Preparing for worship
You will need:
• A table, set with a piece of bread and a glass of wine or juice and a cross.
• An Easter garden, if you have prepared one, on the table – or outside.
• A candle, lit on the table or in the garden
A warm welcome to our worship today for the Second Sunday in the Easter season – known as Low Sunday as we take a step down from the “all singing and dancing” celebrations of Easter Day. You might, nevertheless, like to decorate your Easter garden with some extra colour – and even hide an Easter Egg or two in it to search for later. Painting a Pace Egg (hard boiled) is a lovely tradition too, but be warned, the colour bleeds into the white if you’re intending to eat it!
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
We meet in faith and love with our sisters and brothers in faith, to worship and give thanks.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Be with us Lord, as we gather in your name;
direct our thoughts, teach us to pray;
lift up our hearts to worship you
in spirit and in truth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We say the Easter Anthems, printed on the front of the pewsheet
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE
After a moment of quiet reflection, we confess our sins to God with this prayer;
Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned in thought word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.
In your mercy, forgive what we have been,
help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be;
that we may act justly, love mercy
and walk humbly with you our God.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, deliver us from all evil and keep us in eternal life. Amen
We say the Gloria, in the traditional words, or sing it in the version below (to “Ode to Joy” or “Love Divine)
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
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.
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.
Or sing Glory be to God in heaven, peace to those who love him well;
on the earth let all his people speak his grace, his wonders tell:
Lord, we praise you for your glory, Mighty Father, heaven’s King
hear our joyful adoration and accept the thanks we bring.
Only Son of God the Father, Lamb who takes our sins away,
now with him in triumph seated, for your mercy, Lord, we pray:
Jesus Christ, most high and holy, Saviour, you are God alone,
in the glory of the Father, with the Spirit, ever One!
THE COLLECT and the two readings 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.
HYMN (said or sung)
The strife is o’er, the battle done;
now is the victor’s triumph won;
O let the song of praise be sung. Alleluia!
Death’s mightiest powers have done their worst,
and Jesus hath his foes dispersed;
let shouts of praise and joy outburst. Alleluia!
On the third morn he rose again
glorious in majesty to reign;
O let us swell the joyful strain. Alleluia!
Lord, by the stripes which wounded thee
from death’s dread sting thy servants free,
that we may live, and sing to thee. Alleluia!
THE GOSPEL The Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
At the end For the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
REFLECTION (on the website, attached to the email, or printed for you at the end of these sheets)
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
We affirm our faith in Jesus, the risen son of God.
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
Prayer for the needs of the church, the world, our community and for an end to this time of adversity.
1. As we share in the joy of Jesus’s disciples on Easter Day, let us pray to the Father
In Christ our Lord
2. That with our brothers and sisters in all the world, our hearts may be filled with God’s love which raised Jesus to new life, bringing hope and dispelling despair in our isolation, we pray to the Father
In Christ our Lord
3. That all the people of our world may turn from war and cruelty, and find the new life that Jesus won for us, that we may work together to overcome this virus, and care for all who have fallen ill, we pray to the Father
In Christ our Lord
4. That God will bless our families, friends and neighbours, all who we would love to be with today, and all the people of Chippenham, with his Easter joy, even in this time of hardship, we pray to the Father
In Christ our Lord
5. That everyone in need today may know the hope and strength of Jesus’s risen presence, especially our doctors, medics, nurses, carers and emergency workers, and those whom we hold in silence in our hearts ….… we pray to the Father
In Christ our Lord
6. That all who have died may have a share in the resurrection we celebrate at Easter. For………, and those for whom we would have had lilies in church today to remember at Eastertide, we pray to the Father
In Christ our Lord
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE PEACE
Jesus came and stood amongst his disciples and said, “Peace be with you”, and they were filled with joy when they saw the Lord.
Alleluia! The peace of the risen Lord be always with you.
and with all our sisters and brothers, near and far. Alleluia!
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
Morning has broken, like the first morning,
blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.
Praise for the singing!
Praise for the morning!
Praise for them springing, fresh from the Word.
Sweet the rain’s new fall, sunlit from heaven,
like the first dew fall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness
of the wet garden.
sprung in completeness, where his feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning.
Born of the one light Eden saw play.
Praise with elation!
Praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day.
SHARING THE FEAST
We are all, dispersed as we are, invited to the common table to share in a fellowship meal. At this table we come as brothers and sisters in the Holy Family of God.
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. If you are with another, give the bread to each other. As you give and receive the bread, say this 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.
Drink a sip of the wine or juice. If you are with another, give the wine to each other. As you give and receive the wine, say this prayer:
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
This joyful Easter-tide
away with sin and sorrow,
My love the crucified
hath sprung to life this morrow.
Had Christ, that once was slain,
ne’er burst his three-day prison,
our faith had been in vain,
but now hath Christ arisen,
arisen, arisen, arisen.
2 My flesh in hope shall rest,
and for a season slumber;
till trump from east to west
shall wake the dead in number.
3 Death’s flood hath lost its chill,
since Jesus crossed the river;
lover of souls from ill
my passing soul deliver.
BLESSING
God the Father,
by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead,
strengthen us to walk with him in his risen life;
and may the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be amongst us and remain with us, this Easter and always. Amen.
DISMISSAL
May we, now and always, abide in the peace of Christ, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia!