Wednesday, September 25, 2013

An Order of Service for Michael and All Angels


the feast of michael and all angels
29 september 2013

The Gathering of the Community

The Opening Hymn

‘Christ, the Fair Glory of the Holy Angels’  Common Praise #272

The Introductory Responses

Glory to you, Lord God of our ancestors;
you are worthy of praise, glory to you.
Glory to you, seated between the cherubim;
we will praise you and highly exalt you for ever.
Glorify the Lord, you angels and all powers of the Lord,
O heavens and all waters above the heavens.
Sun and moon and stars of the sky, glorify the Lord,
praise and highly exalt the Holy One for ever.

The Hymn of Praise

‘Praise to the Lord’  Common Praise #382

The Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Eternal God,
you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order
the ministries of angels and mortals.
Grant that as your holy angels stand before you in heaven,
so at your command
they may help and defend us here on earth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

The Proclamation of the Word

The First Reading

A Reading from Genesis (28.10-17).

            Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran.  He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set.  Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place.  And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring.  Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”  Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it!”  And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place!  This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 103.19-22 with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  We bless you, O Holy One, from the depths of our being.

19 The Lord is enthroned in heaven, *
            and has dominion over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who do the bidding of God, *
            and hearken to the voice of the word of the Lord.
21 Bless the Lord, all you hosts, *
            you ministers who do the will of God.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord,
in all places of the dominion of the Lord; *
            bless the Lord, O my soul.

Refrain:  We bless you, O Holy One, from the depths of our being.

The Second Reading

A Reading from Revelation (12.7-12).

            And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon.  The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.  The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world — he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

            Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah, for the accuser of our comrades has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.  But they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not cling to life even in the face of death.  Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them!  But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you with great wrath, because he knows that his time is short.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.

The Gradual Hymn

‘Bless the Lord, My Soul’   Common Praise #360 (sung three times)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (1.47-51).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”  Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?”  Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!”  Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?  You will see greater things than these.”  And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

The gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sermon

An Affirmation of Faith

Hear, O Israel,
the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.

This is the first and the great commandment.
The second is like it:

Love your neighbour as yourself.
There is no commandment greater than these.

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Thanksgivings and Petitions

Confession and Absolution

Let us pray to God for the forgiveness of our sins.

Have mercy upon us, most merciful God;
in your compassion, forgive us our sins,
known and unknown,
things done and left undone;
and so uphold us by your Spirit
that we may live and serve you in newness of life,
to the honour and glory of your name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

May the God of love and power
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.  Amen. [i]

The Exchange of the Peace

The peace of the Lord be with you all.
And also with you.

The Holy Communion

Offertory Hymn                                

‘For All Your Blessings’  Common Praise #440 (sung to #3)

Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

God of glory,
as you have appointed angels to minister in your presence,
so may all our worship bring you worthy praise.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The Thanksgiving at the Table

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We give you thanks and praise, almighty God,
through your beloved Son, Jesus Christ,
our Saviour and Redeemer.
He is your living Word
through whom you have created all things.

By the power of the Holy Spirit
he took flesh of the Virgin Mary
and shared our human nature.
He lived and died as one of us,
to reconcile us to you,
the God and Father of all.

In fulfillment of your will
he stretched out his hands in suffering,
to bring release to those who place their hope in you,
and so he won for you a holy people.

He chose to bear our griefs and sorrows,
and to give us his life on the cross,
that he might shatter the chains of evil and death,
and banish the darkness of sin and despair.
By his resurrection
he brings us into the light of your presence.

Now with all creation we raise our voices
to proclaim the glory of your name.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. [ii]

Holy and gracious God,
accept our praise,
through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ;
who on the night he was handed over
to suffering and death,
took bread and gave you thanks,
saying, “Take, and eat:
this is my body which is broken for you.”
In the same way he took the cup,
saying, “This is my blood which is shed for you.
When you do this, you do it in memory of me.”

Remembering, therefore, his death and resurrection,
we offer you this bread and this cup,
giving thanks that you have made us worthy
to stand in your presence and serve you.

We ask you to send your Holy Spirit
upon the offering of your holy Church.
Gather into one
all who share in these sacred mysteries,
filling them with the Holy Spirit
and confirming their faith in the truth,
that together we may praise you
and give you glory
through your Servant, Jesus Christ.

All glory and honour are yours,
Father and Son,
with the Holy Spirit
in the holy Church,
now and for ever.  Amen. [iii]

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever.  Amen. [iv]

The Breaking of the Bread

Creator of all,
you gave us golden fields of wheat,
whose many grains we have gathered
and made into this one bread.
So may your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth
into your reign of justice and peace. [v]

The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

The Communion of the Community

The Communion Hymn

‘How Blessed Is This Place’  Common Praise #301

The Sending Forth of the Community

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray.

Eternal God,
you have fed us with the bread of angels.
May we who come under their protection,
like them give you continual service and praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine. 
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever.  Amen.

Stewardship Moment

Closing Hymn

‘I Sing a Song of the Saints of God’  The Hymnal 1982 #293

Dismissal

With all the company of heaven,
let us go forth in praise to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.



[i] Common Worship (2000), 135 alt.

[ii] ‘Sanctus’ by David Hurd (New Plainsong), Common Praise #689

[iii] ‘Eucharistic Prayer 2’ in The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 196-197.

[iv] Common Praise #744.

[v] ‘The Breaking of Bread 3’ in The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 212 alt.

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