WORSHIP@HOME

January 17, 2021 • 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Parish or Diocesan Leaders, please read this!

Preparation

Just Before You Begin

INTRODUCTORY RITES

Opening Song

Introduction

Leader: Now that Christmas season and the baptism of Jesus have passed,
we will hear more stories about what Jesus did and said as an adult.

Greeting

Leader: ┼ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

Leader: Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be God forever.
(The response is: Blessed be God forever.)

All: Blessed be God forever.

Leader: We gather together as a family
to learn how to live more like Jesus.
One with all of our sisters and brothers throughout the world,
let us now listen to God's Word and join in prayer.

All: Amen.

Litany in Praise of God's Mercy

Leader: As we prepare to hear a story from our faith,
let us remember that God is love. Lord Jesus, you know that we don't always act out of love:
Lord, have mercy.

All: Lord, have mercy.

Leader: Lord Jesus, you know that sometimes we don’t speak up when we see something wrong:
Christ, have mercy.

All: Christ, have mercy.

Leader: Lord Jesus, we don’t always have the courage to do the right thing:
Lord, have mercy.

All: Lord, have mercy.

Opening Prayer

Leader: Let us pray

Leader: God of Love,
you stand for justice and peace
and ask for our help in building your Kingdom in this world. May we work peacefully toward a better world,
seeking what is best for all,
And having the courage to act and respond out of love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

Alleluia

Gospel

Reader 1: In today’s reading, we hear about some of the first people who were curious enough to follow Jesus. We now do this action prayer together: May the Lord be on my mind, ┼
on my lips, ┼
and in my heart ┼
as we hear the Gospel today. A reading from the holy Gospel of John.

Reader 1: The next day, John was there again, and two of his followers were with him.
When he saw Jesus walking by, he said,
“Here is the Lamb of God!”
John’s two followers heard him, and they went with Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them, he asked, “What do you want?” They answered, “Rabbi, where do you live?”
The Hebrew word “Rabbi” means “Teacher.” Jesus replied, “Come and see!”
It was already about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him and saw where he lived.
So they stayed on for the rest of the day. One of the two men who had heard John and had gone with Jesus was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter.
The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother and tell him, “We have found the Messiah!”
The Hebrew word “Messiah” means the same as the Greek word “Christ.” Andrew brought his brother to Jesus.
And when Jesus saw him, he said,
“Simon son of John, you will be called Cephas.”
This name can be translated as “Peter.”

Reader 1: John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God.”
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
“What are you looking for?”
They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —,
“where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.”
So they went and saw where Jesus was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
“You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter.

Reader 1: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Gospel Video Reflections

Reflections on the Readings

  1. What do you think it was about Jesus that made those two people follow him, ask where he was staying, and then stay with him that day? You wouldn’t do that with just anyone. What would make you curious enough to stop what you were doing to follow and spend time with someone you had never met before?
  2. Jesus never forces anyone to be his follower. He just invites people to stay with him and see what he’s like before they decide if they want to follow him or not. Do you know people who are the opposite, who try to pressure others to do or say what they want them to do or say, even if they’re not comfortable with it? How could you be more like Jesus in terms of inviting people to live his way instead of trying to pressure them into it?
  3. When Jesus meets Simon, he gives him a new name and a new identity that fit his personality. Peter means “rock” or “rocky” in Greek, and eventually Peter became the rock that our church was built upon. Besides calling you by your given name, what other name(s) might Jesus call you because of what he sees in you?

General Intercessions

Leader: Now let’s pray together to God for what we need.

Reader 2: We pray for the United States government, its elected officials, and everyone who works for it,
that they may be servant leaders who seek the good of all,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: We pray for all those who are sick,
and for all the doctors, nurses, caregivers and essential workers
who are caring for them, that they remain healthy,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: We pray for all those in public safety—police, fire, and other security—
that they can remain safe as they protect us,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: We pray for students who are struggling to learn or stay connected to friends
while the coronavirus keeps some schooling virtual,
that they can stay focused until they can gather in person again,
let us pray to the Lord.

All: Lord, hear our prayer.

Reader 2: For what else and for who else shall we pray?

Lord's Prayer

Leader: Jesus taught us to call God our Father, and so we have the courage to say:

All: Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Sign of Peace

Leader: Let us now offer each other a sign of peace.

A Litany for Spiritual Communion

Leader: The response is: Lord, bring us closer to you!

All: Lord, bring us closer to you!

Leader: Lord our God,
we wish we could gather today with our parish community,
but we gather here out of love and concern for others.
You teach us that when two or three are gathered in your name,
you are there.
Together, we pray:

All: Lord, bring us closer to you!

Leader: Christ Jesus, you are present in a special way
when bread and wine are turned into your Body and Blood.
Since we cannot receive you in this way today,
We ask that you enter our hearts
so that we may receive you spiritually.
Together, we pray:

All: Lord, bring us closer to you!

Leader: Lord our God,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.

All: Lord, bring us closer to you!

Concluding Rite

Blessing & Dismissal

Leader: Go in the peace of Christ.

All: Thanks be to God.

Closing Song

After the Service

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