Order of service
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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.
Christ is the King, O friends rejoice,
brothers and sisters, with one voice
tell all the world he is your choice:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The first Apostles round them drew
thousands of faithful men and true,
sharing a faith for ever new:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Then magnify the Lord and raise
anthems of joy and holy praise
for Christ’s brave saints of ancient days:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O Christian women, Christian men,
all the world over, seek again
the way disciples followed then:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Christ through all ages is the same;
place the same hope in his great name,
with the same faith his word proclaim:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Let love’s unconquerable might
God’s people everywhere unite
in service to the Lord of light:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Words: George Bell (1883-1958)
Music: melody from Melchior Vulpius’ Gesangbuch (1609)
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Greeting
Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you
and also with you.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Words of Welcome
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
Silence is kept.
Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you feed us with the living bread.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
The president says
May the God of love and power
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by his Spirit,
and raise you to new life in 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 Father,
who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples
with the sight of the risen Lord:
give us such knowledge of his presence with us,
that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life
and serve you continually in righteousness and truth;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
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 Acts of the Apostles.
When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out”
Acts 3:12-19
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Please stand as we hear an acclamation is sung to herald the Gospel.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’
John 11.25,26
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:36b-48
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 sit and the response to the bidding is:
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
The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples
and said, ‘Peace be with you.’
Then were they glad when they saw the Lord. Alleluia.
John 20.19,20
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Preparation of the Table
The table is prepared and bread and wine are placed upon it.
A Hymn is sung.
Christ the Lord is ris’n again,
Christ hath broken ev’ry chain.
Hark, angelic voices cry,
singing evermore on high, Alleluia.
He who gave for us his life,
who for us endured the strife,
is our paschal Lamb today;
we too sing for joy, and say: Alleluia.
He who bore all pain and loss
comfortless upon the cross,
lives in glory now on high,
pleads for us, and hears our cry: Alleluia.
He whose path no records tell,
who descended into hell,
who the strongest arm hath bound,
now in highest heav’n is crowned. Alleluia.
He who slumbered in the grave
is exalted now to save;
now through Christendom it rings
that the Lamb is King of kings. Alleluia.
Now he bids us tell abroad
how the lost may be restored,
how the penitent forgiv’n,
how we too may enter heav’n. Alleluia.
Thou, our paschal Lamb indeed,
Christ, thy ransomed people feed;
take our sins and guilt away;
let us sing by night and day: Alleluia.
Words: Michael Weisse (c. 1480-1534)
translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878)
Music: melody from ‘Hundert Arien’, Dresden (1694)
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
Please 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.
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.
Jesus Christ is Lord:
Lord, by your cross and resurrection
you have set us free.
You are the Saviour of the world.
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
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.
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.
Invitation to 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, please follow the guidance offered by the stewards. 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.
Risen Lord, you reveal to us the love and radiance of the Father;
you bring us the peace that passes all understanding.
We rejoice in your presence and in the glory of your resurrection.
Strengthen our faith, O Lord Jesus,
that we may know you live in eternity
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen.
The Post Communion Prayer
Please stand with the president who introduces a time of silent prayer with the words ‘Let us pray’.
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.
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.
Please stand as a hymn is sung.
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.
Thine be the glory…
Words: Edmond Louis Budry (1854-1932)
translated Richard Birch Hoyle (1875-1939)
Music: George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
The Dismissal
The Blessing
May Christ,
who out of defeat brings new hope and a new future,
fill you with his new life;
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.
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Christ is the King, O friends rejoice
Words © Oxford University Press
Christ the Lord is risen again
Musical arrangement of the final "alleluia" in verse 7 © Kevin Mayhew Ltd
Thine be the glory
Musical arrangement of verse 3 © Kevin Mayhew Ltd
Gospel acclamation
© The Royal School of Church Music
Organ music during communion
© Kevin Mayhew Ltd
Organ voluntary
Musical arrangement of verses 1 & 2 © G H Taylor
Musical arrangement of verse 3 © Kevin Mayhew Ltd
CCL licence: 668063