Monday, November 3, 2014

An Order for the Eucharist on Pentecost 22 (9 November 2014)

Since this Sunday precedes Remembrance Day, there are elements in the Liturgy reflective of the mood of our country as we approach this national occasion.

The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
9 November 2014

The Gathering of the Community

Entrance Hymn

‘O God of Every Nation’  Common Praise #593

Greeting

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God,
the fountain of living water,
the rock who gave us birth,
our light and our salvation. [i]

God of justice, judge between the nations
and guide the peoples with wisdom.
Beat our swords into ploughshares
and our spears in pruning hooks.
May the nations put down their swords
and learn the path of peace.
May the peoples walk in your light
and join us in singing the glory of your name. [ii]

Canticle

‘Glory to God’  Common Praise #702

Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

O God,
you call us to choose
between you and the false gods of this world.
In the midst of the darkness of sin and death
wake us from our slumber
and call us forth to greet Christ,
so that with our eyes and hearts fixed on him,
he may lead us to eternal light.  Amen. [iii]

The Proclamation of the Word of God

The First Reading

A Reading from Joshua (24.1-3a, 14-25).

            [Joshua] gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God.  And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:  Long ago your ancestors — Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor — lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.  Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many.

            “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.  Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

            Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight.  He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land.  Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

            But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.  He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.  If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.”  And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.”  And they said, “We are witnesses.”  He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”  The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.”  So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

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

The Psalm of the Day

Psalm 78.1-7 with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  Holy One, help us and our children never to forget your love.

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
            incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
            I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
3 That which we have heard and known,
and what our ancestors have told us, *
            we will not hide from their children.
4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
            who has done wonderful works.

Refrain:  Holy One, help us and our children never to forget your love.

5 The Lord gave a decree to Jacob and established a law for Israel, *
            commanding them to teach their children;
6 that the generations to come might know,
and the children yet unborn; *
            that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
7 so that they might put their trust in God, *
            and not forget those mighty deeds,
            but keep the commandments.

Refrain:  Holy One, help us and our children never to forget your love.

The Second Reading

A Reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians (4.13-18).

            But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.  For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died.  For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died.  For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever.  Therefore encourage one another with these words.

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

Hymn before the Gospel

‘Come Now, O Prince of Peace’  Common Praise #588

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (25.1-13).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            [Jesus said to the disciples,] “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this.  Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.  As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.  But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’  Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps.  The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’  But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’  And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut.  Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’  But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’  Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

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

The Sermon

An Affirmation of Faith

Let us affirm our faith as we say,

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. [iv]

The Prayers of the Community

The Prayers of the People

A Period of Silence

‘Last Post’

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.

The Holy Communion

Offertory Hymn

‘God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending’  Common Praise #601 (sung to #482)

The Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

Blessed are you, O God,
maker of all things.
Through your goodness
you have blessed us with these gifts:
our selves, our time and our possessions.
Use us, and what we have gathered,
in feeding the world with your love,
through the one who gave himself for us,
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [v]

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.

It is indeed right
that we should praise you, gracious God,
for you created all things.
You formed us in your own image:
male and female you created us.
When we turned away from you in sin,
you did not cease to care for us,
but opened a path of salvation for all people.
You made a covenant with Israel,
and through your servants Abraham and Sarah
gave the promise of a blessing to all nations.
Through Moses you led your people
from bondage into freedom;
through the prophets
you renewed your promise of salvation.
Therefore, with them and with all your saints
who have served you in every age,
we give thanks and 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. [vi]

Holy God, source of life and goodness,
all creation rightly gives you praise.
In the fullness of time,
you sent your Son Jesus Christ,
to share our human nature,
to live and die as one of us,
to reconcile us to you,
the God and Creator of all.
He healed the sick
and ate and drank with outcasts and sinners;
he opened the eyes of the blind
and proclaimed the good news of your kingdom
to the poor and to those in need.
In all things he fulfilled your gracious will.

On the night he freely gave himself to death,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread,
and when he had given thanks to you,
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
and said, “Take, eat:
this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine;
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them,
and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of me.”

Gracious God,
his perfect sacrifice
destroys the power of sin and death;
by raising him to life
you give us life for evermore.

Therefore we proclaim our faith.
Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

Recalling his death,
proclaiming his resurrection,
and looking for his coming again in glory,
we offer you, God of abundance, this bread and this cup.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts,
so that all who eat and drink at this table
may be one body and one holy people,
a living sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory is yours, Holy One of Israel,
now and for ever.  Amen. [vii]

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. [viii]

The Breaking of the Bread

“I am the bread which has come down from heaven,”
says the Lord.
Give us this bread for ever.

“I am the vine, you are the branches.”
May we dwell in Christ, as he dwells in us. [ix]

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

Communion

Hymn after Communion

‘Thou, Who at Thy First Eucharist’  Common Praise #57

The Sending Forth of the Community

The Prayer after Communion

Brighten your Church, O God,
with the promise of your kingdom,
and waken our hearts to its light.
bid us hasten with faith undimmed
to greet the bridegroom’s return
and join the wedding feast.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen. [x]

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

‘Let Saints on Earth in Concert Sing’  Common Praise #282

The Dismissal

The Deacon sends the People forth with a Dismissal for the occasion.




[i] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 95.

[ii] Isaiah 2.2-5 arranged by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.

[iii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Year A’, 13.

[iv] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 53.

[v] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 107 alt.

[vi] Common Praise #726.

[vii] Eucharistic Prayer 1 in The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 193-195 alt.

[viii] ‘Our Father in Heaven’, Common Praise #744.

[ix] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 212 alt.

[x] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Year A’, 13.

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