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.
Ye holy angels bright,
who wait at God’s right hand,
or through the realms of light
fly at your Lord’s command,
assist our song,
for else the theme
too high doth seem
for mortal tongue.
Ye blessèd souls at rest,
who ran this earthly race,
and now, from sin released,
behold the Saviour’s face,
God’s praises sound,
as in his sight
with sweet delight
ye do abound.
Ye saints, who toil below,
adore your heav’nly King,
and onward as ye go
some joyful anthem sing;
take what he gives
and praise him still,
through good or ill,
who ever lives.
My soul, bear thou thy part,
triumph in God above:
and with a well-tuned heart
sing thou the songs of love;
let all thy days
till life shall end,
whate’er he send,
be filled with praise.
Words: R. Baxter (1615-1691) and J. H. Gurney (1802-1862)
Music: J. Darwall (1731-1789) harmonised W. H. Monk (1823-1889)
Hymn Tune: DARWALL’S 148TH
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.
Words of Welcome
Invitation to Confession
God has shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels
to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us.
As we acknowledge our human frailty,
we call to mind our sins of word, deed and omission,
and confess them before God our Father.
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.
The almighty and merciful Lord
grant you pardon and forgiveness of all your sins,
time for amendment of life,
and the grace and strength of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The Collect
The president introduces a period of silent prayer with the words ‘Let us pray for the peace and well-being of the whole Church’.
Everlasting God, our maker and redeemer,
grant us, with all the faithful departed,
the sure benefits of your Son’s saving passion
and glorious resurrection,
that, in the last day,
when you gather up all things in Christ,
we may with them enjoy the fullness of your promises;
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.
The Liturgy of the Word
Please sit.
A reading from the first letter of Peter.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1.3-9
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Please stand as the gradual hymn is sung. During the hymn a procession will make its way to the centre of the nave from where the Gospel for the day is read. 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.
O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
that in thine ocean depths its flow
may richer, fuller be.
O Light that follow’st all my way,
I yield my flick’ring torch to thee;
my heart restores its borrowed ray,
that in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.
O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.
O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee:
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms red
life that shall endless be.
Words: G. Matheson (1842-1906)
Music: A. L. Peace (1844-1912)
Hymn Tune: SAINT MARGARET
Gospel Reading
Alleluia, alleluia.
‘It is the will of him who sent me,’ says the Lord,
‘that I should lose none of all that he has given me,
but raise them up on the last day.’
cf John 6.39
Alleluia.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.”
John 6.37-40
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Please sit after the preacher leads us in prayer.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us pray to the Lord, who has conquered death.
Jesus, bread from heaven,
you satisfy the hungry with good things:
grant us a share with all the faithful departed
in the banquet of your kingdom.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, the light of the world,
you gave the man born blind the gift of sight:
open the eye of faith
and bring us from darkness
to your eternal light and glory.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, Son of the living God,
you summoned your friend Lazarus from death to life:
raise us at the last to full and eternal life with you.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, crucified Saviour,
in your dying you entrusted each to the other,
Mary your mother and John your beloved disciple:
sustain and comfort all who mourn.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
Jesus, our way and truth and life,
you drew your disciple Thomas from doubt to faith:
reveal the resurrection faith to the doubting and the lost.
Hear us, risen Lord,
our resurrection and our life.
May God in his infinite love and mercy
bring the whole Church,
living and departed in the Lord Jesus,
to a joyful resurrection
and the fulfilment of his eternal kingdom.
Amen.
The Liturgy of the Sacrament
Please stand with the president.
The Peace
Jesus says:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.
The peace of the risen 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.
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
while 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: W. J. Sparrow-Simpson (1859-1952) alt.
Music: J. Stainer (1840-1901)
Hymn Tune: ALL FOR JESUS
Taking of the Bread and Wine
Look upon us in mercy not in judgement;
draw us from hatred to love;
make the frailty of our praise
a dwelling place for your glory.
Amen.
The Eucharistic Prayer (A)
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, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth,
giver of life and conqueror of death.
By his death on the cross,
your Son Jesus Christ
offered the one true sacrifice for sin,
breaking the power of evil
and putting death to flight.
Through his resurrection from the dead
you have given us new birth into a living hope,
into an inheritance which is imperishable,
undefiled and unfading.
The joy of resurrection fills the universe,
and so we join with angels and archangels,
with all your faithful people,
evermore praising you and singing:
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.
Accept our praises, heavenly Father,
through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ,
and as we follow his example and obey his command,
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit
these gifts of bread and wine
may be to us his body and his blood;
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.
Therefore, heavenly Father,
we remember his offering of himself
made once for all upon the cross;
we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension;
we look for the coming of your kingdom,
and with this bread and this cup
we make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord.
Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
Accept through him, our great high priest,
this our sacrifice of thanks and praise,
and as we eat and drink these holy gifts
in the presence of your divine majesty,
renew us by your Spirit,
inspire us with your love
and unite us in the body of your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him, and with him, and in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
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
Uniting our prayers with the whole company of heaven 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.
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.
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
‘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.
The president and people receive communion.
The president receives communion in both kinds. To reduce the risk of spreading any infection, communion will continue to be offered in one kind (bread) only. This is still considered to be complete communion by the Church of England.
To the words ‘The Body of Christ’ the communicant replies “Amen”. On drinking from the cup the president says ‘The Blood of Christ shed for us all’ to which those present reply “Amen.”
At the distribution, please follow the guidance offered by the stewards.
The Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
Please stand with the president.
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honour and power.
For you have created all things,
and by your will they have their being.
You are worthy, O Lamb, for you were slain,
and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every tribe and language and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom
and priests serving our God,
and they will reign with you on earth.
The names of those to be remembered are read aloud and at the end:
This is the will of him that sent me,
that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me,
and I will raise them up at the last day.
Grant to us, Lord God,
to trust you not for ourselves alone,
but for those also whom we love
and who are hidden from us by the shadow of death;
that, as we believe your power to have raised our Lord Jesus Christ
from the dead,
so may we trust your love
to give eternal life to all who believe in him;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Post Communion Prayer
God of love,
may the death and resurrection of Christ
which we have celebrated in this eucharist
bring us, with all the faithful departed,
into the peace of your eternal home.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
our rock and our salvation,
to whom be glory for time and for eternity.
Amen.
A hymn is sung.
The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended:
the darkness falls at thy behest;
to thee our morning hymns ascended,
thy praise shall sanctify our rest.
We thank thee that thy Church unsleeping,
while earth rolls onward into light,
through all the world her watch is keeping,
and rests not now by day or night.
As o’er each continent and island
the dawn leads on another day,
the voice of prayer is never silent,
nor dies the strain of praise away.
The sun that bids us rest is waking
our brethren ’neath the western sky,
and hour by hour fresh lips are making
thy wondrous doings heard on high.
So be it, Lord; thy throne shall never,
like earth’s proud empires, pass away;
thy kingdom stands, and grows for ever,
till all thy creatures own thy sway.
Words: J. Ellerton (1826-1893)
Music: C. C. Scholefield (1839-1904)
Hymn Tune: SAINT CLEMENT
The Dismissal
The Blessing
May God give you
his comfort and his peace,
his light and his joy,
in this world and the next;
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
Neither death nor life
can separate us from the love of God
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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Communion Setting
© The Royal School of Church Music
All for Jesus!
Words © Novello & Co. Ltd
Organ Voluntary
© Novello & Co. Ltd
CCL licence: 668063