An Ordo for Canada Day

On Sunday, 3 July 2016, Saint Faith's will dedicate its eucharist to a celebration of the 149th anniversary of Confederation.

The Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Canada Day Weekend

3 July 2016

The Gathering of the Community

Gathering Music

Announcements

The Opening Hymn

The Presider asks the Community to stand and sing

‘God Save Our Gracious Queen’  Common Praise #660

The Introductory Litany

The Presider begins the Introductory Litany and processes to the Sanctuary.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

whose glory fills all the earth.

For the natural majesty and beauty of this country,

we praise and thank you, O Lord.

For the many resources of this nation,

we praise and thank you, O Lord.

For the women and men in this and every generation

who have made this country strong,

we praise and thank you, O Lord.

For the freedoms we enjoy,

we praise and thank you, O Lord.

For the gifts of the First Nations

and for the settler cultures and peoples who followed

who have woven and are weaving a rich tapestry,

we praise and thank you, O Lord.

For faith that renews and sustains us,

we praise and thank you, O Lord. [i]

The Hymn of Praise

‘O Canada’  Common Praise #659 vv. 1, 3, 4

The Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Almighty God,

whose wisdom and whose love are over all,

accept the prayers we offer for our nation.

Give integrity to its citizens

and wisdom to those in authority,

so that harmony and justice may be secured

in obedience to your will;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.  Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word

The First Reading

A reading from the prophet Isaiah (32.1-5, 16-18).

            ^32.1 See, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.  ² Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempest, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.  ³ Then the eyes of those who have sight will not be closed, and the ears of those who have hearing will listen.  ⁴ The minds of the rash will have good judgement, and the tongues of stammerers will speak readily and distinctly.  ⁵ A fool will no longer be called noble, nor a villain said to be honourable.

            ¹⁶ Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field.  ¹⁷ The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.  ¹⁸ My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

‘All People That on Earth Do Dwell’  Common Praise #349

The Second Reading

A reading from the letter to the Colossians (3.12-17).

            ^3.12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.  ¹³ Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  ¹⁴ Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.   ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.  ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks be to God.

The Hymn before the Gospel

‘Let All the World in Every Corner Sing’  Common Praise #357 v. 1

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (15.12-17).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            ^15.12 [Jesus said to his disciples,] “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  ¹³ No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you.  ¹⁵ I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.  ¹⁶ You did not choose me but I chose you.  And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.  ¹⁷ I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Hymn after the Gospel

‘Let All the World in Every Corner Sing’  Common Praise #357 v. 2

The Sermon

An Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Creator,

from whom every family

in heaven and on earth has its being.

We believe in God the Word Incarnate,

who lives in our hearts through faith,

and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Spirit of counsel and wisdom,

who strengthens us

with power from on high.

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

now and until the ages of ages.  Amen. [iii]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

Confession and Absolution

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

God of compassion and mercy,

in our sin we have avoided your call.

Our love for you is like a morning cloud,

like the dew that goes away early.

Have mercy on us;

deliver us from judgement;

bind up our wounds and revive us;

in Jesus Christ our Redeemer.  Amen. [iv]

May the God of love

forgive you and free you from your sins,

heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,

and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.  Amen. [v]

The Exchange of the Peace

The peace of Christ be with you all.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

‘You Call Us, Lord, to Be’  Common Praise #450

Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

Judge eternal,

accept all we offer you this day,

and grant to our nation unity and peace.

This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen. [vi]

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 that we should praise you, gracious God,

for you created all things. 

You formed us in your own image: 

male and female you created us. 

When we turned away from you in sin,

you did not cease to care for us,

but opened a path of salvation for all people. 

You made a covenant with Israel,

and through your servants Abraham and Sarah

gave the promise of a blessing to all nations. 

Through Moses you led your people from bondage into freedom;

through the prophets you renewed your promise of salvation. 

Therefore, with them, and with all your saints

who have served you in every age,

we give thanks and raise our voices

to proclaim the glory of your name.

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. 

Hosanna in the highest.

Holy God, source of life and goodness,

all creation rightly gives you praise. 

In the fullness of time, you sent your Son Jesus Christ,

to share our human nature,

to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you,

the God and Creator of all. 

He healed the sick

and ate and drank with outcasts and sinners;

he opened the eyes of the blind

and proclaimed the good news of your kingdom

to the poor and to those in need. 

In all things he fulfilled your gracious will.

On the night he freely gave himself to death,

our Lord Jesus Christ took bread,

and when he had given thanks to you,

he broke it, and gave it to his disciples,

and said, “Take, eat:  this is my body which is given for you. 

Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine;

and when he had given thanks,

he gave it to them, 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.”

