Cantica Gaudia

Season of Epiphany: Wednesday Morning Prayer

Opening:  Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead us, and bring us to your holy hill, and to your dwelling.

Canticle:
Seek the Lord where God wills to be found;
Call upon God when the Lord draws near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
And the evil ones their thoughts
And let them turn to the Lord, who will have compassion
And to our God, who will richly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor my ways your ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are my ways higher than your ways,
And my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as rain and snow fall from the heavens
And return not again, but water the earth,
Bringing forth life and giving growth,
Seed for sowing and bread for eating,
So it my word that goes forth from my mouth,
It will not return to me empty;
But it will accomplish that which I have purposed,
And prosper in that for which I sent it.

Psalm:
Your kindness reaches into the darkened center
Your faithfulness all the way up to the empty sky
Your uprightness is like the mountains
Your actions like the sea
Giving birth to all creatures endlessly

How precious is your kindness!
And those who seek your wide wings’ shelter –
They will be satisfied with your provisions
They will drink the delights of your streams
For you are life’s wellspring
You are the light within the light.

Glory to God, Source of all being, Eternal Word, and Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Reading:
If you do not fight it – if you look, just
look, steadily,
upon it,

There comes
a moment when you cannot do it,
if it is evil;
if good, a moment
when you cannot
not.

The Lord’s Prayer: Seed and source,
Far in the distance and in our souls,
You are holy and make us whole.
May we perceive your divine will
That loved us into being
Help us to join your creative force
And let it prosper here.
Give us what we need to survive,
And release us from our transgressions
As we release others from theirs.
Keep us away from paths of destruction
And from those who would ruin what you have made,
For you are the matrix of life, love and wisdom,
Now and forever.  Amen.

Prayer:
Holy One, whose angels are still working among us, and who sends us messages through scripture, nature, prayer, dreams, friends and enemies: help us pay attention to your promptings so that our response to you is lives lived, as Mary’s was, according to your word.  We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and forever.  Amen.

Collect:
Holy and eternal God, in you we live and move and have our being.  In all our cares and occupations, guide and govern us by your Spirit, that we may both remember and reveal your presence, through our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Going forth: May God who sent us the Light of the world and has given us the light of this day, grant that we may come to know the lightness of being which allowed Mary to say “yes.”  Amen.