The Fifth
Sunday in Lent
6 April
2014
The
Gathering of the Community
Gathering
Music
Opening
Litany
At the door to the Nave, the
Presider, assisted by other Ministers, begins the Litany.
Blessed be the holy Trinity, one
God,
the fountain of living water,
the rock who gave us birth,
our light and our salvation.
God of our ancestors, you raise
the dead to life in the Spirit:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
You bring pardon and peace to the
broken in heart:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
You make one by your Spirit the
torn and divided:
Lord, have mercy.
God of the prophets, may your
loving mercy come to us
and your salvation according to
your word:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Your word is a lantern to our feet
and a light to our path:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Let your mercy come to us so that
we may life,
for your ways are our delight:
Christ, have mercy.
Lenten
Hymn of Praise
‘Tree of Life and Awesome
Mystery’ Common Praise #179 vv. 5, 6f
Collect
of the Day
Let us pray.
God of all consolation and compassion,
whose Son comforted Martha and Mary:
pour out your Spirit upon us
so that we may face despair and death
with the hope of resurrection and faith in Christ
The
Proclamation of the Word of God
The First Reading
A
Reading from the prophet Ezekiel (37.1-14).
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. He led me all around them; there were very
many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?”
I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones,
and say to them: O dry bones, hear the
word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I
will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 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.”
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. 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. 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.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast
multitude.
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.’ 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. And you shall know that I am the
Lord, when I open your graves, and
bring you up from your graves, O my people. 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 those who watch for the morning,
more than those
who watch 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).
To set the mind on the flesh is
death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 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,
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
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. But if
Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life
because of righteousness. 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.
Gradual
Hymn
‘O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing’ Common Praise #306 vv. 1, 3, 5
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.
[Jesus]
went away again across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing
earlier, and he remained there. Many
came to him, and they were saying, “John performed no sign, but everything that
John said about this man was true.” And
many believed in him there.
Now
a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister
Martha. Mary was the one who anointed
the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was
ill. So the sisters sent a message to
Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 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.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days
longer in the place where he was.
Then
after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the [Jewish
authorities] were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?”
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. But those who walk at night stumble, because
the light is not in them.” After saying
this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there
to awaken him.” The disciples said to
him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his
death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is
dead. For your sake I am glad I was not
there, so that you may believe. But let
us go to him.” Thomas, who was called
the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with
him.”
When
Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles
away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about
their brother. When Martha heard that
Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died. But
even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise
again.” Martha said to him, “I know that
he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and
the life. Those who believe in me, even
though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will
never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that
you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
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.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and
went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come
to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 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. 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.” When Jesus saw her
weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed
in spirit and deeply moved. He said,
“Where have you laid him?” They said to
him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began
to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he
loved him!” But some of them said,
“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from
dying?”
Then
Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against
it. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if
you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I
thank you for having heard me. 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.” When he had said this, he
cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 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.”
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.
The
Sermon
A
Lenten Affirmation of Faith
The Deacon invites the Community
to affirm its faith.
Let us affirm our faith.
Sisters and brothers, let us love one another,
because love is from God;
everyone who loves is born of God
and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God,
for God is love.
God’s love was revealed among us in this way:
God sent the Word, the Belovèd, into the world
so that we might live through Christ.
Sisters and brothers, since God loved us so much,
we also ought to love one another.
God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God.
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
‘Revive Thy Work, O Lord’ Common Praise #454
Lenten
Prayer over the Gifts
The Deacon leads the Community in the Prayer
over the Gifts.
God our provider,
you have fed us not
with bread alone,
but with words of
grace and life.
Bless us and these
your gifts,
which we receive
from your bounty,
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 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 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.
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
Communion
Hymn
‘Breathe on Me, Breath of God’ Common Praise #649
The Sending Forth of the Community
Lenten
Prayer after Communion
Compassionate God,
you have fed us with the bread of heaven.
Sustain us in our Lenten pilgrimage:
may our fasting be hunger for justice;
our alms, a making of peace;
and our prayer, the song of grateful hearts,
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 or Assisting Minister
sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.
Concluding
Music
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