Gracious God,

his perfect sacrifice destroys the power of sin and death;

by raising him to life you give us life for evermore. 

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith. 

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will comes again.

Recalling his death,

proclaiming his resurrection,

and looking for his coming again in glory,

we offer you, O Holy One of Israel, this bread and this cup. 

Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts,

so that all who eat and drink at this table

may be one body and one holy people,

a living sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all glory is yours, Source of all life, now and for ever.  Amen. [vii]

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.

The Breaking of the Bread

‘I am the bread of life,’ says the Lord.

‘Whoever comes to me will never be hungry;

whoever believes in me will never thirst.’

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

happy are they who trust in him!

These are the gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

The Communion of the Community

The Hymn after Communion

‘Can I See Another’s Woe’  Common Praise #544

The Sending Forth of the Community

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray.

God of love,

may we who have taken holy things

grow in unity and peace.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen. [viii]

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.

The Blessing

May the Spirit of truth lead you into all truth,

giving you grace to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord

and to proclaim the wonderful works of God:

and the blessing of God the Lover,

God the Beloved and God the Love,

be among you and remain with you always.  Amen.

The Closing Hymn

‘Let Streams of Living Justice’  Common Praise #575

The Dismissal

Let us go forth in the name of the living God.

Thanks be to God.

---

[i] Introductory Litany prepared by Richard Geoffrey Leggett and Paula Porter Leggett for Saint Faith’s Anglican Church.

[ii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 413 alt.

[iii] Common Worship (2000), 148 alt.

[iv] Common Worship (2000), 128 alt.

[v] Common Worship (2000), 135 alt.

[vi] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 413.

[vii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 193-195 alt.

[viii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 413.

Donning the Habit: Reflections on Galatians 5 (RCL Proper 13C, 26 June 2016)

Donning the Habit

Reflections on Galatians 5

The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

26 June 2016

Saint Faith’s Anglican Church

Vancouver BC

Click here to listen to the Sermon as preached at the 10.00 Eucharist on the 26th.

         In the years before there were dedicated law schools and theological colleges anyone who was interested in becoming a member of the bar or a member of the clergy followed one of two paths.  Those who were academically inclined and had the financial resources to do so obtained some undergraduate education, perhaps even a degree, at a university.  Then the would-be lawyer or cleric searched for someone in the profession who would take them on as an apprentice.  The second path avoided university altogether and simply found someone with whom to apprentice.

         During the apprenticeship the master, whether an attorney or a cleric, was obliged to guide his apprentice or apprentices in the study of the knowledge required to exercise this vocation, the skills to exercise the profession well and, most importantly, the development of the appropriate habitus that anyone could expect of an attorney or a cleric.

         Habitus is not a word we often hear these days.  We know the English word, ‘habit’, but our word is somewhat removed from the original meaning.  Habitus originally meant a way of being, the character of someone, a set of behaviours that were intentionally cultivated.  It’s this understanding of habitus that probably gave rise to using the word ‘habit’ to describe a distinctive form of dress, such as lawyers’ robes or clerical vestments, that instantly identifies someone as belonging to the profession.

         When Anna was called to the bar this past Tuesday, I was struck by the theme that united all three addresses made to the new members of the bar:  All lawyers require knowledge, skill and integrity, but the greatest of these is integrity.  In other words, lawyers must cultivate a habitus of integrity or the whole legal system will fall into disrepute and civil society will be endangered.  Then came the oath itself which is all about the habitus of integrity.

I accept the honour and privilege, duty and responsibility of practising law as a barrister and solicitor in the Province of Ontario.  I shall protect and defend the rights and interests of such persons as may employ me.  I shall conduct all cases faithfully and to the best of my ability.  I shall neglect no one’s interest and shall faithfully serve and diligently represent the best interests of my client.  I shall not refuse causes of complaint reasonably founded, nor shall I promote suits upon frivolous pretences.  I shall not pervert the law to favour or prejudice any one, but in all things I shall conduct myself honestly and with integrity and civility.  I shall seek to ensure access to justice and access to legal services.  I shall seek to improve the administration of justice.  I shall champion the rule of law and safeguard the rights and freedoms of all persons.  I shall strictly observe and uphold the ethical standards that govern my profession.  All this I do swear or affirm to observe and perform to the best of my knowledge and ability.

These are serious promises and we hope that those who are called to the profession of the bar have been nurtured into the habitus that these promises represent.  I am fairly certain that Anna will sometimes fall short of the aspirations expressed here.  But I hope that each time Anna dons her legal ‘habit’, she renews these promises.  I hope that they become so ingrained in her character that she ‘wears’ them in all the dimensions of her life and recognizes when her ‘habit’ is not on straight.

