A Suggested Ordo for the Reign of Christ

reign of Christ

20 November 2011

The Gathering of the Community

Processional Hymn

“Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun”  Common Praise #383

Introductory Responses

Splendour and honour and sovereign power

are yours by right, O Lord our God,

for you created everything that is,

and by your will they were created and have their being;

and yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,

for with your blood you have redeemed for God,

from every family, language, people and nation,

a priestly people to serve our God on earth.

And so, to the One who sits upon the throne,

and to Christ the Lamb,

be worship and praise, dominion and splendour

for ever and for evermore.  [1]

Hymn of Praise

“All People That on Earth Do Dwell”  Common Praise #349

Collect

Let us pray.

Holy and sovereign God,

you raised up your Son

and seated him at your right hand

as the shepherd and king

who seeks what is lost,

binds up what is wounded,

and strengthens what is weak.

Empowered by the Spirit,

grant that we may share with others

that which we have received from your hand,

to the honour of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.  [2]

The Proclamation of the Word

First Reading

Ezekiel 34.11-16, 20-24

The Sequence Hymn

Psalm 100 in Songs for the Holy One

The Second Reading

Ephesians 1.15-23

The Gradual Hymn I

“You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd”  Common Praise #630 vv. 1, 2

The Gospel

Matthew 25.31-46

The Gradual Hymn II

“You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd”  Common Praise #630 vv. 3, 4

The Homily

The Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,

from whom every family

in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,

who lives in our hearts through faith,

and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,

who strengthens us

with power from on high.

We believe in one God:

the Author of all that is,

eternal Word of redemption and

life-giving Spirit of wisdom and truth.  Amen.  [3]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”  Common Praise #384 vv. 1,2,3,6

Prayer over the Gifts

Shepherd of your people,

you guide all things through Jesus

whom you have exalted over all creation.

Receive all we offer you this day

for the creation he cherished

and that you entrust to us

for we pray in Christ’s name.  Amen.  [4]

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;

we give you thanks and praise

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

You exalted him as Lord of all creation

that he might present to you

an eternal and universal kingdom:

a kingdom of truth and life,

a kingdom of holiness and grace,

a kingdom of justice, love and peace.

Therefore at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow

as heaven and earth 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, mighty Lord, gracious Father:

Endless is your mercy and eternal your reign.

You have filled all creation with light and life;

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

We praise you for the grace shown to your people in every age:

the promise to Israel, the rescue from Egypt,

the gift of the promised land, the words of the prophets;

and, at this end of all the ages, the gift of your Son,

who proclaimed the good news in word and deed

and was obedient to your will, even to giving his life.

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.

Therefore, O God, with this bread and cup

we remember the life our Lord offered for us.

And, believing the witness of his resurrection,

we await his coming in power to share with us

the great and promised feast.

Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit,

that we who share in Christ’s body and blood

may live to the praise of your glory

and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.

Amen.  Come, Holy Spirit.

Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and place,

and unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest

until he comes as victorious Lord of all.

Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all glory and honour is yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.

Amen.  [5]

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

We break the bread of life,

and that life is the light of the world.

God here among us,

light in the midst of us,

bring us to light and life.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

The Communion

Communion Hymn

“Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us with Your Love”  Common Praise #504

The Sending Forth of the Community

Stewardship Moment

Prayer after Communion

God of justice and mercy,

gather into Christ’s holy reign

the broken, the sorrowing and the sinner,

that all may know

wholeness, joy and forgiveness.

Blessed are you for ever and ever.  Amen.  [6]

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

“Eternal, Unchanging”  Common Praise #394 (sung to #393)

Dismissal

Priestly people of God,

go forth to love and serve the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Notes

Any liturgical elements not noted here are taken from ‘The Holy Eucharist’ in The Book of Alternative Services, p. 185 ff.

[1]  ‘A Song to the Lamb’ from The Book of Alternative Services, p. 93 alt.

