope, to all discouraged by continual failures, to those who see no return for their work. Give pardon and assurance to any who fear that their sins have cut them off from salvation.
Have mercy on those who have finished their work in this world and have come to the farther shore. Bring them through the deep water of death and draw them into the great harvest of the redeemed.
May our prayers be accepted through Christ, who never departs from repentant sinners.
Grant, O Lord, that your love may so fill our lives
that we may count nothing too small to do for you,
nothing too much to give, and nothing too hard to bear,
for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
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.
The Conclusion
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore. Amen.