Worship at Home Service for Deliverance from the Coronavirus
Third Sunday after the Epiphany
January 24, 2021
Welcome
"For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there in the midst of them"
MATTHEW 18: 31-46
These are extraordinary times. Though we are unable to gather together for worship this morning due to the precautions surrounding COVID-19, we still have an opportunity to worship at home, and as we each do so, we do so together, united in spirit as we seek God together.
Gathering the Community
May the Lord's peace be with us all
The Lord is our faith and our life.
May His love shine in our hearts.
Our hope is in the coming of the Lord.
Let us pray: that we may experience fully the peace of Christ.
Dear God, the day draws near when the birth of your Son will make radiant the night of the waiting world. May His quiet coming fill us with true inner peace. Amen.
Hymn
'Give me Jesus'
Silence for Reflections
Collect for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Almighty God, by grace alone you call us and accept us in your service. Strengthen us by your Spirit and make us worthy of your call; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayers of the People
Litany:
On this third Sunday after Epiphany, as the week of prayer for Christian Unity comes to an end, we continue to give thanks for God’s constant presence and guidance. We pray that we may love and care for others as Jesus loves and cares for us. Let us pray for ourselves, for one another and for all those in need of our prayers, as we say, ‘Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer’.
Let us pray for the church, that it may stand fast during these difficult times, in the one faith to which it has been called. We pray for our Bishop, Susan Bell, for Fr. Audrius and for all clergy leaders working in these difficult times.
R- Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer’
Let us pray for the world as it continues to battle this pandemic. We pray for our country and its leaders and we pray especially for the people in the United States during these difficult times as they start a new chapter in their history. May they be guided by Your love and wisdom as they respond to the corona virus and to the needs of all people in their care. We pray for all those who are seeking to bring peace and justice to our dangerous and troubled world.
R- Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer’
Let us pray for all who work to limit the spread of the COVID virus- for scientists, for health care workers and for those working in long term care homes; may they feel God’s constant presence and be given strength.
R- Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer’
Let us pray for all Christians who have been baptized into the one family of faith, that our lives may reflect the forgiveness and love which was first shown us. May we discover new and just ways of sharing the goods of the earth and may we shape our living to protect one another.
R- Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer’
Let us pray for the sick, for the troubled and for those who are mourning the loss of loved ones. May their sickness be turned to better health; may they feel God’s comforting love, and may they go forward with hope.
R- Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer’
Closing Prayer:
Holy God,
Move among your people in every land and nation; make us one in heart and mind, make us one in love. May we hear your word and ‘be brave enough to see the light, be brave enough to be the light.’ We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us –
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.
Diocese of Niagara Prayer (Corona Virus)
Loving God, whose peace passes all our understanding; as we face this present pandemic, and experience fear and anxiety, may we hear your voice, bringing calm to the storms of our time.
Strengthen those who work to limit the spread of infection, and those who seek to care for the sick, and keep us mindful of those most vulnerable.
May we shape our living to protect one another, and may our changing habits, practices and sacrifices, be for the greater love of our community and all your people. Amen
Doxology
Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen
Sending Forth
As we go forth, let us continue to do our part in God's mission.
As we worship and grow in God; may we care for and serve the community.