John 2:1-11, Psalm 104:14-16

Narrative Lectionary, Year 4
Jan. 9, 2022
John 2:1-11, Psalm 104:14-16
Epiphany and/or Baptism of the Lord Sunday

Opening Prayer
Our Lord Jesus, the Glory of God Manifested:  We want to see your glory; we want to believe; our faith might be weak at times and we may need or want to see signs as proof.  Thank you for the signs that you have given and may this time be praising and honoring to you because your Spirit comes upon us to give us the faith that we need to lift up our hearts to you.  Amen.

Prayer of Preparation
God of all: You are the host of the banquet.  The bread and the wine are here.  And the word that you have spoken through John the Evangelist has been shared.  Bless us now as we feast on the word to learn your of your love.  Amen.

Pastoral Prayer
Heavenly Father, although the hour had not come at the wedding feast, it did come for our Lord Jesus.  With great thanksgiving we praise you for your love in sending your Son.  The wine offered in Cana took away the shame of the host and hostess.  The mercies that you can offer to your sons and daughters for whom we pray can take away so much more than shame in many cases!  Just as you provided from nothing for them, do so for those who suffer today.  Give strength, heal illnesses, mend the minds, take away the abuse, end the addictions, stop the bullying, let the wars waged grind to a halt.  We pray this and so much more knowing that you can do all things.  With thanksgiving we praise you and pray your prayer: Our Father… Amen.

Communion
Christ our Lord calls to his Table:
all and earnestly repent of their sin
and seek to live in peace with one another.
Therefore, let us confess our sin before God and one another.

Lord we have sinned.
  Sometimes we think something is too big.
  Sometimes we think that it is not anything that can be solved.
  Sometimes we let people go hungry and thirsty.
  Sometimes we don’t invite all to our table.
For these sins and the ones we will confess in our hearts,
  we beg your mercy.
silence

Hear the good news:
The signs are told to us to show how God’s glory is manifested.
  We know that one of these signs is resurrection of our Lord.
  This sign is the proof that our lives will never end
     because He has mercy and
He died for us while we were yet sinners;
  proving God’s gracious love toward us.
In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!

In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven!
Glory to God! Amen

As a forgiven and reconciled people, we have offered ourselves and our gifts to God.  And so we give thanks for those gifts we’ve received:

Jesus, you provided in abundance.  Let these gifts be transformed to be so abundant that we cannot imagine the good that will be done with them to further to message of your gospel in this world.  In Your Holy Name, Amen.

 The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty (almighty God), creator of heaven and earth.
When the garden was first made,
  the fruits and vegetables grew in abundance;
  but our sin caused us to be sent away from it, and
  we had to till the ground with sweat to produce just enough to live.
But You, Lord, came to be with us and blessed us with more than we’ll ever need.
  Especially this includes more grace than we’ll need.
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

 Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 

Holy are you, and blessed is your Son Jesus Christ.
  Who gave everything to create His church
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection,
by the delivery from slavery to sin and death,
by the new covenant through water and the Spirit.

On the night in which he gave himself up for us, he took bread,
gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me." 

When the supper was over he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. 

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here,
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood.

 Through your Son Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty Father (God ), now and for ever.

Amen.

Benediction
Take of the abundance of grace that you have received and share it with those around you
The grace of God
The love of the Son
The communion of the Spirit
Amen.