Cantica Gaudia

Season of Easter: Thursday Evening Prayer

Opening: Let all that has breath praise God. Alleluia!

Canticle: Sing out, my soul,
Sing of the holiness of God:
Who has delighted in a woman,
Lifted up the poor,
Satisfied the hungry,
Given voice to the silent,
Grounded the oppressor,
Blessed the full-bellied with emptiness,
And with the gift of tears
Those who have never wept;
Who has desired the darkness of the womb
And inhabited our flesh.
Sing of the longing of God,
Sing out, my soul.

Psalm: I will not die, I will live
To speak of what you do
You who have laid me low for my errors
But have never given me up

Open for me the gates of uprightness
I will enter them and give thanks
This is the gate that belongs to you
The gate the upright enter

I give thanks to you for you have answered me
Become my rescue

The stone that the builders rejected
Is now become the cornerstone
Because of you
And it is miraculous to our eyes

This is the day you have made
In it we will be glad and rejoice
And we pray: Send us happiness.

Glory to God who made us, who bears our pain, and who loves us
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.

Reading: Open your hearts to the exultation of the Lord
And flow your love from your heart to your lips in a holy life.
Carry fruit to the Lord.
Talk and look in his light.
Stand up with your shoulders back,
You who sank low.
You who were silent, speak.
Your mouth has been opened.
You were despised.  Now feel uplifted.
Your goodness is high.
The right hand of the Lord is with you.
The Lord will help you.

The Lord’s Prayer: Creator of all,
Alive in all things and greater than all things,
Your naming be held holy.
Your vision of our goodness be made manifest throughout the universe,
And your desires for us brought to fulfillment.
Give us that which is essential for our growth and work.
Offer forgiveness and healing to us as we forgive and heal those around us.
Protect us from unnecessary suffering and wasteful pain.
For all that is beautiful, strong and glorious has its roots in you
and expresses your will and your nature, which we share in, unendingly.  Amen.

Prayer: Fire of the spirit, life of the lives of creatures, spiral of sanctity, bond of all natures, flow of charity, light of clarity, taste of sweetness to the fallen, be with us and hear us. Composer of all things, joy in the glory, strong honor, be with us and hear us. Amen.

Collect: Lord, you dwell within the limits and press beyond them all, for borders are not borders with you, and death is a gateway to life: take us to the thin places where hearts are open wide, feet sink into earth, and the sky sings a new song; through Jesus Christ, the passion of God. Amen.

Going Forth: May the Lord direct our hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance. Amen.