August 8th, 2021
Prelude:
We Cannot Own the Sunlit Sky- MV 143
We cannot own the sunlit sky, the moon, the wild-flowers growing, For we are part of all that is within life’s river flowing. With open hands receive and share the gifts of God’s creation, That all may have abundant life in every earthly nation.
When bodies shiver in the night and weary wait for morning, When children have no bread but tears, and war horns sound their warning. God calls humanity to awake, to join in common labor, That all may have abundant life, oneness with their neighbour.
God calls humanity to join as partners in creating a future free from want o fear, Life’s goodness celebrating, that new world beckons from afar, Invites our shared endeavor that all might have abundant life and peace endure forever.
Acknowledgement
Welcome
We greet you in the name of our welcoming God, with our many morning moods. Some of us could not wait to get here; some of us just made it. Some of us know exactly why we have come; others are not sure. Something calls each of us and we come to seek and to worship. Welcome to St. Paul’s!!
Gathering Hymn
O Love How Deep- 628
O love, how deep, how broad, how high! It fills the heart with ecstasy, that God, the Son of God, should take our mortal form for mortals’ sake.
God sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place
But wore the robe of human frame
For us, and to this lost world came.
For us he prayed, for us he taught, for us his daily works he wrought, by words and signs and actions thus still seeking not himself but us.
For us he rose from death again,
For us he went on high to reign
For us he sent his Spirit here
To guide, to strengthen, and to cheer.
To God whose boundless love has won
Salvation for us through the Son
To God the Creator, glory be
Both now and through eternity.
Gathering (Dorothy McRae-McMahon)
Life rises in our midst:
sometimes hard-won life.
It surprises us when it blossoms forth at unexpected times:
and in unexpected places.
It comes with power stronger than death: life born of faithfulness, life born of courage, life born of God. Thanks be to God.
Gathered here, we sense the Sacred in this place. May we be awakened again to the mysteries that humble us, the realities that orient us, the beauty that informs us, the fellowship that sustains us, and the creativity that heightens and deepens our living, that we may give ourselves in honesty and openness to the larger life before us. Amen
The Gloria
Glory to God in the Highest -MV
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.
Glory to God in the highest
And peace to God’s people on Earth.
The Collect
Almighty God, you sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church. Open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love, joy, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the second book of Samuel 18.5–9, 15, 31–33
The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom. So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.
Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.
Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.” The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church R: Thanks be to God
Psalm 130 Refrain My soul waits for the Lord
Out of the depths have I called you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication. If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand?
My soul waits for the Lord
For there is forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared. I wait for you, O Lord; my soul waits for you; in your word is my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
My soul waits for you, O Lord, more than sentinels for the morning, more than sentinels for the morning. O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy; with whom there is plenteous redemption, and who shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
My soul waits for the Lord.
Father, we commend to your faithful love those who are crying from the depths; help them to watch and praythrough their time of darkness, in sure hope of the dawn of your forgiveness and redemption; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
A Reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians (4.25—5.2)
So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church R: Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn
Servant Song-500CP
Sister, let me be your servant. let me be as Christ to you; Pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey. fellow travelers on the road. We are here to help each other Walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you
In the nighttime for your fear;
I will hold my hand out to you
Speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping. When you laugh, I'll laugh with you. I will share your joy and sorrow Till we've seen this journey thro'.
When we sing to God in heaven, We shall find such harmony Born of all we've known together Of great love and agony.
Brother, let me be your servant. Sister, let me walk with you; Pray that I might have the grace To let you be my servant, too.
Gospel Acclamation
MV 54
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
The Lord be with you R: And also with you
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. John (6.35, 41–51)
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The Gospel of Christ R: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
Affirmation of Faith (Flames of the Spirit Ruth Duck)
We know that God is in the world – was and is and will be. God made it all, and continues to renew and remake and resurrect.
We know God best in the life of Jesus, who was and is our maker of hope, the one who saves.
We know the power and energy of God in the Holy Spirit.
We are filled with God’s joy and pledged to discipleship and love.
We trust in God. We celebrate God. We work together for justice and peace through God.
We are never alone. We are free in the chosen bonds of the ways of Christ. Thanks be to God. Amen
Prayers of Intercession (© B D Prewer 2006 used with permission)
We pray for all of the blessings that we have received
Most loving God, we take too much for granted. Help us to rectify that. By your Spirit within us, change us into thankful people. May we may wonder anew each morning at the privilege of being alive, and go to bed each night giving thanks for all that the day’s living has given us.
We give thanks for all the influences that have brought us to this hour in your church. For family, friends, Sunday School teachers, visitors, pastors, neighbours or helpful strangers who have pointed our feet in the direction of Christ.
We give thanks for our early encounters with the ways of Jesus, and for those people whose example has enlarged our faith. For memories on which we can draw when we are low in spirit, and those faces we can picture when we are tempted to falter.
We give thanks for the hard lessons as well as the easy. For the frustration and disappointment, the pain and the turmoil, and the growing pains of the spirit. For the losses and the tears of grief, through which you have ministered to us even when we thought you were far away.
We give thanks for those special people whom you have sent our way, either as comforters or as discomforters. For every wise or kindly word that has restored our sagging hope, and each confronting word from one who loves you and us enough to dare speak the unpalatable truth.
