Friday After Ascension
Morning Prayer
Greeting
God ascends to shouts of joy.
The Lord amid trumpet blasts, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Acclaim God, all you peoples. Alleluia, Alleluia!
Doxology
Psalm 113
God’s glory shines over the heavens.
Servants of God, praise,
praise the name of the Lord.
Bless the Lord’s name
now and always.
Praise the Lord’s name
here and in every place,
from east to west.
The Lord towers above nations,
God’s glory shines over the heavens.
Who compares to our God?
Who is enthroned so high?
The Lord bends down
to see heaven and earth,
to raise the weak from the dust
and lift the poor from the mire,
to seat them with princes
in the company of their leaders.
The childless, no longer along,
rejoice now in many children.
Hallelujah!
1 Timothy 3:16
Christ is taken up in glory.
Astounding mystery
at the heart of our faith:
One who appeared in human flesh, alleluia!
was attested by the Spirit, alleluia!
seen by angels, alleluia!
proclaimed to Gentiles, alleluia!
believed in by the world, alleluia!
taken up in glory, alleluia!
Reading: Galatians 5: 22-26
The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Canticle of Zechariah
If we live by the spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
who shepherds the people and sets them free.
God raises from David’s house
a child with power to save.
Through the holy prophets
God promised in ages past
to save us from enemy hands,
from the grip of all who hate us.
The Lord favored our ancestors
recalling the sacred covenant,
the pledge to our ancestor Abraham,
to free us from our enemies,
so we might worship without fear
and be holy and just all our days.
And you child, will be called
Prophet of the Most High,
for you will come to prepare
a pathway for the Lord
by teaching the people salvation
through forgiveness of their sin.
Out of God’s deepest mercy
a dawn will come from on high,
light for those shadowed by death,
a guide for our feet on the way to peace.
Intercessions
At the beginning of this day we remember that the Spirit of God empowers us to live as Jesus did, and so we pray:
--Spirit of God, energize us.
We pray to love inclusively, conscious that like Jesus we are called to be reconcilers and advocates for those who are marginalized and poor…
We pray to proclaim the Good News joyfully in a world where there is so much sadness, cynicism and despair…
We pray for peace among nations and within our cities, communities and families…
We pray for patience when we are unwilling to wait, to listen, or to understand…
We pray to be kind as we struggle in compassionate outreach to others…
We pray for gentleness in our relationships and generosity in our actions…
We pray to respond faithfully to God’s invitation to love others as God has loved us...
Our Father
Prayer
Spirit of God, come and transform us. Stir up in us an ardent desire to do your will and bring about the reign of mercy and justice. Holy Spirit, praying unceasingly within us, give our tongues the words to praise you, our hearts the fervor to love you. Sanctify the work of our lives that all our acts may give glory to God, today and always. Abide with us that we may abide with you. This we ask in faith. Amen.
Blessing
Christ be before me and behind me. Amen.
Christ be on my right and on my left. Amen.
Christ be within me and around me, never to part. Amen.