Hymn 358 King of glory, King of peace Tune Gwalchmai
The light and peace of Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
God in Christ has revealed his glory.
Come let us worship.
Give him praise, you servants of the Lord.
O praise the name of the Lord.
Introductory prayer
Faithful one, whose word is life: come with saving power to free our praise, inspire our prayer and shape our lives for the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Invitation
Jesus said, Before you offer your gift, go and be reconciled. As members of God’s family, we come together to ask our Father for forgiveness.
Confession
God our Father, full of grace and truth, you create us from nothing and give us life. You give your faithful people new life in the water of baptism. You do not turn your face from us, nor cast us aside. We confess that we have sinned against you and our neighbour. We have wounded your love and marred your image in us. Restore us for the sake of your Son, and bring us to your heavenly joy, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Forgiveness
May God, who loved the world so much, that he sent his Son to be our Saviour, forgive us our sins and make us holy to serve him in the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than either we desire, or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask save through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.
A reading from the book Exodus. The Israelites Are Oppressed
Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, ‘Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.’ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labour. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, ‘Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?’ The midwives said to Pharaoh, ‘Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.’ So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.’
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Exodus 1.8-2.10
Psalm Nisi quia Dominus. (124)
1,2 If the Lord himself had not been on our side,
now may Israel say; •
If the Lord had not been on our side,
when enemies rose up against us;
3 Then would they have swallowed us alive •
when their anger burned against us;
4 Then would the waters have overwhelmed us
and the torrent gone over our soul; •
over our soul would have swept the raging waters.
5 But blessed be the Lord •
who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.
6 Our soul has escaped
as a bird from the snare of the fowler; •
the snare is broken and we are delivered.
7 Our help is in the name of the Lord, •
who has made heaven and earth.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
A reading from the Epistle of St Paul to the Romans.
The New Life in Christ
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God. Romans 12.1-8
The Gradual Hymn 639 O thou who camest from above Tune Hereford
The Gospel
Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ, according to St Matthew.
Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 16.13-20
Statement of Faith
Let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; he was buried; he was raised to life on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; afterwards he appeared to his followers, and to all the apostles: this we have received and this we believe. Amen.
Hymn 553 Jesu, lover of my soul Tune Aberystwyth
Prayers of the People
Heavenly Father,
hear the prayer of the Church for its work and worship, as we look for the coming of the Kingdom. Keep all Christian people faithful in prayer, trusting that as we ask so we shall receive.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
We pray that the will of God may be done through all the world, until its people are made one in him. We pray for a new spirit among nations, that disputes shall be ended, differences reconciled and debts forgiven.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
Come in blessing to us, to our families, friends and neighbours, and give us what we need day by day. Give grace to all in our community, to share generously the good things we are given with those who have little or nothing.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
Bring hope and healing to all people and communities devastated by disease and hunger, violence and strife, or climate change. We pray for the advancement of medical science and the preservation of human life.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
Receive in mercy the souls of the departed and forgive the sins of their lives on earth. Grant them peace and joy for ever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
Looking for the coming of the kingdom among us, let us pray in the words that Jesus taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven:
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
A prayer for our Parish
Heavenly Father, may your kingdom be increased by all we do in this our parish. Encourage us to share the good news of your Son with family, friend and stranger. Teach us to live according to your will and send your Holy and life-giving Spirit into our hearts, and the hearts of all people. This we ask through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Acclamation
We go into the world to walk in God’s light,
to rejoice in God’s love and to reflect God’s glory.
Praise to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. Amen.
Hymn 567 Forth, in thy name, O Lord, I go Tune Song 34 (Angel’s Song)
St Audoen’s Church
St. Audoen (or Ouen), Bishop of Rouen, flourished in the 7th century, and a Church was dedicated to him in Dublin by the Anglo-Normans after they had seized control of the Scandinavian settlement; erected, in 1190, perhaps on the site of an older Church of St. Columba. St. Audoen’s was once one of the most prosperous Parishes within the city, and the Church was for many years frequented by the Lord Mayor and Corporation.
At the Reformation in the middle of the 16th century the Parish Church became officially Protestant, while most of the people of the Parish remained Roman Catholic. The Parish began to decline towards the end of the 18th century, when many of the wealthy residents moved away, a process that was hastened by the Act of Union of 1800. It was reported in 1825 that much of the Church was in a ruinous state, and “very few Protestants” remained in the Parish. One family, now resident in Enniskerry, merchants in the High Street in the 17th century, retains a link with St Audoen’s Church to this day.
Towards the end of the 20th century an extensive restoration project was carried out. St. Anne’s Chapel was re-roofed and is now the Visitor Centre in the care of the Office of Public Works, as are the unroofed parts of the Church and the grounds. In 1430 Henry VI granted the erection of a Chantry here, which survived the Reformation by many years.
In the modern porch is preserved an early Celtic grave marker called the Lucky Stone which has been kept nearby since before 1309. It was first mentioned when Jon LeDecer, Mayor of Dublin, erected a water cistern in Cornmarket and placed this stone against it. At that time, the city had a ‘running’ (though not pumped) supply of ‘living’ water from the distant River Dodder. In 1826 the stone disappeared, until found about twenty years later in front of the newly-erected Catholic Church of St Audoen in High Street, now the centre for the Polish Chaplaincy. Its portico (c. 1900) appears to be crowned with statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, her mother St Anne, and St Audoen, sometimes mistaken for St Patrick.
In the shelter of the porch rests the fifteenth-century monument of Sir Roland Fitz-Eustace, Earl Portlester, who died in 1496, and his wife, Margaret. It was originally in the Portlester Chapel which he founded, to the East of the Chapel of St Ann. They lie buried at Kilcullen Abbey, County Kildare, which he had founded in 1460.
Among the many buried under the floor of the church were Sir Thomas Molyneux and his son Capel, names well known in Dublin; and Edward Parry, Bishop of Killaloe, who died of the plague in 1650; and his descendants. His family monument can be seen in the clergy vestry, defaced by the soldiers of the dictator Oliver Cromwell, some years later. The Episcopal system was restored upon his demise, during a thunderstorm.
The upper parts of the massive medieval tower were rebuilt in the 17th century. Three of the oldest bells in Ireland, dating from 1423, are among six regularly rung for Church service. An early 20th Bürk master clock, to be seen in the churchwardens’ vestry, was brought from St. Peter’s Church in Aungier Street, closed in 1975. Some of the brass memorials on the south wall also came from there, while the War Memorial came from St Matthias, Adelaide Road. On the site of St Peter’s stands the YMCA building, in which the east window hangs, from the Church of St Nicholas without and St Luke, in the Coombe, close to St Patrick’s Cathedral, now reroofed and given to new use.
