Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, September 22, 2024)
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
The Holy Scriptures can be very challenging. The Holy Spirit not only inspired them but also speaks to us through them.
In this Sunday’s message we weigh what the Holy Spirit is saying to God’s people in this Sunday’s readings.
GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Keith Duke’s "On the Breath of the Wind.'
Open tis link in a new tab to hear Timothy Dudley-Smith’s “Lord, as the Day Begins.”
1 Lord, as the day begins
lift up our hearts in praise;
take from us all our sins,
guard us in all our ways:
our every step direct and guide
that Christ in all be glorified!
2 Christ be in work and skill,
serving each other’s need;
Christ be in thought and will,
Christ be in word and deed:
our minds be set on things above
in joy and peace, in faith and love.
3 Grant us the Spirit’s strength,
teach us to walk his way;
so bring us all at length
safe to the close of day:
from hour to hour sustain and bless
and let our song be thankfulness.
4 Now, as the day begins
make it the best of days;
take from us all our sins,
guard us in all our ways:
our every step direct and guide
that Christ in all be glorified!
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God’s Kingdom now and forever. Amen.
Our Lord Jesus Christ said:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your
strength. This is the great and first commandment. And
a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 23: 37-40; Mark 12: 30-31
Knowing the goodness of God and our failure to respond
with love ad obedience, let us confess our sins.
Silence
Heavenly Father,
you have loved us with an everlasting love,
but we have broken your holy laws
and have left undone what we ought to have done.
We are sorry for our sins and tur away from them.
For the sake of your Son who died for us,
forgive us, cleanse us, and change us.
By your Holy Spirit,
enable us to live for you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace,
that we may be cleansed from all our sins,
and serve you with a quiet mind;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear “Glory to God” from Marty Haugen’s Beneath the Tree of Life Mass.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people, peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people, peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
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.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people, peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
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.
Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people, peace to God’s people,
peace to God’s people on earth.
The Lord be with you.
The Lord bless you.
Let us pray.
Silence
God and Father of all,
you have taught us through your Son
that the last shall be first,
and have made a little child the measure of your kingdom:
give us the wisdom from above,
so that we may understand that in your sight
the one who serves is the greatest of all.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God for ever and ever. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Book of Proverbs (chapter 31, beginning at verse 10).
How hard it is to find a capable wife! She is worth far more than jewels!
Her husband puts his confidence in her, and he will never be poor.
As long as she lives, she does him good and never harm.
She keeps herself busy making wool and linen cloth.
She brings home food from out-of-the-way places, as merchant ships do.
She gets up before daylight to prepare food for her family and to tell her servant women what to do.
She looks at land and buys it, and with money she has earned she plants a vineyard.
She is a hard worker, strong and industrious.
She knows the value of everything she makes, and works late into the night.
She spins her own thread and weaves her own cloth.
She is generous to the poor and needy.
She doesn't worry when it snows, because her family has warm clothing.
She makes bedspreads and wears clothes of fine purple linen.
Her husband is well known, one of the leading citizens.
She makes clothes and belts, and sells them to merchants.
She is strong and respected and not afraid of the future.
She speaks with a gentle wisdom.
She is always busy and looks after her family's needs.
Her children show their appreciation, and her husband praises her.
He says, “Many women are good wives, but you are the best of them all.”
Charm is deceptive and beauty disappears, but a woman who honors the Lord should be praised.
Give her credit for all she does. She deserves the respect of everyone.
Silence
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Richard Bruxvoort Colligan’ “Like a Tree” (from Psalm 1).
Refrain:
Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life
Verse 1:
Blessed, blessed are we to abide in God’s Word,
Nourished through every season; blessed are we.
Refrain:
Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life
Verse 2:
Planted, planted by grace, we are rooted in God’s design
Freely, freely abiding, planted by grace
Refrain:
Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life
Verse 3:
Trusting, trusting our lives to the holy way of God,
We will, we will surrender, trusting our lives.
Refrain:
Like a tree by the flowing water,
growing deeper, stretching high
Like a tree by the flowing water,
connected to the source of life
Coda:
Connected to the source of life.
