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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 34.1-7
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
My soul shall glory in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
Look upon him and be radiant
and your faces shall not be ashamed.
This poor soul cried, and the Lord heard me
and saved me from all my troubles.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him
and delivers them.
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 8.27-33
Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’
Prayers of intercession
In the confidence of faith, let us pray to the Lord.
As the Church proclaims Christ, the Son of God, keep her faithful to his words and his example, and make her a witness to his truth.
Give wisdom to those in authority, so that they shall not abuse their power but honour the good, protect the helpless and spare the innocent. May all who pass through this world look beyond their self interest and find the true source of life.
Grant us patience and courage in times of difficulty and make us ready to share the burdens of those around us. Make us ready to deny ourselves for the good of others.
Have mercy on the people whose crosses are heavy with sickness or sorrow, on the dying and the bereaved. Bring them comfort and strength in the Lord who trod the way of suffering for the sake of all humanity.
Receive into eternal life those whose lives in this world have come to an end. May the Cross which guided them here be now the sign of their glory.
We pray in the name of Christ, the Son of Man in whom we are saved.
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.