Sign of the Cross

Greeting  

May grace, peace and mercy from God the Father,
through Jesus Christ,
in the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.

Introduction and Litany of Praise

When we gather for worship do we not sometimes merit the scathing words of Isaiah and Jesus?
"This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me." (pause)

In order that our worship may be acceptable,
let us ask God to cleanse our hearts from all sin.

Lord Jesus, you open our ears so that we can hear your word:
Lord, have mercy.

You touch our tongues so that we can profess our faith:
Christ, have mercy.

You touch our hearts so that we can love you and love one another:
Lord, have mercy.

Opening Prayer

Option A
Father of light,
giver of every good and perfect gift,
bring to fruition the word of truth
sown in our hearts by your Son,
that we may rightly understand your commandments,
live your law of love,
and so offer you worship that is pure and undefiled.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.

Option B
Behold, O God, your Christain people,
gathered for our weekly celebration of Christ's death and resurrection.
Let the praise on our lips
come from the word you have sown
- the word that has taken root within us.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.

Liturgy of the Word

Homily

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL

P       Let us call on God to purify our hearts, so that our faith may be sincere and that we may offer fitting worship. Humbly, but full of confidence, we pray.

             With confidence we pray:

CM     Open our hearts, O Lord. (Please repeat)

1. May our church leaders listen attentively to your Word,
   teach what they have learned,
   and practice what they teach.
   We pray:
   
2. For all those who are responsible for making laws in our society,
   and all those whose duty it is to enforce them.
   May they always judge wisely and act in the best interests of all.
   we pray:
   
3. May all who bear the name 'Christian'
   live according to Christ's law of love,
   by serving their neighbor and their Lord.
   we pray:
4. For all victims of the evils that come from the human heart.
   May they find healing for their pain and hope for their future.
   We pray:
   

[The Presider may add a Petition that is local / relevant]

P     All loving God,
       give us pure hearts that we may see you,
       humble hearts that we may hear you,
       loving hearts that we may serve you.
       We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Prayer over the Gifts [based on 2nd Reading]

Creator of all that lives.
since every generous act of giving,
every perfect gift,
is from above,
we have nothing to offer you but our emptiness.
Keep us unstained by the world
so that we can practice a religion that is pure and undefiled.
All this we ask through Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

God does not want lip-service from us
but worship that comes from the heart,
and so we pray:
Our Father ..

Deliver us Lord  

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Keep us from formalism and lip-service.
Help us to be doers of the word,
caring for poor and needy
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Prayer for Peace [based on 2nd Reading]

Lord, Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you.'
Cleanse our hearts of all the evil things that come from within:
greed, envy, slander and pride,
so that we may enjoy the peace and unity of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. AMEN

Exchange of Peace
We can show that God's word has taken root within us
by sharing a sign of peace with each other.

Optional Prayer to accompany the ‘Breaking of Bread’

P      Generous Father,
         may our sharing of this one cup and one bread
         be our pledge to live in your Spirit.
         For when we eat this bread and drink this wine
         we proclaim the death of the Lord Jesus
         until he comes in glory.

A     LAMB OF GOD.....

Invitation to Communion

Behold the Lord Jesus who comes to show us
that true worship lies in our deep union with God.
Blessed are we who are called to share in his banquet of love.
Lord, I am not worthy…

Prayer after Communion   

Lord God,
in this eucharistic celebration
you have given us the word and body of your Son.
Grant that we may be doers of the word
and not merely hearers
so that we be a community of love and service.
We ask this in the name of Christ our Lord . AMEN.

Solemn Blessing

May almighty God keep you from all harm
and bless you with every good gift. AMEN.

May God set his Word in your heart
and keep you unstained by the world. AMEN.

May you walk in God's ways,
always knowing what is right and good
until you enter your heavenly inheritance. AMEN.

And may the blessings of our loving God,
+ Father, Son and Spirit,
come down upon you and remain with you for ever. AMEN.

Dismissal     

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.