Silence
A reading from the Letter of James (chapter 3, beginning at verse 13).
If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
Silence
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
Thanks be to God.
Open this link in a new tab to hear “Alleluia” from Marty Haugen’s Beneath the Tree of Life Mass.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Speak O Lord, we are listening
for you have the word of life.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Come, O Spirit, renew us,
reveal your word in our hearts.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark (chapter 9, beginning at verse 30).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Leaving that region, they traveled through Galilee. Jesus didn’t want anyone to know he was there, for he wanted to spend more time with his disciples and teach them. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” They didn’t understand what he was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant.
After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.”
Then he put a little child among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
Silence
This is the Gospel of the Lord,
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Friends of God or Friends of the World?
In the passage from his letter, which is this Sunday’s reading from the Epistles, the apostle James the Just, the brother of Jesus, could be describing one or more public figures of our age. They are motivated by selfish ambition. They are notorious for their lying and their boasting. They claim as their own the accomplishments of others and tell people that they achieved things that they did not attempt, much less succeed in accomplishing and may have hindered or opposed. They claim all the credit when something goes well and deny any responsibility when it doesn’t. With their rhetoric they encourage division, hatred, ill-will, and violence.
One might conclude that James was prescient, knew what would happen in the future. But when one considers the age in which he lived, it was in many ways not too different from our own. One only has to look at the reigns of the Roman Emperors of the times, particularly Tiberius in his later years, Caligula, and Nero. Their reigns were marked by villainy, betrayal, cruelty, and wanton killing. If one lesson can be learned from that period in history is the danger of placing too much power in the hands of one individual with no restraints placed upon their exercise of that power.
Caligula would conduct a series of purges of those whom he suspected of opposing him or conspiring against him, forcing them to commit suicide. He even turned against the one man who had enable him to survive and become emperor.
Centuries later three twentieth century dictators would follow his example. Joseph Stalin launched a series of purges to consolidate his control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Soviet state. Those who were not killed were imprisoned in Siberia’s infamous gulags.
Adolph Hitler ordered the extermination of Earnest Rohm and the Brown Shirts who had helped him rise to power. Hitler’s Third Reich would commit mass murder on an unprecedented scale.
Pol Pot, when he became dictator of Cambodia, not only carried out mass killings of those whom he perceived were opponents of his government but also repeatedly purged his own political party, summarily trying and executing those who had helped him take control of the country.
Caligula was so obsessed with himself that he proclaimed himself a god and decreed that anyone who looked at him when he was passing them should be executed immediately upon the spot. When his favorite sister Drusilla died, he proclaimed her a goddess of Rome, an unprecedented step. Caligula is reported to have been sexually attracted to this particular sister and even entertained thoughts of marrying her himself.
Caligula also craved the adulation of the crowd. He would personally take part in the chariot races in the arena.
Nero’s mother poisoned his stepfather, her uncle who was also her husband, and his step-brother so that he could become emperor. Later Nero would poison his mother. Nero is believed to have been responsible for a fire that destroyed much of Rome, a fire which he blamed on the early Christians whom he persecuted throughout his reign, sending them to the arena to be torn to pieces by wild beasts and burning them as living torches to light the night games. The apostle Paul is believed to have been executed at Nero’s order.
In contrast, the capable wife of this Sunday’s reading from the Old Testament, from the Book of Proverbs, exhibits a number of the qualities which James commends in this Sunday’s reading from the Epistles. She is generous to the poor and needy. She speaks with gentle wisdom. Her life honours God. These are not her only virtues, but they resonate with what James writes about being wise and understanding God’s ways.
When Jesus asks the disciples what they were discussing on the road to Capernaum in this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark’s Gospel, they don’t answer him. He sits down and calls them to him. Jesus knows his disciples’ minds and knows very well what they were discussing. From the Gospels we can gather that this was not the first time that they had gotten into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. They were not free from having narcissistic tendencies, having too much interest in themselves and having too much admiration for themselves. Jesus’ remarks must have deflated more than one ego. ““Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Taking last place and serving everyone else was, I suspect, not what they wanted to hear. Each disciple wanted to be the top dog and boss everyone else around.
