The Gathering

Our worship begins at the sound of the bell, please stand as the sacred ministers enter, during which the introit hymn is sung. 

All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown,
he alone
calls my heart to be his own.

Pride of man and earthly glory,
sword and crown betray his trust;
what with care and toil he buildeth,
tow’r and temple, fall to dust
but God’s pow’r,
hour by hour,
is my temple and my tow’r.

God’s great goodness aye endureth,
deep his wisdom, passing thought:
splendour, light and life attend him,
beauty springeth out of naught.
Evermore
from his store
new-born worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth th’Almighty giver
bounteous gifts on us bestow;
his desire our soul delighteth,
pleasure leads us where we go.
Love doth stand
at his hand;
joy doth wait on his command.

Still from man to God eternal
sacrifice of praise be done,
high above all praises praising
for the gift of Christ his Son.
Christ doth call
one and all:
ye who follow shall not fall.

Words: Robert Bridges (1844-1930)
based on the German of Joachim Neander (1650-1680)
Music: Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
Hymn Tune: MICHAEL

In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

The Greeting

Welcome in the name of Christ.
God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you

and also with you.

Words of Welcome

Invitation to Confession

As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of God’s love,
revealed in Word and Sacrament,
let us call to mind our sins.

Silence is kept.

Father eternal, giver of light and grace,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour,
in what we have thought,
in what we have said and done,
through ignorance, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We have wounded your love,
and marred your image in us.
We are sorry and ashamed,
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and lead us out from darkness
to walk as children of light.
Amen.

Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

The Collect

The president introduces a period of silent prayer with the words ‘Let us pray’.

Almighty Lord and everlasting God,
we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern
both our hearts and bodies
in the ways of your laws
and the works of your commandments;
that through your most mighty protection,
both here and ever,
we may be preserved in body and soul;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Please sit.

The Liturgy of the Word

A reading from the book of Genesis.

Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful.Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast.But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.)When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

Genesis 29.15-28

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn

Please stand as the gradual hymn is sung. To symbolise our desire to turn to Christ in our daily lives, at the end of the hymn we remain standing and turn to face the place where the Gospel is proclaimed.

All for Jesus! All for Jesus! 
This our song shall ever be; 
for we have no hope nor Saviour 
if we have not hope in thee. 

All for Jesus! thou wilt give us 
strength to serve thee hour by hour: 
none can move us from thy presence 
whilst we trust thy love and pow’r. 

All for Jesus! at thine altar 
thou dost give us sweet content; 
there, dear Saviour, we receive thee 
in thy holy sacrament. 

All for Jesus! thou hast loved us, 
all for Jesus! thou hast died, 
all for Jesus! thou art with us, 
all for Jesus, glorified! 

All for Jesus! All for Jesus! 
This the Church’s song shall be, 
till at last the flock is gathered 
one in love, and one in thee. 

Words: William John Sparrow-Simpson (1859-1952)
Music: John Stainer (1840-1901)
Hymn Tune: ALL FOR JESUS

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus put before the crowd another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’

Matthew 13. 31-33, 44-52

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Please sit after the preacher leads us in prayer.

The Nicene Creed

Please stand with the president.

Let us declare our faith in God.

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 from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
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 and the Son,
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.

Prayers of Intercession

Following an invitation to pray from the intercessor we kneel or sit to pray. The following response is used:

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Then at the end:

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

Please stand with the president.

The Peace

We are the body of Christ.
In the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.

cf 1 Corinthians 12.13; Romans 14.19

The peace of the Lord be always with you

and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

This is usually a handshake shared with those near you.

Preparation of the Table

The table is prepared, and bread and wine are placed upon it.

A hymn is sung. During this hymn a collection, our financial offering in support of the work of the church both at St. Mary’s and across our diocese, is taken.

You can place cash or giving envelopes in the collection plates as they are passed around. If you would prefer, or if you miss the plate, you can also give by tapping your contactless card or device on the giving kiosk by the door as you leave, or on our donations page.

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;  
be all else but naught to me, save that thou art,  
be thou my best thought in the day and the night,  
both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.  

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,  
be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord,  
be thou my great Father, and I thy true son,  
be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.  

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight,  
be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might,  
be thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my strong tow’r,  
O raise thou me heav’nward, great Pow’r of my pow’r.  

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,  
be thou mine inheritance now and always,  
be thou and thou only the first in my heart,  
O Sov’reign of heaven, my treasure thou art.  

High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright Sun,  
O grant me its joys after vict’ry is won,  
great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,  
still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Irish (c. 8th century)
Translated by Mary Byrne (1880-1931)
and Eleanor Hull (1860-1935)
Music: Irish traditional melody
arranged by Colin Hand (1929-2015)
Hymn Tune: SLANE

Taking of the Bread and Wine

Wise and gracious God,
you spread a table before us;
nourish your people with the word of life
and the bread of heaven.

Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer (G)

Please kneel or sit.

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Blessed are you, Lord God,
our light and our salvation;
to you be glory and praise for ever.
From the beginning you have created all things
and all your works echo the silent music of your praise.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
the crown of all creation.
You give us breath and speech,
that with angels and archangels
and all the powers of heaven
we may find a voice to sing your praise:

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.

How wonderful the work of your hands, O Lord.
As a mother tenderly gathers her children,
you embraced a people as your own.
When they turned away and rebelled
your love remained steadfast.
From them you raised up Jesus our Saviour, born of Mary,
to be the living bread,
in whom all our hungers are satisfied.
He offered his life for sinners,
and with a love stronger than death
he opened wide his arms on the cross.

