Holy Communion for Sunday, 25 October 2020
Organ Prelude: O for the wings of a dove
by Felix Mendelssohn
Celebrant: Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Introit: Locus iste a Deo factus
Locus iste a Deo factus est.
Inaestimabile sacramentum
irreprehensibilis est.
Welcome
Welcome in the name of Christ.
God’s mercy, grace and peace be with you.
Good morning, Living Stones, and welcome to our Holy Communion Service on the twentieth Sunday after Trinity.
We begin with the Prayer of the Week.
Let us pray.
Prayer of the Week
Your love, O God, is boundless.
We who were strangers have been made your children.
We who were defenceless have been brought into your household.
Keep us mindful of your deeds of mercy,
that we may love you with our whole heart and love our neighbour as ourselves.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
Amen
Hymn: Alleluia, sing to Jesus!
Alleluia, sing to Jesus!
his the sceptre, his the throne;
alleluia, his the triumph
his the victory alone:
hark, the songs of peaceful Sion
thunder like a mighty flood;
Jesus out of every nation
hath redeemed us by his blood.
Alleluia, not as orphans
are we left in sorrow now;
alleluia, he is near us,
faith believes, nor questions how:
though the cloud from sight received him,
when the forty days were o’er,
shall our hearts forget his promise,
‘I am with you evermore’?
Alleluia, bread of angels,
thou on earth our food, our stay;
alleluia, here the sinful
flee to thee from day to day:
Intercessor, Friend of sinners,
earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
where the songs of all the sinless,
sweep across the crystal sea.
Alleluia, King eternal,
thee the Lord of lords we own;
alleluia, born of Mary,
earth thy footstool, heaven thy throne:
thou within the veil hast entered,
robed in flesh, our great High Priest;
thou on earth both Priest and Victim
in the eucharistic feast.
William Chatterton Dixon (1817–1898)
CCL31580
Gathering Prayer
Jesus said: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
Welcome to the house of God.
We have come from all the corners of the earth.
Welcome to the hospitality of God.
We come as we are; we bring our life, our stories, our journey.
Welcome, brothers and sisters.
We are the rainbow people of God.
Welcome, chosen people.
May God our companion bind us in his love.
Amen
The Confession
Forgive us for the things we have done and have not done.
Forgive us for the things we have said and have not said.
Forgive us for the life we have lived and not lived.
Beloved God, help us to reflect the image
of the one we profess to follow
in thought, word and deed,
and in discovering our true self
draw others into that light.
Amen
The Word of the Lord
Psalm 1
Read by Kate Abrahams
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither –
whatever they do prospers.,/em>
4 Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Matthew 22: 34–46
Read by Pat Kyd
The greatest commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’
37 Jesus replied: ‘ “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.’
Whose son is the Messiah?
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 ‘What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?’
‘The son of David,’ they replied.
43 He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him “Lord”? For he says,
44 ‘ “The Lord said to my Lord:
‘Sit at my right hand
until I put your enemies
under your feet.’ ”
45 If then David calls him “Lord”, how can he be his son?’ 46 No-one could say a word in reply, and from that day on no-one dared to ask him any more questions.
NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Sermon
Choeal reflection: Jesus, Remember Me – Taizé
Jesus, remember me
when you come in to your Kingdom.
An Affirmation of Faith
We believe in the Creator:
the maker of all things.
We believe in the Son:
the redeemer of our broken world.
We believe in the Spirit:
The sacred wind that binds all things together in the family of God.
Creator Father, beloved Son and living Spirit.
Amen
Intercessions
Led by Robin Kyd
We pray for the world-wide church in a week that the Church of England has been criticised for not believing the witness of those who have been violated by clergy and lay leaders, and not dealing with these victims in a caring and supportive way.
