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Through the Word, all was made that has been made.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us. 1
Pause…
We take refuge in God’s earthing in flesh;
immersion in death;
rising to Life.
We take root in the Love of God;
the Good News of Christ;
the prayers of the faithful. 2
As we hear the scriptures read, may they lead us to the Christ and may we find in Jesus the fulfilment of all our searching.
Psalm(s) and readings.
Blessed are those who hear the word of God
And obey it.
A time of quiet and/or shared reflection, afterwards a collect may be said.
Mary’s Song3 may be said (or sung). Here, it has been divided into four stanzas. You may like to read out a different one each day.
My soul proclaims your greatness O Lord;
my spirit rejoices in you O God our Saviour,
You have looked with favour on your lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call us blessed.
Almighty, you have done great things for us,
and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the help of your servant Israel,
remembering your promise of mercy,
the promise made to our forebears,
to Abraham and his children forever.
Glory to God in the highest:
how glorious is your name in all the world.
Holy, holy holy, Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory!
… expressions of praise and thanks …
O God, you have done great things for us
And holy is your name.
Let everything that has breath flourish and fulfil your purposes, O God!
May your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth.
Father, may your will be fleshed out:
on earth as in heaven.
You desire the liberation of creation subjected to frustration 4
Loving Creator, may your will be fleshed out:
on earth as in heaven.
You work for peace and justice in the earth 5
Carer for Life, may your will be fleshed out:
on earth as in heaven.
You desire all to come to salvation and to a knowledge of the truth 6
Lover of all souls, may your will be fleshed out:
on earth as in heaven.
Concerns and biddings for the world’s good and God’s. …
Everliving all-loving God, may your will be fleshed out:
on earth as in heaven.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
Into what will sustain our life in you, lead us.
… reflection / requests for daily bread provision.
We look to you to supply our need, be our provider and strength.
Father, may your will be fleshed out:
on earth as in heaven.
Forgiving God, we recognise that we have avoided your call, shirked responsibilities and mis-stewarded your gifts to us.
…
God forgive us
And Let grace live within us
Sharing God; we have resisted expressing your life and bringing to birth your kin-dom.
…
God forgive us
And Let grace live within us
…
God who first loved us, help us to love others by forgiving.
…
God forgive us
And Let grace live within us
There may be silence to reflect on forgiving. After an appropriate interval, words of forgiveness may be said.
As we seek to live embodying the values and commitments of God’s just and gentle Rule, let us reflect on challenges to our faithfulness and integrity that may lie in our future, and let’s recognise the way ahead has many unknowns which may wrongfoot us.
…
We are called to bear Christ into our world. With Mary we ask, how can this be?
…
We take to heart the Angel’s reply:
The power of the Most High will overshadow you; with God it is possible:
Let it be to us according to your Word.
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[i] John 1:1ff
[ii] These words recontextualise for Christians a Buddhist affirmation and are heavily adapted from a prayer of the Church of South India.
[iii] Based on the ELLC translation of Luke 1:46-55
[iv] See Romans 8:20
[v] Reflecting Jeremiah 9:24b
[vi] See 1 Timothy 2:4. We might also reflect on this in the context of climate crisis in relation to the XR demand to tell the truth
Book of Our Common Prayer 