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WEDNESDAY MORNING
The Holy Apostles

OPENING RESPONSES

O Lord, open my lips.
 And my mouth shall declare your praise.

My grace is sufficient for you,
for power is made perfect in weakness.

2 Cor 12. 8
The night has passed and the day lies open before us;
so let us pray with one heart and mind:

All may bow.

Glory be to God - Maker, Christ and Holy Spirit -
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever,
world without end.  Amen.

CHANT

Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus
Confitemini Domino.  Alleluia!

SCRIPTURE READING(S) OF THE DAY

Silent reflection.

Either this Morning Canticle or the Benedictus  is said or sung:

CANTICLE OF THE SAINTS

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God:
 no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise they seemed to be dead:
their departure was taken for defeat,
their going from us to be annihilation:
but they are in peace.
Though they appeared to be punished:
their hope is rich in immortality.
Small their affliction, great their blessing:
 God proved and round them worthy.
Like gold in a furnace they were tried:
and God accepted their sacrifice.
In the moment of God's coming, they shall kindle into flame:
and run like sparks through the stubble.
They shall govern nations and peoples,
and the Lord shall be their ruler for ever and ever.

Wisdom 3. 1-8

The Psalms, Readings and Canticles conclude with the Gloria Patri:

Glory be to God - Maker, Christ and Holy Spirit -
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever,
world without end.  Amen.

PRAYERS

All may kneel.

Lord, have mercy
 Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy.

The Lord's Prayer  may be said or sung.

Eternal God,
you call us to ventures
of which we cannot see the ending,
by paths as yet untrodden,
through perils unknown.
Give us faith to go out with courage,
not knowing where we go,
but only that your hand is leading us
and your love supporting us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession may be offered.

The prayers conclude with the Morning Collect.

BLESSING

God's blessing be ours,
 and well may it befall us;
Christ's blessing be ours,
 and well may we be treated,
the Spirit's blessing be ours,
and well may we spend our lives,
each day that we rise up,
each night that we lay down.

Let us bless the Lord:
God's name be praised.





Acknowledgements

Confitemini Domino by Jacques Berthier of the Taize Community.
(Translation.  Come and fill our hearts with your peace.  You alone are holy).
 From Music From Taize volume 2,
 Burwood: Collins Dove, 1984.

The collect for Wednesday morning from
The Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church (USA),
Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox, 1993.

The blessing for Wednesday morning adapted from
Anthony Duncan (ed), A Little Book of Celtic Prayer,
London:  Marshall Pickering, 1996.


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WEDNESDAY EVENING
The Holy Apostles

OPENING RESPONSES

O God, make speed to save us.
 O Lord, make haste to help us.

We are a chosen people,
a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,
a people belonging to God;
that we may declare the praises of God,
who called us from darkness into light.

1 Peter 1. 9
The day is now past and the night is at hand;
so let us pray with one heart and mind:

All may bow.

Glory be to God - Maker, Christ and Holy Spirit -
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever,
world without end.  Amen.

CHANT

I will live for you alone
For you alone Ill live
Heal me, heal me
Heal me and let me live.

SCRIPTURE READING(S) OF THE DAY

Silent reflection.

Either this Evening Canticle or the Magnificat is said or sung:

CANTICLE OF THE APOSTLES

For we do not proclaim ourselves:
 we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord
and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake.
For it is the God who said
'Let light shine out of darkness',
 who bas shone in our hearts
 to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
 in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in clay jars:
 so that it may be clear that this extraordinary power
 belongs to God and does not come from us.

We are afflicted in every way,
 but not crushed;
perplexed,
but not driven to despair;
persecuted,
but not forsaken;
struck down,
but not destroyed;
always carrying in the body the death of Jesus,
so that the life of Jesus may also be visible in our bodies.

For while we live,
we are always being given up to death for Jesus’ sake:
 so that the life of Jesus may be made visible
in our mortal flesh.
So death is at work in us,
but life is at work in you.

2 Cor. 4. 5-12
The Psalms, Readings and Canticles conclude with the Gloria Patri:

Glory be to God - Maker, Christ and Holy Spirit -
as in the beginning, so now, and for ever,
world without end.  Amen.

PRAYERS

All may kneel.

Lord, have mercy
 Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy.

The Lord's Prayer is said or sung.

Prayers of thanksgiving and intercession may be offered.

The prayers are concluded with this Evening Collect:

God of all who fear you,
make us one with all your saints and apostles
and with any who are in need.
Teach us to befriend the weak
and welcome the outcast,
that we may serve the Lord Jesus Christ
and live to offer him glory.
In his holy name we pray.  Amen.

BLESSING

The Lord bless and guard us;
the Lord's face shine upon us and be gracious to us,
the Lord look upon us with kindness and give us peace.

Let us bless the Lord:
God's name be praised.





Acknowledgements

Heal Me by Trisha Watts, from
 All Together O.K.
 Open Book Publishing : Adelaide, 1996.

The collect for Wednesday evening from
The Book of Common Worship of the Presbyterian Church USA,
Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster/John Knox, 1993.


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