Introit/Entry Song:
O sing a new song to the Lord;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
In his presence are majesty and splendour,
strength and honour in his holy place.
I don’t have a setting so taking a cue from the Gospel an alternative could be:
Repent. says the Lord,
the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
repent says the lord,
the Kingdom of heaven is near.
Glory to the Father . . . . .
Repent. says the Lord,
the Kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
repent says the lord,
the Kingdom of heaven is near.
Glory to the (2) in D – Full Score
—————–
Psalm 26
Ps 26: words (c) The Grail, England; music Gerry Fitzpatrick (c) Kevin Mayhew. Recorded by Catherine Walker.
Psalm 26/27 Commentary by Dr Noel Donnelly
“The Lord is my light!”, exclaims Psalm 26! What a lovely psalm to put before us as we come out of the dark days of winter! “The Lord is my light!” What a fine picture of God being a beacon, shining the way ahead for us through Lent as we move towards the full revelation of God in the Risen Christ and all the Easter joys ahead of us!
Here is a great psalm of confidence! There is a suggestion that the speaker is a son who has been falsely accused and who is distraught because even his parents don’t believe in his innocence. The family is torn apart, an unthinkable disaster for any of us. But in verse 10 God will nevertheless confidently gather up the shattered pieces and show the way ahead with his light.
The psalm has begun with giving God an unusual title: “My Light!” The singer prays that God will give light to show the way out of a dark situation. Do we sometimes in our prayer time address God as “My Light”? The One who inspires in puzzling situations; the Lord who shows the way ahead through dark times?
The psalm is full of active verbs: hear and answer my voice; the heart is yearning as the singer “seeks the face” of God. Has God somehow been hiding his face? There is an inner conviction that without God the singer is totally helpless. There is a need for God’s presence here in this present dark situation and to realize that although father and mother may fail in their support yet God will always be as our psalmist says “the stronghold of my life”; so, with this assurance I know I cannot be afraid of anyone!
The psalm ends with similar great encouragement, echoing the words of Moses to his successor Joshua: “Be strong and bold for the Lord goes before you. He will be with you He will not fail you. Don’t be afraid or discouraged!” So we are encouraged to join with the psalmist as he sings with confidence again as the psalm concludes with “I shall surely see the Lord’s face in the land of the living!” And this is not pie in the sky for some heavenly reward; no, this is now, in the land of the living! Seeing the light of Lord’s face today in those around us, in the poor of every kind: God’s light shining from those in poor health, or poorly educated, from those who are poor in their relationships with family or church, God’s light shines in those around our food banks. The Lord is there as my light, opening up opportunities for me to respond today.
———————————–
Gospel Acclamation
Gospel Verse Repent org 6i – Full Score
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.. Repent says the Lord, the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.
Repent says the Lord. The Kingdom of heaven is near.
Response: plainsong. Verse Gerry Fitzpatrick. (c) Kevin Mayhew. Recorded by The St Mungo Singers.
