Morning Prayer, Friday before Fifth Sunday in Lent — March 31, 2017

Opening

O Lord, open my lips,
     and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. (Psalm 51:15)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son
     and to the Holy Spirit:
     as it was in the beginning, is now,
     and will be forever. Amen.

Invitatory

The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings. (Malachi 4:2)
     Oh, come, let us worship and praise.

Psalm 95:1-7

Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Let us come before God’s presence with thanksgiving
     and raise a loud shout to the Lord with psalms.
For you, Lord, are a great God,
     and a great ruler above all gods.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
In your hand are the caverns of the earth;
     the heights of the hills are also yours.
The sea is yours, for you made it;
     and your hands have molded the dry land.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.
Come, let us worship and bow down;
     let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
For the Lord is our God,
     and we are the people of God’s pasture
     and the sheep of God’s hand.
Come, let us sing to the Lord:
     let us shout for joy to the rock of our salvation.

Invitatory

The Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings.
     Oh, come, let us worship and praise.

Psalm 130

I wait for you, O Lord; in your word is my hope. (Psalm 130:5)

Out of the depths
    I cry to you, O Lord;
O Lord, hear my voice!
    Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
If you were to keep watch over sins,
    O Lord, who could stand?
Yet with you is forgiveness,
    in order that you may be feared.

I wait for you, O Lord; in your word is my hope.

I wait for you, O Lord; my soul waits;
    in your Word is my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than those who keep watch for the morning,
    more than those who keep watch for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love;
    with the Lord there is plenteous redemption.
For the Lord shall redeem Israel
    from all their sins.

I wait for you, O Lord; in your word is my hope.

Compassionate Father, you forgive all our sins and put them far from us. As an eagle to her young, you nourish and renew us with your tender love. Sustain us each day of our mortal life, that we may seek your healing for all who are in need, and bring us at last with saints and angels to bless and praise you forever; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Song  “Uyai Mose” (Come, All You People), Zimbabwe traditional
Choir, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dallas, TX

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrVbughlIpU

Uyai Mose, Tinamate mwari (3x)
Uya Mose Zvino.

Come, all you people, come and praise the Most High; (repeat 3x)
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come, all you people, come and praise the Savior; (repeat 3x)
Come now and worship the Lord.

Come, all you people, come and praise the Spirit; (repeat 3x)
Come now and worship the Lord.

Revelation 11:16-19
The book of Revelation recounts a mystical vision of the risen Christ, experienced by a Christian prophet named John. He describes Christ as a timeless redeemer, the beginning, present, and end of all time. Here, the elders worship God who reigns on earth and in hearts.

Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, singing, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Song  “Uyai Mose” (Come, All You People), Zimbabwe traditional
Chorus Pro Musica, Boston, MA (cond. William Chin, children’s chorus, on Naxos label)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZJFhhTr0I
 


Reflection  — The Mission of the Church, James H. Cone

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVI2onWaU8I


Scriptural Dialogue 

You have been born anew
     through the living and abiding word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

Gospel Canticle “Song of Zechariah”

In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel,
     you have come to your people and set them free.
You have raised up for us a mighty Savior,
     born of the house of your servant David.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Through your holy prophets, you promised of old
     to save us from our enemies,
     from the hands of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our forebears,
     and to remember your holy covenant.
This was the oath you swore to our father Abraham:
     to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship you without fear, holy and righteous
     before you, all the days of our life.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,
     for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way,
to give God's people knowledge of salvation
     by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
     and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
In the tender compassion of our God
     the dawn from on high shall break upon us.

Prayers

The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Let us pray. We give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son, that you have protected us through the night from all harm and danger. We ask that you would also protect us today from sin and all evil, so that our life and actions may please you. Into your hands we commend ourselves: our bodies, our souls, and all that is ours. Let your holy angels be with us, so that the wicked foe may have no power over us. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

Blessing

May God who has called us forth from the dust of the earth, and claimed us as children of the light, strengthen you on your journey into life renewed. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor
and give you + peace. Amen.

A greeting of peace may be shared by all.

Copyright © 2017 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #SAS011448. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Bread for the Day: Daily Bible Readings and Prayers 2017. Augsburg Fortress Sundays and Seasons series. Rev, Dr. James H. Cone on The Mission of the Church https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVI2onWaU8I  “Uyai Mose” (Come, All You People), Zimbabwe traditional, Choir, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Dallas, TX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrVbughlIpU Chorus Pro Musica, Boston, MA (cond. William Chin, children’s chorus, on Naxos label) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMZJFhhTr0I