Article
Opening Responsory
Can: We live in glorious light
Res: From the comfort of the candle to the promise of the Spring
Can: We live in glorious light
Res: From the creation of the sun, moon and stars to the vision of the empty tomb
Can: We live in Glorious light
Res: In Jesus, the Light of the World.
Quasi Psalm
- Lord you have given us strength:
To bear the dark and cold; - You have given us light and heat:
To sustain us through the Winter. - You have given us the power to discern:
The patterns of your creation; - And you have given us the gift of storage:
That we may survive between harvest and planting. - You have given us the comfort of friendship:
And the bonds of family love; - But, most of all to sustain us in Winter;
You have given us your beloved Son. - We thank you for the story of our lives:
Which has become inseparable from our life stories; - For the call to penitence of Isaiah:
And the preaching of John the Baptist; - For the courage of Mary:
And for the fortitude of Joseph - For the radical witness of the Magnificat:
And for the perception of Elizabeth. - We remember the days of celebration:
Our festivals of hymns and carols; - The generosity of relatives and friends:
And the smiles on the faces of children. - We bring to mind the witness of Simeon:
The recognition of our Saviour and Redeemer; - As we turn our faces and minds:
From the joys of Christmas to the joys of Easter. - Give us grace to turn to you again:
To recognise how we have turned away from you; - And give us the strength to face our shortcomings:
And exchange our pride for humility. - As we face the forty days before us:
May we remember the forty years of your Chosen People in the Wilderness; - As they struggled to recognise themselves:
and, in that struggle, learned to recognise you. - As the days lengthen may we brace ourselves:
For the terrible vision of your sacrifice; - That we may see your broken body:
And recognise how we have broken it. - May we submit to you with cheerfulness:
And submit to ourselves with resolution; - So that we may stand more firmly at the foot of the Cross:
And be more worthy of your precious blood. - We praise you for the richness and diversity of your creation:
For its patterns and its unpredictability; - We thank you for the incarnation of your son:
True God and true man. - We thank you for the Holy Spirit:
Who informs our faith, hope and love.
Responsory
Can: We thank you for the good times
Res: For fellowship and friendship
Can: We thank you for the good times
Res: For warmth, light, food and drink; for clothes and furniture
Can: We thank you for the good times
Res: For laughter and thought; for pictures and music; for contemplation and the dance.
Nunc Dimittis:
Can: Lord, let Your servant now depart in peace
According to Your word, such sweet release;
Res: I have seen salvation in Your infant face
For Israel and all the human race:
All: Glory of Israel, answer to our call;
Light to the Gentiles sent to save us all.
Responsory:
Can: Strengthen us for the trying times
Res: For suffering and want; for uncertainty and anxiety; for loss of wealth and status
Can: Strengthen us for the trying times
Res: For the time of sacrifice, for times of tears, for the bleakness without explanation
Can: Strengthen us for the trying times
Res: For times of self doubt; for the self recognition of penitence; for the shattering of the illusion.
Scripture:
(7) Exodus 13.1-3, 5, 8; (8) Luke 2.22, 25-35
Luke: And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;
Exodus: And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine.
Luke: And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Exodus: And Moses said unto the people, remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place: there shall no unleavened bread be eaten.
Luke: And he came by The Spirit into the Temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God and said:
Exodus: And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites ... which he sware unto thy fathers to give, a land flowing with milk and honey, that thou shalt keep this service in this month.
Luke: Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou has prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Exodus: And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, this is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.
Luke: And Joseph and his mother marvelled at these things which were spoken of him. And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign this shall be spoken against; (yea a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
Hymn
- Thy tiny feet are pierced with nails,
Thy halo has made way for thorn,
The lash, not the caress, prevails,
The angel choir descends to scorn. - Thy mother saw both joy and loss,
Thy stable was a tomb in wait,
Thy paltry manger made a Cross,
Thy Census scroll a plaque of state. - The Shepherds' lamb, thy own device,
The ass returned to seat a king,
The Magi gold a silver price,
Thy birth a final reckoning.
Prayers
O God, our benevolent Creator, we thank you for the richness and diversity of our world, the things that please in their grace, elegance and simplicity and the things that surprise in their novelty, freshness and serendipity; liberate us so that our minds may always be open, in thanks, praise and enquiry, so that we may enhance our understanding of you through your world.
O God, our Heavenly Parent, we thank you for the incarnation of Your Son, lightening our Winter and giving us Spring hope, strengthen us that we may be prepared in penitence and sacrifice for the bitter/sweet days of Lent and Passiontide.
O God our Heavenly provider, we thank you for the life and your son and the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit; broaden us so that we may see you in your world, Jesus in our brothers and sisters and Your Spirit in The Church. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer
Can: Our Father ...
Closing Responsory
Can: Bless our friends and families
Res: That, in imitation of your angels and saints, we all may praise you forever
Can: Bless the children of your Church
Res: That, in imitation of the Trinity, we may all help each other in your name
Can: Bless the outcast and the stranger
Res: That, in imitation of Jesus, we may be moved to bring them in.
The Grace
All: The Grace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us as we thank you for the light of Winter and look forward in hope to the Resurrection. Amen.