Sunday 5th December 2021
This month’s Taizé service is on Sunday 5th December at 6:30pm in St Michael’s, and the readings, prayers and songs are also available below.
When in prayer, human language does not express well what we have deep within ourselves. We do not need to worry.
In a prayer made of silence only –
We rest in God,
With the body,
With the soul,
And with the spirit.
52 – Veni Sancté Spiritus
2 – Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord, be strong take heart.
Jesus our joy, the simple desire for your presence is already the beginning of faith. And, in our life, the hidden event of a longing causes wellsprings to gush forth: kindness, generosity, and also that inner harmony which comes from the Holy Spirit in us.
Psalm 27 Of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Saviour.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
106 – See, I am near, says the Lord.
See, I make all things new.
119 – Nothing can ever come between us and the love of God.
The love of God revealed to us in Christ Jesus.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
Luke 3 v 1 – 6
1. In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— 2. during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 3. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet:
“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.
5. Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill made low.
The crooked roads shall become straight,
the rough ways smooth.
6. And all people will see God’s salvation.
Isaiah 40 3 – 5
Comfort for God’s People
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
3. A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
4. Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
5. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Silence
Light the Candles
54 – Toi, tu nous aimes
Lord God you love us, source of compassion
Prayers
God our Father, we bless you for having called us to know you, to love you, and to live with you.
— Maranatha, the Lord is coming.
You sent your beloved Son, your perfect image and the reflection of your face; He became like us in all things except sin,
— Maranatha, the Lord is coming
In Him you proclaimed the good news of your kingdom;
You forgive our offences and heal our wounds
— Maranatha, the Lord is coming
Keep us in communion with your Son; keep us alert as we wait for the day of his coming.
— Maranatha, the Lord is coming
Give us your peace, so that w can communicate it to one another in mutual love, and serve the human family
— Maranatha, the Lord is coming
19 – Magnificat
Magnificat, Magnificat, Magnificat anima mea Dominium
Magnificat, Magnificat, Magnificat anima mea.
Sing out my soul, sing out my soul,
Sing out and glorify the Lord who sets us free
Sing out my soul, Sing out my soul,
Sing out and glorify the Lord God
God of Wisdom
Lord and Ruler
Root of Jesse
Key of David
Rising Son
King of the Nations
Emmanuel
Come, Lord Jesus, Come.
Amen.
10 – Laudate Dominum, laudate Dominum omnes gentes Alleluia
Sing, praise and bless the Lord, sing, praise and bless the Lord,
People’s, nations, Alleluia
May 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.