We give thanks to the Father, who has made us worthy to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
Colossians 1:12
Officiant Lord,
open our lips.
People And
our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia.
Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy
to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and
raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above
all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the
heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have
molded the dry land.
Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel
before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his
pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would
hearken to his voice!
LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may
abide upon your holy hill?
Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right,
*
who speaks the truth from his heart.
There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to
his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors
those who fear the LORD.
He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back
his word.
He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor
does he take a bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things *
shall never be
overthrown.
May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the
light of his countenance and come to us.
Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving
health among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the
peoples praise you.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you
judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon
earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the
peoples praise you.
The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God,
our own God, give us his blessing.
May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends
of the earth stand in awe of him.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Wisdom of Ben Sira.
The rich person toils to
amass a fortune,
and when he rests he fills
himself with his dainties.
The poor person toils to make a
meagre living,
and if ever he rests he becomes needy.
One who loves gold will
not be justified;
one who pursues money will be
led astray by it.
Many have come to ruin because of gold,
and
their destruction has met them face to face.
It is a
stumbling-block to those who are avid for it,
and
every fool will be taken captive by it.
Blessed is the rich
person who is found blameless,
and who does not
go after gold.
Who is he, that we may praise him?
For
he has done wonders among his people.
Who has been tested by it
and been found perfect?
Let it be for him a
ground for boasting.
Who has had the power to transgress and did
not transgress,
and to do evil and did not do
it?
His prosperity will be established,
and the assembly
will proclaim his acts of charity.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
he has come
to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
born of
the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
that he
would save us from our enemies, *
from the hands of all who hate
us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
and to
remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
to
set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear, *
holy and
righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most
High, *
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation *
by the
forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God *
the dawn from
on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow
of death, *
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
The Word of the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord; we
acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships
you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,
Cherubim and
Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God
of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your
glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble
fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs
praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you;
Father, of majesty unbounded,
your true and only Son,
worthy of all worship,
and the Holy Spirit, advocate and
guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
the eternal Son of
the Father.
When you became man to set us free
you did not shun
the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death
and
opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at
God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come and
be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
bought with the price of your own blood,
and bring us with
your saints
to glory everlasting.
I believe in God, the Father
almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus
Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of
the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He
descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He
ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the
Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the
communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Officiant The
Lord be with you.
People And
also with you.
Officiant Let
us pray.
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,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
V. Save
your people, Lord, and bless your inheritance;
R. Govern
and uphold them, now and always.
V. Day
by day we bless you;
R. We
praise your name for ever.
V. Lord,
keep us from all sin today;
R. Have
mercy on us, Lord, have mercy.
V. Lord,
show us your love and mercy;
R. For
we put our trust in you.
V. In
you, Lord, is our hope;
R. And
we shall never hope in vain.
Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
Almighty God, Father of
all mercies,
we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks
for
all your goodness and loving-kindness
to us and to all whom you
have made.
We bless you for our creation, preservation,
and all
the blessings of this life;
but above all for your immeasurable
love
in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;
for
the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.
And, we pray, give us such
an awareness of your mercies,
that with truly thankful hearts we
may show forth your praise,
not only with our lips, but in our
lives,
by giving up our selves to your service,
and by walking
before you
in holiness and righteousness all our days;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord,
to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be
honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
Let us bless the
Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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.
2 Corinthians 13:14