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A Public Service for Healing – Friday Morning Prayers for Lent
(adapted from Enriching our Worship)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
And also with you
Let us pray.
Opening Prayer
Gracious God, we commend to your loving care all who suffer, especially those who gather this day seeking your healing grace for themselves and for those they love. Give them patience and hope in their distress; strengthen and uphold them in mind and body; and grant, by your intervention, that all your people may be made whole according to your desire, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitatory: Psalm 95 Venite, exultemus
1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.
3 For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land.
6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!
8 Harden not your hearts,
as your forebears did in the wilderness, *
at Meribah, and on that day at Massah,
when they tempted me.
9 They put me to the test, *
though they had seen my works.
10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, *
“This people are wayward in their hearts;
they do not know my ways.”
11 So I swore in my wrath, *
“They shall not enter into my rest.”
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Lesson of the Day: Hebrews 4:11-16
Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs.
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Canticle G
A Song of Ezekiel
Ezekiel 36:24-28
Antiphon: A new heart will I give you
I will take you from among all nations; *
and gather you from all lands to bring you home.
I will sprinkle clean water upon you; *
and purify you from false gods and uncleanness.
A new heart I will give you *
and a new spirit put within you.
I will take the stone heart from your chest *
and give you a heart of flesh.
I will help you walk in my laws *
and cherish my commandments and do them.
You shall be my people, *
and I will be your God.
Antiphon: A new heart will I give you
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
John 3:22-36
After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized— John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison.
Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.’ John answered, ‘No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.” He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.’
The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath.
Canticle N
A Song of God’s Love
1 John 4:7-11
Beloved, let us love one another, *
for love is of God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, *
for God is Love.
In this the love of God was revealed among us, *
that God sent his only Son into the world,
so that we might live through Jesus Christ.
In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us *
and sent his Son that sins might be forgiven.
Beloved, since God loved us so much, *
we ought also to love one another.
For if we love one another, God abides in us, *
and God’s love will be perfected in us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Confession & LItany of Healing
Let us confess our need for God’s healing grace.
Compassionate God,
we confess our weaknesses and our need for your strengthening touch. We confess that some illnesses stem from our own fault,
while others are beyond our control. We turn to you, source of life,
and ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ for the gifts of true healing and life in you. Amen.
May the God of love visit us in our times of trial and weakness, and raise us to newness of life, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
A Litany for Healing
Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers.
God the Father, your will for all people is health and salvation;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
God the Son, you came that we might have life, and might have it more abundantly;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
God the Holy Spirit, you make our bodies the temple of your presence;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
Holy Trinity, one God, in you we live and move and have our being;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.
Lord, grant your healing grace to all who suffer in mind, body or spirit that they may be made whole;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Grant to all who seek your guidance, and to all who are lonely, anxious, or despondent, a knowledge of your will and an awareness of your presence;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Mend broken relationships, nurture a spirit of forgiveness and reconciliation among your people and restore those in emotional distress to soundness of mind and serenity of spirit;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened.
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Enfold with your compassion and grace all the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate cruelty to these our neighbors and strengthen our commitment to ensuring justice and equal opportunities for all.
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Bless physicians, nurses, counselors, social workers and all others who minister to the suffering, granting them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
Grant to the dying peace and a holy death, and uphold by the grace and consolation of your Holy Spirit those who are bereaved; Hear us, O Lord of life.
Restore to wholeness whatever is broken by human sin, in our lives, in our nation, and in the world;
Hear us, O Lord of life.
You are the Lord who does wonders:
You have declared your power among the peoples.
With you, O Lord, is the well of life:
And in your light we see light.
Hear us, O Lord of life:
Heal us, and make us whole.
Compassionate God: You so loved the world that you sent us Jesus to bear our infirmities and afflictions. Through acts of healing, he revealed you as the true source of health and salvation. For the sake of your Christ who suffered and died for us, conquered death, and now reigns with you in glory, hear the cry of your people. Have mercy on us, make us whole, and bring us at last into the fullness of your eternal life. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us 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.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Generous God, we give you thanks for your beloved Jesus Christ, in whom you have shared the beauty and pain of human life. Look with compassion upon all for whom we have prayed for this day, and strengthen us to be your instruments of healing in the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Going Out:
May the God of hope fill us with every joy in believing.
May the peace of Christ abound in our hearts.
May we be enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Amen.