[2]  ‘Scripture Prayer:  Year A, Series 1’ for the Reign of Christ in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, p. 216 alt.

[3]  ‘Affirmation of Faith 7’ from Common Worship of the Church of England, p. 148 alt.

[4]  ‘Intercessory Prayer’ for the Reign of Christ in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, p. 216 alt.

[5]  ‘Thanksgiving at the Table VI’ from  Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 66 with the Eucharistic Preface for ‘Last Sunday after Pentecost:  The Reign of Christ’ from The Book of Alternative Services, p. 223.

[6]  ‘Thematic Prayer’ for the Reign of Christ in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers, p. 216 alt.

No More Ceasefires --- Let Us Have True Peace!

Remembrance Sunday

13 November 2011

Propers:  Micah 4.1-5; Psalm 85.8-13; Ephesians 2.13-18; Matthew 5.38-48

            When I survey the last three hundred years of my extended family, I find generation after generation of men have served as soldiers and generation after generation of women have tended the affairs of their families in war and peace.

When the French and Six Nations raided the Hudson Valley in the mid-1700’s, it was the men of my family who took up their muskets to defend their farms and the women who cared for the wounded and calmed frightened children.  When the American Colonies formed an army to defend their rights as free English citizens, it was a young Abraham Leggett who joined as a private, was captured by the British and imprisoned in a New York Harbour prison hulk, only to escape and rise to the rank of major.  When the tragedy of the American Civil War tore through the North and the South, it was Mortimer Leggett who commanded a brigade under Sherman and for whom a hill still bears his name overlooking the city of Atlanta.

            More recent history has also left its mark on my family.  My maternal grandfather, who loved horses, joined the British Army in World War I as a cavalryman and learned quickly that cavalry were no match for mechanized warfare and machine guns.  He lost his faith in God, King and Country, and voted Labour ever after.  My maternal uncle was sent to India during World War II and saw the abject poverty that afflicted the Indian people.  He returned to England to become a civil servant in the health services.  My paternal uncles became paratroopers and were among the first Allied soldiers to land in France during the D-Day invasion.  After the war, one became a spy, while the other only appeared on the fringe of family life.  Both drank heavily and were, I believe, victims of post-traumatic stress disorder.

            My father joined the U.S. Air Force to become a pilot, was disqualified because of his eyesight and spent the rest of his career preparing briefings using the material obtained by pilots.  One maternal cousin became an officer in the Royal Navy and served in the Falklands, while another joined the Royal Air Force and will return shortly from Afghanistan.

            On Friday, when the Members of the Liturgy Task Force stood at 11.00 and joined thousands of other Canadians in the early moments of the Remembrance Day ceremony from the Cenotaph in Ottawa, all this history surfaced in the silence.  So much of my family’s history has been shaped by military conflicts and by military service.  I imagine that many of you have similar family histories and, perhaps, found yourselves making the same mental journey during the silence of Remembrance Day. 

What I began to consider is how the aftermath of war and conflict is often more formative than the conflict itself.  As devastating as World War I was to the continent of Europe, the present history of the world, especially conflicts in the Middle East and the former Yugoslavia, have more to do with the Treaty of Versailles than the position of armies after the cease fire of the 11^th of November.  There are, for example, very respectable German historians who write of the ‘Revenge’ of Versailles rather than the ‘Treaty’ of Versailles.  When people want to mock a particular conservative or religious attitude, I find that they frequently adopt a mock Southern accent, a post-Civil War legacy of the sense that Southerners are ill-educated and thoughtless in their religious and political views.

In the English language, as in other languages, we make a distinction between ‘peace’ and ‘ceasefire’.  ‘Peace’ means a condition in which every human being is treated with dignity and respect, a condition in which violence is abandoned as a means of settling political differences, a condition in which we value diversity and the open exchange of differing views and a condition where ancient wrongs are righted.  Peace is fundamentally a life lived in hope.

