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Mary, Mother of God Aug 2017 Luke 1.46-55 + ‘For behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed’, and they have, and we do today as we remember Jesus’ mother. But first something darker. I wonder how many of you, like me, have seen the film Dunkirk? It is a fantastic film, it is as if you are there. You know the story. In eight days 340,000 British and allied troops, including my own uncle Charlie, were evacuated from the beaches and certain defeat at the hands of the Nazis. Churchill rightly said ‘wars are not won by evacuations’, but he also called it a ‘miracle of deliverance’ and it followed a national day of prayer ordered by King George VI. We don’t know why Hitler ordered his Panzers to stop, giving the allies time to regroup. We don’t know why fierce storms grounded the Luftwaffe while the sea was like a millpond for the allies. We do know that hundreds of little ships sailed from the South coast to bring the soldiers home. With the threat of nuclear war in the Far East it is as well to hold on to prayer as a weapon of peace in international relations. But not everybody enjoyed the film. The professional moaners complained that it didn’t show enough French, African or Asian troops. Others complained that, with all these brave Tommies fleeing those French beaches for the White Cliffs of Dover, it is an allegory of Brexit. If these moans help people understand the contribution of African and Asian troops to the war effort, so much the better. But one of the glories of the film was that it concentrated on the experiences of the ordinary soldier and civilian sailor. Churchill only appears as a newspaper cutting. There is a danger that history becomes just the story of Great Men. As a historian, if you take the spotlight off the Great Men and shine a softer light you can see the hidden thousands who make history by living it people like my uncle Charlie on the beaches of Dunkirk who saw such terrible things that he lost all his hair. This is also true of the Reformation. Push aside Luther, John Knox and Ignatius of Loyola and you get a different, more subtle view. In the Bible, sometimes it is good to look at the characters who are not centre stage. What about the young man who ran away naked at the end of Mark’s gospel. Jesus’ mother Mary may not seem a minor character but, if you leave out the Christmas story, there are only six mentions of her in the New Testament. As a mother, however, forming the Jesus who is centre stage, her importance is massive. We call Mary, ‘Mother of God’ to affirm that Jesus is one person, at the same time divine and human, and all that was human he received from her. What does Mary tell us about her son’s humanity? Our offertory hymn helps us here. The author, an Old Etonian who rejoiced in the name Vincent Stuckey Stratton Coles, was an Anglican priest in Oxford in the early twentieth century and he wrote, Blessed were the chosen people out of whom the Lord did come; blessed was the land of promise fashioned for his earthly home’. Mary not only gave Jesus his humanity and family, she initiated him into a religious tradition and into a land the Bible tells us was prepared for him. This is the scandal of particularity, Jesus was, in the words of our first hymn, born a Jewand thus was not any of the other identities on offer. The film Dunkirk is another example of this scandal of particularity. But if we read the Bible from cover to cover we see this scandal of particularity constantly subverted. God chooses an obscure tribe and rescues them from Egypt; but the mythology of the tribe tells them that all humanity has a common solidarity and origin in Adam and Eve. There is thus no place for the racial supremacist ideology seen last week at Charlottesville. Later on the prophets tell the Jews that God chose the people of Israel not for their own sake, but for the sake of the whole world. In Jesus and his
Transcript

Mary, Mother of God Aug 2017 – Luke 1.46-55

+ ‘For behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed’, and they have, and we do

today as we remember Jesus’ mother. But first something darker.

I wonder how many of you, like me, have seen the film Dunkirk? It is a fantastic film, it is as if

you are there. You know the story. In eight days 340,000 British and allied troops, including my

own uncle Charlie, were evacuated from the beaches and certain defeat at the hands of the Nazis.

Churchill rightly said ‘wars are not won by evacuations’, but he also called it a ‘miracle of

deliverance’ and it followed a national day of prayer ordered by King George VI. We don’t know

why Hitler ordered his Panzers to stop, giving the allies time to regroup. We don’t know why

fierce storms grounded the Luftwaffe while the sea was like a millpond for the allies. We do know

that hundreds of little ships sailed from the South coast to bring the soldiers home. With the threat

of nuclear war in the Far East it is as well to hold on to prayer as a weapon of peace in

international relations.

But not everybody enjoyed the film. The professional moaners complained that it didn’t show

enough French, African or Asian troops. Others complained that, with all these brave Tommies

fleeing those French beaches for the White Cliffs of Dover, it is an allegory of Brexit. If these

moans help people understand the contribution of African and Asian troops to the war effort, so

much the better. But one of the glories of the film was that it concentrated on the experiences of

the ordinary soldier and civilian sailor. Churchill only appears as a newspaper cutting. There is a

danger that history becomes just the story of Great Men. As a historian, if you take the spotlight off

the Great Men and shine a softer light you can see the hidden thousands who make history by

living it – people like my uncle Charlie on the beaches of Dunkirk who saw such terrible things

that he lost all his hair.

This is also true of the Reformation. Push aside Luther, John Knox and Ignatius of Loyola and you

get a different, more subtle view. In the Bible, sometimes it is good to look at the characters who

are not centre stage. What about the young man who ran away naked at the end of Mark’s gospel.

Jesus’ mother Mary may not seem a minor character but, if you leave out the Christmas story, there

are only six mentions of her in the New Testament. As a mother, however, forming the Jesus who

is centre stage, her importance is massive. We call Mary, ‘Mother of God’ to affirm that Jesus is

one person, at the same time divine and human, and all that was human he received from her.

What does Mary tell us about her son’s humanity? Our offertory hymn helps us here. The author,

an Old Etonian who rejoiced in the name Vincent Stuckey Stratton Coles, was an Anglican priest

in Oxford in the early twentieth century and he wrote, ‘Blessed were the chosen people out of

whom the Lord did come; blessed was the land of promise fashioned for his earthly home’. Mary

not only gave Jesus his humanity and family, she initiated him into a religious tradition and into a

land the Bible tells us was prepared for him. This is the scandal of particularity, Jesus was, in the

words of our first hymn, ‘born a Jew’ – and thus was not any of the other identities on offer. The

film Dunkirk is another example of this scandal of particularity. But if we read the Bible from

cover to cover we see this scandal of particularity constantly subverted. God chooses an obscure

tribe and rescues them from Egypt; but the mythology of the tribe tells them that all humanity has a

common solidarity and origin in Adam and Eve. There is thus no place for the racial supremacist

ideology seen last week at Charlottesville. Later on the prophets tell the Jews that God chose the

people of Israel not for their own sake, but for the sake of the whole world. In Jesus and his

- 2 -

followers this tribal identity is opened to all nations from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Mary

guarantees Jesus’ particularity as a son of Israel, but also his human solidarity with us all as a child

of Adam and Eve. This is something to celebrate. It is only from a rooted identity that we can

begin to break down barriers between people.

The Protestant Reformation also broke down barriers. Between the people and the written

Scriptures and between the sacred and the secular, but it also had a Trump-like propensity to erect

walls. One can argue that it put up walls between Old and New Testaments, between church and

state that enabled many German Christians to welcome Hitler. It also put up a wall between heaven

and earth, what recent historians have called ‘disenchantment’, replacing a thin veil penetrated by

angels, saints and human prayers with a thick barrier of silence. True, medieval prayers for the

dead had become an industry dependant on wealth, ripe for reform. But our radical Scottish

Reformation replaced it with a cold silence. The dead were gone - heaven or hell; the saints had

their back to us in heaven; funerals were bereft of prayers. The harsh spotlight was on Jesus alone:

The Great Man. Some among the puritans found this a spur to sweet devotion, others found solace

in the supernatural twilight world, but it all gradually unravelled.

Mary returned, she had never really gone away as her songs continued to be sung. The tragedy of

the Great War and its memorials caused the dead to return to the Reformed Churches. Many came

to appreciate the saints and travelled to what George Macleod called ‘thin places’. When Vincent

Coles wrote today’s hymn about Mary inviting us to ‘weave our supplications, she with us and we

with her’, he got into trouble for praying to saints but the hymn soon entered popular Anglican

hymnbooks. Ecumenism and human experience have broken down barriers, the best book on

Mary’s Rosary prayer is by a Methodist. A love of the mother goes together with a love of the Son.

Mary is a guarantee of our solidarity in humanity and our solidarity in the Body of Christ, a body

he received from her. The dead are near. We can pray for and with each other, and share our joys

and sorrows in Christ who breaks down all barriers even those of sin and death.

The army may have withdrawn from the beaches of Dunkirk, but four years later they returned; we

may be leaving a political entity called the European Union but we cannot and will not leave that

Europe with which we share our identity. Perhaps Brexit will enable us to rebuild ties elsewhere in

the world. But if we look at Mary, Mother of Jesus, we are reminded of our human solidarity and

of the love of God in Christ. At the end of this service we will sing her song, the Magnificat,

reminding us that this solidarity demands action. It is a call to work and pray for justice in this

world.

The service sheet with the full text of the hymns follows below:

- 3 -

FESTIVAL EUCHARIST Scottish Liturgy (1982)

Mary, Mother of God Sunday 13th August 2017 at 10.30am

Eric Gill, Madonna and Child, 1925

Leading today’s worship

Presiding Priest: Sarah Kilbey

Preacher: Stephen Holmes

Liturgical Deacon: Ade Odunsi

Server: Theophilus Yalley-Ogunro

Director of Music: Stephen Doughty

- 4 -

Welcome

Welcome to this service at St John’s. If you are visiting us today we hope you will wish to join us for

communion; alternatively, you are invited to come to the rail to receive a blessing. Gluten-free

communion wafers are available; please speak with one of the welcomers or sidespeople if you require

one.

Children

Feel free to use the special area for children near the front of the church, and to move around with

small children during the service. There will be activities in the hall for children during our worship this

morning. Children leave as indicated in this service booklet and return in time for communion.

Anybody baptized, regardless of age, is welcome to receive communion.

Participating

In the service please join in all words printed in bold type.

The musical setting of the Eucharist this morning is Die Deutsches Liturgie - F. Mendelssohn.

Guidance on Posture is indicated in the service sheet but please do whatever is comfortable for you

as we worship together.

Security

We are sorry to remind you that you should not leave personal possessions in your pew when going

forward for communion

Gift Aid

If you are making a donation today and are a UK tax payer please consider using one of the gift aid

envelopes which you will find at the end of each pew.

The Environment

You are welcome to take this booklet home and recycle it when you are finished with it. This service

sheet is printed on recycled paper.

Please switch off mobile phones and do not take photographs until after

the voluntary at the end of the service. Thank you.

- 5 -

Notes on the Feast and Music

Today the Church remembers the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus Christ and therefore known by

Christians as Mother of God. Mary was called ‘Mother of God’ by Christians in their prayers since

the earliest days of the Church but the title was declared essential to the faith by the Council of

Ephesus in 431 AD. Today’s feast (transferred from August 15th) is known as the Dormition, or falling

asleep, of Mary in the Christian East and Assumption, or entry into heaven, of Mary in the Christian

West. It therefore commemorates her death just as we remember her birthday on 8th September.

Despite titles and councils, however, Mary remains the humble Jewish woman of Nazareth who

accepted God’s invitation to be the mother of his Son and who proclaimed the new Kingdom of Social

Justice in her song, the Magnificat – our last hymn.

At the Reformation, attitudes to Mary reflected divisions between Christians, but ecumenical

friendships between the Churches have broken old barriers and resulted in a new ecumenical

devotion to the Mother of God. This is perhaps best seen at Walsingham where Anglican and Roman

Catholic shrines work closely together, but in recent years Haddington also saw a pilgrimage in

honour of Mary uniting Presbyterians, Roman Catholics and Episcopalians. Our music reflects this

new unity with hymns by a Methodist and Anglicans and choral music by Lutherans.

Music : Reformation & Counter Reformation 2

The music at this morning’s service takes a further look at the monumental event 500 years ago:

the start of Lutheran Reformation. Felix Mendelssohn was a devout Lutheran is well known in

sacred music circles as the figure that re-discovered the music of J.S. Bach, giving the first

performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion since his death in 1750, and composing a set of six organ

sonatas that resurrected the old style of fugue and counterpoint. Though Mendelssohn was a

Lutheran he was flexible when it came to writing sacred music and his output includes settings of

Latin texts, music written for the Lutheran church and even canticle settings written specifically for

Anglican Evensong. In 1846 Frederick William IV, the King of Prussia, had issued two commissions

for Mendelssohn for the Berlin Cathedral Choir. The larger of these was a setting of the standard

musical portions of the Prussian (Lutheran) Liturgy and Mendelssohn duly completed his Deutsche

Liturgie in October of that year. Mendelssohn lavished care on the 10 movements, all scored for

double choir and his skill and craft can be heard in particular in the impressive German Sanctus,

‘Heilig’, with its cascading series of 3rds throughout the breadth of all 8 parts. Mendelssohn

envisioned the Liturgie as a cycle and centred the work on the key of A major, the three sharps

perhaps reflecting the Trinity. However, although the familiar Kyrie-Gloria-Sanctus movements

were published in the 1850’s it wasn’t until only 19 years ago in 1998 that the full 10-movement

set was brought together in one collection. Another commission of Frederick was for two more

pieces to complete Mendelssohn’s Six Pieces- six short anthems for high Feast Days which would

be sung following the reading of the Epistle. The text of this morning’s miniature Agnus Dei, not

originally one of the 10-movement Liturgie, has been set to the music of the Passiontide motet.

Melchior Vulpius flourished during the transition in the context of Lutheranism from the Latin to

the German motet. His works show his awareness of the limitations of smaller choirs- his Sprüche

for the church year (1612–21) was the first four-voice collections of their kind- but also wrote

some larger scale motets including the 6-part motet Jesaja, dem Propheten das geschah, a paraphrase

of Isaiah 6, 1-4 with text by Martin Luther which was first published in Luther's Deutsche Messe und

ordnung Gottis Diensts in 1526, entitled "The German Sanctus."

- 6 -

Order of Service

Welcome and Notices

The notices are followed by a period of silence

The Preparation Please stand, if you are able

Hymn

Long ago, prophets knew

Christ would come, born a Jew,

come to make all things new;

bear his people's burden,

freely love and pardon.

Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!

Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!

When he comes, when he comes,

who will make him welcome?

God in time, God in man,

this is God's timeless plan:

He will come, as a man,

born himself of woman,

God divinely human:

Mary hail! Though afraid,

she believed, she obeyed.

In her womb, God is laid:

till the time expected,

nurtured and protected:

Journey ends! Where afar

Bethlehem shines, like a star,

stable door stands ajar.

unborn Son of Mary,

Saviour, do not tarry!

Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring!

Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!

Jesus comes! Jesus comes!

We will make him welcome Fred Pratt Green (b. 1903)

AMNS 484

- 7 -

Greeting

Grace and peace to you from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Penitential Rite

Please kneel or sit

Deacon God the Father forgives us in Christ and heals us by the Holy Spirit, with

confidence in God’s mercy let us confess our sins.

Silence for personal reflection

Lord we have sinned against you,

Lord have mercy

All Lord have mercy

Choir Kyrie Eleison Lord, have mercy upon us

Christe Eleison Christ, have mercy upon us

Kyrie Eleison Lord, have mercy upon us

Priest Priest God, who is both power and love,

forgive you and free you from your sins,

heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,

and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.

All Amen.

Gloria (sung by the choir)

Please sit. The children leave for their activities

Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe und Friede auf

Erden und den Menschen ein

Wohlgefallen!

Wir loben dich, wir benedeien dich,

wir beten dich an, wir preisen dich,

wir sagen dir Dank um deiner großen

Herrlichkeit willen.

Herr Gott! Himmlischer König!

Allmächtiger Vater!

Herr, du eingeborner Sohn, Jesu

Christe! Herr, Gott, du Lamm Gottes,

Sohn des Vaters!

Glory to God in the highest,

And peace on earth, and good will to

mankind.

We praise You, we bless You,

We worship You, we glorify You.

We give You thanks

for Your great glory.

Lord God, King of Heaven,

God the Father Almighty.

Lord only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the

Father.

Der du die Sünde der Welt trägst,

erbarme dich unser!

Der du die Sünde der Welt trägst, nimm

an unser Gebet. Der du sitzest zur

Rechten des Vaters, erbarme dich unser!

Denn du allein bist heilig, denn du allein

bist der Herr, du allein bist der

Allerhöchste, Jesus Christus

mit dem Heiligen Geiste in der

Herrlichkeit Gottes, des Vaters.

Amen!

You who take away the sin of the world,

Have mercy on us.

You who take away the sin of the world,

Hear our prayer. You who sit at the right

hand of the Father, have mercy on us.

For You alone are holy, You alone are

Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus

Christ.

With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God

the Father,

Amen

Collect

Let us pray

we pray in silence

O God,

you have taken to yourself the Blessed Virgin Mary,

mother of your incarnate Son:

grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood,

may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom;

through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, world without end.

All Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word Please sit

First Reading

Read by Jeanette Rennie

A reading from Isaiah

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let

it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will

not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: ‘Hear then, O house of

David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God

also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young

- 9 -

woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He

shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and

choose the good. Isaiah 7.10-15, New Revised Standard Version

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people

Thanks be to God

Gospel Acclamation (Alleluia from the Trier Gesangbuch, arr. John Kitchen)

Cantor:

My soul doth magnify the Lord;

and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

(sung by all) Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The Gospel

Read by Muriel Maddel

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke

Glory to Christ our Saviour

And Mary said, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my

- 10 -

Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the

thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to

the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants

for ever.’