On the night before he died,
he came to supper with his friends
and, taking bread, he gave you thanks.
He broke it and gave it to them, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.

At the end of supper, taking 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 many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith;

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

Father, we plead with confidence
his sacrifice made once for all upon the cross;
we remember his dying and rising in glory,
and we rejoice that he intercedes for us at your right hand.
Pour out your Holy Spirit as we bring before you
these gifts of your creation;
may they be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy things in your presence,
form us in the likeness of Christ,
and build us into a living temple to your glory.

Bring us at the last with the Blessed Virgin Mary
and all the saints
to the vision of that eternal splendour
for which you have created us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
by whom, with whom, and in whom,
with all who stand before you in earth and heaven,
we worship you, Father almighty,
in songs of everlasting praise:

Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever.
Amen.

Silence is kept.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

The president breaks the consecrated bread.

We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

The Agnus Dei is sung as the bread is broken for distribution.

Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.

Invitation to Communion

God’s holy gifts
for God’s holy people.

Jesus Christ is holy,
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

The president and people receive communion. All baptised Christians are welcome to receive the sacrament. Please follow the guidance offered by the stewards.

If you are not baptised, or would prefer to not receive, then do still come forward for a blessing bringing this book with you so the president knows your intention.

The sacrament is available in both kinds, however if you wish to only receive the bread please do so and then return to your place. Receiving in one kind is still considered to be full communion by the Church of England. Please do not dip bread in the wine (sometimes called ‘intincting’).

To the words “The Body/Blood of Christ” the communicant replies “Amen”.

For those at home it might be helpful to use this prayer during the distribution.

Lord God,
your Son left the riches of heaven
and became poor for our sake:
when we prosper save us from pride,
when we are needy save us from despair,
that we may trust in you alone;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Motet

The choir sings a motet.

Hymns

The following communion hymns may be sung during the distribution as time allows. Please remain seated.

This is my body, broken for you, 
bringing you wholeness, making you free. 
Take it and eat it, and when you do, 
do it in love for me. 

This is my blood, poured out for you, 
bringing forgiveness, making you free. 
Take it and drink it, and when you do, 
do it in love for me. 

Back to my Father soon I shall go. 
do not forget me, then you will see 
I am still with you, and you will know 
you’re very close to me. 

Filled with my Spirit, how you will grow! 
you are my branches; I am the tree. 
If you are faithful, others will know 
you are alive in me. 

Love one another: I have loved you, 
and I have shown you how to be free; 
serve one another, and when you do, 
do it in love for me. 

Words: verses 1 & 2:  Jimmy Owens (b. 1930)
verses 3, 4 & 5: Damian Lundy (1944-1997)
Music: Jimmy Owens (b. 1930)
arranged by Christopher Tambling (1964-2015)

Jesu, the very thought of thee 
with sweetness fills the breast; 
but sweeter far thy face to see, 
and in thy presence rest. 

No voice can sing, no heart can frame, 
nor can the mem’ry find, 
a sweeter sound than Jesu’s name, 
the Saviour of mankind. 

O hope of ev’ry contrite heart, 
O joy of all the meek, 
to those who ask how kind thou art, 
how good to those who seek! 

But what to those who find? Ah, this 
nor tongue nor pen can show; 
the love of Jesus, what it is 
his true disciples know. 

Jesu, our only joy be thou, 
as thou our prize wilt be; 
In thee be all our glory now, 
and through eternity.  

Words: St Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)
translated by Edward Caswall (1814-1878) alt.
Music: John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876)
Hymn Tune: SAINT AGNES (DYKES)

The Post Communion Prayer

Please stand with the president who introduces a time of silent prayer with the words ‘Let us pray’.

Strengthen for service, Lord,
the hands that have taken holy things;
may the ears which have heard your word
be deaf to clamour and dispute;
may the tongues which have sung your praise
be free from deceit;
may the eyes which have seen the tokens of your love
shine with the light of hope;
and may the bodies which have been fed with your body
be refreshed with the fullness of your life;
glory to you for ever.

Amen.

Father of all,
we give you thanks and praise,
that when we were still far off
you met us in your Son and brought us home.
Dying and living, he declared your love,
gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory.
May we who share Christ’s 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 we and all your children shall be free,
and the whole earth live to praise your name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A hymn is sung.

God is love: let heav’n adore him; 
God is love: let earth rejoice; 
let creation sing before him, 
and exalt him with one voice. 
He who laid the earth’s foundation, 
he who spread the heav’ns above, 
he who breathes through all creation, 
he is love, eternal Love. 

God is love: and he enfoldeth 
all the world in one embrace; 
with unfailing grasp he holdeth 
ev’ry child of ev’ry race. 
And when human hearts are breaking 
under sorrow’s iron rod, 
then they find that self-same aching 
deep within the heart of God.

God is love: and though with blindness 
sin afflicts the human soul, 
God’s eternal loving-kindness 
guides and heals and makes us whole. 
sin and death and hell shall never 
o’er us final triumph gain; 
God is love, so love for ever 
o’er the universe must reign.

Words: Timothy Rees (1874-1939) alt.
Music: William Penfro Rowlands (1860-1937)
Hymn Tune: BLAENWERN

The Dismissal

The Blessing

The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.

Amen.

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.