A ‘ceasefire’ is exactly that.  When a ceasefire is in place, we speak of ‘tolerance’ rather than ‘respect’.  When a ceasefire is in place, damaged weapons are replaced.  When a ceasefire is in place, differing views can been seen as a weakness.  When a ceasefire is in place, ancient wrongs are remembered and allowed to simmer.  A ceasefire is fundamentally a life lived in fear in anticipation of the resumption of hostilities.

My ancestors and yours sought peace time and time again, but, for the most part, have only reaped ceasefires.  For a ceasefire to become a peace, there is a need for conversion, a conversion along the lines spoken of in today’s Gospel:

            ⁴³ ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.”  ⁴⁴ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ so that you may be children of your Father in heaven . . . . ⁴⁶ For if love those who love you, what reward to you have? . . . ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others?  ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.’  (Matthew 5)

What is most difficult in this passage is Jesus’ expectation that his followers will initiate this kind of behaviour unconditionally.  There is no suggestion that we must wait until the ‘other’ side acts in a manner that might warrant our generosity.  When Douglas MacArthur oversaw the rebuilding of Japan after World War II, he resisted the voices that called for the humiliation of the Japanese and followed a path of firm generosity.  The result was the rise of a vibrant democracy and economic society.

            As our troops return from Afghanistan and the United States withdraws from Iraq, Christians need to encourage our governments to address the causes of these conflicts and develop policies that build peace rather than tend ceasefires.  Then the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces will not have been in vain.

            As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission continues its work across our country, Christians need to encourage our governments to address the systemic causes of aboriginal poverty including housing, health and education as well as the continuing discrimination experienced by aboriginal people in the land of their ancestors.  Then the contributions made by Anglicans and others to reconciliation will bear fruit in genuine peace among the peoples of this country.

            As our Diocese and others enter into a post-litigation era, we need to encourage any efforts to set aside blame and recrimination so that we can build vital and sustainable communities of faith that demonstrate the diversity of the Anglican tradition.  Then all the pain of the past years will give way to a hopeful church committed to proclaiming the love of God.

            When the letter to the Ephesians was written, the Christian community was bitterly divided between Jews and Gentiles.  The writer reminded them that their identity in Christ was the result of God’s generosity to them:

¹⁴ For [Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between [Jews and Gentiles]. . . . ¹⁷ So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; ¹⁸ for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.  (Ephesians 2)

We who have known war and conflict, we whose ancestors have had to take up arms time and time again, we are the heirs of God’s extraordinary act of peace-making in Jesus of Nazareth.  If we wish to honour those who have given their lives in the pursuit of peace, then we must re-commit ourselves to working for that conversion of hearts and minds that will contribute to true peace.

            May the memories of the fallen inspire us; may the hope of peace for which they gave their lives come soon.  May those who still bear the wounds of their service find healing and respect.  May the victims of war and conflict see an end to their oppression.

May all this come soon.  Amen.

Remembrance Sunday: A Sunday for Peace

Here is a Liturgical Ordo for the Sunday following Remembrance Day.

remembrance Sunday

A Sunday for Peace

13 November 2011

The Gathering of the Community

Processional Hymn

 “We, the Lord’s People”  Common Praise #10

Introductory Responses

In the days to come

the mountain of the house of the Lord

shall tower as the highest of mountains

and be raised above the hills.

Nations shall beat their swords into ploughshares,

their spears into pruning-knives;

nation shall not lift sword against nation;

they shall never train for war again.

O people of Jacob, come,

let us walk in the light of the Lord.  [1]

Hymn of Praise

 “Confitemini Domino”  Common Praise #402 (x 4)

Collect

Let us pray.

O God,

it is you will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace.

