Processional Hymn 34 Hanover

The Gathering of God’s People ~ The Greeting

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

The Collect for Purity

Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden;

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name,

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

God’s whole creation groans. The land produces thorns and thistles and longs to be set free. Our sin affects all around us. We confess our sins in penitence and faith.

Penitential Kyries

Your righteousness, Lord, is like the strong mountains,

and your judgements are like the great deep.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

With you is the well of life,

and in your light shall we see light.

Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Save us, Lord.

Continue your steadfast love to those who love you,

and your salvation to the upright of heart.

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy

General Absolution

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy on you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s 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.

The Collect

Almighty God, you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: Teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen.

Proclaiming and Receiving the Word

A reading from the Book Genesis.

These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground—then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,

‘This at last is bone of my bones
   and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
   for out of Man this one was taken.’

Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

This is the Word of the Lord.                            Genesis 2: 4b-9, 15-25

Thanks be to God.

Psalm, Te decet hymnus (65) Chant, Robinson in D (236) † (second part)

1  Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; •
   to you that answer prayer shall vows be paid.
2  To you shall all flesh come to confess their sins; •
   when our misdeeds prevail against us,
      you will purge them away.
3  Happy are they whom you choose
      and draw to your courts to dwell there. •
   We shall be satisfied with the blessings of your house,
      even of your holy temple.
4  With wonders you will answer us in your righteousness,
      O God of our salvation, •
   O hope of all the ends of the earth
      and of the farthest seas.
5  In your strength you set fast the mountains •
   and are girded about with might.
6  You still the raging of the seas, •
   the roaring of their waves
      and the clamour of the peoples.
7† Those who dwell at the ends of the earth
      tremble at your marvels; •
   the gates of the morning and evening sing your praise.

8  You visit the earth and water it; •
   you make it very plenteous.
9  The river of God is full of water; •
   you prepare grain for your people,
      for so you provide for the earth.
10  You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; •
   you soften the ground with showers and bless its increase.
11  You crown the year with your goodness, •
   and your paths overflow with plenty.
12  May the pastures of the wilderness flow with goodness •
   and the hills be girded with joy.
13  May the meadows be clothed with flocks of sheep •
   and the valleys stand so thick with corn
      that they shall laugh and sing.

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 Revelation to St John the Divine.

After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said,

‘Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.’ At once I was in the spirit, and there in heaven stood a throne, with one seated on the throne! And the one seated there looks like jasper and cornelian, and around the throne is a rainbow that looks like an emerald. Around the throne are twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones are twenty-four elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. Coming from the throne are flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne burn seven flaming torches, which are the seven spirits of God; and in front of the throne there is something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

Around the throne, and on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and inside. Day and night without ceasing they sing,

‘Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty,
   who was and is and is to come.’

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,

‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
   to receive glory and honour and power,
for you created all things,
   and by your will they existed and were created.’

This is the Word of the Lord.                                                                                 Revelation 4

Thanks be to God.

The Gradual Hymn 346 Angel voices

Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ, according to St Luke.

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

One day Jesus got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side of the lake.’ So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A gale swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, ‘Master, Master, we are perishing!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm.

He said to them, ‘Where is your faith?’ They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.                                         Luke 8: 22-25

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Peace (please stand)

You shall go out in joy and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.              Isaiah 55.12

The peace of the Lord be always with you!

And also with you.

The Offertory Hymn (retiring collection) 612 Melita

The Taking of the Bread and Wine

As the grain once scattered in the fields and the grapes once dispersed on the hillside are now reunited on this table in bread and wine, so, Lord, may your whole Church soon be gathered together from the corners of the earth into your kingdom. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving

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 indeed right, it is our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. For you have created the heavens and the earth, and formed us in your own image. In the fullness of time you sent forth your Son, your eternal Word, who laid down his life for our salvation and rose from the grave, the first-fruits of your new creation. You send forth your holy and life-giving Spirit to give life to our mortal bodies and to renew the face of the earth. Therefore with all the heavenly hosts, we give voice to everything that you have made,

and sing the eternal hymn of praise.

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, Father, the creator and sustainer of all things; you made us in your own image; male and female you created us; even when we turned away from you, you never ceased to care for us, but in your love and mercy you freed us from the slavery of sin, giving your only begotten Son to become man and suffer death on the cross to redeem us; he made there the one complete and all-sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world: he instituted and in his holy Gospel commanded us to continue, a perpetual memory of his precious death until he comes again.

On the night that he was betrayed he took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup; and when he had given thanks to you, he gave it to them, saying, Drink this, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Therefore, Father, with this bread and this cup

we do as Christ your Son commanded:

we remember his passion and death,

we celebrate his resurrection and ascension,

and we look for the coming of his kingdom.

Accept through him, our great high priest, this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; and as we eat and drink these holy gifts, grant by the power of the life-giving Spirit that we may be made one in your holy Church and partakers of the body and blood of your Son, that he may dwell in us and we in him;

Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,

by whom, and with whom, and in whom,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory are yours,

Almighty Father, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer (sit or kneel to pray)

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.

The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

We being many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world, grant us peace.

The Invitation

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God, who has taken away the sins of the world.

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,

but only say the word and I shall be healed.

The bread and the wine are laid out where people can approach

and receive them independently. Many people like to dip the wafer in the wine.

The Post Communion Prayer

God our creator, by your gift the tree of life was set at the heart of the earthly paradise, and the Bread of life at the heart of your Church. May we who have been nourished at your table on earth be transformed by the glory of the Saviour’s Cross and enjoy the delights of eternity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God,

we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food

of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.

Through him we offer you our souls and bodies
to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit
to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.

The Blessing

May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of all goodness and growth, pour his blessing upon all things created, and upon you his children, that you may use his gifts to his glory and the welfare of all peoples; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always. Amen.

The Dismissal

Tend the earth, care for God’s good creation, and bring forth the fruits of righteousness.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

in the name of Christ. Amen.Thanksgiving Hymn 44 Bunessan