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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 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
Mark 6.30-34
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray to God who has compassion on his people in all their needs.
Strengthen the Church to be the witness of your new law and a living sign of your reconciling power. Bless those who work for the spread of the Gospel, granting them rest and refreshment when they are weary.
Save with your healing power the nations of the world. Grant that men and women shall not live in suspicion of strangers and fear of what seems to be foreign, but in harmony as your gathered people.
Draw into the fellowship of your household our families and friends, our neighbours and colleagues. Make us one in the unity that Christ has brought.
Visit and relieve the sick. Give new hope to those whose suffering has been long. Give skill and compassion to all who do the work of healing.
We give thanks for those whose lives were built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and now rest in him. Give them joy in the fellowship of the heavenly Church where he reigns for ever.
As sheep who have found their shepherd, we pray through Christ our Lord.
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.