Praying Together 2021

176 Gather Light a candle as a sign of God’s presence and sit quietly. Ring a bell or chime to start the prayer. The Lord be with you! And with your spirit. COLLECT Saint Jerome devoted his life to the Scriptures as God’s life-giving word. Let us pray that we too will love the Bible. (pause) God of wisdom, speak to us in our hearts when we hear the holy words of Scripture. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. SCRIPTURE A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke 4:16-19 Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and as usual he went to the meeting place on the Sabbath. When he stood up to read from the Scriptures, he was given the book of Isaiah the prophet. He opened it and read, “The Lord’s Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, and to say, ‘This is the year the Lord has chosen.’” The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. RESPONSE Confident that our God is very near to us, let us pray for the needs of the world. For wisdom to understand the word of God: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For the openness to receive the word of God: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For courage to put the word of God into practice: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For reverence to respect the word of God: (pause) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. For the prayers in our hearts today: (pause while students offer their prayers aloud) We pray as one. Gracious God, hear our prayer. DISMISSAL May the love of God guide our minds. Amen. May God bless us in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Ring the bell or chime to signal the end of the prayer. Extinguish the candle. Thursday St Jerome 30 September 2021 “He has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor.”