An Ordo for Harvest Thanksgiving (9 October 2016)

At Saint Faith's we shall celebrate Harvest Thanksgiving with the use of our Michaelmas Ordo.  It is a reminder that the angels are frequently spoken of in the New Testament as agents of God in the great harvest of the kingdom.

Harvest Thanksgiving

9 October 2016

The Gathering of the Community

Gathering Music

Announcements

The Opening Hymn

‘My Life Flows On in Endless Song’  Common Praise #401

The Greeting

Bless the Lord all you works of the Lord:

praise and exalt the Holy One for ever.

Bless the Lord you angels of the Lord:

praise and exalt the Holy One for ever.

O people of God bless the Lord:

praise and exalt the Holy One for ever.

Bless the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:

praise and exalt the Holy One for ever. [i]

The Kyrie Litany

God, be gracious to us and bless us,

and make your face shine upon us:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on the earth,

your saving power among the nations:

Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Make known your salvation,

and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy. [ii]

The Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Creator God,

you made the goodness of the land,

the riches of the sea,

and the rhythm of the seasons.

As we thank you for the harvest,

may we cherish and respect

this planet and its peoples;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. [iii]

The Proclamation of the Word

The First Reading

A reading from Deuteronomy (26.1-11).

            ^26.1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, ² you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name.  ³ You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.”  ⁴ When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, ⁵ you shall make this response before the Lord your God:  “A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.  ⁶ When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, ⁷ we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression^{.  8} The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; ⁹ and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey.  ¹⁰ So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord your God.  ¹¹ Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 100 from ‘A Liturgical Psalter’ [iv] with refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

¹ Be joyful in the Lord, *

            all you lands;

² serve the Lord with gladness

            and come into the divine presence with a song.

³ Know this:  the Lord, the Lord, is God; *

            the One made us and to whom we belong;

            we are God’s people, the sheep of God’s pasture.

⁴ Enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving;

go into these courts with praise; *

            give thanks to God and call upon the name of the Lord.

⁵ For the Lord is good, whose steadfast love is everlasting; *

            and whose faithfulness endures from age to age.

Refrain:  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

The Second Reading

A reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4.4-9).

            ^4.4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.  ⁵ Let your gentleness be known to everyone.  The Lord is near.  ⁶ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

            ⁸ Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.  ⁹ Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Hymn before the Gospel

‘Alleluia’  Common Praise #710 (sung twice)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (6.25-35).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            ^6.25 When [the crowd] found [Jesus] on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”  ²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”  ²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”  ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”  ³⁰ So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you?  What work are you performing?  ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”  ³² Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.  ³³ For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”  ³⁴ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

            ³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Hymn after the Gospel

‘Alleluia’  Common Praise #710 (sung twice)

The Sermon

An Affirmation of Faith

Let us affirm our faith.

We praise you, O God,

we acclaim you as Lord;

all creation worships you.

To you all angels, all the powers of heaven,

sing in endless praise.

Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:

Father, of majesty unbounded,

your true and only Son, worthy of all praise,

the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.

Day by day we bless you.

We praise your name for ever.

In you is our hope:

let us never be put to shame.  Amen. [v]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

The peace of Christ be with you all.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

‘For the Fruit of All Creation’  Common Praise #259

Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

God of mercy and grace,

the eyes of all wait upon you,

and you open your hand in blessing.

Fill us with good things at your table,

so that we may come to the help of all in need,

through Jesus Christ, our redeemer and Lord.  Amen. [vi]

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 from the Virgin Mary

and shared our human nature. 

He lived and died as one of us,

to reconcile us to you,

the God and Creator of all.

In fulfilment 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,

so 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. [vii]

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,

Source of all being and eternal Word,

with the Holy Spirit

in the holy Church,

now and for ever.  Amen. [viii]

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. [ix]

The Breaking of the Bread

You gave your people angels’ food

and sent them bread from heaven,

so that your children might learn, O God,

that it is your word which sustains all who trust in you. [x]

These are the gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

The Communion of the Community

The Hymn after Communion

‘For the Beauty of the Earth’  Common Praise #429

The Sending Forth of the Community

Prayer after Communion

All your works praise you, O Lord.

And your faithful servants bless you.

Gracious God,

we thank you for feeding us

with the body and blood of your Son

Jesus Christ.

May we, who share his body,

live his risen life;

we, who drink is cup,

bring life to others;

we, whom the Spirit lights,

give light to the world.

Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,

so that we and all your children shall be free,

and the whole earth live to praise your name;

through Christ our Lord.  Amen. [xi]

The Closing Hymn

‘Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah’  Common Praise #565

The Dismissal

The Deacon sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.

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[i] Adapted by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett from the Benedicite as translated in Common Worship (2000), 778-779.

[ii] Common Worship (2000), 134 alt.

[iii] Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion’ (2016), 154.

[iv] http://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/GS2016-Liturgical-Psalter-2016-05-04.pdf.

[v] Adapted from the English Language Liturgical Consultation’s translation of the Te Deum laudamus by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.

[vi] The Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C and seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion,’ 160.

[vii] Common Praise #732.

[viii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 196-197 alt.

[ix] Common Praise #744

[x] Canticle 12, ‘The Bread of Heaven’, as found in The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 81-82 and adapted for use as a fraction anthem by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.

[xi] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 214-215.