Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
God of our salvation
help us to turn away from those habits
which harm our bodies and poison our minds
and to choose again your gift of life,
revealed to us in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 48.1-3, 8-10
Great is the Lord and highly to be praised,
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain is fair and lifted high,
the joy of all the earth.
On Mount Zion, the divine dwelling place,
stands the city of the great king.
As we had heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts, the city of our God:
God has established her for ever.
We have waited on your loving-kindness, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
As with your name, O God,
so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is full of justice.
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
Mark 6.7-13
Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray to God, by whose authority we are called to his service.
Keep the Church steadfast, confident in the strength that comes only from your grace. Bless those who are chosen as your ministers and messengers, that they may preach the Gospel with assurance. Sustain those whose burdens are heavy as they work to relieve the burdens of others.
Wherever your word is preached, grant that it shall be heard with understanding and received with faith. Change the hearts of those who glory in their own strength and authority, and teach them to bear their power humbly.
Give us wisdom to discern the gifts that you have given to our friends and colleagues. Teach us to learn from one another and to give support where it is needed.
Uphold those who wish to help others but are frustrated by opposition and indifference. Give grace to all who suffer, that they may be open to accept relief.
We give thanks for the departed who in this world were granted a partial vision of your wonder and to whom it is now revealed in its fullness. Give us grace so to live in Christ that we too may behold his glory.
Through our prayers in the name of Christ, may we overcome evil.
Prayer for the week
Lord God,
you kept faith with Simeon
and showed him the infant King:
give us grace to put all our trust in your promises,
and the patience to wait a lifetime for their fulfilment;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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 Grace
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.
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