PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, Cycle C: January 26, 2025: 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, Proper 2
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10: (Ezra reads book of Moses, instructs people; Nehemiah declares a day of feasting)
Psalm 19:1-14: (The heavens proclaim God’s glory; my heart rejoices in his precepts. Let the
words of my mouth and meditation of my heart be acceptable in his sight)
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a: (The unity of the Body of Christ)
Luke 4:16-30: (Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah concerning the healing of the poor, lame, blind and imprisoned, declaring that today that Word has been fulfilled)
RCL/ELW: Luke 4:14-21: (Rest heard next week)
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Opening Hymn: Hail to the Lord’s Anointed: LBW #87, ELW #311, LSB #398
Hymn of the Day: O Christ Our Light, Our Radiance True: LBW #380, ELW #675
O Christ, Our True and Only Light: LSB #839
OR Rise, Shine, You People: LBW #393, ELW #665, LSB #825
OR The People That in Darkness Sat: LSB #412
Communion Hymn #1: We Give Thee But Thine Own: LBW #410, ELW #686, LSB #781
OR Arise, Your Light Has Come: WOV #652, ELW #314
Communion Hymn #2: O God of Mercy, God of Light/Might: LBW #425, ELW #714; LSB #852
Closing Hymn: O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing: LBW #559, ELW #886, LSB #528
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Let us draw near to the Throne of Grace, offering prayer and supplication on behalf of the Church, the world, and one another.
A brief silence
Lord God, thank you for your Word, given to us as Holy Scripture, the sure foundation for life as your beloved community. Thank you for your Word made flesh in your Son, Jesus Christ. Conform our lives to His. Send us with your Word to all who are blinded by distractions, deafened by voices of pleasure and power, lamed by suffering, imprisoned by sin, and impoverished in body, mind, or spirit.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Make your Church a place where your Word is faithfully proclaimed, eagerly heard, and gladly heeded. We also pray your persecuted disciples. Do not let us despise or ignore their suffering or their testimony. Say to them, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Build up the Body of Christ in this congregation. Help us to accept, develop, and share the gifts you have given each of us. Teach us to encourage and rejoice in the gifts of others, whether those gifts seem small or great. Let all be done to glorify you and to share your mercy with those around us.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We pray, therefore, on behalf of shut-ins, the physically and mentally challenged, the frail, and everyone whose gifts are often overlooked or despised, even by themselves. Grant that, following our Lord’s example, we may honor them; and that we may rejoice together as fellow members of his Body.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Teach your precepts to all who take counsel for the nations; to our military; and to first responders. Grant them wisdom, integrity, and common sense. Let all of us live peacefully, work fruitfully, and enjoy the many blessings and gifts which you have provided for the benefit of all.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Your Son bestowed healing, sight, freedom, and good news to all who are in bondage to the powers of sin, evil and death. We lift before you the needs of all who need his strong saving love, including: {List}. Visit them with your salvation; heal their bodies and revive their hearts; and let them rejoice you.
Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Thank you, heavenly Father, for receiving into your Kingdom those who died trusting in your Word. Keep us close to Jesus. Speak your Word of life, and let us feed on it. Fill us with your Spirit, and help us share it. Knit us into Christ’s Body, and make us rejoice in it. Keep us faithful unto death, and then say to us: “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep, and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength, forevermore.”
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Graciously hear, and generously answer our prayers, dear Father, in accordance with your wisdom and mercy for us. We pray in the name of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
