Retreat Prayer:Retreat Prayer: Give me a candle of the Spirit, O God, as I go down into the deep of my own being. Show me the hidden things. Take me down

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Retreat Prayer:Give me a candle of the Spirit, O God, as I go down into the deep of my own being. Show me the hidden things.Take me down to the spring of my life, and tell me my nature and my name. Give me freedom to grow, so that I may become my true self – the fulfilment of the seed which you planted in me at my making.Out of the deep I cry unto thee, O God.

The Lord is My Light

The Lord is my light My Light and Salvation

In Him I trustIn Him I trust

The drama of Creation

In the beginning, God made the world: Women: Made it and mothered it, Men: Shaped it and fathered it; Women: Filled it with seed and with signs of fertility, Men: Filled it with life and with song and variety.All that is green, blue, deep and growing, GOD’S IS THE HAND THAT CREATED YOU.All that is tender, firm, fragrant and curious, GOD’S IS THE HAND THAT CREATED YOU.

All that is tender, firm, fragrant and curious,

GOD’S IS THE HAND THAT CREATED YOU.

All that crawls, flies, swims, walks or is motionless,


All that speaks, sings, cries, laughs or keeps silence,


All that suffers, lacks, limps or longs for an end,


The world belongs to God,

THE EARTH AND ALL ITS PEOPLE.

The drama of Incarnation

When the time was right, God sent the Son.

Women: Sent him and suckled him,

Men: Reared him and risked him;

Women: Filled him with laughter and tears and compassion,

Men: Filled him with anger and love and devotion.

Unwelcomed child, refugee and runaway,

CHRIST IS GOD’S OWN SON.

Skilled carpenter and homeless wayfarer,


Leader: Feeder and teacher, healer and antagonist,


Lover of the unlovable, toucher of the untouchable,

forgiver of the unforgivable,


Loved by the least, feared by the leaders;

befriended by the weak, despised by the strong;

deserted by his listeners, denied by his friends;

bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh,

writing heaven’s pardon over earth’s mistakes,


The Word became flesh,

HE LIVED AMONG US, HE WAS ONE OF US.

Where two or three are gathered in my name,’ says the Lord, ‘I am there

among them.’

Matthew 18.20

The Confession of Sins

Lord Jesus Christ,we confess that we have failed as did your first disciples.We ask for your mercy and help.

Silent reflection

Prayer of confession

I confess to God and in the company of all God’s people that my life and the life of the world is broken by my sin. May God forgive you, Christ renew you and the Spirit enable you to grow in love.

We confess to God and in the company of all God’s people that our lives and the lives of the world are broken by our sin. May God forgive you, Christ renew you and the Spirit enable you to grow in love.

Glory to God in the highest,and peace to God's people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;you are seated at the right hand of

the Father:receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most HighJesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

Go before us, O Lord, and further us with your continual help, that in all our works, begun, continued, and ended in

you, we may glorify your holy name, and finally, by your mercy, obtain

everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,

for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading: It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of

John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to seize

Peter also. This happened during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. 6 The night

before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two

chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and

woke him up. "Quick, get up!" he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, "Put on your clothes and sandals." And Peter did so. "Wrap

your cloak around you and follow me," the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison,

but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing

a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of

one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating." 12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the

house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer

entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door.

14 When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" 15 "You're out

of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." 16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when

they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.

17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another

place. 18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had

become of Peter.

Hear the word of the LordThanks be to God.

Psalm 149.1 O praise the Lord and sing to the

Lord a new song: O praise him in the assembly of the faithful.

2 Let Israel rejoice in him that made him:

let the children of Zion be joyful in their king.

3 Let them praise him in the dance:let them sing his praise with timbrel

and with harp.

4 For the Lord takes delight in his people:

he adorns the meek with his salvation.

5 Let his faithful ones exult in his glory:

let them sing for joy upon their beds.

6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouths:

and a two-edged sword in their hands,

7 To execute vengeance on the nations:

and chastisement upon the peoples,

8 To bind their kings in chains:and their nobles with fetters of iron,

9 To visit upon them the judgement that is decreed:

such honour belongs to all his faithful servants Praise the Lord.

***

There is one Lord

There is one Lord,One faith, one baptism

There is one God Who is Father of all

There is one Lord



Bear with one anotherIn love and Charity

Be Humble, be patientBe selfless, be as one



There is one bodyThere is one SpiritThere is one hope

To which we are called



We are all to come to unityIn the faith and knowledge

of the Son of God,Until we becomePerfected in the

Fullness of Christ



The Holy Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John Chapter 8

beginning at verse 31Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." They answered him, "We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone.

