Monday, December 2, 2013

An Order for the Eucharist on Advent 2 (8 December 2013)

The Second Sunday of Advent
8 December 2013

The Gathering of the Community

Gathering Music

Announcements

Opening Hymn

‘There’s a Voice in the Wilderness’  Common Praise #106

Greeting

The Presider greets the Community.

Restore us, O Creator of the stars of night;
show us the light of your countenance,
and we shall be saved.
Will you not give us life again,
so that your people may rejoice in your?
Show us your mercy, O God,
and grant us your salvation.
Blessed is the Christ who comes in your name!
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.

Kyrie Litany

The Deacon begins the Litany.

In the wilderness we find your grace;
you love us with an everlasting love.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

There is no one but you to uphold our cause;
our world cries out and our need is great.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Heal us, O God of compassion, and we shall be healed;
restore us and we shall know your joy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. [i]

Hymn of Praise

‘O Come, O Come, Emmanuel’  Common Praise #89 vv. 1, 2, 7

Collect of the Day

The Advent wreath is lit during the singing of the Hymn.  Once the wreath is lit, then the Presider leads the Community in the Collect.

Let us pray.

God of justice,
clear our lives of hatred and despair
and sow in us seeds of joy and peace;
so that shoots of hope may spring forth in us
as we await the coming of the Christ,
who with you and the Holy Spirit,
lives and reigns, one God,
now and for ever.  Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word

The First Reading

The appointed Reader begins the first Reading.

A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah (11.1-10)

         A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.

         The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

         His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.  He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.  Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.

        The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.  The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.  They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

         On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.

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

The Psalm of the Day

The Presider leads the Community in Psalm 72.1-7, 18-19 with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One.

Refrain (sung twice):  May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.

1 Give the king your justice, O God, *
         and your righteousness to the king’s son;
2 that he may rule your people righteously *
         and the poor with justice;
3 that the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
         and the little hills bring righteousness.

Refrain:  May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.

4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
         he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.
5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
         from one generation to another.
6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
         like showers that water the earth.
7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
         there shall be abundance of peace
         till the moon shall be no more.

Refrain:  May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.

18 Blessed are you, Lord God, the God of Israel, *
         for you alone do wondrous deeds!
19 And blessed be your glorious name for ever! *
         and may all the earth be filled with your glory. 
         Amen.  Amen.

Refrain:  May the Holy One guard and guide all rulers.

The Second Reading

The appointed Reader begins the second Reading.

A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans (15.4-13).

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.  May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

         Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.  For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.  As it is written, “Therefore I will confess you among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name”; and again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people”; and again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”; and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come, the one who rises to rule the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles shall hope.”

         May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

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

The Gospel Hymn

‘Where Jordan Cuts the Wilderness’  Common Praise #105

The Gospel

The appointed Reader begins the Gospel.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (3.1-12).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

         In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”  This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. ’”

         Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.  Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

         But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruit worthy of repentance.  Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.  Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

         “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

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

The Sermon

An Affirmation of Faith

The Deacon leads the Community in the Affirmation.

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.

We believe in one God:
the Author of all that is,
eternal Word of redemption and
life-giving Spirit of wisdom and truth.  Amen. [iii]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

Christ is our peace in whose name we meet.
May that peace be with you all.
And also with you. [iv]

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

‘Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness’  Common Praise #385

The Prayer over the Gifts

The Deacon or Assisting Minister leads the Community in the Prayer over the Gifts.

Let us pray.

God of abundance,
we bring before you the precious fruits of your creation
and with them our very lives.
Teach us patience and hope
as we care for all those in need
until the coming of your Son,
our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [v]

The Thanksgiving at the Table

The Presider leads the Community in the Thanksgiving.

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.

Blessed are you, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth;
we give you thanks and praise
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who in the fullness of time came among us in our flesh,
and opened to us the way of salvation.
Now we watch for the day when he will come again
in power and great triumph to judge this world,
so that we, without shame or fear,
may rejoice to behold his appearing.
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices with angels and archangels,
and with all the company of heaven,
who for ever sing this hymn
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. [vi]

Holy One, the beginning and the end, the giver of life:
Blessed are you for the birth of creation.
Blessed are you in the darkness and in the light.
Blessed are you for your promise to your people.
Blessed are you for the prophets’ hopes and dreams.
Blessed are you for Mary’s openness to your will.
Blessed are you for your Son, Jesus, the Word made flesh.

In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

With this bread and cup we remember
your Word dwelling among us, full of grace and truth.
We remember our new birth in his death and resurrection.
We look with hope for his coming.
Come, Lord Jesus.

Holy God, we long for your Spirit.
Come among us.  Bless this meal.
May your Word take flesh in us.
Awaken your people.  Fill us with your light.
Bring the gift of peace on earth.
Come, Holy Spirit.

All praise and glory are yours, Holy One of Israel,
Word of God incarnate, Power of the Most High,
one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

At the conclusion of the Thanksgiving the Presider says,

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. [vii]

The Breaking of the Bread

The Presider breaks the Bread and says,

God of promise,
you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom.
Happy are those who are called
to the supper of the Lamb.

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

The Communion

Communion is distributed to the Community.

Communion Hymn

‘Bread of Heaven, on Thee We Feed’  Common Praise #72

The Commissioning of the Community

The Prayer after Communion

The Presider leads the Community in the following Prayer and Doxology.

Let us pray.

God for whom we wait,
in this meal you give us a foretaste of that day
when the hungry will be fed with good things.
Send us forth to make known your deeds
and to proclaim the greatness of your name,
through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [viii]

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.

Closing Hymn

‘Prepare the Way, O Zion’  Common Praise #102

The Dismissal

The Deacon or Assisting Minister says,

Go forth to prepare the way of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.




[i] Common Worship (2000), 278 alt.

[ii] Collect 1 for Advent 2 in ‘Trial Use Propers’ (2013).

[iii] Common Worship (2000), 148 alt.

[iv] Common Worship (2000), 290 alt.

[v] Prayer over the Gifts for Advent in ‘Trial Use Propers’ (2013).

[vi] Common Praise #722.

[vii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 919.

[viii] Prayer after Communion for Advent in ‘Trial Use Propers’ (2013).

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