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.

Awake, my soul, and with the sun
thy daily stage of duty run;
shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise
to pay thy morning sacrifice.

Redeem thy mis-spent time that’s past,
and live this day as if thy last:
improve thy talent with due care;
for the great day thyself prepare.

Let all thy converse be sincere,
thy conscience as the noon-day clear;
think how all-seeing God thy ways
and all thy secret thoughts surveys.

Wake, and lift up thyself, my heart,
and with the angels bear thy part,
who all night long unwearied sing
high praise to the eternal King.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,
all I design or do or say;
that all my pow’rs, with all their might,
in thy sole glory may unite.

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,
praise him, all creatures here below,
praise him above, angelic host,
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Words: Thomas Ken (1637-1711)
 Music: François Hippolyte Barthélémon (1741-1808)
 Hymn Tune: MORNING HYMN

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 Ephesians.

Brothers and sisters, be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:15-20

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

Through all the changing scenes of life,
in trouble and in joy,
the praises of my God shall still
my heart and tongue employ.

O magnify the Lord with me,
with me exalt his name;
when in distress to him I called,
he to my rescue came.

The hosts of God encamp around
the dwellings of the just;
deliv’rance he affords to all
who on his succour trust.

O make but trial of his love:
experience will decide
how blest are they, and only they,
who in his truth confide.

Fear him, ye saints, and you will then
have nothing else to fear;
make you his service your delight,
your wants shall be his care.

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
the God whom we adore,
be glory as it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Words: Psalm 34 in ‘New Version’ (Tate and Brady, 1696)
 Music: George Thomas Smart (1776-1867)
 Hymn Tune: WILTSHIRE

Gospel Reading

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus said to the crowd: ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So 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. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’

John 6:51-58

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 on the collection plates as they are passed around. If you would prefer, or if you miss the plate, you can also give by scanning this QR Code, or by tapping your contactless card or device on the card reader by the door as you leave.

Alleluia, sing to Jesus,
his the sceptre, his the throne;
Alleluia, his the triumph,
his the victory alone:
hark, the songs of peaceful Sion
thunder like a mighty flood:
Jesus, out of ev’ry nation,
hath redeemed us by his blood.

Alleluia, not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia, he is near us,
faith believes, nor questions how;
though the cloud from sight received him
when the forty days were o’er,
shall our hearts forget his promise,
‘I am with you evermore’?

Alleluia, bread of angels,
thou on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia, here the sinful
flee to thee from day to day;
intercessor, friend of sinners,
earth’s redeemer, plead for me,
where the songs of all the sinless
sweep across the crystal sea.

Alleluia, King eternal,
thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia, born of Mary,
earth thy footstool, heav’n thy throne;
thou within the veil hast entered
robed in flesh, our great High Priest;
thou on earth both priest and victim
in the Eucharistic Feast.

Words: William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898)
 Music: Rowland Huw Pritchard (1811-1887)
 arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
 Hymn Tune: HYFRYDOL

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 the Blessed Virgin Mary 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. (Sung)

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’).

It might be helpful to use this prayer during the distribution:

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you  
for all the benefits you have won for us,
for all the pains and insults you have borne for us.
Most merciful redeemer,  
friend and brother,
may we know you more clearly,  
love you more dearly,  
and follow you more nearly day by day.
Amen. 

Words: St. Richard of Chichester

Anthem

Sung by the Choir.

Ave verum corpus natum de Maria Virgine,            
vere passum, immolatum in cruce pro homine.  
Cujus latus perforatum fluxit unda et sanguine;  
esto nobis praegustatum, mortis in examine.  
O Jesu dulcis, O Jesu pie, Jesu, Jesu, fili Mariae,  
in nobis miserere, in nobis miserere.
O Jesu, in nobis miserere.  
Amen! Amen! Amen! Amen!

Words: 14th century
 Music: Charles Gounod (1818-1893)

English Translation:

Jesu, Word of God incarnate, of the Virgin mother born;
on the cross thy sacred body for us men with nails was torn.
Cleanse us in the sacred fountain, opened in thy piercèd side; 
feed us with thy body broken, broken in death’s agony. 
O Jesu, hear us: O Jesu, save us;
Jesu, Saviour, hear our supplication, 
O grant us, Lord, thy mercy, O grant us, Lord, thy mercy. 
Amen! Amen! Amen! Amen! 

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

My God, and is thy table spread,
and does thy cup with love o’erflow?
Thither be all thy children led,
and let them all thy sweetness know.

Hail, sacred feast, which Jesus makes!
Rich banquet of his flesh and blood!
Thrice happy all, who here partake
that sacred stream, that heav’nly food.

What wondrous love, what perfect grace,
for Jesus, our exalted host,
invites us to this special place
who offer least and need the most.

O let thy table honoured be,
and furnished well with joyful guests:
and may each soul salvation see,
that here its sacred pledges tastes.

Words: verses 1, 2 & 4, Philip Doddridge (1702-1751)
 verse 3, Michael Lindsay Forster (1946-2023)
Music: adapted by Edward Miller (1731-1807)
 Hymn Tune: ROCKINGHAM

When, in our music, God is glorified,
and adoration leaves no room for pride,
it is as though the whole creation cried:
Alleluia!

How often, making music, we have found
a new dimension in the world of sound,
as worship moved us to a more profound
Alleluia!

So has the Church, in liturgy and song,
in faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
borne witness to the truth in ev’ry tongue:
Alleluia!

And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night
when utmost evil strove against the Light?
Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight:
Alleluia!

Let ev’ry instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always:
Alleluia!

Words: Fred Pratt Green (1903-2000)
 Music: Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
 Hymn Tune: ENGELBERG

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.

Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our souls and bodies
to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out
in the power of your Spirit 
to live and work
to your praise and glory.
Amen.

A hymn is sung.

Angel-voices ever singing 
round thy throne of light, 
angel-harps for ever ringing, 
rest not day nor night; 
thousands only live to bless thee 
and confess thee 
Lord of might. 

Thou who art beyond the farthest 
mortal eye can scan, 
can it be that thou regardest  
songs of sinful man? 
Can we know that thou art near us, 
and wilt hear us? 
Yea, we can.

Yea, we know that thou rejoicest 
o’er each work of thine; 
thou didst ears and hands and voices 
for thy praise design; 
craftsman’s art and music’s measure 
for thy pleasure 
all combine. 

In thy house, great God, we offer 
of thine own to thee; 
and for thine acceptance proffer 
all unworthily 
hearts and minds and hands and voices 
in our choicest 
psalmody.

Honour, glory, might and merit  
thine shall ever be,  
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,  
blessèd Trinity.  
Of the best that thou hast given  
earth and heaven  
render thee.  

  Francis Pott (1832-1909)
 Music: Edwin George Monk (1819-1900)
 Hymn Tune: ANGEL VOICES

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.