We all may be acquainted with people with similar aspirations. They want to act as if they are more important than other people and to have the right to tell them what to do but they lack the qualities that make a true leader. In a Christian that means having a servant’s heart.
Jesus then takes a small child and puts the child in their midst. (I believe that we can safely assume that Jesus was staying with a family that had children.) He puts his arms around the child and tells his disciples. “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
Whoa! Let’s think about that for a minute and its implications.
Jesus is not just talking about our children or grandchildren, our relatives’ children or grandchildren, or our friends and neighbors’ children and grandchildren. Jesus is talking about all children. Yes, all children. The children of immigrants illegally in the country as well as the children of those legally in country like the Haitians in Springfield. When we welcome them, we welcome Jesus, and when we welcome Jesus, we welcome God.
On the other hand, if we are not friendly and welcoming toward them, we are not being friendly and welcoming to Jesus or to the One who sent him. This included listening to the hate talk directed at the people who have entered the country legally and may have been living in the country for a number of years as well as those who are new arrivals and are undocumented, letting the hate talk influence us, and repeating it in private conversations, on social media, and in other ways.
It is a lot to think about. As James points to the attention of those to whom he was writing and ourselves, we have a choice. We can be friends of God or friends of the world. We cannot be both. Being a friend of God entails believing in Jesus, trusting him and what he said, and living our lives according to his teaching and example. It means being faithful and obedient to God and walking as a true disciple of Jesus.
Caligula was so obsessed with himself that he proclaimed himself a god and decreed that anyone who looked at him when he was passing them should be executed immediately upon the spot. When his favorite sister Drusilla died, he proclaimed her a goddess of Rome, an unprecedented step. Caligula is reported to have been sexually attracted to this particular sister and even entertained thoughts of marrying her himself.
Caligula also craved the adulation of the crowd. He would personally take part in the chariot races in the arena.
Nero’s mother poisoned his stepfather, her uncle who was also her husband, and his step-brother so that he could become emperor. Later Nero would poison his mother. Nero is believed to have been responsible for a fire that destroyed much of Rome, a fire which he blamed on the early Christians whom he persecuted throughout his reign, sending them to the arena to be torn to pieces by wild beasts and burning them as living torches to light the night games. The apostle Paul is believed to have been executed at Nero’s order.
In contrast, the capable wife of this Sunday’s reading from the Old Testament, from the Book of Proverbs, exhibits a number of the qualities which James commends in this Sunday’s reading from the Epistles. She is generous to the poor and needy. She speaks with gentle wisdom. Her life honours God. These are not her only virtues, but they resonate with what James writes about being wise and understanding God’s ways.
When Jesus asks the disciples what they were discussing on the road to Capernaum in this Sunday’s Gospel reading from Mark’s Gospel, they don’t answer him. He sits down and calls them to him. Jesus knows his disciples’ minds and knows very well what they were discussing. From the Gospels we can gather that this was not the first time that they had gotten into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. They were not free from having narcissistic tendencies, having too much interest in themselves and having too much admiration for themselves. Jesus’ remarks must have deflated more than one ego. ““Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” Taking last place and serving everyone else was, I suspect, not what they wanted to hear. Each disciple wanted to be the top dog and boss everyone else around.
We all may be acquainted with people with similar aspirations. They want to act as if they are more important than other people and to have the right to tell them what to do but they lack the qualities that make a true leader. In a Christian that means having a servant’s heart.
Jesus then takes a small child and puts the child in their midst. (I believe that we can safely assume that Jesus was staying with a family that had children.) He puts his arms around the child and tells his disciples. “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.”
Whoa! Let’s think about that for a minute and its implications.
Jesus is not just talking about our children or grandchildren, our relatives’ children or grandchildren, or our friends and neighbors’ children and grandchildren. Jesus is talking about all children. Yes, all children. The children of immigrants illegally in the country as well as the children of those legally in country like the Haitians in Springfield. When we welcome them, we welcome Jesus, and when we welcome Jesus, we welcome God.
