Opening Acclamation
Blessed be the one, holy, and living God!
Glory to God for ever and ever!
The Third Song of Isaiah Surge, illuminare Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
For behold, darkness covers the land; deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.
But over you the Lord will rise, and his glory will appear upon you.
Nations will stream to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawning.
Your gates will always be open; by day or night they will never be shut.
They will call you, The City of the Lord, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Violence will no more be heard in your land, ruin or destruction within your borders.
You will call your walls, Salvation, and all your portals, Praise.
The sun will no more be your light by day; by night you will not need the brightness of the moon.
The Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
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.
The Collect for the Fourth Sunday After the Epiphany
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lessons
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, ”Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.” Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, “Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Psalm 71:1-6
In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.
Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb.
My praise is continually of you.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Luke 4:21-30
Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
Prayers of the People
Let us now offer our prayers and thanksgivings to God.
Before we pray, let us in silence ask the Spirit to bring to our consciousness those things for which we should pray.
Let us pray for the Church and the people of God throughout the world and for all ministers and people. For whom among the people of God in the world should we pray this day?
The people add their prayers and petitions.
Let us pray for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the freedom and well-being of all people.
For whom among the people and leaders of the nations should we pray this day?
The people add their prayers and petitions.
Let us pray for the needs of this region — for our state, our counties, our towns, and for the well-being those who live here.
For whom among the people of this region should we pray this day?
The people add their prayers and petitions.
Let us pray for the needs and concerns of this congregation; for the sick, those in prison, the travelers, the unemployed, and the downhearted; for those who give their time for the work of this church.
For whom among those in need should we pray this day?
The people add their prayers and petitions.
Let us pray for the dead.
For whom among those awaiting the resurrection to eternal life should we pray this day?
The people add their prayers and petitions.
Let us pray, too, in thanksgiving for the many blessings of this life.
Of all the boundless graces God so generously bestows upon our world, for what should we give thanks this day?
The people add their prayers and petitions.
A Prayer for Haiti
Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort, deal graciously, we pray, with the people of Haiti in the midst of their great suffering. May they cast all their cares on you and know the consolation of your love. Give us the courage, zeal, wisdom and patience to assist them in the long and difficult task of healing and rebuilding. Grant eternal life to those who have died; comfort to those who mourn; healing to the injured; strength to the survivors and endurance to relief workers, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Composed by the Ven. Dr. J. Fritz Bazin Archdeacon for Immigration and Social Concerns Diocese of Southeast Florida; adapted by James Koester SSJE for use at the monastery.)
Concluding prayer:
O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Confession
Let us pray also for the forgiveness of our sins.
God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.
Absolution
Through the cross of Christ, God have mercy on you, pardon you, and set you free. Know that you are forgiven, and be at peace. God strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in life eternal. Amen.
The Blessing
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts. Amen.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation, so that we may work for justice, freedom and peace. Amen.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that we may reach out our hand to comfort and to turn pain into joy. Amen.
May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we may do what others claim cannot be done. Amen.
And the blessing of God; the Almighty, who made and knows you; the Savior, who redeems and befriends you; and the Spirit, who enlightens and sustains you, be with us this day and always.
Amen. (source: Integrity Eucharist at General Convention 2009)
Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
