FamilyPrayer: December 28
The Feast of Holy Innocents
The Fourth Day of Christmas
*Opening Sentence: Their sound has gone out into all lands, and theirmessage to the ends of the world. Psalm 19:4
Confession:Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most holy and merciful Father: We confess to you andto one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth,that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what wehave done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with ourwhole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors asourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Havemercy on us, Lord.
We have been deaf to your call to serve, as Christserved us. We have not been true to the mind of Christ. We have grieved yourHoly Spirit.
Have mercy on us, Lord.
We confess to you, Lord, all our past unfaithfulness:the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our self-indulgent appetites and ways, and ourexploitation of other people,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our anger at our own frustration, and our envy ofthose more fortunate than ourselves,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our intemperate love of worldly goods and comforts,and our dishonesty in daily life and work,
We confess to you, Lord.
Our negligence in prayer and worship, and our failureto commend the faith that is in us,
We confess to you, Lord.
Accept our repentance, Lord, for the wrongs we havedone: for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference toinjustice and cruelty,
Accept our repentance, Lord.
For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughtstoward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those whodiffer from us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.
For our waste and pollution of your creation, and ourlack of concern for those who come after us,
Accept our repentance, Lord.
Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart fromus;
Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.
Accomplish in us the work of your salvation,
That we may show forth your glory in the world.
By the cross and passion of your Son our Lord,
Bring us with all your saints to the joy of hisresurrection.
*Absolution: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our LordJesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the HolySpirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.
*Invitatory
Lord, open our lips. And our mouth shall proclaimyour praise.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the HolySpirit, As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Alleluia! The Lord is glorious in his saints:
Comelet us adore him. Alleluia!
*Jubilate
Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands;
servethe Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.
Know this: The Lord himself is God;
he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep ofhis pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
gointo his courts with praise; give thanks to him and call upon his Name.
For the Lord is good;
hismercy is everlasting; and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
*Sing: Psalm 2
Responsive Reading: Psalm 26
Vindicate me, O Lord, for I havewalked in my integrity.
I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip.
Examine me, O Lord, and prove me;
Try my mind and my heart.
For your lovingkindess is everbefore my eyes,
And I have walked in your truth.
I have not sat with idolatrousmortals,
Nor will I go in with hypocrites.
I have hated the congregation ofevildoers,
And will not sit with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocence;
So I will go about your altar, O Lord.
That I may proclaim with the voiceof thanksgiving,
And tell of all your wondrous works.
Lord, I have loved the habitation ofyour house,
And the place where your glory dwells.
Do not gather my soul together withsinners,
Nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
In whose hands is a sinister scheme,
And whose right hand is full of bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in myintegrity;
Redeem me and be merciful to me.
My foot stands in an even place;
In the congregations I will bless the Lord. Amen.
Gloria Patri
First Lesson Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 49:13-23
Leader:The Word of the Lord.
Family:Thanks be to God.
*Sing Hymn #506 ÒWhy Should Cross and Trial GrieveMe?Ó
The Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:1-14
The Word of the Lord.
Thanksbe to God.
The Holy Innocents: We read in Matthew 2 that whenJesus was born in Bethlehem, King Herod, fearing for his throne, ordered thatall the male infants of Bethlehem be killed. These children are regarded asmartyrs for the Gospel, Òmartyrs in fact thought not in will.Ó Augustine calledthem Òbuds, killed by the frost of persecution the moment they showedthemselves.Ó
Prayer Weremember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents of Bethlehem by KingHerod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; andby your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish yourrule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives andreigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The ApostlesÕ Creed
The LordÕs Prayer
A Prayer for Mission (All): O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples ofthe earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far offand to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you andfind you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon allflesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Petitions and Intercessions:Let us pray now for our own needs and those of others.
— For Our Enemies (All): O God, the Father of all, whose Son commanded us tolove our enemies: Lead them and us from prejudice to truth; deliver them and usfrom hatred, cruelty, and revenge; and in your good time enable us all to standreconciled before you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— For Young Persons (All): God our Father, you see your children growing up inan unsteady and confusing world: Show them that your ways give more life thanthe ways of the world, and that following you is better than chasing afterselfish goals. Help them to take failure, not as a measure of their worth, butas a chance for a new start. Give them strength to hold their faith in you, andto keep alive their joy in your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
— A Prayer of Self-Dedication (All): Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you,so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we maybe wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you; and then use us, we pray you, asyou will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your people; through ourLord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
General Thanksgiving (All): Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we yourunworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness andloving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for ourcreation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all foryour immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us suchan awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forthyour praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selvesto your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness allour days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom: Almighty God, you have given us grace at this timewith one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promisedthrough your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together inhis Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires andpetitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of yourtruth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
*Benediction:Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Thanksbe to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Three-fold ÒAmen.Ó
Hymn #7 ÒNow Blessed Be the Lord Our GodÓ