Mid-Day Noon Prayer
Ascension Day
May 18, 2023

Call to Worship

In the middle of the day we become weary
We come to you, O Lord

We come for rest and refreshment
Come to us, O Lord    

Restore us as we serve you and your people
Be with us, O Lord

Invocation

Dialogue

O God, come to my assistance.

O Lord, make haste to help me. 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 of the Day    
O God of glory, your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us and ascended to your right hand. Unite us with Christ and each other in suffering and in joy, that all the world may be drawn into your bountiful presence, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Commemorations    

Helena, mother of Constantine, died around 330.
Wife of the coregent of the West, Helena (or Helen) was mother of Constantine, who later became Roman emperor.  After he was converted to Christianity, he influenced her also to become Christian.  From that point she lived an exemplary life of faith, particularly through acts of generosity toward the poor.  She is also remembered for traveling through Palestine and building churches on the sites she believed to be where Jesus was born, where he was buried, and from which he ascended.

Erik, King of Sweden, martyr, died 1160;
Erik, long considered the patron saint of Sweden, ruled from 1150 to 1160. He is honored for efforts to bring peace to the nearby pagan kingdoms and for his crusades to spread the Christian faith in Scandinavia.  He established a protected Christian mission in Finland that was led by Henry of Uppsala.  As king, Erik was noted for his desire to establish fair laws and courts and for his concern for the poor and sick.  Erik was killed by a Danish army that approached him at worship on the day after the Ascension.  He is reported to have said, “Let us at least finish the sacrifice.  The rest of the feast I shall keep elsewhere.”  As he left worship he was killed

Psalm 47

 ¹Clap your hands, all you peoples;
 shout to God with loud songs of joy.
 ²For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome,
 a great king over all the earth.
 ³He subdued peoples under us,
 and nations under our feet.
 ⁴He chose our heritage for us,
 the pride of Jacob whom he loves.
Selah
 ⁵God has gone up with a shout,
 the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
 ⁶Sing praises to God, sing praises;
 sing praises to our King, sing praises.
 ⁷For God is the king of all the earth;
 sing praises with a psalm.
 ⁸God is king over the nations;
 God sits on his holy throne.
 ⁹The princes of the peoples gather
 as the people of the God of Abraham.
 For the shields of the earth belong to God;
 he is highly exalted.

Psalm 93

  ¹The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty;
 the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength.
 He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
 ²your throne is established from of old;
 you are from everlasting.
 ³The floods have lifted up, O LORD,
 the floods have lifted up their voice;
 the floods lift up their roaring.
 ⁴More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
 more majestic than the waves of the sea,
 majestic on high is the LORD!
 ⁵Your decrees are very sure;
 holiness befits your house,
 O LORD, forevermore.

Gloria Patri

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.

Reading   Luke 24:44-53

⁴⁴Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you — that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." ⁴⁵Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
⁵⁰Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵²And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; ⁵³and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Reflection

Apostles’ Creed

Prayers        

Mighty God of mercy, we give you thanks that at midday you give us a time of rest; may we accept it gratefully and be strengthened by it, to serve you and our neighbor. And we thank you…

   for the sustaining goodness of your creation…
   for the new creation in Christ and all gifts of healing and forgiveness…
   for the gifts of relationship with others…    
   for the communion of faith in your church…

Merciful God of might, renew this weary world, heal the hurts of all your children, and bring about your peace for all in Christ Jesus, the living Lord.  We pray …
    
   for those who govern nations of the world…
   for the people in countries ravaged by strife or warfare…
   for all who work for peace and international harmony…
   for all who strive to save the earth from carelessness and destruction…
   for the church of Jesus Christ in every land…
    
God of heaven and earth, help us to live in this world faithfully guided by your love, which manifests itself in our love toward one another. Prepare us for that great morning when your new world is fully revealed. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer