Please keep this liturgy to use each week from Ash Wednesday till Mothering Sunday
– prayers, hymn suggestions and readings will be provided with the pewsheet each week.
If you’d like a hymnbook, Rod can drop one off to you.
Preparing for worship – if possible, beginning at 9am or 10.30
You’ll need a table, a piece of bread, a glass of wine or juice.
A cross.
A candle, ready to light on the table.
WELCOME
At the Passover meal, Jesus said to his disciples,
“How I have longed to share this hour with you.”
We come as different people, in different places, but together in worship;
to serve the Lord our God, who is one Lord,
and calls us all, as members of one family.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us
and with all our sisters and brothers, near and far.
HYMN
CALL TO THE FEAST
Light your candle with these words:
Out of darkness came light
and the power of God was revealed
in the running wave and the flowing air,
in the quiet earth and the shining stars.
Out of the dust came life;
and the image of God was revealed,
in the loving face and the gentle heart,
in the warmth of flesh and in the depth of the soul.
Out of justice came freedom;
and the wisdom of God was revealed,
in the need to grow and the will to love,
in the chance to learn and the power to choose.
And God looked at all that was created,
And behold, it was very good.
PENITENCE
The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart God will not despise.
Let us therefore bring our sins before God and confess them in penitence and faith.
After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God with this prayer;
Generous God,
You trusted us with your Word,
but we did not keep it.
You lit a flame in our midst,
but we have hidden it.
You called us to freedom
but we still live in our fears
Generous God, forgive us.
Generous God,
you call us to be salt and light;
but we have become bland and clouded.
You spread a table before us;
but we squander your gifts.
You call us to the marriage feast,
But we make our excuses.
Generous God, forgive us.
THE ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS
God of love, you forgive us and free us from our sins, you heal and strengthen us by the Holy Spirit,
and raise us to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen
In place of the Gloria during Lent, we say “Jesus, Saviour of the World”
| Jesus, Saviour of the world, come to us in your mercy:
we look to you to save and help us. By your cross and your life laid down, you set your people free: we look to you to save and help us. When they were ready to perish, you saved your disciples: we look to you to come to our help. In the greatness of your mercy, loose us from our chains, forgive the sins of all your people. Make yourself known as our Saviour and mighty deliverer; save and help us that we may praise you. Come now and dwell with us, Lord Christ Jesus: hear our prayer and be with us always. And when you come in your glory: make us to be one with you and to share the life of your kingdom.
|
THE COLLECT and the two readings for today are printed on the pewsheet
The first scripture reading
At the end, there may be a short period of silence followed by this response:
For the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
We say the Psalm or Canticle, printed on the front of the pewsheet
THE GOSPEL
Praise to you O Christ, king of eternal glory!
The Lord is God above all gods, O that you would listen to his voice.
The Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ according to … Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end for the Gospel of the Lord, Praise to you, O Christ.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
Let us affirm our faith in Jesus, the Son of God:
All: Though he was divine, he did not cling to equality with God
but humbled himself, taking the form of a servant.
Born as a human being, he became obedient;
even to death – death on a cross.
And so God has raised him up high,
giving him the name above every other name;
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
and every voice proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION – these may be replaced with material sent out each week.
Let us offer our prayers to God our Father, who has promised that He will hear us when we ask in faith:
May our keeping of Lent strengthen us and all your people for our witness and work in the world. Forgive us for the times we have denied our faith and give us grace to overcome all that keeps us from you.
Unite in the truth all who confess your name, that we may live together in love and proclaim your glory in all the world. Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for the peoples of the world and their leaders, especially those places most affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. Be with those who are working courageously to bring aid to those in need and to find peaceful solutions to countries in crisis. Strengthen in us the will to work together to seek the common good and to share wisely and generously the resources of the earth. Lord, graciously hear us
We give thanks for our local community and the fellowship we share, for the signs of spring in our gardens and in the countryside and for all the good things we enjoy. We pray for the daily observances we each keep in this season; as we seek to follow Christ in obedience and prayer, may we know the true power of his Easter victory. We commend to your keeping, Father, ourselves and each other, our families, our neighbours, and our friends. Help us by your Spirit to love you and one another. Lord, graciously hear us
We pray for those in need and all those who suffer; the poor, the distressed, the lonely, the unemployed. Especially today, amongst those who are sick, we pray for………… and all those known to us who have asked for our prayers. Comfort and heal, merciful Lord, all who are in sorrow, need, sickness, or any other difficulty. Give them a firm trust in your goodness; help those who minister to them; and bring us all the joy of your salvation.
Lord, graciously hear us
We give thanks for the life and witness of…………. and all who have died. We praise you, Lord God, for your faithful servants in every age, and ask that we may share with them in Christ’s resurrection glory, through his death and rising again for our salvation. Rejoicing in the fellowship we share with St Andrew and all God’s saints, we commend ourselves, all who share with us in the journey of Lent, and the whole of creation to his unfailing love. Lord, graciously hear us
THE PEACE
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whose grace alone we are saved.
May the peace of our Lord be with us always.
and with all our sisters and brothers, near and far.
We share a sign of peace with all people of faith throughout the world, by clasping our hands together and bowing our heads saying the word “Shalom”, peace.
HYMN
SHARING THE FEAST
Gracious God, we welcome your presence with us. May the table at which we share, nourish our bodies, hearts and minds, and may our spirits be refreshed. As we live in the light of your presence, with us now and at all times and places. Amen.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Those who come to me will never hunger,
those who believe in me will never thirst.”
O taste and see that God is good!
blessed are all those who put their trust in him.
Take and eat a piece of the bread and drink a sip of the wine or juice. If you are with another, give the bread and the wine to each other. As you give and receive the bread, say this prayer:
PRAYER
As we break this bread, and as we share it, we thank you, God, that you give us this day our daily bread.
For the food which delights and nourishes us and for the companionship that sustains us as your people.
And as you give and receive the wine:
We thank you for drink to quench our thirst and for the Living Water with which you surprise and enrich and transform our lives.
We give thanks for this feast at which all can share, though separated now. A foretaste of the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
As our Saviour 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.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.
HYMN
BLESSING
God bless each of us as we travel on.
In our times of need may we find a table spread in the wilderness and companions on the road.
Blessed be all who have gathered round at their tables this morning.
May we know the fullness of your presence at every meal and in all our sharing.