Document
Prayer
Lord, our Saviour,
we thank you for continuing to knock at our doors.
Help us to open at your call. Help us to listen to the words you now wish to speak in our hearts. Often, we have been restless, trying to respond to our tasks,
unmindful of your word, unmindful of what you want us to do.
Lord, teach us to act. Give us courage to act.
But let that action be derived from the very core of your living Word.
Amen
(Pilgrim Prayer, adapted, 29 – 30)
♪ We remember, we celebrate, we believe (music & lyrics by Joe C Aquilina, Malta)
Responsive Psalm 22: 22 – 31
I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him;
stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted;
he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord.
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
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.
Prayer before the Proclamation of God’s Word
Blessed are you, O God, for your word of strength, of encouragement, of hope –
that contagious word which allows us to believe
and to move towards the renewal of our world.
Grant us to hear your word and to persevere in it, putting it into practice.
Amen
(Pilgrim Prayer, 30)
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1: 12 – 20
12 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, 13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the foremost. 16 But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.
18 I am giving you these instructions, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have suffered shipwreck in the faith; 20 among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have turned over to Satan, so that they may learn not to blaspheme.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Moment of Silent Reflection
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Gracious God, we come before you giving thanks for the people and churches of Andorra, Italy, Malta, Portugal, San Marino, and Spain and the rich historical legacies and distinct cultures in these countries.
Lord, we give you thanks and praise.
With hearts of gratitude, we praise you for the faithful witness of the churches in the midst of empire building and colonization.
Lord, we give you thanks and praise.
We give thanks for the many and diverse waves of migrants who have come to and from these lands.
Lord, we give you thanks and praise.
We celebrate and rejoice before you O Lord for the hospitality that has been shown to those arriving on their shores.
Lord, we give you thanks and praise.
As we remember the peoples of these lands before you, we pray for the vulnerabilities that this region has faced through the centuries. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We ask for an end to economic and political turmoil in these lands. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We implore you, O Lord, to give to these countries stable governments that will seek to end corruption and serve the common good. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Finally, we come praying that there will be the implementation of policies that relieve disparities between the rich and poor. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
(Pilgrim Prayer, adapted, 27)
With the words that Jesus taught us, let us now pray together:
Our Father…
Benediction
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all this day.
Amen
