When the time came for Mary’s purification according to the Law of Moses, she brought the babe Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as the firstborn child. In Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon, righteous and devout, waiting for the coming of the Lord, filled with the Spirit, having been told that he would not die until he saw the Lord’s Christ. On coming into the temple, when Mary and Joseph were bringing the baby Jesus into the temple, Simeon took him up in his arms and blessed the Lord. He exclaimed that God was letting him depart in peace according to his word, for his eyes had seen his salvation, “prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for your glory to your people Israel.”

Simeon testified that the child Jesus was the salvation of the Lord, the very one elected by God to reveal the truth to the nations, and the glory of Israel.

Invocation: Our Prayer of Acclamation

Father of light, unchanging God, you reveal to those of faith the resplendent fact of the Word made flesh. Your light is strong, your love is near; draw us beyond the limits which this world imposes to the life where the Spirit makes all life complete. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

~ International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. In William G. Story, A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions: Praying the Seasons and Feasts of the Church Year. Chicago, IL: Loyola Press, 2004. p. 67.

Call to Worship
Blessed are you, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And blessed is your Kingdom, both now and forever, amen.

Te Deum Laudamus 
You are God: we praise you; you are the Lord; we acclaim you; you are the eternal Father: All creation worships you. To you all angels, all the powers of heaven, Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

The glorious company of apostles praise you. The noble fellowship of prophets praise you. The white-robed army of martyrs praise you. Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you; Father, of majesty unbounded, your true and only Son, worthy of all worship, and the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

You, Christ, are the king of glory, the eternal Son of the Father. When you became man to set us free you did not shun the Virgin’s womb. You overcame the sting of death and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. You are seated at God’s right hand in glory. We believe that you will come and be our judge. Come then, Lord, and help your people, bought with the price of your own blood, and bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Praise and Thanksgiving (songs and prayers)

Gloria Patri
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, amen.

The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he arose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

*In the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the term catholic refers to the Church’s universality, through all ages and times, of all languages and peoples. It refers to no particular tradition or denominational expression (e.g., as in Roman Catholic).

Prayers of Confession
Let us now confess our sins to God and receive mercy and grace to help in our time of need.

Assurance of Pardon
Having faithfully confessed and renounced your sin, Christ also has been faithful to forgive your sins and to purify you from all unrighteousness. It is certain, that there is One who has spoken to the Father in your defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One who is the atoning sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of the whole world. His grace and peace are with you now. Amen.

Petitions and Supplications, Ending with The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

~ Matthew 6.9-13 (KJV)

Doxology (and/or closing song)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Benediction 

O GOD, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons of God and heirs of eternal life: grant us, we beseech thee, that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as he is pure; that when he shall appear again, with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, he liveth and reigneth ever, one God world without end. Amen.

~ Book of Common Prayer, England Revised (1928). In John Wallace Suter, Jr. ed. The Book of English Collects. New York, NY: Harper, 1940. p. 8.

Pray without Ceasing – Flash Prayer for the Day
In you, O Jesus, Messiah and King, we truly behold God’s light to the nations and his glory to his people Israel.

“Jesus’ promise to give his followers the kingdom by way of a new covenant means ‘making them the people of the Kingdom of God or the people of God who are to share his rule over the world (cf. also Lk. 12:32; Rev. 3:20–21)’. Thus, the culmination of his preaching of the kingdom of God is his Last Supper promise about his death being the atoning and covenant-establishing sacrifice through which the kingdom is to become a reality. The implication is that only those who take advantage of his sacrificial death share in the kingdom and its benefits.”

~ David G. Peterson, Engaging with God: A Biblical Theology of Worship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. p. 123.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Jesus Fulfills the Law, Matthew 5.13-20

Book Reading
Peterson, Engaging with God