We welcome all and especially newcomers and visitors, whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on the journey of faith. Whenever you see this sign, + before a word or text, you are invited to make the sign of the cross.
GATHERING THE COMMUNITY
Prelude
Welcome and Introduction
The clergy will enter and kneel to pray. At this point, please move to your seats and conclude conversations quietly. The celebrant then welcomes the gathering informally.
The Greeting
The celebrant makes the Territorial Acknowledgement.
Celebrant The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
All And also with you.
Hymn “On Jordan’s Bank” CP 103
On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry
announces that the Lord is nigh.
Awake and harken, for he brings
glad tidings of the King of kings!
Then cleansed be every breast from sin:
make straight the way for God within,
Prepare we in our hearts a home,
where such a mighty guest may come.
For thou art our salvation
Lord, our refuge and our great reward,
Without thy grace we waste away
like flowers that wither and decay.
To heal the sick stretch out thine hand,
and bid the fallen sinner stand;
shine forth, and let thy light restore
earth’s own true loveliness once more
All praise , eternal Son,
to thee whose advent dothly people free
whom with the Father we adore,
and Holy Ghost for evermore.
Text: Charles Coffin (1676-1749); tr. John Chandler; Tune: WINCHESTER NEW | Pubic Domain
The Collect of the Day
Celebrant Let us pray.
The community prays in silence.
Celebrant Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit,
keep your children, born of water and the Spirit,
faithful to their calling;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Celebrant Let us prepare ourselves for the Word of God as it comes to us in the reading of Holy Scriptures.
All Our hearts and minds are open.
First Reading
Reader A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ISAIAH
But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honoured, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, "Give them up," and to the south, "Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth - everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." ISAIAH 43:1-7
Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
All Thanks be to God.
Musical Interlude.
Second Reading
Reader A READING FROM THE BOOK OF ACTS
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. ACTS 8:14-17
Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.
All Thanks be to God.
Musical Interlude. At the conclusion, please stand as you are able for….
The Gospel
Reader The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Reader +The Holy Gospel of Jesus the Christ according to Luke.
All Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." LUKE 3:15-17, 21-22
Reader The Gospel of Christ.
All Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Sermon
Affirming Our Faith (The Apostles’ Creed)
Celebrant Let us give voice to our convictions and substance to our hopes.
All I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again 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 Prayers of the People
Confession and Absolution
Deacon Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; God welcomes sinners and invites us to this table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness. We keep a moment of quiet for reflection.
Deacon Most merciful God,
All we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Celebrant Almighty God have mercy upon you, +pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
The Peace
Celebrant Our Saviour Christ is the Prince of Peace. of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end.
All And also with you.
The deacon will informally give directions.
CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST
The deacon prepares the table.
Prayer over the Gifts
Celebrant Let us pray
The community prays in silence.
Celebrant God of life and freedom, we celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the Christ who makes all creation new. Accept all we offer you this day and make us new in him, who is Lord for ever and ever.
All Amen.
The Great Thanksgiving
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
All And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Celebrant Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; by water and the Holy Spirit you have made us a holy people in Jesus Christ our Lord; you renew that mystery in bread and wine and nourish us to show forth your glory in all the world.
Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the holy people who have served you in every age, we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.
Sanctus
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. Hosanna in the highest.
Celebrant We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son.
For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “ Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he 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. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore, Father, according to his command,
All we remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming in glory;
Celebrant and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation
by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.
All Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (said)
Celebrant Now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, and each in the language in which you pray, we are bold to say,
All 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. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The celebrant breaks the consecrated bread.
Celebrant We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.
All God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.
The Invitation
Celebrant This is the table, not of the righteous, but of the poor in spirit It is made ready for those who love God and who want to love God more. So come, you who have much faith and you who have little, You who have been here often and you who have not been for a long time or ever before, You who have tried to follow and all of us who have failed. Come, not because the Church invites you; It is Christ who invites you to be known and fed here.
The gifts of God for the people of God
All Thanks be to God.
The Communion
Everyone is invited to share in the communion through receiving the bread or, if preferred, a prayer of blessing. Communion is shared according to local COVID-19 protocols.
THE CONCLUDING RITE
Prayer After Communion
Celebrant Let us pray.
The community prays in silence.
Celebrant God of life and freedom,
All we celebrate the revelation of Jesus as the Christ who makes all creation new. Accept all we offer you this day and make us new in him, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.
Celebrant Glory to God,
All whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Amen.
Announcements
The Blessing
Celebrant May God the Father, who led the wise men by the shining of a star to find the Christ, the Light from Light, lead you also in your pilgrimage to find the Lord.
All Amen.
Celebrant May God the Son, who turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana, transform your lives and make glad your hearts.
All Amen.
Celebrant May God the Holy Spirit, who came upon the beloved Son at his baptism in the river Jordan, pour out his gifts on you who have come to the waters of new birth.
All Amen.
Celebrant And the blessing of God almighty, the Creator, Sustainer and Giver of Life, be among you and remain with you always.
All Amen.
Hymn “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say“ CP508
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Come unto me and rest;
lay down, thou weary one,
lay down thy head upon my breast.”
I came to Jesus as I was,
so weary, worn, and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad.`
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“Behold, I freely give
the living water, thirsty one;
stoop down and drink and live.”
I came to Jesus, and I drank
of that life-giving stream;
my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
and now I live in him.
I heard the voice of Jesus say,
“I am this dark world's light.
Look unto me; thy morn shall rise
and all thy day be bright.”
I looked to Jesus, and I found
in him my star, my sun;
and in that light of life I’ll walk
till traveling days are done.
Text: Horatius Bonar| Music: Melody English trad. | KINGSFOLD | Public Domain
The Dismissal
Deacon We have come to Christ, the living water. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All In the name of Christ. Amen.
Postlude
