Cantica Gaudia

Season of Lent: Saturday Noonday Prayer

Opening:  Eternal Spirit, flow through our being and open our lips, that our mouths may proclaim your praise.

Psalm: Endow power with justice
Let it embrace uprightness
So that people can see uprightness before them
And the downtrodden can be raised up in justice.

Let the mountains hold peace fast for the people
Let the hills reverberate with the movements of justice
Give power eyes to see the needy
So that it can serve them and their children
Crushing what holds them down

And all will respect you as long as the sun will shine
As long as the moon will glow in the night sky
For all the generations to come

Let power be for refreshment
Like rain upon the mown grasses
Like showers on the open earth
Let it cause uprightness to grow lush
Let it make peace spring up in abundance
Till the moon falls out of the sky

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

Reading: Make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited. 

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:  In the midst of hunger and war, we celebrate the promise of plenty and peace. In the midst of oppression and tyranny, we celebrate the promise of service and freedom. In the midst of doubt and despair, we celebrate the promise of faith and hope. In the midst of fear and betrayal, we celebrate the promise of joy and loyalty. In the midst of hatred and death, we celebrate the promise of love and life. In the midst of sin and decay, we celebrate the promise of salvation and renewal. In the midst of death on every side, we celebrate the promise of the living Christ. Amen.

Blessing: Let us go forth to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.