The Greeting
The light and peace of Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.
The glory of the Lord has risen upon us.
Let us rejoice and sing God’s praise for ever.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Words of Welcome and Introduction
Hymn
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.
Prayers of Penitence
In baptism we died with Christ,
so that as Christ was raised from the dead,
we might walk in newness of life.
Let us receive new life in him
as we confess our sins in penitence and faith.
cf Romans 6.4
We have lived by our own strength,
and not by the power of your resurrection.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
We have lived by the light of our own eyes,
as faithless and not believing.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
We have lived for this world alone,
and doubted our home in heaven.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Collect (for Easter 3)
Let us pray.
Risen Christ,
you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope:
strengthen us to proclaim your risen life
and fill us with your peace,
to the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Reading(s) from the Bible
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.
Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’
Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’
So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
Acts 2: 14a, 36-41
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.
Hymn
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
he, whose word cannot be broken
formed thee for his own abode.
On the Rock of Ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
thou may’st smile at all thy foes.
See, the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters,
and all fear of want remove.
Who can faint while such a river
ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace which like the Lord, the giver,
never fails from age to age.
Round each habitation hov’ring,
see the cloud and fire appear
for a glory and a cov’ring,
showing that the Lord is near.
Thus they march, the pillar leading,
light by night and shade by day;
daily on the manna feeding
which he gives them when they pray.
Saviour, if of Zion’s city
I through grace a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name.
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
boasted pomp and empty show;
solid joys and lasting treasure
none but Zion’s children know.
Gospel
Alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’
John 6.40
Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’
They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’
Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’
So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.
They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.
They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Luke 24.13-35
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
An Easter Acclamation
Our Lord Jesus Christ, risen from the dead,
we praise you for changed lives and new hopes at Easter.
You come to Mary in the garden,
and turn her tears into joy.
For your love and mercy we give you thanks:
we praise your holy name.
You come to the disciples in the upper room,
and turn their fear into courage.
For your love and mercy we give you thanks:
we praise your holy name.
You come to the disciples by the lakeside,
and turn their failure into faith.
For your love and mercy we give you thanks:
we praise your holy name.
You come to the disciples on the Emmaus road,
and turn their despair into hope.
For your love and mercy we give you thanks:
we praise your holy name.
You come to your people now,
and turn our weakness into triumph.
For your love and mercy we give you thanks:
we praise your holy name.
The two disciples told what had happened on the road to Emmaus,
and how Jesus had been made known to them in the
breaking of the bread. Alleluia.
Luke 24.35
The peace of the risen Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Hymn
Let all mortal flesh keep silence,
and with fear and trembling stand;
ponder nothing earthly minded,
for with blessing in his hand
Christ our God to earth descendeth,
our full homage to demand.
King of kings, yet born of Mary,
as of old on earth he stood,
Lord of lords, in human vesture,
in the body and the blood.
He will give to all the faithful
his own self for heavenly food.
Rank on rank the host of heaven
spreads its vanguard on the way,
as the Light of light descendeth
from the realms of endless day,
that the pow’rs of hell may vanish
as the darkness clears away.
At his feet the six-winged seraph;
cherubim, with sleepless eye,
veil their faces to the Presence,
as with ceaseless voice they cry,
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Lord most high.
Prayers of intercession
Written by Chris Peat
Let us pray
To the words We praise thee, O God
the response is “We acknowledge Thee to be the Lord”
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
All the earth doth worship Thee, the Father everlasting. To Thee all Angels cry aloud: the Heavens and all the powers therein.
Today we give thanks for all those accompanying us on our journeys through these difficult times.
For our family and friends
For this community of St. Mary’s
Especially we give thanks for those maintaining regular contact with members of this congregation and for those who are shopping to provide food for those who are isolated.
We give thanks that through the wonders of technology we can continue to worship together each week.
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
We give thanks for those organisations continuing to offer fellowship and support to those who are homeless and those who do not have enough to eat.
We pray for all those staffing the Foodbanks and those working at St. George’s crypt and those who contribute to their work
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
We pray for those who are tasked in this country and through out the world in coordinating the response to Covid-19
It is has never been more important than today that we look beyond our borders and we ask that our leaders take a shared responsibility for the whole world.
We pray especially for the work of the World Health Organisation and for those working and living in the refugee camps across the world where the virus is starting to spread.
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
We give our heartfelt thanks to all those individuals, who are living out their vocations through serving others
Blessed are the nurses and the care workers
Blessed are the doctors and the paramedics
Blessed are the radiographers and midwives
Blessed are those providing food
Blessed are the farmers and all those who work on the land
Blessed are the shop workers, those who empty our bins, bring us letters and parcels.
Blessed are those who keep us safe
Blessed are all who are serving in our communities in numerous other ways.
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
At this time of high anxiety and worry we ask for your peace for ourselves and for others
We pray for those who have asked for our prayers.
Ginny Camponi,
Tom Heaphy,
Edward Fryer,
Geoffrey Rinder,
Jennifer Moad,
Ryan Green,
Audrey Holland,
John Lee,
Andrew Haw.
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
For the noble army of Martyrs, we praise Thee
We remember by name some of the hospital and care workers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and who have died whilst providing care for others
Manjeet Singh Riyah, “the father” of the emergency department at Royal Derby Hospital.
Gerallt Davies, a paramedic at Cwmbwrla Station in Swansea
Chrissie Emerson, a “valued” healthcare assistant at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) in King’s Lynn, Norfolk,
Ruben Munoz, a “highly respected and talented” nursing assistant and a “much-loved friend” to many at the East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.
Linda Guest, a delivery suite co-ordinator at Royal Albert Infirmary Wigan
Patrick McManuss, a “kind and compassionate” nurse for more than 40 years, at the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary.
Dr Edmond Adedeji, who worked as a registrar in the emergency department of Great Western Hospital in Swindon
We remember the thousands of others who have died this past week
We also remember those whose anniversary of death is around this time
John Rhodes,
Maurice Pethrick,
Dick Olsen
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge Thee;
The Father of an infinite Majesty;
Thine honourable, true, and only Son;
Also the Holy Ghost: the Comforter.
We praise thee, O God
We acknowledge thee to be the Lord
O Lord, let Thy mercy lighten upon us: as our trust is in Thee.
O Lord, in Thee have I trusted: let me never be confounded.
United with the whole Church across the world, let us pray with confidence using the words our Saviour taught us:
Hymn
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
endless is the vict’ry, thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom.
Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.
No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life;
life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife.
Make us more than conqu’rors through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son,
endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.
Closing Prayer, Responses and Blessing
Living God,
your Son made himself known to his disciples
in the breaking of bread:
open the eyes of our faith,
that we may see him in all his redeeming work;
who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Amen.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new life and hope.
He has raised Jesus from the dead.
God has claimed us as his own.
He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
The Blessing
God the Father,
by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead,
strengthen you to walk with him in his risen life;
and the blessing ;
and the blessing of God Almighty
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
rest upon you, your homes and those whom you love
this day and always.
Amen.
He is not here. He is risen.
Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
Please join us for a drink and a chat after the service in our virtual meeting space.