Preparation
| O God, make speed to save us. | |
| All | O Lord, make haste to help us. |
My trust is in you, O Lord. | |
| All | I have said, ‘You are my God.’ |
Praise
We sing the praise of him who died,
of him who died upon the cross;
the sinner’s hope let men deride,
for this we count the world but loss.
Inscribed upon the cross we see
in shining letters, ‘God is love’;
he bears our sins upon the tree; he brings us
mercy from above.
The cross! It takes our guilt away:
it holds the fainting spirit up;
it cheers with hope the gloomy day,
and sweetens every bitter cup.
It makes the coward spirit brave,
and nerves the feeble arm for fight;
it takes its terror from the grave,
and gilds the bed of death with light:
The balm of life, the cure of woe,
the measure and the pledge of love,
the sinner’s refuge here below,
the angels’ theme in heaven above.
Thomas Kelly (1769-1855)
THE WORD OF GOD
Psalm 69. 1-23
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up, even to my neck.
I sink in deep mire where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters and the flood sweeps over me.
I have grown weary with crying; my throat is raw;
my eyes have failed from looking so long for my God.
Those who hate me without any cause
are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are mighty;
my enemies accuse me falsely:
must I now give back what I never stole?
O God, you know my foolishness,
and my faults are not hidden from you.
Let not those who hope in you
be put to shame through me, Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be disgraced because of me,
O God of Israel.
For your sake have I suffered reproach;
shame has covered my face.
I have become a stranger to my kindred,
an alien to my mother’s children.
Zeal for your house has eaten me up;
the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.
I humbled myself with fasting,
but that was turned to my reproach.
I put on sackcloth also
and became a byword among them.
Those who sit at the gate murmur against me,
and the drunkards make songs about me.
But as for me, I make my prayer to you, O Lord;
at an acceptable time, O God.
Answer me, O God, in the abundance of your mercy
and with your sure salvation.
Draw me out of the mire, that I sink not;
let me be rescued from those who hate me
and out of the deep waters.
Let not the water flood drown me,
neither the deep swallow me up;
let not the Pit shut its mouth upon me.
Answer me, Lord, for your loving-kindness is good;
turn to me in the multitude of your mercies.
Hide not your face from your servant;
be swift to answer me, for I am in trouble.
Draw near to my soul and redeem me;
deliver me because of my enemies.
You know my reproach, my shame and my dishonour;
my adversaries are all in your sight.
Reproach has broken my heart; I am full of heaviness.
I looked for some to have pity, but there was no one,
neither found I any to comfort me.
They gave me gall to eat,
and when I was thirsty, they gave me vinegar to drink.
After a brief silence
Thirsting on the cross,
your Son shared the reproach of the oppressed
and carried the sins of us all;
in him, O God, may the despairing find you,
the afflicted gain life
and the whole creation know its true king,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Short Reading
Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53.4-6
Prayers
We hold in our prayers
- The persecuted Church
- The oppressed peoples of the world
- All who are lonely
- All who are near to death
- All who are facing loss
The Lord’s Prayer
Standing at the foot of the cross, we pray as our crucified and risen Lord has taught us:
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,
the power, and the glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
Grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
The Conclusion
| May Christ our Saviour give us peace. | |
| All | Amen |