In the name of the Father,
and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
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.
Like as the hart longs for flowing streams,
so longs my soul for you, O God:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
O send out your light and your truth,
that they may lead me:
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
May we come to your altar, O God,
the God of our salvation:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God, who sent his Son into the world to save sinners, bring you his pardon and peace, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Collect
A specially composed prayer for the day is introduced with the words ‘Lets us pray’ after which a brief time of silence is kept.
Lord Jesus Christ,
we thank you that in this wonderful sacrament
you have given us the memorial of your passion:
grant us so to reverence the sacred mysteries
of your body and blood
that we may know within ourselves and show forth in our lives
the fruits of your redemption;
for you are alive and reign
with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
We listen to readings from the New Testament of the Bible.
A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Corinthians 11: 23-26
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Gospel
Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord.
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever.
John 6: 51
Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
John 6: 51-58
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
The Sermon
The Prayers of Intercession
The response to the bidding “Lord in your mercy” is “Hear our prayer”.
At the end, following the words Merciful Father, we say together
Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Peace
Our Lord Jesus Christ says: If, when you are bringing your gift to the altar, you remember your brother or sister has a grievance against you, leave your gift where it lies before the altar. Go, make peace; and only then come and offer your gift.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
The bread and wine are brought to the altar and this prayer is said.
God our sustainer,
receive the gifts we bring before you,
and feed us continually with that bread which satisfies all hunger,
your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Eucharistic Prayer
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.
It is indeed right and good,
our duty and our salvation
always and everywhere to give you thanks and praise
holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Jesus Christ our great high priest.
He offered himself to you as the Lamb without blemish,
the acceptable gift that gives you perfect praise.
At the Last Supper, seated with his apostles,
he left this memorial of his passion
to bring us its saving power until the end of time.
In this great sacrament you feed your people
and strengthen them in holiness,
so that throughout the world the human family
may be enlightened by one faith
and drawn together in one communion of love.
We come to this foretaste of your heavenly banquet
to be transformed by your grace
and restored in the image and likeness of the risen Christ.
Therefore, earth unites with heaven
to sing a new song of praise;
we too join with angels and archangels
as they proclaim your glory without end:
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.
Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness;
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit,
and according to your holy will,
these gifts of bread and wine
may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;
who, in the same night that he was betrayed,
took bread and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
In the same way, after supper
he took the cup and gave you thanks;
he gave it to them, saying:
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.
And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross,
his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world;
rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension,
and looking for his coming in glory,
we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.
As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
we bring before you this bread and this cup
and we thank you for counting us worthy
to stand in your presence and serve you.
Send the Holy Spirit on your people here and in their homes
and gather into one in your kingdom
all who share this one bread and one cup,
so that we, in the company of Blessed Mary and all the saints,
may praise and glorify you for ever,
through Jesus Christ our Lord;
by whom, and with whom, and in whom,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Silence is kept.
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.
The president breaks the consecrated bread.
Jesus is the living bread which came down from heaven;
if anyone eats of this bread, they will live for ever.
Lord, give us this bread always.
Invitation to Communion
‘I am the bread of life,’ says the Lord;
‘whoever comes to me will never hunger;
whoever believes in me will never thirst.’
‘I am the vine: you are the branches.’
May we dwell in him as he lives in us.
Those present receive the sacrament and the aumbry is replenished.
Anthem
“Dear Lord and Father of mankind”, sung by St Mary’s Choir.
Post-Communion Prayer
All praise to you, our God and Father,
for you have fed us with the bread of heaven
and quenched our thirst from the true vine:
hear our prayer that, being grafted into Christ,
we may grow together in unity
and feast with him in his kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Blessing and Dismissal
May the Father, who fed his children with manna in the wilderness, strengthen you in your pilgrimage to the Promised Land.
Amen.
May the Son, who gave his flesh for food and his blood for drink, keep you in eternal life and raise you up on the last day.
Amen.
May the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, help you discern the Lord’s body and empower you to proclaim his death until he comes.
Amen.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.
Jesus said
‘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: 35
Thanks be to God.
Amen.