On the other hand, if we are not friendly and welcoming toward them, we are not being friendly and welcoming to Jesus or to the One who sent him. This included listening to the hate talk directed at the people who have entered the country legally and may have been living in the country for a number of years as well as those who are new arrivals and are undocumented, letting the hate talk influence us, and repeating it in private conversations, on social media, and in other ways.
It is a lot to think about. As James points to the attention of those to whom he was writing and ourselves, we have a choice. We can be friends of God or friends of the world. We cannot be both. Being a friend of God entails believing in Jesus, trusting him and what he said, and living our lives according to his teaching and example. It means being faithful and obedient to God and walking as a true disciple of Jesus.
Whose friendship then will you choose—God’s or the world’s?
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Area Murray’s “For Everyone Born, A Place at the Table.”
1 For everyone born, a place at the table,
for everyone born, clean water and bread,
a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
for everyone born, a star overhead,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
2 For woman and man, a place at the table,
revising the roles, deciding the share,
with wisdom and grace, dividing the power,
for woman and man, a system that’s fair,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
3 For young and for old, a place at the table,
a voice to be heard, a part in the song,
the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
for young and for old, the right to belong,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
4 For just and unjust, a place at the table,
abuser, abused, with need to forgive,
in anger, in hurt, a mindset of mercy,
for just and unjust, a new way to live,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
5 For everyone born, a place at the table,
to live without fear, and simply to be,
to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
for everyone born, the right to be free,
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Shirley Area Murray’s “For Everyone Born, A Place at the Table.”
1 For everyone born, a place at the table,
for everyone born, clean water and bread,
a shelter, a space, a safe place for growing,
for everyone born, a star overhead,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
2 For woman and man, a place at the table,
revising the roles, deciding the share,
with wisdom and grace, dividing the power,
for woman and man, a system that’s fair,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
3 For young and for old, a place at the table,
a voice to be heard, a part in the song,
the hands of a child in hands that are wrinkled,
for young and for old, the right to belong,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
4 For just and unjust, a place at the table,
abuser, abused, with need to forgive,
in anger, in hurt, a mindset of mercy,
for just and unjust, a new way to live,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
5 For everyone born, a place at the table,
to live without fear, and simply to be,
to work, to speak out, to witness and worship,
for everyone born, the right to be free,
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
Let us confess our faith, as we say:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you
will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer.
For the nation
We give thanks for…. We pray for….
Guide with your wisdom and power the leaders of the
nations, so that everyone may live in peace and mutual trust,
sharing with justice the resources of the earth. Give the people
in this land a spirit of unselfishness, compassion, and fairness
in public and private life.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
For the Church
We give thanks for…. We pray for.…
Send out the light and truth of your gospel and bring people
everywhere to know and love you. Enable those who minister
among us to commend your truth by their example and
teaching. May we gladly receive and obey your word.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
For those in need
We give thanks for…. We pray for….
We commend to your fatherly care, merciful God, all who are
in sorrow, sickness, discouragement or any other trouble.
Deliver them from their distress and succor them in their need.
Give them patience in the face of adversity and a firm trust in your goodness. Help those who care for them, and bring us all into
the joy of your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
For our own needs and the needs of others
We give thanks for…. We pray for….
We entrust to your safekeeping, Father, ourselves and each other, our families, our neighbours, and our friends. Enable us by your Spirit to live in love for you and for one another.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Thanksgiving for the faithfully departed
We give thanks for the life and work of ….
We praise you for all your servants whose lives have
honoured Christ. Encourage us by their example, so that we
run with perseverance the race that lies before us, and
share with them the fullness of joy in your kingdom.
Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:
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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Stephen Dean’s “Thanks Be to God.”
1 Thanks be to God whose love has gathered us this day;
Thanks be to God who helps and guides us on our way.
Thanks be to God who gives us voice that we may thank him;
Deo gratias, Deo gratias, Thanks be to God most high
2 Thanks be to God for all the gifts of life and light;
Thanks be to God whose care protects us day and night.
Thanks be to God who keeps in mind us who forget him
Deo gratias, Deo gratias, thanks be to God most high.
