Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament
Nehemiah 8:1-5
1 Officiant: The Word of the Lord. The People: Thanks be to God.
Psalm
Psalm
19
*At the end of the Psalms this is sung or said 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.
New Testament
1 Corinthians 12:12-20
Officiant: The Word of the Lord. The People: Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Luke 4:14-21
Deacon:The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you. Or And with your spirit
Deacon: May the Lord be on our minds, on our lips, and on our hearts as we hear His Holy Gospel. The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke.
People: Glory to You, Lord Christ.
Deacon: We are reading from Luke's Gospel chapter 4, beginning at verse 14.
14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. 15 And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.' 20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, 'Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'
After the Gospel reading, the deacon elevates the book and says:
Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, Lord Christ.
Prayers of the People
Brothers and sisters, Jesus came to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. This gives us the confidence to entrust Him with our needs and those of the whole world.
That the Church will be One as God is One, that the world will know that the Father sent Jesus.
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
That God's people will walk in the Fruit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
That governments will enact laws that promote justice and mercy, especially for the poor and the defenseless.
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
That missionaries and their families will have God's protection and the Church's support to further the Kingdom of God.
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
That we will desire God's Word more than any earthly treasure.
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
That races will lay aside their prejudices and respect one another's differences.
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
For our own special intentions. (Pause)
Lord in Your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, Your Word is True and Righteous altogether. Hear our prayer and give us ears to hear, eyes to see and a heart to respond to what Your Word is saying to us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN