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The Gathering

Christ yesterday and today,

the beginning and the end,

Alpha and Omega,
all time belongs to him,
and all ages;

to him be glory and power,
through every age and for ever. Amen.

Sisters and brothers, this is a great moment, dispersed though we are, when again we can declare that the love of God is stronger than the sin of the world and that nothing in the heights or depths can separate us from it.  

This is the day when our Lord Jesus Christ was raised gloriously from the dead and so we proclaim today that

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Hymn

Jesus Christ is ris’n today, alleluia!
our triumphant holy day, alleluia!
who did once, upon the cross, alleluia!
suffer to redeem our loss, alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, alleluia!
unto Christ, our heav’nly King, alleluia!
who endured the cross and grave, alleluia!
sinners to redeem and save, alleluia!

But the pains that he endured, alleluia!
our salvation has procured; alleluia!
now above the sky he’s King, alleluia!
where the angels ever sing, alleluia!

Words & Music: from ‘Lyra Davidica’ (1708)

The Collect

The president introduces a time of silent prayer with the words ‘Let us pray that we may reign with the risen Christ in glory.’

Living Lord,
whose love displaced the gravity of stone;
you entrusted women,
who loved beyond death,
with news of resurrection:
we praise you for the open gospel
which ends where Easter faith begins;
accept our fear, our disbelief and take us into this new world
led by the risen Son;
through Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the dead.

Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

 A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Acts 10:34-43

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn

Ye choirs of new Jerusalem,
your sweetest notes employ,
the Paschal victory to hymn
in strains of holy joy.

For Judah’s Lion burst his chains,
and crushed the serpent’s head;
and brought with him, from death’s domain,
the long-imprisoned dead.

From hell’s devouring jaws the prey
alone our leader bore;
his ransomed hosts pursue their way
where he hath gone before.

Triumphant in his glory now
his sceptre ruleth all:
earth, heav’n and hell before him bow,
and at his footstool fall.

While joyful thus his praise we sing,
his mercy we implore,
into his palace bright to bring,
and keep us evermore.

All glory to the Father be,
all glory to the Son,
all glory, Holy Ghost, to thee,
while endless ages run. Alleluia. Amen.

Words: St Fulbert of Chartres (d. 1028) translated by R. Campbell (1814-1868)
Music: H. J. Gauntlett (1805-1876)

Gospel Reading

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

Alleluia.

He has defeated the powers of death.

Alleluia.

Jesus turns our sorrow into dancing.

Alleluia.

He has the words of eternal life.

Alleluia.

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

Glory to you, O Lord.

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Mark 16:1-8

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

The Very Reverend Richard Giles

The Nicene Creed

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

The response to the bidding

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

At the end

Merciful Father,

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

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

The Peace

Alleluia. Christ has been raised from the dead.

The peace of the risen Lord be always with you.

and also with you.

Preparation of the Table

Hymn

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
and I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth;
at Bethlehem I had my birth.

Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
but they would not dance and they wouldn’t follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
they came with me and the dance went on:

Dance, then, wherever you may be

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame:
the holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high,
and they left me there on a cross to die:

Dance, then, wherever you may be

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
it’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I’d gone;
but I am the dance and I still go on:

Dance, then, wherever you may be

They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me:
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he:

Dance, then, wherever you may be

Words: S. Carter (1915-2004)
Music: S. Carter (1915-2004) adapted from a traditional Shaker melody
arr. R. Lloyd (b. 1933)

Taking of the Bread and Wine

Risen Lord Jesus Christ,
we believe you, and all we have heard is true.
When you break bread
may we recognise you as the fire
that burns within us,
that we may bring light to your world.
Amen.

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, our duty and our joy,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
almighty and eternal Father,
and in these days of Easter
to celebrate with joyful hearts
the memory of your wonderful works.
For by the mystery of his passion
Jesus Christ, your risen Son,
has conquered the powers of death and hell
and restored in men and women
the image of your glory.
He has placed them once more in paradise
and opened to them the gate of life eternal.
And so, in the joy of this Passover,
earth and heaven resound with gladness,
while angels and archangels
and the powers of all creation
sing for ever the hymn of your glory:

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 glory 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.

The Lord’s Prayer

Rejoicing in God’s new creation, 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

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

Though we are dispersed,
we who are many are one body,
for we have and we will
share in the one bread.

Giving of Communion

Alleluia. Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.

Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

The president and people receive communion. At the giving of communion, the president receives communion in both kinds.

The words of distribution (“The body and blood of Christ, broken/shed for us all”) are spoken to the congregation, and all who intend to receive reply with “Amen”.

At the distribution, Holy Communion is administered without speaking. The consecrated bread is dropped into the hands of communicants. To reduce the risk of spreading any infection, communion will be in one kind (bread) only. This is still considered to be complete communion by the Church of England.

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

Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have given me,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day.
Amen.

after the Prayer of St Richard of Chichester.

Prayer after Communion

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

God of Life,
who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son
to the death of the cross,
and by his glorious resurrection
have delivered us from the power of our enemy:
grant us so to die daily to sin,
that we may evermore live with him       
in the joy of his risen life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Amen.

We then pray together

God of our salvation,
you have restored us to life,
you have brought us back again into your love
by the triumphant death and resurrection of Christ.
Continue to heal us,
as we go to live and work
in the power of your Spirit,
to your praise and glory.
Amen.

Hymn

During the last verse those distributing the sacrament to members of our Church family immediately after the service come forward, receive their packs and form part of the procession after the dismissal.

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 hast lost its sting.

Thine be the glory

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. …

Words: E. L. Budry (1854-1932)
translated R. B. Hoyle (1875-1939)
Music: G. F. Handel (1685-1759)

Blessing

God the Father, by whose love
Christ was raised from the dead,
open to you who believe
the gates of everlasting life.

Amen.

God the Son,
who in bursting from the grave
has won a glorious victory,
give you joy as you share the Easter faith.

Amen.

God the Holy Spirit,
who filled the disciples
with the life of the risen Lord,
empower you and fill you
with Christ’s peace.

Amen.

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

With the power that raised Jesus from the dead
at work within you, go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

In the name of Christ. Amen.
Alleluia. Alleluia.

The ministers and people depart.


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I danced in the morning
© Stainer & Bell Ltd

Alleluia! O sons and daughters, let us sing!
© C F Peters Corporation

Chorale Prelude on a Melody by Melchior Vulpius
© Oxford University Press

CCL licence: 668063