An Order for the Eucharist on the Second Sunday after Epiphany (18 January 2015)

The Second Sunday after Epiphany

18 January 2015

The Gathering of the Community

Processional Hymn

‘Be Thou My Vision’  Common Praise #505

Introductory Responses

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God,

the fountain of living water,

the rock who gave us birth,

our light and our salvation.  Amen. [i]

Seasonal Hymn of Praise

‘Blessed Be the God of Israel’  Common Praise #11 (sung to #508)

Collect

Let us pray.

Almighty God,

in Christ you make all things new:

transform the poverty of our nature

by the riches of your grace,

and in the renewal of our lives

make known your heavenly glory;

through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.  Amen [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word

First Reading

A reading from the First Book of Samuel (3.1-10).

           ¹ Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

            ² At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; ³ the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.  ⁴ Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” ⁵ and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”  But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.”  So he went and lay down.  ⁶ The Lord called again, “Samuel!”  Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”  But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.”  ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.  ⁸ The Lord called Samuel again, a third time.  And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.”  Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.  ⁹ Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’”  So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

            ¹⁰ Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”  And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is ^{listening.”  11} Then the Lord said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle.  ¹² On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end.  ¹³ For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.  ¹⁴ Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”

            ¹⁵ Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord.  Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli.  ¹⁶ But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.”  He said, “Here I am.”  ¹⁷ Eli said, “What was it that he told you?  Do not hide it from me.  May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.”  ¹⁸ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him.  Then he said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.”

            ¹⁹ As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground ²⁰ And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the Lord.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 139.1-5, 12-17 with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  O Holy One, search us out and know our hearts.

¹ O God, you have searched me out and known me; *

            you know my sitting down and my rising up;

            you discern my thoughts from afar.

² You trace my journeys and my resting-places, *

            and are acquainted with all my ways.

³ Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *

            but you, O God, know it altogether.

⁴ You press upon me behind and before, *

            and lay your hand upon me.

⁵ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *

            it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

            and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

Refrain:  O Holy One, search us out and know our hearts.

¹² For you yourself created my inmost parts; *

            you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

¹³ I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *

            your works are wonderful, and I know it well.

¹⁴ My body was not hidden from you, *

            while I was being made in secret

            and woven in the depths of the earth.

¹⁵ Your eyes behold my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;

all of them were written in your book; *

            they were fashioned day by day,

            when as yet there was none of them.

¹⁶ How deep I find your thoughts, O God; *

            how great is the sum of them!

¹⁷ If I were to count them,

they would be more in number than the sand; *

            to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

Refrain:  O Holy One, search us out and know our hearts.

Second Reading

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (6.12-30).

            ¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial.  “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.  ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other.  The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.  ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.  ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?  Never!  ¹⁶ Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her?  For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.”  ¹⁷ But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.  ¹⁸ Shun fornication!  Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself.  ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?  ²⁰ For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Gradual Hymn

‘La ténèbre n’est point ténèbre’  Common Praise #549 (sung in English three times)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (1.43-51).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            ⁴³ The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee.  He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.”  ⁴⁴ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.  ⁴⁵ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”  ⁴⁶ Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Philip said to him, “Come and see.”  ⁴⁷ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!”  ⁴⁸ Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”  ⁴⁹ Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God!  You are the King of Israel!”  ⁵⁰ Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?  You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ 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

Let us affirm our faith in God.

Blessed be the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in Christ  with every spiritual blessing

that comes from heaven.

God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless

and destined us to be beloved adopted children.

God revealed the divine hidden design to us:

to bring all things together in Christ,

the things in heaven along with the things on earth. [iii]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Thanksgivings and Petitions

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of Christ be always with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

‘As We Gather at Your Table’  Common Praise #61

Prayer over the Gifts

God of all creation,

all you have made is good,

and your love endures forever.

You bring forth bread from the earth

and fruit from the vine.

Nourish us with these gifts,

so that we might be for the world

signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ,

our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [iv]

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.

Blessed are you, gracious God,

creator of heaven and earth;

by water and the Holy Spirit

you have made us a holy people

in Jesus Christ our Lord;

you renew that mystery in bread and wine and nourish us

to show forth your glory in all the world.

Therefore with angels and archangels,

and will all the holy people

who have served you in every age,

we raise our voices

to proclaim the glory of your name. [v]

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, you alone are holy, you alone are God.

The universe declares your praise:

beyond the stars, beneath the sea;

within each cell; with every breath.

We praise you, O God.

Generations bless your faithfulness:

through the water; by night and day; across the wilderness;

out of exile; into the future.

We bless you, O God.

We give you thanks for your dear Son:

at the heart of human life; near to those who suffer;

beside the sinner; among the poor; with us now.

We thank you, O God.

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, eh 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.

Remembering his love for us on the way,

at the table, and to the end,

we proclaim the mystery of faith.

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

We pray for the gift of your Spirit:

in our gathering; within this meal;

among your people; throughout the world.

Blessing, praise, and thanks to you, holy God,

through Christ Jesus, by your Spirit,

in your church, without end.  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

We break the bread of life,

and that life is the light of the world

God here among us,

light in the midst of us,

bring us to light and life.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

The Communion

Communion Hymn

‘Strengthen for Service, Lord’  Common Praise #87

The Sending Forth of the Community

Prayer after Communion

We give you thanks, almighty God,

that you have refreshed us

through the healing power of this gift of life.

In your mercy, strengthen us through this gift,

in faith toward you

and in fervent love toward one another;

for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. [ix]

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

‘Will You Come and Follow Me’  Common Praise #430

Dismissal

The Deacon will send the people forth with an appropriate Dismissal.

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[i] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 97.

[ii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Propers:  Epiphany 2 to Transfiguration’ (2015), 1.

[iii] Ephesians 1.3, 4a, 5a, 9a, 10b (Common English Bible) alt.

[iv] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Propers:  Epiphany 2 to Transfiguration’ (2015), 1.

[v] Third Preface of the Lord’s Day, The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 218.

[vi] Common Praise #732.

[vii] Thanksgiving at the Table IX in Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006).

[viii] Common Praise #744.

[ix] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Propers:  Epiphany 2 to Transfiguration’ (2015), 1.