Luke 1.46-55, New Revised Standard Version

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel

Praise to Christ our Lord

The Sermon

Please sit

The Revd Dr Stephen Holmes, Associate Rector

The sermon is followed by a brief silence for reflection

Nicene Creed

Please stand, if you are able

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 substance with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven;

by the power of the Holy Spirit

he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and was made man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

- 11 -

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,

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.

Intercessions

Led by Jill Stavert

Please sit, kneel or stand

Prayer is offered for the world,

for all God’s people and especially for those in need

Please frame your own personal prayers in the silences

The following response is used:

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

The prayer ends with:

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers

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

The Peace

Please stand, if you are able

We meet in Christ's name.

Let us share his peace.

- 12 -

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

Offertory Hymn

Ye who own the faith of Jesus,

sing the wonders that were done

when the love of God the Father

over sin the victory won,

when he made the Virgin Mary

mother of his only Son.

Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

Blessed were the chosen people

out of whom the Lord did come;

blessed was the land of promise

fashioned for his earthly home;

but more blessed far the mother,

she who bare him in her womb.

Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

Let us weave our supplications,

she with us and we with her,

for the advancement of the faithful,

for each faithful worshiper,

for the doubting, for the sinful,

for each heedless wanderer.

Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

For the sick and the aged,

for our dear ones far away,

for the hearts that mourn in secret,

all who need our prayers today,

for the faithful gone before us,

may the holy Virgin pray.

Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

Praise, O Mary, praise the Father,

praise thy Saviour and thy Son,

praise the everlasting Spirit,

who hath made thee ark and throne

o'er all creatures high exalted,

lowly praise the Three in One.

Hail Mary, hail Mary, hail Mary, full of grace.

V.S. Stuckey Coles (1845-1929), NEH 188, tune, Daily, daily

- 13 -

Offering of Gifts

Deacon Let us present our offerings to the Lord.

Yours Lord, is the greatness, the power,

the glory, the splendour and the majesty;

for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.

All things come from you, and of your own we give you.

The Great Thanksgiving (Eucharistic Prayer I)

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Worship and praise belong to you, Father,

in every place and at all times.

All power is yours. You created the heavens and established the earth;

you sustain in being all that is.

In Christ your Son our life and yours

are brought together in a wonderful exchange.

He made his home among us that we might for ever dwell in you.

Through your Holy Spirit you call us to new birth

in a creation restored by love.

As children of your redeeming purpose

we offer you our praise, with angels and archangels

and the whole company of heaven,

singing the hymn of your unending glory:

Heilig, heilig, heilig,

ist Gott, der Herr Zebaoth!

Alle Lande sind seiner Ehre voll.

Hosianna in der Höh’!

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord

God of power and might.

heaven and earth are full of your

glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Gelobt sei, der da kommt

im Namen des Herrn!

Hosianna in der Höh’!

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest

Glory and thanksgiving be to you,

most loving Father,

for the gift of your Son born in human flesh

He is the Word existing beyond time,

both source and final purpose,

bringing to wholeness all that is made.

OPENING

PRAYER:

Celebrating the

work of God

Father, Son and

Spirit in creating,

restoring and

bringing to

completion all that

is his.

SANCTUS

An anthem to God’s

glory.

BENEDICTUS

CHRISTOLOGICAL

PRAYER

Thanksgiving to God

for all that was

accomplished in the

life, death and

resurrection of Jesus.

- 14 -

Obedient to your will he died upon the Cross.

By your power you raised him from the dead.

He broke the bonds of evil

and set your people free

to be his Body in the world.

On the night when he was given up to death,

knowing that his hour had come,

having loved his own,

he loved them to the end.

At supper with his disciples

he took bread and offered you thanks.

He broke the bread,

and gave it to them, saying:

"Take, eat.

This is my Body: it is broken for you."

After supper, he took the cup,

he offered you thanks,

and gave it to them saying:

"Drink this, all of you.

This is my Blood of the new covenant;

it is poured out for you, and for all,

that sins may be forgiven.

Do this in remembrance of me."

We now obey your Son's command.

We recall his blessed passion and death,

his glorious resurrection and ascension;

and we look for the coming of his Kingdom.

Made one with him, we offer you these gifts

and with them ourselves,

a single, holy, living sacrifice.

Hear us, most merciful Father,

and send your Holy Spirit upon us

and upon this bread and this wine,

that, overshadowed by his life-giving power,

they may be the Body and Blood of your Son,

and we may be kindled with the fire of your love

and renewed for the service of your Kingdom.

