The twelfth Sunday after Trinity

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.

Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim
Till all the world adore his sacred name!

Come, Christians, follow where our Saviour trod,
O’er death victorious, Christ the Son of God:
Lift high the Cross…

Led on their way by his triumphant sign,
The hosts of God in joyful praise combine:
Lift high the Cross…

Each new disciple of the Crucified
Is called to bear the seal of him who died:
Lift high the Cross…

O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
As thou hast promised, draw us unto thee:
Lift high the Cross…

So let the world proclaim with one accord
The praises of our ever-living Lord.
Lift high the Cross…

Words: George William Kitchin (1827-1912)
and Michael Robert Newbolt (1874-1956) alt.
Music: Sydney Hugo Nicholson (1875-1947)
Hymn Tune: CRUCIFER

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

Jesus said:
Before you offer your gift,
go and be reconciled.
As brothers and sisters in God’s family,
we come together to ask our Father for forgiveness.

Silence is kept.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you,
through our own fault,
in thought, and word, and deed,
and in what we have left undone.
We are heartily sorry,
and repent of all our sins.
For your Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
Amen.

May almighty God have mercy on you,
forgive you your sins,
and bring you to everlasting life.

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 and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire or deserve:
pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
but through the merits and mediation
of 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 letter of Paul to the Romans.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Romans 12.1-8

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Please stand as the gradual hymn is sung and at the end of the hymn we remain standing and turn to face the place where the Gospel is proclaimed.

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
Whilst 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: William John Sparrow-Simpson (1859-1952)
Music: John Stainer (1840-1901)
Hymn Tune: ALL FOR JESUS

Gospel Reading

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

Glory to you, O Lord.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’

He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’

Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’

Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Matthew 16.13-20

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

Please sit after the preacher leads us in prayer.

Affirmation of faith

Please stand with the president.

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.

We believe in one God;
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.

cf Ephesians 3

Prayers of Intercession

Following an invitation to pray from the intercessor we kneel or sit to pray.

The response to the bidding:

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

Christ is our peace.
He has reconciled us to God
in one body by the cross.
We meet in his name and share his peace.

The peace of the Lord be always with you

and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

This is usually a handshake shared with those near you.

Preparation of the Table

The table is prepared and bread and wine are placed upon it.

A hymn is sung. During this hymn a collection, our financial offering in support of the work of the Church both at St. Mary’s and across our diocese, is taken.

You can place cash or giving envelopes in the collection plates as they are passed around. If you would prefer, or if you miss the plate, you can also give by tapping your contactless card or device on the giving kiosk by the door as you leave, or on our donations page.

Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move
At the impulse of thy love;
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it thine:
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart: it is thine own;
It shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
At thy feet its treasure-store;
Take myself, and I will be
Ever, only, all for thee.

Words: Frances Ridley Havergal (1836-1879)
Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) adapted
Hymn Tune: NOTTINGHAM

Taking of the Bread and Wine

Be present, be present,
Lord Jesus Christ,
our risen high priest;
make yourself known in the breaking of bread.

Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer (E)

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.

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
From sunrise to sunset this day is holy,
for Christ has risen from the tomb
and scattered the darkness of death
with light that will not fade.

This day the risen Lord walks with your gathered people,
unfolds for us your word,
and makes himself known in the breaking of the bread.
And though the night will overtake this day
you summon us to live in endless light,
the never-ceasing sabbath of the Lord.
And so, with choirs of angels
and with all the heavenly host,
we proclaim your glory
and join their unending song of praise:

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.

We praise and bless you, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord;
and as we obey his command,
send your Holy Spirit,
that broken bread and wine outpoured
may be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.

On the night before he died he had supper with his friends
and, taking bread, he praised you.
He broke the bread, gave it to them and said:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
When supper was ended he took the cup of wine.
Again he praised you, gave it to them and said:
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.

So, Father, we remember all that Jesus did,
in him we plead with confidence his sacrifice
made once for all upon the cross.
Bringing before you the bread of life and cup of salvation,
we proclaim his death and resurrection
until he comes in glory.

Great is the mystery of faith;

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

Lord of all life,
help us to work together for that day
when your kingdom comes
and justice and mercy will be seen in all the earth.
Look with favour on your people,
gather us in your loving arms
and bring us with Blessed Mary
Augustine of Hippo, Aidan, Giles of Provence,
John Bunyon, the Martyrs of Papua New Guinea
and all the saints
to feast at your table in heaven.
Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father,
for ever and ever.

