Cantica Gaudia

Ordinary Time, Late Summer: Sunday Morning Prayer

Opening:  God beheld the whole of creation, and saw that it was very good, alleluia.

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: O Lord our God, how glorious is your name in all the earth
From the lips of infants and children
Your praises reach up to the heavens.
You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries
To quell the enemy and the avenger.
When I look up at the heavens, the work of your fingers,
The moon and the stars you have set in their places,
What are we mortals, that you should be mindful of us,
Mere human beings that you should care for us?
You have made us little less than divine
And crowned us with glory and honor.
You made us rulers over all your creation
And put all things in subjection under our feet
All sheep and cattle,
And all the creatures of the wild,
The birds of the air and the fish in the sea
And all that make their way through the waters
O Lord our God
How glorious is your name in all the earth.

Glory to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

Reading: Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peacable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown of peace for those who make peace.

The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in heaven, may Your name be sanctified; Your commandment stretches over heaven and earth, may Your compassion come upon earth as it is in heaven.  Forgive us our sin and wrongdoings, You the Lord of all good things; cause Your mercy to descend upon us, Your healing upon this sickness, and it will be healed.  Amen.

Prayer:  O God, you have made of one blood all the people of the earth, and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect:  Christ our teacher, you reach into our lives not through instruction, but story. Open our hearts to be attentive; that seeing, we may perceive, and hearing, we may understand, and understanding, may act upon your word, in your name. Amen.

Blessing: God's gracious strength be with us throughout our lives.