We give thanks for the very fallible communities of the church in which we have worshipped, shared fellowship and given service to the wider world. For dear kindred spirits, and generous co-workers. But also for those whose views have disturbed us, or whose failings have saddened us and reminded us that we are all sinners being saved by grace.
Most loving God, for these your gifts, many which we have taken for granted, some which at the time we may have complained about as unwelcome impositions, we give you our thanks. Please continue the work you have commenced in us, and let gratitude continue on, not just a matter of words but as an enduring attitude. Through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
PRAYERS FOR OTHERS
Holy Friend, there are times when our prayers seem a weak and ineffective exercise in the face of the world’s enormous need. Please keep reminding us that though we are weak and unwise, you have infinite resourcefulness and wisdom. May the full and inexhaustible grace of Christ crucified and risen, keep us praying with faith and serving with humble compassion.
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on
Holy Friend, we pray for those who feel too harried, or too broken, or too despairing to pray for themselves. Please surround them with your everlasting arms of love, and bring some warmth and hope into even the bleakest situation.
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on
Holy Friend, we pray for many who are subject to injustice and abuse, and all who are used up and then cast aside like garbage. Please bring down tyrants and bullies at every level of life, and lift up the downtrodden and heal the broken in body, mind and spirit.
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on
Holy Friend, we pray for young people who are put in uniforms and ordered to make war on others; to bomb villages, blow up bridges, burn harvests, strafe refugees, and take few prisoners. And also for those who are sent incognito as suicide bombers into crowded places to create maximum carnage. Please bring this world back from its addiction to anger and violence to your ways of peace.
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on
Holy Friend, we pray for all who feed the hungry, tend the injured, stand with the oppressed, house the homeless, watch with the dying, comfort the grieving, encourage the disabled, empower the weak, and befriend the very fearful folk. Please widen our love to include all your children on earth.
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on
Holy Friend, we pray for your church in its glory and its shame. Help us to repent of our corporate sins, to increase our love for others, to live the love of Christ among the neglected and the lost, to encourage one another in fellowship and prayer, and to live optimistically by faith and love where the secular world wrings its hands in despair.
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on
Holy Friend, God and Saviour, lead us on towards that glory which you have prepared for all who love you. Through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
The Peace
The Peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you
The Offertory Hymn
I Am the Bread, The Bread of Life- CP56
I am the bread, the bread of life;
Who comes to me shall not hunger.
I am the bread, the bread of heaven;
Who feeds on me will never die.
And as you eat, remember me-
My body broken on the tree
My life was given to set you free,
And I’m alive for evermore.
I am the Vine, the living Vine; apart from me you can do nothing. I am the Vine, the real Vine: abide in me and I in you.
And as you drink, remember me, my blood was shed upon the tree: my life was given to set you free, and I'm alive for evermore.
So eat this bread and drink this wine, and as you do, receive this life of mine. All that I am, I give to you, that you may live for evermore.
Prayer over the Gifts
Thank you, God for the opportunity to share in your creative and restorative work among people. Because you have blessed us, we have much to give. These offerings express our gratitude and our aspiration to be more fully your own loyal community. 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 he 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.
The Lord’s Prayer
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
Rachel Cameron Solo
Prayer after Communion
All your works praise you, O Lord.
And your faithful servants bless you. Gracious God we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. May we, who share his body, live his risen life; we, who drink his cup, ring life to others; we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world. Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so that we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name; through Christ our Lord. Amen
The Blessing (Laughing Bird resources)
Go out and imitate God, living in love. Put your hope in God’s Word and let your own words be truthful and constructive. May sin rouse your anger, but never let anger cause you to sin. Don’t allow any room for evil.
And may God always hear your voice. May Christ Jesus raise you to new life; and may the Holy Spirit nourish you for the life of love. Amen
Closing Hymn
We Are Marching/ Siyahumba -VU646
We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God. We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, in the light of God. We are marching, marching, we are marching, marching,
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, the light of God.
We are marching, marching,
we are marching, marching,
we are marching in the light of God.
Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos', siyahamb' eku khanyen' kwenkhos'. Siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwenkhos', siyahamb' eku khanyen' kwenkhos'.
Siyahamba, khanyen' kwen khos'.
Siyahamba, hamba, siyahamba, hamba, siyahamb' ekukhanyen' kwen khos'.
Siyahamba, khanyen' kwen khos'.
Siyahamba, hamba, siyahamba
Hamba, siyahamba, ekukhanyen' kwen khos'.
We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God. We are marching in the light of God; we are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, in the light of God. We are marching, marching, we are marching, marching,
We are marching in the light of God.
We are marching, the light of God.
We are marching, marching,
we are marching, marching,
we are marching in the light of God.
Dismissal
Let us greet the world as children of God, rejoicing in its wonders, sharing its goodness with our brothers and sisters
And may the vision and the reality of God’s peace make this world a happy home for all the human family. Thanks be to God. Alleluia
Post Hymn
I Am By Charles Monroe
I am the way, the truth, the life;
No one comes to Yahweh but by me.
I am the way, the truth, the life;
No one comes to Yahweh but by me.
I am, I am, I am the way to God.
The ever lasting way.
The true living way.
The way of righteousness.
I am the way, the truth, the life;
No one comes to Yahweh but by me.
I am the way, the truth, the life;
No one comes to Yahweh but by me.
I am, I am, I am the way of truth.
And I shall make you free
if you will come to me,
You shall be free indeed.