         But what of the habitus that describes a Christian?  When I first became involved in the debates associated with the full inclusion of gay and lesbian disciples of Christ, I found Paul’s words to the Christians in Galatia to be among the scriptural resources that guided me.  I remember, in the midst of a heated debate at our diocesan synod, quoting Paul when he writes,

            ^5.22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against such things.  ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.  ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

I then asked what I should do when I met someone, gay or straight, Christian or non-Christian, believer or non-believer, whose life was coloured by ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control’.  If anyone manifests these qualities in her or his life, I argued, then I am in the presence of someone in whom the Spirit of the living God is present and active.

         Now I am not naïve.  I know that we all struggle to be loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle and self-controlled.  I know that none of us are perfect in the way we put on this ‘habit’ that Paul describes as a sign of the Spirit working in us and through us.  But what we know what a Spirit-filled life looks like and we can ‘dress’ ourselves accordingly.

         These past few months have been stressful ones for Paula and me.  As we face the end of her time at Saint Andrew’s and the uncertainty of the future, we are both still involved in the life of the Christian communities we serve, whether our congregations or our diocese.  I have a particular responsibility as the convenor of the Task Force that is looking at how we fund our shared ministries as a diocese, an issue that is directly linked to Paula’s resignation.  I am more than tempted to prepare a set of labels with Paul’s description of the Spirit-filled life printed on them.  Each time I attend a meeting of the Task Force or some other duty related to my diocesan responsibilities, I think I’ll peel off one of the labels and put it at the top of my notes.  It will remind me of the ‘habit’ I am to wear in this moment.

         I’ve have often thought that it’s a shame we Christians have no distinctive dress that identifies our religious community.  True, some of us wear crosses, but then so do rock stars and celebrities whose behaviour is far from being Spirit-filled.  But then I realize that this lack of distinctive clothing challenges us to be rather than to seem to be Christians.  What will give away our identity is not our clothing but our behaviour, our habitus, as we go about our lives.  We will be known by our loving, joyous, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle and self-controlled way of being, whether among friends or families, co-workers or strangers, in good times and in stressful times.

         And perhaps, perhaps if we are lucky, someone will ask us how it is that we act the way we act.  In that moment we can say, ‘I have put on the habit of Christ.  Would you like to wear it with me?’

An Ordo for Pentecost 6 (26 June 2016)

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

26 June 2016

The Gathering of the Community

Entrance Hymn

‘Will You Come and Follow Me’  Common Praise #430 vv. 1, 2, 3

Greeting

Blessed be the holy Trinity, one God,

the fountain of living water,

the rock who gave us birth,

our light and our salvation.  Amen. [i]

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.

Canticle

‘Glory, in the Highest Glory’  Common Praise #366

Collect of the Day

Let us pray.

Lord,

you step upon on our guarded shore

and confront our chaos:

may we who are divided and overwhelmed by the forces of death

learn from you to speak our own name

and proclaim your works of life;

through Jesus Christ, the Son of the Most High God.  Amen. [ii]

The Proclamation of the Word of God

The First Reading

A reading from Second Kings (2.1-2, 6-14).

            ^2.1 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.  ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.”  But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”  So they went down to Bethel.

            ⁶ Then Elijah said to [Elisha], “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”  But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”  So the two of them went on.  ⁷ Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan.  ⁸ Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

            ⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.”  Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.”  ¹⁰ He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.”  ¹¹ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven.  ¹² Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father!  The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!”  But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

            ¹³ He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.  ¹⁴ He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?”  When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm of the Day

Psalm 77.1-2, 11-20 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One

Refrain (sung twice):  Holy One, help us always to remember your love.

¹ I will cry aloud to God; *

            I will cry aloud, and God will hear me.

² In the day of my trouble *

            I sought the Lord;

my hands were stretched out by night and did not tire; *

            I refused to be comforted.

Refrain:  Holy One, help us always to remember your love.

¹¹ I will remember your works, O Lord, *

            and call to mind your wonders of old time.

¹² I will meditate on all your acts *

            and ponder your mighty deeds.

¹³ Your way, O God, is holy; *          

            who is so great a god as our God?

¹⁴ You are the God who works wonders *

            and have declared your power among the peoples.

Refrain:  Holy One, help us always to remember your love.

¹⁵ By your strength you have redeemed your people, *

            the children of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ The waters saw you, O God;

the waters saw you and trembled; *

            the very depths were shaken.

¹⁷ The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; *

            your arrows flashed to and fro;

¹⁸ the sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;

your lightnings lit up the world; *

            the earth trembled and shook.

¹⁹ Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters, *

            yet your footsteps were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock *

            by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Refrain:  Holy One, help us always to remember your love.

