Hymn 611 – Tune, Bunessan
Christ be beside me, Christ be before me,
Christ be behind me, King of my heart.
Christ be within me, Christ be below me,
Christ be above me, never to part.
Christ on my right hand, Christ on my left hand,
Christ all around me, shield in the strife.
Christ in my sleeping, Christ in my sitting,
Christ in my rising, light of my heart.
Christ be in all hearts thinking about me,
Christ be on all tongues telling of me.
Christ be the vision in eyes that see me,
In ears that hear me Christ ever be.
Penitence
O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who trust in him. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
The Lord ransoms the lives of his servants and none who trust in him will be destroyed. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
Come my children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Forgiveness
May the God of love and power forgive us, lift our burdens from us, heal and strengthen us by his spirit and raise us to new life in Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Lord. Amen.
Collect
Almighty God,
who looked upon the lowliness of the blessed Virgin Mary
and chose her to be the mother of your only Son:
Grant that we who are redeemed by his blood
may share with her in the glory of your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Proclaiming and Receiving the Word
A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
my whole being shall exult in my God;
for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up before all the nations.
This is the Word of the Lord. Isaiah 61: 10-11
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 45
10 Hear, O daughter; consider and incline your ear; ♦︎
forget your own people and your father’s house.
11 So shall the king have pleasure in your beauty; ♦︎
he is your lord, so do him honour.
12 The people of Tyre shall bring you gifts; ♦︎
the richest of the people shall seek your favour.
13 The king’s daughter is all glorious within; ♦︎
her clothing is embroidered cloth of gold.
14 She shall be brought to the king in raiment of
needlework; ♦︎
after her the virgins that are her companions.
15 With joy and gladness shall they be brought ♦︎
and enter into the palace of the king.
16 ‘Instead of your fathers you shall have sons, ♦︎
whom you shall make princes over all the land.
17 ‘I will make your name to be remembered through all
generations; ♦︎
therefore shall the peoples praise you for ever and ever.’
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
A reading from the Epistle of St Paul to the Galatians
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.
This is the Word of the Lord. Galatians 4: 4-7
Thanks be to God.
Hymn 657 – Tune, Abridge (omit verse 5)
1 O God of Bethel, by whose hand
thy people still are fed,
who through this weary pilgrimage
hast all our fathers led.
2 Our vows, our prayers, we now present
before thy throne of grace;
God of our fathers, be the God
of their succeeding race.
3 Through each perplexing path of life
our wandering footsteps guide;
give us each day our daily bread,
and raiment fit provide.
4 O spread thy covering wings around
till all our wanderings cease,
and at our Father’s loved abode
our souls arrive in peace.
Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ, according to St Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Luke 1: 46-55
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
An Affirmation of Faith
We believe in God the Father, the source of all life, by whom every family in heaven and earth has been created.
We believe in God the Son, our friend and brother Jesus, who lives in our hearts through faith and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with his power, and makes Jesus known in the world.
We believe and trust in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymn 712 – Tune, Woodlands
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord!
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name!
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age the same;
His holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by;
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight;
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.
Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word!
Firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.
Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord
To children’s children and forevermore.
An Orthodox Litany of Intercession
For the peace that comes from above, for the loving-kindness of God, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the peace of the world and for the unity of all Christian people, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For Michael our Archbishop, and all other clergy and lay ministers, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For our President, Michael D. Higgins, and for all the leaders of the nations, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For this city, for the communities of which we are a part, and for all who live in them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those who travel, on land, on water, or in the air, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the suffering, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For all those who have asked us to remember them in prayer, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
For those who have died in hope of resurrection, and all who have died recently, suddenly or violently, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
In communion the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all saints, we commend ourselves, and one another, and our whole life, to you, Lord God.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hymn 376 – Tune, Darwall’s 148th (and collection)
Ye holy angels bright,
Who wait at God’s right hand,
Or through the realms of light
Fly at your Lord’s command,
Assist our song,
For else the theme
Too high doth seem
For mortal tongue.
Ye blessed souls at rest,
Who ran this earthly race
And now, from sin released,
Behold your Savior’s face,
His praises sound,
As in his sight
With sweet delight
Ye do abound.
Ye saints, who toil below,
Adore your heavenly King,
And onward as ye go
Some joyful anthem sing;
Take what he gives
And praise him still,
Through good or ill,
Who ever lives!
My soul, bear thou thy part,
Triumph in God above:
And with a well-tuned heart
Sing thou the songs of love!
Let all thy days
Till life shall end,
Whate’er he send,
Be filled with praise!
Concluding Prayer
Almighty and everlasting God,
who stooped to raise fallen humanity
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary:
Grant that we who have seen your glory revealed in our human nature, and your love made perfect in our weakness,
may daily be renewed in your image,
and conformed to the pattern of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
God, who in days of old gave to this land the benediction of his holy Church, fill you with his grace to walk faithfully in the steps of the saints and to bring forth fruit to his glory: and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. Amen.