Cantica Gaudia

Ordinary Time, Fall: Wednesday Morning Prayer

Opening:  Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness; let the whole earth tremble before God.

Canticle: Seek the Lord who is still to be found:
Call upon God who is yet at hand.
Return to the Lord, who will have compassion,
To our God, who will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So my ways higher than your ways,
And my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain and snow come down from heaven
And return not again but water the earth,
Causing the earth to bring forth and sprout,
Giving seed to the sower and bread to the hungry,
So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth,
It shall not return to me empty,
But it shall accomplish that which I desire
And achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

Psalm: Sing to the Lord, all creatures!
Worship him with your joy;
Praise her with the sound of your laughter.
Know that we all belong to him,
That she is our source and our home.
Enter his light with thanksgiving;
Fill your hearts with her praise.
For his goodness is beyond comprehension
And her deep love endures forever.

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: Become eager for instruction. For the first prerequisite for instruction is faith, the second is love, the third is works; now from these comes life. For instruction is like a grain of wheat. When they sowed it they had faith in it; and when it sprouted they loved it, because they envisioned many grains in place of one; and when they worked they were sustained, because they prepared it for food, then kept the rest in reserve to be sown. So it is possible for you, too, to receive for yourselves the kingdom of heaven; unless you receive it through knowledge, you will not be able to discover it.

The Lord’s Prayer

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven

The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
Sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.

For you reign in the glory of the power that is love,
Now and for ever.  Amen.

Prayer: Faithful God, you remain when others forsake. When I am tempted to abandon myself today, help me to stay present to this moment, that I may know and do your will. Through the Creator who enfolds me, Christ who defends me, and the Spirit who never abandons me. Amen.

Collect: Welcoming God, giving space for all creation to return your love: make us apostles of the open table, a place of hospitality to challenge the world with the gift of eternal life; through Jesus Christ, who offered himself for us. Amen.

Going Forth: May the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.