The Seventh Sunday
after Epiphany
23 February 2014
The Gathering of
the Community
Gathering
Music
Opening
Hymn
‘We, the Lord’s People’ Common Praise #10
Greeting
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the
love of God
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be
with you all.
And
also with you.
Almighty God,
to
you all hearts are open,
all
desires known
and
from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse
the thoughts of our hearts
by
the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that
we may perfectly love you
and
worthily magnify your holy name;
through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn of
Praise
‘Glory, in the Highest Glory’ Common Praise #366
Collect
of the Day
Let us pray.
O God most holy,
in Jesus Christ you have laid a
foundation
upon which to build our lives.
Help us to follow your perfect law
of love,
so that we may fulfill it
and observe it to the end;
through Christ your love embodied
and in the Spirit your love
manifest. Amen. [i]
The
Proclamation of the Word of God
The First Reading
A
Reading from Leviticus (19.1-2, 9-18).
The Lord
spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the
congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
When you reap the harvest of your land,
you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of
your harvest. You shall not strip your
vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave
them for the poor and the alien: I am
the Lord your God.
You shall not steal; you shall not deal
falsely; and you shall not lie to one another.
And you shall not swear falsely by my
name, profaning the name of your God: I
am the Lord.
You shall not defraud your neighbour;
you shall not steal; and you shall not keep for yourself the wages of a
labourer until morning.
You shall not revile the deaf or put a
stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.
You shall not render an unjust
judgement; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your
neighbour. You shall not go around as a
slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your
neighbour: I am the Lord.
You shall not hate in your heart anyone
of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbour, or you will incur guilt
yourself. You shall not take vengeance
or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour
as yourself: I am the Lord.
Hear
what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm 119.33-40
with the refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(sung twice): Holy One, teach us your way, and help us walk in it.
33 Teach me, O Lord,
the way of your statutes, *
and I shall keep it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; *
I
shall keep it with all my heart.
35 Make me go in the
path of your commandments, *
for that is my desire.
36 Incline my heart to your decrees *
and
not to unjust gain.
Refrain: Holy
One, teach us your way, and help us walk in it.
37 Turn my eyes from
watching what is worthless; *
give me life in your ways.
38 Fulfil your promise to your servant, *
which
you make to those who fear you.
39 Turn away the
reproach which I dread, *
because your judgements are good.
40 Behold, I long for your commandments; *
in
your righteousness preserve my life.
Refrain: Holy
One, teach us your way, and help us walk in it.
The
Second Reading
A Reading from Paul’s First Letter to the
Corinthians (3.10-11, 16-23).
According
to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a
foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build
on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid;
that foundation is Jesus Christ.
Do
you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will
destroy that person. For God’s temple is
holy, and you are that temple.
Do
not deceive yourselves. If you think
that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become
wise.
For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God. For it is written,
“He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the
thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
So
let no one boast about human leaders. For
all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or
death or the present or the future — all belong to you, and you belong to
Christ, and Christ belongs to God.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the
church.
Thanks
be to God.
Gradual
Hymn
‘Ubi Caritas et Amor’ Common Praise #553 (sung three times)
The
Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew (5.38-48).
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
[Jesus
said,] “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a
tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist
an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you
on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and
take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one
mile, go also the second mile. Give to
everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from
you.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You
shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray
for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in
heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain
on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what
reward do you have? Do not even the tax
collectors do the same? And if you greet
only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father
is perfect.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Sermon
An
Affirmation of Faith
The Deacon leads the Community in the
affirmation of faith.
Let us affirm our faith.
You,
O God, are supreme and holy.
You
create our world and give us life.
Your
purpose overarches everything we do.
You
have always been with us.
You
are God.
You,
O God, are infinitely generous,
good
beyond all measure.
You
came to us before we came to you.
You
have revealed and proved
your
love for us in Jesus Christ,
who
lived and died and rose again.
You
are with us now.
You
are God.
You,
O God, are Holy Spirit.
You
empower us to be your gospel in the world.
You
reconcile and heal; you overcome death.
You
are our God. We worship you. [ii]
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
‘Where Charity and Love Prevail’ Common Praise #487
The
Prayer over the Gifts
Holy God,
gracious and merciful,
you bring forth food from the
earth
and nourish your whole
creation.
Turn our hearts toward those
who hunger in any way,
so that all may know your
care;
and prepare us now to feast
on the bread of life,
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.
Blessed are you, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth;
you are the source of light and life for
all your creation,
you made us in your own image,
and call us to new life in Jesus Christ our
Saviour.
Therefore we praise you,
joining our voices to proclaim the glory of
your name. [iv]
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.
You re indeed holy, almighty and merciful
God.
You are most holy and great is the majesty
of your glory.
You loved the world so much that you gave
your only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may
not perish
but have eternal life.
We give you thanks for his coming into the
world
to fulfill for us your holy will
and to accomplish all things for our
salvation.
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.
For as often as we eat of this bread and
drink from this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he
comes.
Christ
has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Remembering , therefore, his salutary
command,
his life-giving passion and death, his
glorious resurrection and ascension,
and the promise of his coming again,
we give thanks to you, O Lord God almighty,
not as we ought but as we are able;
we ask you mercifully to accept our praise
and thanksgiving
and with your Word and Holy Spirit to bless
us, your servants,
and these your own gifts of bread and wine,
so that we and all who share in the body
and blood of Christ
may be filled with heavenly blessing and
grace,
and, receiving the forgiveness of sin,
may be formed to live as your holy people
and be given our inheritance with all your
saints.
To you, O God, Source of all being, eternal
Word and Holy Spirit,
be all honour and glory in your holy
church, now and for ever. Amen. [vi]
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
“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 lives in us. [viii]
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks
be to God.
The
Communion
Communion
Hymn
‘Not for Tongues of Heaven’s Angel’s’ Common Praise #494
The Sending Forth of the Community
Prayer
after Communion
Almighty God,
we
give you thanks
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
‘How Firm a Foundation’ Common Praise #527
Dismissal
The Deacon or Assisting Minister sends the
Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.
Concluding
Music
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