Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Eternal God,
whose Son went among the crowds
and brought healing with his touch:
help us to show his love,
in your Church as we gather together,
and by our lives as they are transformed
into the image of Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 119.65-72
You have dealt graciously with your servant,
according to your word, O Lord.
O teach me true understanding and knowledge,
for I have trusted in your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I keep your word.
You are gracious and do good;
O Lord, teach me your statutes.
The proud have smeared me with lies,
but I will keep your commandments with my whole heart.
Their heart has become gross with fat,
but my delight is in your law.
It is good for me that I have been afflicted,
that I may learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is dearer to me
than a hoard of gold and silver.
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 8.11-13
The Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’ And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.
Prayers of intercession
Let us pray to the Father, who has called us to follow Christ.
Empower your Church to follow Christ in all things, courageous to face the hard demands of the gospel. Keep your people from idle gossip and evil speaking, that the purity of their witness should not be corrupted.
Fill with the love of truth those who influence the minds of others. Give to journalists and broadcasters the desire to make known the good as well as the bad, and to avoid anything that can mislead the innocent.
We pray for all who are suffering from slander and false accusations, and for those unjustly accused through malice or error. Give courage to those who are called to witness to their faith in peril and persecution.
Guard our speaking as we meet with others. Shield us in our families and in all our relationships from hasty words and disregard of truth.
Grant that the souls of the departed may be pardoned in the Kingdom where true joys are to be found. May no evil report harm the memory of those who are at rest.
As those who trust in Christ, the true Messiah, we pray in his name.
Prayer for the week
Lord Jesus, touch our eyes as you did those of the blind;
then we shall see in things that are visible
those things which are invisible.
Lord Jesus, open our ears,
heal our wounds and purify our lives,
as you did those who came to you;
then we shall hear and perceive what is true
amidst the sounds of the world,
and find wholeness in ourselves.
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.
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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