Intercessory Prayers and Final Blessing

O Lord, open our lips , and our mouths shall proclaim your praise . How glorious is your name, Lord Al ! Your Majesty above his grace , all the world's of pain at the breath You have found in a stronghold against your foes that be heading behind me of hand when I consider your hands through mark off your fingers The wood and the stars that you are holding . What are mortals that you should be mighty You have made a great one more than an gels And town them with glory hand on You have to give them domin ion all the words of our heart and put our feet under their feet for she can books and even though peace of the fame , the birds of ear, the fish of the sea, and whatsoever woods in the parts of the sea . Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in my shallow 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 for ever . Amen . Verses from Psalm one hundred and nineteen I have longed for your salvation, O Lord . O consider my affliction and deliver me , for I do not forget your law . Plead my cause and redeem me . According to your promise, give me life . Salvation is far from the wicked , for they do not seek your statutes . Great is your compassion, O Lord . Give me life according to your judgments . Many there are that persecute and oppress me . Yet do I not swerve from your testimonies . It grieves me when I see the treacherous , for they do not keep your word . Consider, O Lord, how I love your commandments . Give me life according to your loving kind ness . The sum of your word is truth , and all your righteous judgments endure for evermore . Princes have persecuted me without a cause , but my heart stands in awe of your word . I am as glad of your word as one who finds great spoils , as for lies, I hate and abore them , but your law do I love . Seven times a day do I praise you . Because of your righteous judgments . Great peace have they who love your law . Nothing shall make them stumble. Lord, I have looked for your salvation , and I have fulfilled your commandments . My soul has kept your testimonies, and greatly have I loved them . I have kept your commandments and testimonies . For all my ways are before you. Let my cry come before you, O Lord . Give me understanding according to your word . Let my supplication come before you. Deliver me according to your promise . My lips shall pour forth your praise . When you have taught me your statutes , my tongue shall sing of your word , for all your commandments are righteous . Let your hand reach out to help me , for I have chosen your commandment s . I have longed for your salvation, O Lord , and your law is my delight . Let my soul live and it shall praise you . And let your judgments be my help . I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost. O seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments . I have longed for your salvation, O Lord . Let us pray . God of mercy, swift to help us. As our lips pour forth your praise, fill our hearts with the peace you give to those who wait for your salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord . Amen . The first reading is from the book of Joshua beginning at chapter three, verse one . Early in the morning Joshua rose and set out from Shitam with all the Israelites, and they came to the Jordan . They camped there before crossing over . At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it, so that you may know the way you should go, for you have not passed this way before. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, a distance of about two thousand cubits. Do not come any nearer to it . Then Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. To the priests Joshua said, Take up the Ark of the Covenant and pass on in front of the people. So they took up the Ark of the Covenant and went in front of the people . The Lord said to Joshua, This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses . You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant when you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan . When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of the harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still , rising up in a single heap far off at Adam , the city that is beside Zerathan, while those flowing towards the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho . While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan Return to the Lord, who will have mercy to our God who will richly pardon . Seek the Lord while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near . Let the wicked abandon their ways , and the unrighteous their thoughts . Return to the Lord who will have mercy , to our God who will richly pardon . For my thoughts are not your thoughts , neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways hig her than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts , as the rain and the snow come down from above , and return not again, but water the earth , bringing forth life and giving growth, seed for sowing and bread to eat . So is my word that goes forth from my mouth , it will not return to me fruitless, but it will accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the task I gave it . 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 . Return to the Lord, who will have mercy, to our God, who will richly pardon . The second reading is from the Gospel according to Luke , beginning at chapter 9, verse 37 . On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, Teacher, I beg And will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not. Jesus answered, You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here. While he was coming the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions, but Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father, and all were astounded at the greatness of God. While everyone was amazed at all that he was doing, he said to his disciples, let these words sink into your ears. The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands. But they did not understand this saying. Its meaning was concealed from them, so they could not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying . An argument arose among them as to which one of them was the greatest. That Jesus, aware of their inner thoughts, took a little child and put it by his side, and said to them, Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the least among you is the greatest. John answered, Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he does not follow with us. But Jesus said to him, do not stop him, for whoever is not against you is for you . Lord, you will guide me with your counsel and afterwards receive me with glory . Lord, you will guide me with your counsel, and afterwards receive me with glory . For I am always with you, you hold me by my right hand afterwards receive me with glory. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit . Lord, you will guide me with your counsel, and after wards receive me with glory . You shall mercy to our ancest ors He has raised the for ty sand All of the house of his soul and To save us from all life , all that 's all I tak e us To show my sa see two ancest ors and to re mote this was the To set us free from the Free to watch him with our skin foroly ever y just in the sight of the days all shall be put the prophet for the loss for you for the laws of re ady so To give his people for sal vation for love for given ess of all the sick ness We might have no pass ion of our God Well from what I shall bring up to shy on those who dwell in darkness and the shine of love and to the guide of faded To the way of things glory to the father of sun I to the holy spir it as it was in my being You show my seat to our minds as soon as we let my heart Let us pray . Your paths are blessed, your law is good. Direct our hearts in your way, and bless this time of prayer . We pray for those who work in the social services department of our local author ity . Give them wisdom and skill in all they undertake . You, O Lord, are gracious and good . Teach us your ways . Give patient understanding to those who work in our criminal justice system . We pray for the police service, praying in particular for our local police st ation , for those who work in our prisons, our prison warders, chaplains, and those who work for the prob ation service . You, O Lord, are gracious and good . Teach us your ways . Tend and comfort those who are the victims of crime, and reform the perpetrators . Give us a new vision of a society that is at ease with itself . You, O Lord, are gracious and good . Teach us your ways. We give thanks for the work of all aid agencies . Strengthen our efforts to create a more just world . You, O Lord, are gracious and good . Teach us your ways . May your love be the inspiration for all who are employees in our local area . In particular, we pray for all shops and retail outlets . You, O Lord, are gracious and good . Teach us your ways. Be the constant guide and comfort of those whose lives are scarred by poverty, deprivation, and injustice. You, O Lord, are gracious and good. Teach us your ways . Let us commend the world for which Christ prays to the mercy and protection of God . O Lord from whom all good things come , grant to us your humble servants, that by your holy inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by your merciful guiding may perform the same, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever . Amen . As our Saviour taught us, so we pray Our Father in heaven, hallowed be 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 . The Lord bless us and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life. Amen . Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God .