Heavenly Father, you have kept the Church over centuries; we pray for the people of your Holy Church today, where it is persecuted, protect it, where it is in error, reform it, where it is overwhelmed, provide for it and nurture it so that by your grace we and all your people may each of us fulfil your calling for us to your praise and glory.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for our world divided in so many ways between those with plenty and those in need, often dire, life-threatening need. Our generation is failing to answer the invitation to your banquet so you are calling your servants to go into the main streets and byways. We pray for all those involved in their employment or in voluntary work with helping the poor, sick, homeless, hungry, lonely and distressed. We have for several generations been upsetting the balance of the ecology of our earth by greed and wastefulness and need to find better ways of living particularly in the developed economies of the world which includes our own country.
God our Father, you never cease the work you have begun and prosper with blessing all human activity: make us wise and faithful servants of your gifts that we may serve the common good, maintain the fabric of the world and seek justice where all may share the good things you pour upon us through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We pray for us all gathered here and those worshipping with us using digital media. We pray for our family and friends; for those known to us who are sick or otherwise in need of your love and healing touch this morning. We pray for those who have requested prayers from our on-line prayer group and all who will visit this building in the coming week seeking help in their lives. We pray for our AGM this morning. We ask that those who will be elected to take office in different capacities will be ready and prepared to answer your call
Loving and merciful God, we pray that you will invite many to serve and meet the needs for a broader mission from this place and that, by your grace, such a call to serve will be answered by more who are ready and willing to sacrifice their time and abilities to show your love to this city centre and the people of Milton Keynes.
Lord in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Merciful father, accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen
Hymn: Firmly I believe and truly
Firmly I believe and truly
God is Three and God is One;
and I next acknowledge duly
manhood taken by the Son.
And I trust and hope most fully
in that manhood crucified;
and each thought and deed unruly
do to death as he has died.
Simply to his grace and wholly
light and life and strength belong,
and I love supremely, solely,
him the holy, him the strong.
And I hold in veneration,
for the love of him alone,
Holy Church as his creation,
and her teachings as his own.
Adoration ay be given,
with and though the angelic host,
to the God of earth and heaven,
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
John Henry Newman (1801–1890)
CCL31580
The Peace
Jesus says,
‘Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled,
neither let them be afraid.’
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Holy Communion
The Thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God for ever.
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 thanks and praise.
Eucharistic Prayer
It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation;
in your love you made us for yourself.
When we turned away
you did not reject us,
but came to meet us in your Son.
You embraced us as your children
and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
In Christ you shared our life
that we might live in him and he in us.
He opened his arms of love upon the cross
and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.
On the night he was betrayed,
at supper with his friends
he took bread, and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking 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 for the forgiveness of sins;
do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him:
his blood is shed for all.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory,
send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine
may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts
make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.
With your whole Church throughout the world
we offer you this sacrifice of praise
and lift our voice to join the eternal song of heaven:
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.
The Lord’s Prayer
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 for ever.
Amen
Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Take this bread:
Share this wine.
In these Christ comes to us with love from God.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Amen
Hymn: We have a gospel to proclaim
We have a gospel to proclaim,
good news for all throughout the earth;
the gospel of a Saviour’s name;
we sing his glory, tell his worth.
Tell of his birth at Bethlehem
not in a royal house or hall
but in a stable dark and dim,
the Word made flesh, a light for all.
Tell of his death at Calvary,
hated by those he came to save,
in lonely suffering on the cross;
for all he loved his life he gave.
Tell of that glorious Easter morn
empty the tomb, for he was fee.
He broke the power of death and hell
that we might share his victory.
Tell of his reign at God’s right hand,
by all creation glorified.
He sends his Spirit on his church
to live for him, the Lamb who died.
Now we rejoice to name him King:
Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
This gospel-message we proclaim:
we sing his glory, tell his worth.
Edward J. Burns (b. 1938)
CCL31580
The Blessing
Thank you for joining us this morning.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord turn his face towards you
and give you peace.
And the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father,
the Son
and the Holy Spirit
be among you
and remain with you
today and always.
Amen
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ.
Amen
