The Fifth Sunday In Lent
2 April 2017
The Gathering of the
Community
Gathering Music
Announcements
The Lenten Gathering Rite
Blessed are you, Lord God, our maker and
redeemer:
this
is your world and we are your people;
come
among us and save us.
The Presider leads the
Community in the Litany.
When
we wilfully misuse your gifts of creation:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we see the ill-treatment of others
and
do not go to their aid:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we condone evil and dishonesty
and
fail to strive for justice:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we hear the good news of Christ
but
fail to share it with others:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
When
we do not love you with all our hearts
nor
our neighbours as ourselves:
Holy God, holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us.
May
almighty God have mercy upon you,
pardon
and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm
and strengthen you in all goodness,
and
keep you in eternal life;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
God of compassion,
you
call us out of the bindings of death
on
this, our resurrection day:
make
us ready to surrender the fear in which we hide
to
step into your future alive and unashamed;
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading
A reading from the prophet Ezekiel (37.1-14).
37.1
The hand of the Lord came upon me,
and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord
and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2 He led me all around them; there
were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3 He said to me, “Mortal, can these
bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to
these bones, and say to them: O dry bones,
hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you
shall live. 6 I will lay
sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin,
and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
7
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there
was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 I looked, and there were sinews
on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was
no breath in them. 9 Then he
said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the
four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10 I prophesied as he commanded me,
and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast
multitude.
11 Then he
said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our
hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’
12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you
up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of
Israel. 13 And you shall know
that I am the Lord, when I open
your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14 I will put my spirit within you,
and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know
that I, the Lord, have spoken and
will act, says the Lord.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks
be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm
130 with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One.
Refrain
(sung twice): We hope in God with all our heart.
1 Out of the depths *
have
I called you, O Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the
voice of my supplication.
Refrain: We
hope in God with all our heart.
3 If you, Lord, were to note
what is done amiss, *
O
Lord, who could stand?
4 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
Refrain: We
hope in God with all our heart.
5 I wait for you, O Lord; my
soul waits for you; *
in
your word is my hope.
6 My soul waits for you, O Lord, *
more
than sentinels for the morning,
more than sentinels for the morning.
Refrain: We
hope in God with all our heart.
7 O Israel, wait for the Lord,
*
for
with the Lord there is mercy;
8 with whom there is plenteous redemption, *
and who shall redeem Israel from all
their sins.
Refrain: We
hope in God with all our heart.
The Second Reading
A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans (8.6-11).
8.6 To set the mind on the flesh
is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For this reason the mind that is
set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law — indeed it
cannot, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells
in you. Anyone who does not have the
Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though
the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give
life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks
be to God.
Hymn before the Gospel
‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ Common
Praise #107 (with
repeat)
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John (11.1-45).
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
11.1
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her
sister Martha. 2 Mary was the
one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her
brother Lazarus was ill. 3 So
the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4 But when Jesus heard it, he said,
“This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the
Son of God may be glorified through it.” 5 Accordingly, though Jesus loved
Martha and her sister and Lazarus, 6 after having heard that Lazarus
was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
7
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8 The disciples said to him,
“Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there
again?” 9 Jesus answered,
“Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble,
because they see the light of this world. 10 But those who walk at night
stumble, because the light is not in them.” 11 After saying this, he told them,
“Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” 12 The disciples said to him,
“Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” 13 Jesus, however, had been
speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to
sleep. 14 Then Jesus told
them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. 15
For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16 Thomas, who was called the Twin,
said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
17
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four
days. 18 Now Bethany was near
Jerusalem, some two miles away, 19 and many of the Jews had come to
Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was
coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 21 Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if
you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that God
will give you whatever you ask of him.” 23
Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that
he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the
resurrection and the life. Those who
believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who
lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I
believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the
world.”
28
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her
privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she got
up quickly and went to him. 30
Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where
Martha had met him. 31 The
Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and
go out. They followed her because they
thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 When Mary came where Jesus was
and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died.” 33
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was
greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. 34 He said, “Where have you laid
him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and
see.” 35 Jesus began to weep.
