Liturgy Pacific: December 2014

Saint Faith's welcomes Bishop Melissa Skelton on Sunday, the 4th of January 2015. In keeping with the calendar of The Book of Alternative Services, we are celebrating the Epiphany of Christ on this day. Bishop Melissa will preach and will bless the new memorial plaques recording the names of those buried in our Memorial Garden.

feast of the epiphany

4 January 2015

The Gathering of the Community

Processional Hymn

‘Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness’ Common Praise #385 vv. 1, 2, 3

Introductory Responses

Blessed are you, Son of David;

born to rule,

you received gifts from the magi.

Blessed are you, Son of Man;

baptized by John,

you saved us from ourselves.

Blessed are you, heavenly Sovereign;

teaching and preaching, healing and comforting,

you proclaimed God’s gracious reign.

Let heaven and earth shout their praise.

With all the voices of heaven

we celebrate the coming of our Saviour.

Let heaven and earth shout their praise.

With all the creatures on earth

we sing and dance at Christ’s birth.

Praise and honour and glory to you, O Lord most high.

Hymn of Praise

Gloria in excelsis [i]

Collect

Let us pray.

Almighty and everliving God,

you revealed the incarnation of your Son

by the brilliant shine of a star.

Shine the light of your justice

in our hearts and over all lands,

and accept our lives as the treasure we offer

in your praise and for your service,

through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word

First Reading

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (60.1-6).

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you,

the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 72.1-7, 10-14 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice): May the Holy One guide and guard all rulers.

¹ Give the king your justice, O God, *

and your righteousness to the king’s son;

² that he may rule your people righteously *

and the poor with justice;

³ that the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *

and the little hills bring righteousness.

⁴ He shall defend the needy among the people, *

rescuing the poor and crushing the oppressor.

Refrain (sung twice): May the Holy One guide and guard all rulers.

⁵ He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *

from one generation to another.

⁶ He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *

like showers that water the earth.

⁷ In his time shall the righteous flourish; *

there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

¹⁰ The rulers of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *

and the rulers of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

Refrain: May the Holy One guide and guard all rulers.

¹¹ All rulers shall bow down before him, *

and all the nations do him service.

¹² For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress *

and the oppressed who has no helper.

¹³ He shall have pity on the lowly and poor *

and shall preserve the lives of the needy.

¹⁴ He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *

and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Refrain: May the Holy One guide and guard all rulers.

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians (3.1-12).

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

The Gradual Hymn

‘Wise Men, They Came to Look for Wisdom’ Common Praise #161

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew (3.1-12).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sermon

The Nicene Creed

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. [iii]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Thanksgivings and Petitions

The appointed person leads the congregation in prayer.

Let us pray to the Source of all life, saying, “Show forth your Spirit in us.”

Inspire our minds and hearts with a vision of your reign of peace and justice.