What do you mean by saying, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

For the gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Let us together affirm the faith of the Church:

We believe in one God, the Father, the almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,begotten, not made,

of one being with the Father;

through him all things were made.For us and for our salvationhe came down from heaven,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead

and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the

Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the

prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to

come. Amen.

Lord in your mercy

Hear our prayer

Almighty God, you have promised to hear our prayers.

Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive,

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus said: Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you

rest. Let us pray:

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our

own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.

We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table. But you are the same Lordwhose nature is always to have

mercy.

Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him,

and he in us. Amen.

We are the body of Christ.His Spirit is with us.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Jesus remember me

Jesus remember meWhen you come into your Kingdom

Jesus remember meWhen you come into your Kingdom

The Invitation

The table of bread and wine is now made ready

It is the table of company with JesusAnd with all those who love himIt is the table of sharing with the poor of the world with

whom Jesus identified himselfIt is the table of communion with the earth

In which Jesus became incarnate

So come to this table you who have much faithAnd you who would like to have moreYou have been to this sacrament oftenAnd you who have not been for a long time

You who have tried to follow JesusAnd you who have failedCome. It is Christ who invites us to meet him here.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving Lift up your heartsWe lift them up to God

Let us give thanks to GodWe offer you praise, dear GodAnd hearts lifted high

For in the communion of your loveChrist comes close to usAnd we come close to Christ

Therefore with the whole realm of nature around usWith earth, sea and skyWe sing to you With the angels of light who envelop usWith Michael and the host of heavenWith all the saints before and beside usWith brothers and sisters, east and westWe sing to you

And with our loved onesSeparate from us nowWho yet in this mystery are close to us

We join in the song of your unending greatness

Holy and one Holy in power

Holy in energy Glory to you

Blessed is our brother Jesus Who walks with us the road of the world’s suffering

And who is known to us in the breaking of the bread

On the night of his arrest, Jesus took bread

And having blessed itHe broke the breadAnd gave it to his disciples, saying,‘This is my body given for you’

In the same way he took wineAnd having given thanks for ithe poured it outAnd gave the cup to his disciples, saying,

‘This cup is the new relationshipwith God,Sealed with my bloodTake it and share itI shall drink wine with you next In the coming Kingdom of God.’

Hear us now, O Christ And breathe your spirit upon us And upon this bread and wine That have become for us your body and blood

Vibrant with your life Healing and renewing and making us whole

And as the bread and wine which we now eat and drink Are changed into us May we be changed again into you Bone of your bone Flesh of your flesh Loving and caring in the world. Amen

As our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to 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 yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

The breaking of the bread

Many grains were gathered together to make this breadMany grapes were mixed to make this wineSo, we who are manyAre one in Christ For we all share in the one bread

Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the world, grant us your peace.

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are

those who are called to His supper.Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be

healed.

Eat this Bread

Eat this breadDrink this cup

Come to me and never be hungry

Eat this breadDrink this cup

Come to me and you will not thirst

Gracious God, we thank you that in this sacrament you assure us of your

goodness and love. Accept our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving and help us to grow in love and obedience that we may serve you in the world and finally be brought to that table where all your

saints feast with you forever.

Father,we offer ourselves to you

as a living sacrificethrough Jesus Christ our Lord.

Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise

and glory.

In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful

In the Lord I’ll be ever thankfulIn the Lord I will rejoice

Look to God, do not be afraidLift up your voicesThe Lord in near

Lift up your voicesThe Lord is near

Prayer After Communion

Gracious God,creative word of the universe,you who fill our minds with thoughts and questions and inspire us with dreams of things not yet seen;

bless us now in our service,in our work and in our playthat we might be a blessing to all we meet.

May the prayers we have offered todayremind us our of our place in this great taskand of your constant presence with us.This we ask in the name of God,the thought behind all thoughts,the Word in every sentence,the energy in all our actions.Amen.

This peace of God which passes all understanding keep your heard and minds in the knowledge and love of

God, and of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with

you always. Amen.

Concluding prayerPeace on each one who comes in need

Peace on each one who comes in joy.

Peace on each one who offers prayersPeace on each one who offers song.

Peace of the Maker, Peace of the Son,

Peace of the Spirit, the Holy One.

Ubi Caritas et amoreUbi Caritas, Deus ibi est(Where love and charity is, God is dwelling there)

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Retreat Prayer:Retreat Prayer: Give me a candle of the Spirit, O God, as I go down into the deep of my own being. Show me the hidden things. Take me down