36 So the Jews said, “See how
he loved him!” 37 But some of
them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this
man from dying?”
38
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against
it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away
the stone.” Martha, the sister of the
dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been
dead four days.” 40 Jesus
said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory
of God?” 41 So they took away
the stone. And Jesus looked upward and
said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me,
but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may
believe that you sent me.” 43
When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands
and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him
go.”
45
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did,
believed in him.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Hymn after the Gospel
‘Prepare the Way of the Lord’ Common
Praise #107 (with
repeat)
The Homily
The Affirmation of Faith
As a people created by water and the Holy Spirit,
let us confess the faith of our baptism.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only
Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the
Father,
and he will come to judge the living and
the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
The Prayers of the Community
Intercessions,
Thanksgivings and Petitions
The Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of the Lord be always with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory Hymn
‘From the Falter of Breath’ Common
Praise #489
Prayer over the Gifts
Let
us pray.
Giver
of life,
your Son has destroyed the
power of death
for all those who believe in
him.
Accept all we offer you this
day
and strengthen us in faith and
hope;
through Jesus Christ, the Lord
of all the living. Amen. [iii]
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 right to give you thanks
and praise,
O Lord, our God, sustainer of the
universe,
you are worthy of glory and
praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came
to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar
space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in
their courses,
and this fragile earth, our
island home;
by your will they were created
and have their being.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
From the primal elements
you brought forth the human race,
and blessed us with memory,
reason, and skill;
you made us the stewards of
creation.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
But we turn against you, and
betray your trust;
and we turn against one
another.
Again and again you call us to
return.
Through the prophets and sages
you reveal your righteous
law.
In the fullness of time you sent
your Son,
born of a woman, to be our
Saviour.
He was wounded for our
transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities.
By his death he opened to us
the way of freedom and
peace.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Therefore we praise you,
joining with the heavenly chorus,
with prophets, apostles, and
martyrs,
and with those in every
generation
who have looked to you in hope,
to proclaim with them your glory,
in their unending hymn:
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.
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
for sending us Jesus, the Christ,
who on the night he was handed
over
to suffering and death,
took bread, said the blessing,
broke the bread, gave it to his
friends,
and said, “Take this, and eat
it:
this is my body which is given
for you.
Do this for the remembrance of
me.”
In the same way, after supper,
he took the cup of wine;
he gave you thanks,
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.”
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Gracious God,
we recall the death of your Son
Jesus Christ,
we proclaim his resurrection and
ascension,
and we look with expectation for
his coming
as Lord of all the nations.
We who have been redeemed by him,
and made a new people by water
and the Spirit,
now bring you these gifts.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this offering of your
Church,
[so that] we who eat and drink at
this holy table
may share the divine life of
Christ our Lord.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Pour out your Spirit upon the whole
earth
and make it your new
creation.
Gather your Church together
from the ends of the earth into
your kingdom,
where peace and justice are
revealed,
[so that] we, with all your
people,
of every language, race, and
nation,
may share the banquet you have
promised;
through Christ, with Christ, and
in Christ,
all honour and glory are yours, [Creator]
of all.
Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
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,
The Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread,
communion
in Christ’s body once broken.
Let your Church be the wheat
which bears its fruit in dying.
If
we have died with him,
we
shall live with him;
if
we hold firm,
we
shall reign with him.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks
be to God.
The Communion
The Hymn after Communion
‘Soaring Spirit, Set Us Free’ Common
Praise #250
The Sending Forth of the
Community
Prayer after Communion
Let
us pray.
God
of hope,
in this eucharist we have
tasted the promise
of your heavenly banquet
and the richness of eternal
life.
May we who bear witness to the
death of your Son,
also proclaim the glory of his
resurrection,
for he is Lord for ever and
ever. Amen.
[vi]
The
Presider then says the following Prayer over the People.
Look with compassion, O Lord, upon this your
people;
that, rightly observing this holy season,
they may learn to know you more fully,
and to serve you with a more perfect will;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
[vii]
Closing Hymn
‘Wind Who Makes All Winds That Blow’ Common
Praise #249
Dismissal
The
Deacon sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.
