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Prelude Open my Eyes
Acknowledgement
Welcome
The Gathering Hymn Canticle of the Sun
Canticle of the Sun Text and Music Marty Haugen ©1980 GIA Publications
Chorus
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
and all creation is shouting for joy.
Come, dance in the forest, come, play in the field,
and sing, sing to the glory of the Lord.
Praise for the sun, the bringer of day,
he carries the light of the Lord in his rays;
the moon and the stars who light up the way unto your throne. Chorus
Praise for the wind that blows through the trees,
the seas’ mighty storms, the gentlest breeze;
they blow where they will, they blow where they please to please the Lord. Chorus
Praise for the rain that waters our fields,
and blesses our crops so all the earth yields;
from death unto life her mystr’y revealed springs forth in joy. Chorus
Praise for the fire who gives us his light,
the warmth of the sun to brighten our night;
he dances with joy, his spirit so bright, he sings of you. Chorus
Praise for the earth who makes life to grow,
the creatures you made to let your life show;
the flowers and trees that help us to know the heart of love. Chorus
Praise for our death that makes our life real,
the knowledge of loss that helps us to feel;
the gift of yourself, your presence revealed to bring us home. Chorus
The Gathering
The heavens declare the glory of God, the Milky Way reveals God’s handiwork.
Yet I would mark all things down as a loss, compared to knowing the perfection of Christ Jesus my lord.
The stone which builders once rejected has now become the corner stone.
This is God’s own doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.
Holy, holy, holy are you most beautiful and mysterious God.
Holy, holy, holy are you, Christ Jesus, the very radiance of God.
Holy, holy, holy are you, True Spirit, the joy that lives in our hearts.
God our Friend, please do not allow familiarity to dull our awareness of your unspeakable love. May worship be the holiest aspiring and the dearest pleasure of our souls. In the name of Christ our Lord. Amen
Glory to God in the Highest MV 124 (three times)
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on earth.
Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on earth
Collect
Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered by your Holy Spirit into one, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
A Reading from the book, Exodus 17.1–7
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Psalm 78.1–4, 12–16
Refrain: God made the streams to come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers
Hear my teaching, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
God made the streams to come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers
That which we have heard and known, and what our ancestors have told us, we will not hide from their children. We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, who has done wonderful works.
God made the streams to come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers
God worked marvels in the sight of their ancestors, in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan, splitting open the sea and letting them pass through, making the waters stand up like walls; leading them with a cloud by day, and all the night through with the glow of fire; splitting hard rocks in the wilderness, and giving them drink as from the great deep; bringing streams out of the cliff, and the waters gushing out like rivers.
God made the streams to come out of the rock and caused waters to flow down like rivers
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians (2.1–13)
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
Listen for the Leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn 615 CP Just as I am (vs 1, 3, 5)
Just as I am, without one plea,
but that thy blood was shed for me,
and that thou biddest me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am, though tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fighting and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
Just as I am-thy love unknown
has broken every barrier down-
now to be thine, yea, thine alone,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
The Lord be with you And also with you
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Matthew (21.23–32)
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
The Homily
An Affirmation of Faith (from The Modern Liturgist)
We believe in God, the Creator!
Maker of everything,
Author of the Universe,
And Mystery behind every matter.
We believe in Jesus Christ!
God from God, Light from Light, true God and true human,
One with the Creator.
He is the Word made flesh and the Savior of all creation!
We believe in the Holy Spirit!
Breath of God moving among us,
One with the Creator and one with Christ,
He is our Guide and the Mentor of all creation! Amen.
Intercessions and Thanksgivings (written by Bruce Prewer)
Eternal God, we thank you for this week which has presented us with a panorama of exploding autumn colors. We thank you that you have so painted this world with colors that our eyes almost catch a glow from the brilliance.
Holy Friend, health of the sick, comfort of the sad, rebuke of the oppressor,
judge of the greedy, hope of the repentant, friend of the downtrodden;
in prayer we lift up to you this world with its outrageous injustices
yet also its outpouring of human kindness from ordinary people.
O Lord hear our prayer, and in your love answer
We pray for those who live with serious illness,
those with chronic pain, those with mental health issues,
those who find themselves feeling isolated and more alone than ever,
those without access to proper medical care,
those for whom treatment is no longer an option.
O Lord hear our prayer, and in Your love, answer.
Loving God, let your blessing be upon those
who serve their neighbours without thought of reward,
who forgive their enemies seventy times seven,
who care for broken strangers as if they were dearest friends,
who weep with the bereaved as if they were siblings,
who heal the diseased not counting the risk to themselves
O Lord hear our prayer, and in your love answer
Let your blessing encourage those
who work for peace when the only result seems to be more violence,
who preach and live the Gospel in the face of persecution,
who feed the hungry although their efforts get misinterpreted,
who stand up for the downtrodden in spite of public scorn,
and who maintain the church when those around belittle it.