The Second Reading

A reading from Paul’s Letter to the Galatians (5.1, 13-25).

            ^5.1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

            ¹³ For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.  ¹⁴ For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”  ¹⁵ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.

            ¹⁶ Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.  ¹⁷ For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want.  ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law.  ¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are obvious:  fornication, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before:  those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

            ²² By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against such things.  ²⁴ And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  ²⁵ If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.  ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn before the Gospel

‘Come, Ever Blessed Spirit, Come’  Common Praise #251 vv. 1, 2  (sung to #353)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke (9.51-62).

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

            ^9.51 When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.  ⁵² And he sent messengers ahead of him.  On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; ⁵³ but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.  ⁵⁴ When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”  ⁵⁵ But he turned and rebuked them.  ⁵⁶ Then they went on to another village.

            ⁵⁷ As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  ⁵⁸ And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”  ⁵⁹ To another he said, “Follow me.”  But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  ⁶⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  ⁶¹ Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.”  ⁶² Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The Gospel of Christ.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Hymn after the Gospel

‘Come, Ever Blessed Spirit, Come’  Common Praise #251 vv. 3, 4  (sung to #353)

The Sermon

An Affirmation of Faith

Let us affirm our faith.

We believe and trust in God the Creator,

source of all being and life,

the one for whom we exist.

We believe and trust in God the Word,

who took our human nature,

died for us and rose again.

We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,

who gives life to the people of God

and makes Christ known in the world.

This is the faith we affirm.

We believe and trust in one God,

the holy and undivided Trinity. [iii]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

Offertory Hymn

‘New Songs of Celebration Render’  Common Praise #316

The Prayer over the Gifts

Let us pray.

God of wisdom,

receive all we offer you this day.

Enrich our lives with the gifts of your Spirit,

so that we may follow the way of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and serve one another in freedom.

We ask this in his name.  Amen. [iv]

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;

who on this day overcame death and the grave,

and by his glorious resurrection opened the way of everlasting life.

And so, with all the choirs of angels,

with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,

we praise your name and join their unending hymn: [v]

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. 

Hosanna in the highest. [vi]

Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal: 

you we praise and glorify, you we worship and adore. 

You formed the earth from chaos; you encircled the globe with air;

you created fire for warmth and light; you nourish the lands with water. 

You moulded us in your image, and with mercy higher than the mountains,

with grace deeper than the seas,

you blessed the Israelites and cherished them as your own. 

That also we, estranged and dying, might be adopted to live in your Spirit,

you called to us through the life and death of Jesus.

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.

Together as the body of Christ,

we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ will come again.

With this bread and cup we remember your Son,

the first-born of your new creation. 

We remember his life lived for others,

and his death and resurrection, which renews the face of the earth. 

We await his coming, when, with the world made perfect through your wisdom,

all our sins and sorrows will be no more. 

Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and compassionate,

send upon us and this meal your Holy Spirit,

whose breath revives us for life, whose fire rouses us to love. 

Enfold in your arms all who share this holy food. 

Nurture in us the fruits of the Spirit,

so that we may be a living tree, sharing your bounty with all the world. 

Amen.  Come, Holy Spirit.

Holy and benevolent God, receive our praise and petitions,

as Jesus received the cry of the needy,

and fill us with your blessing, until, needy no longer and bound to you in love,

we feast forever in the triumph of the Lamb: 

through whom all glory and honour is yours,

O God, O Living One, with the Holy Spirit,

in your holy church, now and for ever.  Amen. [vii]

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.

The Breaking of the Bread

Creator of all,

you gave us golden fields of wheat,

whose many grains we have gathered

and made into this one bread.

So may your Church be gathered

from the ends of the earth

into your kingdom. [viii]

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

Communion

Hymn after Communion

‘Here, Lord, We Take the Broken Bread’  Common Praise #65

The Sending Forth of the Community

The Prayer after Communion

All your works praise you, O Lord.

And all your faithful servants bless you.

Gracious God,

we thank you for feeding us

with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.

May we, who share his body, live his risen life;

we, who drink his cup, bring life to others;

we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world.

Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,

so that we and all your children shall be free,

and the whole earth live to praise your name;

through Christ our Lord.  Amen. [ix]

Closing Hymn

‘Will You Come and Follow Me’  Common Praise #430 vv. 4, 5

The Dismissal

The Deacon sends the Community forth with an appropriate Dismissal.

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[i] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 97 alt.

[ii] The Propers Working Group of the Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C’, 132.

[iii] Common Worship (2000), 144 alt.

[iv] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 365 alt.

[v] Evangelical Lutheran Worship:  Leaders Desk Edition (2006), 180.

[vi] Common Praise #732.

[vii] Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 67 alt.

[viii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 212.

[ix] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 214-215.