Let the design of your great love

shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows,

and give peace to your Church,

peace among nations,

peace in our homes

and peace in our hearts;

through your Son Jesus Christ.  Amen.  [2]

The Proclamation of the Word

First Reading

Micah 4.1-5

The Psalm

Psalm 85.8-13 in Songs for the Holy One

The Second Reading

Ephesians 2.13-18

The Gradual Hymn

 “In Christ There Is No East or West”  Common Praise #484

The Gospel

Matthew 5.38-48

The Homily

The Affirmation of Faith

Hear, O Israel,

the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

This is the first and the great commandment.

The second is like it:

Love your neighbour as yourself.

There is no commandment greater than these.

Lord, have mercy upon us,

and write both these laws in our hearts,

we beseech you.  [3]

The Prayers of the Community

Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings

Moment of Silence with ‘Last Post’

The Exchange of the Peace

May the peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Hymn

 “Let Streams of Living Justice”  Common Praise #575

Prayer over the Gifts

God of unfailing light,

in your realm of glory

the poor are blessed,

the hungry filled,

and every tear is wiped away.

Strengthened by this vision,

may we who offer these gifts

follow in the way of holiness

that your Son made known in life and death.  Amen.  [4]

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;

in the multitude of your saints

you have surrounded us

with so great a cloud of witnesses,

that we, rejoicing in their fellowship,

may run with patience the race that is set before us,

and together with them receive the crown of glory

that never fades away.

Therefore with angels and archangels

and with all who have served you in every age,

we 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, mighty Lord, gracious Father:

Endless is your mercy and eternal your reign.

You have filled all creation with light and life’

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

We praise you for the grace shown to your people in every age:

the promise to Israel, the rescue from Egypt,

the gift of the promised land, the words of the prophets;

and, at this end of all the ages, the gift of your Son,

who proclaimed the good news in word and deed

and was obedient to your will, even to giving his life.

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.

Therefore, O God, with this bread and cup

we remember the life our Lord offered for us.

And, believing the witness of his resurrection,

we await his coming power to share with us

the great and promised feast.

Amen.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit,

that we who share in Christ’s body and blood

may live to the praise of your glory

and receive our inheritance with all your saints in light.

Amen.  Come, Holy Spirit.

Join our prayers with those of your servants of every time and place,

and unite them with the ceaseless petitions of our great high priest

until he comes as victorious Lord of all.

Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all glory and honour is yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.

Amen.  [5]

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

God of promise,

you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom.

Happy are those who are called

to the supper of the Lamb.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God.

The Communion

Communion Hymn

 “Come Now, O Prince of Peace”  Common Praise #588

The Sending Forth of the Community

Stewardship Moment

Prayer after Communion

Bread of life,

you taught us to put away bitterness and anger,

and with tenderhearted kindness

to share the fruit of our labour with the needy.

Strengthen us by your grace,

that in communion with you,

we may forgive one another

and live in love as Christ loved us.  Amen.  [6]

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

 “Let There Be Light”  Common Praise #572

Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the God of justice.

Thanks be to God.

Liturgical Notes

The Readings are those appointed in The Book of Common Prayer (USA 1979) for ‘Peace’, p. 930.

All the Hymns are chosen from Common Praise (Canada 1995).

[1]  Isaiah 2.2, 4b, 5 as published in The Book of Alternative Services (Canada 1985), pp. 75-76.

[2]  Collect for Peace in The Book of Alternative Services (Canada 1985), p. 677.

[3]  The Affirmation of Faith is the ‘Hear, O Israel’ as published in The Book of Alternative Services (Canada 1985), p. 53, and arranged by the Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.

[4]  The Prayer over the Gifts is the ‘Thematic Prayer for All Saints’ in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002), p. 226.

[5]  The Thanksgiving at the Table is Prayer VI from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), p. 66, with the ‘All Saints’ Preface from The Book of Alternative Services (Canada 1985), p. 224.

[6]  The Prayer after Communion is the ‘Scripture Prayer’ for Proper 14 [19], Year B in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002), p. 172.