Help us, who are baptised

into the fellowship of Christ's Body

to live and work to your praise and glory;

may we grow together in unity and love

until at last, in your new creation,

we enter into our heritage

NARRATIVE OF THE

INSTITUTION

An account of the

Last Supper.

ANAMNESIS AND

OBLATION

The work of Christ

is reconciled and

linked with our

offering.

EPICLESIS

We ask for the

descent of the

Holy Spirit on the

bread and wine.

PRAYER OF

PETITION

As members of the

Church we pray for

her whole life and

mission.

- 15 -

in the company of the Virgin Mary,

the apostles and prophets,

and of all our brothers and sisters living and departed.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

with whom, and in whom,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory be to you,

Lord of all ages,

world without end.

Amen.

Breaking of the Bread

Please kneel, sit or stand. The bread is broken in silence or the following is said:

The living bread is broken for the life of the world.

Lord, unite us in this sign.

Lord’s Prayer

Deacon As our Saviour has taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Do not bring us to the time of trial

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

are yours, now and for ever. Amen

Agnus Dei (sung by the choir)

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,

miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi,

miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona

nobis pacem.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the

world: have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the

world: have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the

world: grant us peace.

DOXOLOGY

A concluding act of

praise.

- 16 -

Invitation

The presiding priest invites the congregation to come forward for communion.

Communion

Please allow the choir to receive communion first.

This is the Lord’s Table and He invites to this feast all members of His body. Whoever you are

and wherever you find yourself on this journey of faith, you are welcome at this table to receive

the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Come for solace and for strength; for pardon and for

renewal.

If you wish, for any reason, to receive a blessing instead then please simply keep your hands palm

down when at the communion station. You are, of course, equally welcome to remain in your

place.

At the giving of the consecrated bread/wine please respond: Amen

Communion Anthems

Jesaja dem Propheten- M. Vulpius

Jesaja, dem Propheten das geschah,

dass er im Geist den Herren sitzen sah

auf einem hohen Thron in hellem Glanz,

seines Kleides Saum den Chor füllet ganz.

Es stunden zween Seraph bei ihm daran:

sechs Flügel sah er einen jedenhan,

mit zween verbargen sie ihr Antlitz klar.

und mit den andem zween die flogen frei,

gen anderriefen sie mit grossem G’schrei.

Heilig ist Gott. der Herre Zebaoth!

Sein Ehr’die ganze Welt erfüllet hat.

Von dem G’schrei zittert Schwell und

Balken gar, das Haus auch ganz voll Rauch

und Nebel war.

Isaiah, mighty seer, in days of old The

Lord of all in Spirit behold High on a lofty

throne, in splendour bright, with flowing

train that filled the Temple.

Above the throne were stately seraphim.

Six wings had they, these messengers of

Him. With two wings they veiled their

faces, as was meet, with two wings in

reverent awe they had their feet and with

the other two aloft they soared, one to

the other called and praised the Lord:

“Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!

Behold, His glory filleth all the earth!”

The beams and lintels trembled at the cry,

and clouds of smoke enwrapped the

throne on high.

17

He that shall endure to the end (from Elijah)- Mendelssohn

He that shall endure to the end,

shall be saved

Thanksgiving and Sending Out please stand, if you are able

Post-Communion Prayer

Give thanks to our gracious God:

Whose mercy endures for ever.

God of grace, today we raise our voices to magnify your holy

name, and in our own generation to call her blessed who

became the mother of our Saviour Jesus Christ. May we who have

shared this holy food continue with her in your glorious kingdom,

founded and established in Jesus Christ our Lord. We

ask this in his name. Amen.

………………………………………………………………………

The following is used if a lay minister is taking Holy Communion to the sick.

Priest I send you forth bearing these holy gifts, so that those to whom you

go may share with us in the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We who are many are one Body,

because we all share one Bread and one Cup.

………………………………………………………………………

Blessing

Closing Hymn

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord:

unnumbered blessings, give my spirit voice;

tender to me the promise of his word;

in God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

18

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name:

make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;

his mercy sure, from age to age the same;

his holy name, the Lord, the Mighty One.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might:

powers and dominions lay their glory by;

proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,

the hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word:

firm is his promise, and his mercy sure.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord

to children's children and for evermore.

Timothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926), based on Luke 1.46-55 in The New English Bible

AMNS 422

The Dismissal

Deacon Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All In the name of Christ. Amen

Voluntary

War March of the Priests - Mendelssohn

Please join us for refreshments after the service.


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