O Lord hear our prayer, and in your love answer
Holy Friend,
please reach out your hand over each of us gathered here now,
that our faith may be enlarged and fortified,
our vision enlightened and extended,
and our compassion refreshed and widened.
O Lord hear our prayer, and in your love answer
Through Jesus of Nazareth,
whose love was good enough for the simple,
too much for the proud and powerful,
and absolutely amazing for all who shared his cup. Amen!
The Peace
We offer one another the Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ, may it rest upon you today and every day.
The Offering Hymn 618 CP Glorious in Majesty
Glorious in majesty, holy in His praises Jesus our saviour and our king Born a man yet God of old, let us all adore Him Filled with His Spirit let us sing Refrain Living is to love Him Serving Him to know His freedom Come along with us to join the praise of Jesus Come to Jesus now, Go to live His word rejoicing Victory He won for us, freeing us from darkness, Dying and rising from the dead Living with the Father now, yet He is among us We are the body, He the head One in love, as family, living with each other Gladly we share each other’s pain Yet He will not leave us so, soon He is returning Taking us back with Him to reign
Prayer over the gifts
Eternal God, in Jesus Christ we behold your glory. Receive the offering of your people gathered before you, and open our hearts and mouths to praise your great salvation, the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Great Thanksgiving Eucharistic Prayer 4
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.
It is right to give you thanks and praise,
O Lord, our God, sustainer of the universe,
you are worthy of glory and praise.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be:
the vast expanse of interstellar space,
galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses,
and this fragile earth, our island home;
by your will they were created and have their being.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
From the primal elements
you brought forth the human race,
and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill;
you made us the stewards of creation.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
But we turn against you, and betray your trust;
and we turn against one another.
Again and again you call us to return.
Through the prophets and sages
you reveal your righteous law.
In the fullness of time you sent your Son,
born of a woman, to be our Saviour.
He was wounded for our transgressions,
and bruised for our iniquities.
By his death he opened to us
the way of freedom and peace.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Therefore we praise you,
joining with the heavenly chorus,
with prophets, apostles, and martyrs,
and with those in every generation
who have looked to you in hope,
to proclaim with them your glory,
in their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of power and might Heaven and Earth are full of your glory Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed are you, Lord our God,
for sending us Jesus, the Christ,
who on the night he was handed over
to suffering and death,
took bread, said the blessing,
broke the bread, gave it to his friends,
and said, “Take this, and eat it:
this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after supper,
he took the cup of wine;
he gave you thanks,
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.”
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Gracious God,
we recall the death of your Son Jesus Christ,
we proclaim his resurrection and ascension,
and we look with expectation for his coming
as Lord of all the nations.
We who have been redeemed by him,
and made a new people by water and the Spirit,
now bring you these gifts.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this offering of your Church,
that we who eat and drink at this holy table
may share the divine life of Christ our Lord.
Glory to you for ever and ever.
Pour out your Spirit upon the whole earth
and make it your new creation.
Gather your Church together
from the ends of the earth into your kingdom,
where peace and justice are revealed,
that we, with all your people,
of every language, race, and nation,
may share the banquet you have promised;
through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
all honour and glory are yours, creator of all.
Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
As our Saviour taught us, let us 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.
Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen. The Breaking of the Bread We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread. The Communion These are the gifts of God for the People of God.
Songs During Communion Thuma Mina
The Wellspring
Prayer after Communion
Father in heaven, strengthen the unity of your Church, so that we who have been fed with holy things may fulfil your will in the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Glory to God,
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.
Blessing
May the blessings of the God of Community be with you the blessings of remembrance and celebration, the blessings of hearing and heeding, the blessings of learning and growing, the blessings of nurture and support. And may these blessings flow out through you to bless the creation of which we are a part. Amen
Announcements
Sending Hymn I will Sing
I will sing, I will sing a song unto the Lord, I will sing, I will sing a song unto the Lord, I will sing, I will sing a song unto the Lord, Alleluia, glory to the Lord. We will come, we will come as one before the Lord, We will come, we will come as one before the Lord, We will come, we will come as one before the Lord, Alleluia, glory to the Lord. If the Son, if the Son shall make you free, If the Son, if the Son shall make you free, If the Son, if the Son shall make you free, You shall be free indeed. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy, They that sow in tears shall reap in joy, They that sow in tears shall reap in joy, Alleluia, glory to the Lord. Ev’ry knee shall bow and ev’ry tongue confess, Ev’ry knee shall bow and ev’ry tongue confess, Ev’ry knee shall bow and ev’ry tongue confess, That Jesus Christ is Lord. In his name in his name we have the victory, In his name in his name we have the victory, In his name in his name we have the victory, Alleluia, glory to the Lord.
The Dismissal What does the Lord require of you,
except to do justice,
and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
These we will strive to do!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!!
Postlude Instrumental