3 Thanks be to God who knows our secret joys and fears;
Thanks be to God who when we call him always hears.
Thanks be to God our rock and strength ever sustaining
Deo gratias, Deo gratias; Thanks be to God most high
4 Thanks be to God who never turns his face away’
Thanks be to God who heals and pardons all who stray,
Thanks be to God who welcomes us into the kingdom;
Deo gratias, Deo gratias; Thanks be to God most high.
5 Thanks be to God who made our world and all we see’
Thanks be to God who gave his Son to set us free,
Thanks be to God whose Spirit brings warmth and rejoicing;
Deo gratias; Deo gratias; thanks be to God most high.
Deo gratias, thank be to God.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Those present may extend their palms toward each other in a gesture of blessing.
May God, Creator, bless us and keep us,
may Christ be ever light for our lives,
may the Spirit of Love be our guide and path,
for all our days. Amen.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Those present may exchange a gesture of peace with these or similar words:
Peace be with you.
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
and God will delight when we are creators
of justice and joy, compassion and peace:
yes, God will delight when we are creators
of justice, justice and joy!
Let us confess our faith, as we say:
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ has promised that you
will hear us when we ask in faith: receive the prayers we offer.
For the nation
We give thanks for…. We pray for….
Guide with your wisdom and power the leaders of the
nations, so that everyone may live in peace and mutual trust,
sharing with justice the resources of the earth. Give the people
in this land a spirit of unselfishness, compassion, and fairness
in public and private life.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
For the Church
We give thanks for…. We pray for.…
Send out the light and truth of your gospel and bring people
everywhere to know and love you. Enable those who minister
among us to commend your truth by their example and
teaching. May we gladly receive and obey your word.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
For those in need
We give thanks for…. We pray for….
We commend to your fatherly care, merciful God, all who are
in sorrow, sickness, discouragement or any other trouble.
Deliver them from their distress and succor them in their need.
Give them patience in the face of adversity and a firm trust in your goodness. Help those who care for them, and bring us all into
the joy of your salvation.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
For our own needs and the needs of others
We give thanks for…. We pray for….
We entrust to your safekeeping, Father, ourselves and each other, our families, our neighbours, and our friends. Enable us by your Spirit to live in love for you and for one another.
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Thanksgiving for the faithfully departed
We give thanks for the life and work of ….
We praise you for all your servants whose lives have
honoured Christ. Encourage us by their example, so that we
run with perseverance the race that lies before us, and
share with them the fullness of joy in your kingdom.
Accept our prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:
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.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Stephen Dean’s “Thanks Be to God.”
1 Thanks be to God whose love has gathered us this day;
Thanks be to God who helps and guides us on our way.
Thanks be to God who gives us voice that we may thank him;
Deo gratias, Deo gratias, Thanks be to God most high
2 Thanks be to God for all the gifts of life and light;
Thanks be to God whose care protects us day and night.
Thanks be to God who keeps in mind us who forget him
Deo gratias, Deo gratias, thanks be to God most high.
3 Thanks be to God who knows our secret joys and fears;
Thanks be to God who when we call him always hears.
Thanks be to God our rock and strength ever sustaining
Deo gratias, Deo gratias; Thanks be to God most high
4 Thanks be to God who never turns his face away’
Thanks be to God who heals and pardons all who stray,
Thanks be to God who welcomes us into the kingdom;
Deo gratias, Deo gratias; Thanks be to God most high.
5 Thanks be to God who made our world and all we see’
Thanks be to God who gave his Son to set us free,
Thanks be to God whose Spirit brings warmth and rejoicing;
Deo gratias; Deo gratias; thanks be to God most high.
Deo gratias, thank be to God.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Holy and everliving God,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed;
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to your service,
and live each day in love to one another and to you,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Those present may extend their palms toward each other in a gesture of blessing.
May God, Creator, bless us and keep us,
may Christ be ever light for our lives,
may the Spirit of Love be our guide and path,
for all our days. Amen.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Those present may exchange a gesture of peace with these or similar words:
Peace be with you.
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