Wednesday, May 31, 2017

A Thanksgiving for the Life of Anne Brailey (30 May 2017)

Well Done, Thou Good and Faithful Servant

On Tuesday, 30 May 2017, at 1.00 p.m. Saint Faith's gave thanks for the life of Anne Brailey, a beloved member of our congregation, who died earlier in May.  In the midst of her family, her friends and her parish members we sang, we prayed, we wept and we laughed as we remembered her as a woman who sought to do justice, who loved kindness and who walked humbly with her God.


May she rest in peace and rise in glory.

Richard+

Monday, May 29, 2017

An Ordo for Pentecost (4 June 2017)

The Feast of Pentecost
4 June 2017

The Gathering of the Community

Gathering Music

Announcements

Opening Hymn

‘Wind Who Makes All Winds That Blow’  Common Praise #249

Introductory Responses

Alleluia!  Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia!

May his grace and peace be with you.
May he fill our hearts with joy.

The Hymn of Praise

‘Breathe on Me, Breath of God’  Common Praise #649

The Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

God of wind and flame,
send your life-giving Spirit upon your people:
give fire to our words,
strength to our witness
and boldness to our proclamation
of your wondrous work in Christ;
who, with you and the Spirit, lives and reigns
now and for ever.  Amen. [i]

The Proclamation of the Word

The First Reading

A reading from Numbers (11.24-30).

            11.24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent.  25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

            26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.  27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”  28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!”  29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake?  Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”  30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

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

The Psalm

Psalm 104.24-34, 35b from Songs for the Holy One.

Refrain (sung twice):  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

O Holy One, how many things you do!
            You do them all with wisdom.
The earth is full of your creatures.
            There is the great sea, reaching far and wide,
full of swimming life, creatures large and small.
            There ships sail,
            and Leviathan whom you formed to sport therein.

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

All look to you to give them food in due season.
            When you hide your face, they are dismayed.
When you taken away their breath, they die,
and to dust return.
            When you send forth your breath, they are created,
            and you renew the face of the world.

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

To the Holy One, who rejoices in all creation,
be glory forever!
            When God looks at the world, it quakes;
            at a touch, the mountains smoke.

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

I will sing to the Holy One all my life
and chant to my God all my life long.
            May my meditations be pleasing to the Most High,
            in whom I always rejoice!

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

O my soul, bless the Holy One!
            Hallelujah!

Refrain:  O my soul, bless the Holy One!  Hallelujah!

The Second Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2.1-21).

            2.1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

            5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem.  6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.  7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?  8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language?  9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.”  12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”  13 But others sneered and said, “They are filled with new wine.”

            14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.  15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.  16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:  17 ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.  18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.  19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.  20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day.  21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

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

Hymn before the Gospel

‘Alleluia’  Common Praise #715 (‘Alleluia’ refrain only)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (20.19-23).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            20.19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the [Jewish authorities], Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.  23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

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

Hymn after the Gospel

‘Alleluia’  Common Praise #715 (‘Alleluia’ refrain only)

The Homily

The Nicene Creed

Let us confess our faith, as we say,

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the risen Christ be always with you.
And also with you.

The Holy Communion

Offertory Hymn

‘All Creatures of Our God and King’  Common Praise #355 vv. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth.
Day be day you shower us with blessings.
As you have raised us to new life in Christ,
give us glad and generous hearts,
ready to praise you and to respond to those in need,
through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.  Amen. [ii]

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, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Fulfilling the promise of the resurrection, you pour out the fire of your Spirit, uniting in one body people of every nation and tongue.  And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, with angels and archangels, cherubim and seraphim with all the choirs of angels, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

You are holy, you are whole. 
You are always ever more
than we ever understand.
You are always at hand.
 
Blessed are you coming near.
Blessed are you coming here
to your church in wine and bread,
raised from soil, raised from dead.

You are holy,
you are wholeness,
you are present. 
Let the cosmos praise you, Lord!

Sing hosanna
in the highest! 
Sing hosanna! 
Sing hosanna to our God! [iii]

Blessed are you, O God of the universe.  Your mercy is everlasting and your faithfulness endures from age to age.

Praise to you for creating the heavens and the earth.  Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood.  Praise to you for bringing the Israelites safely through the sea.  Praise to you for leading your people through the wilderness to the land of milk and honey.  Praise to you for the words and deeds of Jesus, your anointed one.  Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ.  Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on all nations.

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.

With this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s passover from death to life as we proclaim the mystery of faith:  Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

O God of resurrection and new life:  Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine.  Bless this feast.  Grace our table with your presence.  Come, Holy Spirit.

Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread.  Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world.  Breathe new life into us.  Send us forth, burning with justice, peace, and love.  Come, Holy Spirit.

With the ever-blessed virgin Mary, blessed Joseph, blessed Faith and your holy ones of all times and places, with the earth and all its creatures, with sun and moon and stars, we praise you, O God, blessed and holy Trinity, now and forever.  Amen. [iv]

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. [v]

The Breaking of the Bread

Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now we share in your resurrection.
Live in us, that we may live in you.

These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.

Communion

The Hymn after Communion

‘God of the Sparrow’  Common Praise #414

The Sending Forth of the Community

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray.

Life-giving God,
in the mystery of Christ’s resurrection
you send light to conquer darkness,
water to give new life,
and the bread of life to nourish your people.
Send us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection,
so that we may show your glory to all the world,
through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.  Amen. [vi]

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

‘Wind upon the Waters’  Common Praise #408

Dismissal

The Deacon sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.




[i] Liturgy Task Force 2016, 26.

[ii] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 64.

[iii] Evangelical Lutheran Worship #525.

[iv] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 111.

[v] Songs for a Gospel People #12.

[vi] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 65.