Scripture Readings and Concluding Prayers

Welcome to this service of morning prayer. Today the church gives thanks for Josephine Butler, a 20th century social reformer. O Lord of the Lynx An ta in your gra ce Blessed are you sovereign God creator You founded the earth in the be ing, and the hands are the works of yours . In the fullness of time you made us in your image , and in these last days you have spoken to us in your Son Jesus Christ Lord made fles h as we rejoice in the gift of your presence among us let the light of your love always shine in our hearts , your spirit ever y new lies, and your craze is ever yone already Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit . Bless the God The night has passed and the day lies open before us. Let us pray with one heart and mind as we rejoice in the gift of this new day, so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you, now and forever . Amen Psalm one hundred and forty seven Gra ce of Lord and mighty God , how good it is to make music for God How joyful to order him with pra ise the Lord gives of Jeranu Ad as would be out cast of his Heels of broken water and points of all the wounds . He costs an al the sau ce and cause all thy names . Great is our Lord and mighty power is re ason able . The Lord his of the h ome but cast thou gre at to the ground Sing to the Lord with thy skin , make mus ic to our God upon the Lord . Who makes us to roll the mountains our dream once are He gives our beast a food , and they oper ate as when they dra w He takes no pleasure in the host , nor del ight in hum ans Light the Lord delight in those who fail who put the trust in his stead Sing praise to the Lord Lord Yah us Salah . Praise Lord God also , for he has strengthened the balls of your case and has lessed your children with in you . He has established peace in your borders and satisfies you with the fin est weight . He sets forth his hardware to the love And his white monster is swift ly . He is no like woman And scarcely so through ashes . He casts out his hands ones like no es of brand who have endured his prost ant master He roses in his wind and low water's bel ow . He decalies his words to Jacob His such wood such judge and Israel . He has not so They do not know his laws all Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the H these still as it was now I'm shall be for her The first reading is from the book of Joshua, beginning at chapter six, verse one . Now Jericho was shut up inside and out because of the Israelites. No one came out, and no one went in. The Lord said to Joshua, See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers. You shall march around the city, all the warriors circling the city once. Thus you shall do for six days, with seven priests bearing seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, the priests blowing the trumpets. When they make a long blast with the ram's horn, as soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and all the people shall charge straight ahead. So Joshua, son of Nun, summoned the priests and said to them, Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and have seven priests carry seven trumpets of ram's horns in front of the Ark of the Lord. To the people, he said, Go for ward and march around the city, have the armed men pass on before the Ark of the Lord . As Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of Ramshorns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord following them. And the armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets. The rear guard came after the ark , while the trumpets blew continually . To the people Joshua gave this command You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word until the day I tell you to shout , then you shall shout . So the ark of the Lord went around the city, circling it once, and they came into the camp, and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the Ark of the Lord, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of Ramshords before the Ark of the Lord, past or, blowing the trumpets continually . The armed men went before them, and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually . On the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp . They did this for six days . On the seventh day they rose early at dawn and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priest had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute, and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers we sent . As for you, keep away from the things devoted to destruction, so as not to covet, and take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel an object of destruction, bringing trouble upon it. But all silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord. They shall go into the treasury of the Lord. So the people shaked it, and the tr umpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpets, they raised a great shout and the wall fell down flat. So the people charged straight ahead into the city and captured it . Thus says our God, I will comfort you . You shall see and your heart shall rejoice . Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her . All you who love her, says the Lord . Rejoice with her in joy , all you who mourn over her , that you may drink deeply with delight from her consoling breast . For thus says our God , You shall be nursed and carried on her arm . As a mother comforts her children, so I will comfort you You shall see and your heart shall rejoice . You shall flourish like the grass of the fields . Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and shall be for ever . Amen . Thus says our God, I will comfort you . You shall see and your heart shall rejoice . The second reading is from the Gospel according to Luke, beginning at chapter 10, verse 17 . The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us. He said to them, I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you . Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this that the Spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven . At that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Sp irit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is, except the Son, and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him . Then, turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it. Your salvation is near to those who fear you, that glory may dwell in our land . Your salvation is near to those who fear you, that glory may dwell in our land . Mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other . That glory may dwell in our land . Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit . Your salvation is near to those who fear you. That glory may dwell in our land . They were faithful un til God has given them thy God of life . Bless ed be thy Lord, thy God of his life. Who has come to his table and set them free ? He has raised up for us and might escape for the house of his silent day through his holy prophets got brought his soul to save us from enemies , from the hands of all his greatest To our ancest ors and to in my stor ly call a note this was the god sword to our father to set us free from the hands of our enemies free to wash him without free And writes in his sight all the days of life and your child shall be called the prof it of the most lie for you go before the lord is away To give his evil salvation by the forgiveness of all our sins in the tender compass ion of our God . The dawn from my shadow great bones who shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow as to guide our feet into the Glory to the Father and to the S on and to the Holy Spir it As it was Please for my stage for the death God has been like Let us pray. In every age you have raised up holy people to reflect the light of Christ and to teach us the way of holiness. We thank you for those who have been teachers in the school of Christ. Give understanding to those who study the faith that the Church has handed on, and clarity to those who communicate the gos pel in a changing world . Lord, hear us . Lord, graciously hear us. We thank you for those who have lived out their vocation in family life. Give your grace to all who nurture children and all who care for the aged, and enfold in your love all your children . Lord hear us . Lord graciously hear us. We thank you for those who have brought wholeness through the medicine of the gospel . Give skill to all who minister healing and reconciliation in your name , and comfort all who cry out to you from any sort of distress . Lord hear us . Lord, graciously hear us. We thank you today for Josephine Butler, whose Christian commitment led her to campaign for education, equality and justice for women , especially the disadvantaged, oppressed, and abused . As we celebrate her memory and rejoice in her friendship, we ask for your blessing on all who continue to champion g ender equality today . Lord hear us . Lord graciously hear us Hasten, Lord, the day when people will come from east and west, from north and south, and sit at table in your kingdom, and we shall see your Son, in his glory . God of compassion and love, by whose grace your servant Josephine Butler, followed in the way of your son, in caring for those in need . Help us like her to work with strength for the restoration of all to the dignity and freedom of those created in your im age, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever . Amen . As our Saviour taught us, so we pray . Our Father in heaven, hallow do be you your name , your kingdom come , your will be done on earth as in heaven . Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins , as we forgive those who sin against us . Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power , and the glory are yours, now and for ever . Amen . All God will have preserve us more evil and keep us in it all . Let us bless the law for