Amen.

Silence is kept.

The Lord’s Prayer

Looking for the coming of his kingdom,
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.

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

God’s holy gifts
for God’s holy people.

Jesus Christ is holy,
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

The president and people receive communion. All baptised Christians are welcome to receive the sacrament. Please follow the guidance offered by the stewards.

If you are not baptised, or would prefer to not receive, then do still come forward for a blessing bringing this book with you so the president knows your intention.

The sacrament is available in both kinds, however if you wish to only receive the bread please do so and then return to your place. Receiving in one kind is still considered to be full communion by the Church of England. Please do not dip bread in the wine (sometimes called ‘intincting’).

The weeks around this time of year have been designated by the church as Creationtide so the prayers printed here to be used during the distribution are themed accordingly.

God,
Creator of the Universe
of the earth and sea
of the earth’s fruits and flowers
of all humans, habitats and creatures.
Help us to value and care for your world
in all its beauty and fragility
in trust for you creator God.
Amen.

 Helen Mason, 2018 Women’s World Day of Prayer

Choir anthem

‘Be still, my soul’

Be still, my soul: the Lord is at your side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain;
Leave to your God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav’nly friend,
Through thorny ways, leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake,
All now mysterious shall be clear at last.
Be still, my soul: the tempests still obey
His voice, who ruled them once on Galilee.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be for ever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgotten, love’s pure joy restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Words: Katharina Von Schlegal (1697-c.1768)
translated by Jane Borthwick (1813-1897) alt.
Music: Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)

The following communion hymns may be sung during the distribution as time allows. Please remain seated.

Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The Holy One, is here;
Come, bow before him now,
With reverence and fear.
In him no sin is found,
We stand on holy ground.
Be still, for the presence of the Lord,
The Holy One, is here.

Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around;
He burns with holy fire,
With splendour he is crowned.
How awesome is the sight,
Our radiant King of Light!
Be still, for the glory of the Lord
Is shining all around.

Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place,
He comes to cleanse and heal,
To minister his grace.
No work too hard for him,
In faith receive from him;
Be still, for the power of the Lord
Is moving in this place.

Words & Music: David Evans (b. 1957)
Music arrangement: Norman Warren (1934-2019)

When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I’m lost
In wonder, love and praise.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.

Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ,
And not the least a cheerful heart
Which tastes those gifts with joy.

Through ev’ry period of my life
Thy goodness I’ll pursue,
And after death in distant lands
The glorious theme renew.

Through all eternity to thee
A joyful song I’ll raise;
For O! eternity’s too short
To utter all thy praise.

Words: Joseph Addison (1672-1719)
Music: Frederick Arthur Gore Ouseley (1825-1889)
Hymn Tune: CONTEMPLATIO

Firmly I believe and truly
God is Three, and God is One,
And I next acknowledge duly
Manhood taken by the Son.

And I trust and hope most fully
In that Manhood crucified;
And each thought and deed unruly
Do to death, as he has died.

Simply to his grace and wholly
Light and life and strength belong,
And I love supremely, solely,
Him the holy, him the strong.

And I hold in veneration,
For the love of him alone,
Holy Church as his creation,
And her teachings as his own.

Adoration ay be given,
With and through th’angelic host,
To the God of earth and heaven,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Words: John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
Music: Warwickshire ballad arranged and harmonised
by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Hymn Tune: SHIPSTON

The Post Communion Prayer

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

God of all mercy,
in this eucharist you have set aside our sins
and given us your healing:

grant that we who are made whole in Christ
may bring that healing to this broken world,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A hymn is sung.

Christ is our cornerstone,
On him alone we build;
With his true saints alone
The courts of heav’n are filled;
On his great love
Our hopes we place
Of present grace
And joys above.

O then with hymns of praise
These hallowed courts shall ring;
Our voices we will raise
The Three in One to sing;
And thus proclaim
In joyful song,
Both loud and long,
That glorious name.

Here, gracious God, do thou
For evermore draw nigh;
Accept each faithful vow,
And mark each suppliant sigh;
In copious shower
On all who pray
Each holy day
Thy blessings pour.

Here may we gain from heaven
The grace which we implore;
And may that grace, once given,
Be with us evermore,
Until that day
When all the blest
To endless rest
Are called away.

Words: Latin (before 9^th century)
translated by John Chandler (1806-1876)
Music: Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)
Hymn Tune: HAREWOOD

The Dismissal

The Blessing

The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds
in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
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

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.