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Intercessions for First Sunday of Advent – Year C – 29 November 2015 – series 2

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The Collect

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life, in which your Son Jesus Christ came to us in great humility; that on the last day,  when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Jeremiah 33.14-16

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

Psalm 25.1-9

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; O my God, in you I trust; * let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies triumph over me.
Let none who look to you be put to shame, * but let the treacherous be shamed and frustrated.
Make me to know your ways, O Lord, * and teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, * for you are the God of my salvation; for you have I hoped all the day long.
Remember, Lord, your compassion and love, * for they are from everlasting.
Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions, * but think on me in your goodness, O Lord, according to your steadfast love.
Gracious and upright is the Lord; * therefore shall he teach sinners in the way.
He will guide the humble in doing right * and teach his way to the lowly.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth * to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3.9-13

How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Gospel Reading: Luke 21.25-36

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Alleluia.

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’ Then he told them a parable: ‘Look at the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’


Prayers of Intercession

Visual Liturgy offers:

In joyful expectation of his coming to our aid, we pray to Jesus.

Come to your Church as Lord and judge. We pray for … Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your kingdom.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to your world as King of the nations. We pray for … Before you rulers will stand in silence.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to the suffering as Saviour and comforter. We pray for … Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you for ever.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come to us as shepherd & guardian of our souls. We remember … Give us with all the faithful departed a share in your victory over evil & death.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come from heaven, Lord Jesus, with power and great glory. Lift us up to meet you, that with [N and] all your saints and angels we may live and reign with you in your new creation.
Maranatha: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Come, Lord Jesus, do not delay; give new courage to your people, who trust in your love. By your coming, raise us to share in the joy of your kingdom on earth as in heaven, where you live and reign with the Father and the Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.


As we are starting a new year, and hence a new Jane Williams book, I am allowing myself a fairly full extract:

Advent Sunday 1Advent 2The point about Advent is to learn about God, so that we recognize him when he comes…. And the RSCM adds: ‘In the midst of all this distress, fear, and global confusion, Jesus’ exhortation to his followers to stand upright and raise their heads is striking. The warning rings true though: if our eyes are constantly earth-bound, not only will our hearts be dragged down, but our patterns of living will be too. Luke’s message is clear: keep your eyes on the Son of Man and you will have nothing to fear.’

As we look for the coming of the Kingdom, let us pray to the Lord.

¶The Church of Christ

O Lord God, the Wind of your Holy Spirit blows through the trees, shorn of their leaves, as it blows holes in our defences and lays bare our fear. Come, Lord, and fill us with life anew. Breathe on us till we are wholly yours, until this earthly part of us glows with your divine fire. And then send us out into the world, renewed by the birth of your Son, to proclaim your Kingdom!

Lord, we fix our eyes on you, only you: in your mercy, hear our prayer

 

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Lord, we are creatures of this world as well as of the next. We are in the midst of wars and tumults; we have despoiled our green and life-giving planet; and we fear that these may be the end times. Yet the world demands we spend the solemn fast of Advent in preparing a great feast of food and gifts. Help us, in the midst of these distracting demands for our attention, to focus on the Christ child and the miracle that changed everything, the Incarnation.

Lord, we fix our eyes on you, only you: in your mercy, hear our prayer
 

 

¶The local community

Lord, fill our homes with your light and love. Help us to reach out to each other and share what we have, while being sensitive to their needs. Teach us how to share our joy at the wonder of what is to come, and teach us how to give so that it imposes no sense of obligation on the recipient.

Lord, we fix our eyes on you, only you: in your mercy, hear our prayer
 

 

¶Those who suffer

Lord, we pray for all who suffer pain, whether in mind, body or spirit. We pray for all those who fall ill at this season, and for the hospitals and others who care for them. We pray for all those who find Advent and Christmas a difficult time to be alone, perhaps remembering those who are no longer here to share it. We pray for all those on the move from the Middle East and Africa, who now sleep out in the cold.

Lord, we fix our eyes on you, only you: in your mercy, hear our prayer
 

¶The communion of saints

Lord, we pray for the departed, whose fellowship is now complete in you. As they leave behind this earthly plane, grant them everlasting salvation with you.

 

Merciful Father, accept these prayers….

Prayer after Communion

O Lord our God, make us watchful and keep us faithful as we await the coming of your Son our Lord; that, when he shall appear, he may not find us sleeping in sin but active in his service and joyful in his praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above): Invitation to Confession (1st Sun. of Advent to Christmas Eve) © 1988  Continuum (Mowbray) (Adapted) Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000 Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2002 Blessing (1st Sun. of Advent until Christmas Eve) © The Crown/Cambridge University Press: The Book of Common Prayer (1662),/sup>

5 comments on this post:

Victoria said...
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Thank you for your intercessions, I have written my own but shamelessly stolen some of yours too. Thanks as always for the inspiration

Laura Sykes said...
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No need to feel shame! It is I who feel ‘gruntled’ to hear that they are of use to you 🙂

28 November 2015 20:43
28 November 2015 19:16
Sarah said...
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I have to say I couldn’t be without your intercessions. Not being a public speaker by nature I was both alarmed and flattered when asked to share intercessions with the congregation. You have helped me enormously and I thank you.

23 December 2015 08:04
Christine A. Fox said...
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Same for me, but I am now alarmed and “flattened” to discover nothing for this New Year of 2016. Everyone needs a break, so I do hope and pray that’s all it is, and that we can look forward to a return to such helpful material. Wishing you every blessing and heartfelt thanks!

layanglicana said...
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Thank-you very much for missing me. I have had a difficult couple of weeks, but am hoping to pick up the intercessions again for next Sunday, that is January 17th, the Second Sunday of Epiphany. As I explained earlier, having completed one three year cycle, I had planned to take a break from the main calendar in the next few months, and substitute some saints’ days and other lesser festivals. For instance, intercessions for the First Sunday of Epiphany Year C (and also Epiphany itself, as it happens) for 2013 are at http://www.layanglicana.org/blog/2013/01/02/intercessions-for-epiphany-2013/

09 January 2016 21:04
09 January 2016 17:12

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