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Holy Communion

Holy Communion in the Season of Epiphany

Whether you are worshipping with us in the church building or from your home we hope you feel able to participate today.

To receive communion you will be invited to come forwards where the minister will intinct the wafer with the wine before placing it in in your hand. Please leave your face covering on as you move and clean your hands after receiving. Gluten free bread is available, and it is also possible to receive communion in your seat if you are unable to come forwards. Please speak to a steward before the service to indicate your wishes. For those at home you may wish to make your Spiritual Communion using the prayer that will be on the screen.

Children are an important part of our church family and we welcome the noise of infants into our midst. If young ones need more space to play or settle there is a parent led crèche available in the room at the front of church where the service can be heard through a speaker. When it not an All Age Communion service Children’s Church meets in Fearon Hall for those who wish to join in. The children will re-join the adults in time for the distribution of communion.

Our service is live streamed so those at home can join us in worship. If you would prefer to not be seen on camera please speak to a steward who will ensure you are seated appropriately.

Here at All Saints we are part of the Inclusive Church network and strive to be a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity, or sexuality.

We believe in a Church which welcomes and serves all people in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.

You are welcome here today. To stay in touch with us please leave your details with a steward or if worshipping on line use the comments to ask for contact details.

Once the service begins please join in with the words in bold type.


The Gathering

Processional Hymn

All stand to sing the hymn as the organ music begins and the ministers and servers process

Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesu, Lord, to you we raise,
manifested by the star
to the sages from afar,
branch of royal David's stem,
in thy birth at Bethlehem.
Anthems be to thee addrest,
God in man made manifest.

Manifest at Jordan's stream,
Prophet, Priest, and King supreme,
and at Cana, wedding guest,
in thy Godhead manifest;
manifest in power divine,
changing water into wine.
Anthems be to thee addrest
God in man made manifest.

Sun and moon shall darkened be,
stars shall fall, the heavens shall flee.
Christ will then like lightning shine;
all will see his glorious sign.
All will then the trumpet hear,
all will see the judge appear.
thou by all wilt be confessed,
God in man made manifest.

Grant us grace to see thee, Lord,
mirrored in thy holy Word.
May we imitate thee now,
and be pure, as pure art thou;
that we like to thee may be
at thy great epiphany
and may praise you, ever blest,
God in man made manifest.


The Greeting

Grace, mercy and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ

be with you.

and also with you.

 

The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us

and we beheld his glory.

 

Additional words of welcome from the president may be given and the theme of the service introduced.

 

Prayers of Penitence

The deacon or lay assistant invites us to confess our sins.

 

The grace of God has dawned upon the world

through our Saviour Jesus Christ,

who sacrificed himself for us to purify a people as his own.

Let us confess our sins.

 

Lord, Jesus, illuminate the darkness in our hearts:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy

 

Lord, Jesus, open our eyes to your saving love:

Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

 

Lord Jesus, unstop our ears to hear your living word:

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

 

The choir may sing a setting of the Kyrie or a short silence is kept before the president says the prayer of absolution.

 

May God of all healing and forgiveness

draw you to himself

and cleanse you from all your sins,

that you may behold the glory of his Son,

the Word made flesh,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

 

Gloria in Excelsis

We stand to sing the ancient hymn of praise together

 

Glory to God, glory to God,

glory to the Father.

Glory to God, glory to God,

glory to the Father.

To him be glory for ever.

To him be glory for ever.

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen

 

Glory to God, glory to God,

Son of the Father.

Glory to God, glory to God,

Son of the Father.

To him be glory for ever.

To him be glory for ever.

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen

 

Glory to God, glory to God,

glory to the Spirit.

Glory to God, glory to God,

glory to the Spirit.

To him be glory for ever.

To him be glory for ever.

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen,

Alleluia, amen

 

The Collect

The president introduces a period of silent prayer with the words ‘let us pray’. All remain standing for the period of silence and the collect - the special prayer for the day - and all respond

Amen.

 

The Liturgy of the Word

 

Readings

We sit to listen to one or two readings appointed for the day. At the end of each the following is said:

Isaiah 62.1-7 & 10-12 

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
    and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
    and her salvation like a burning torch.
The nations shall see your vindication,
    and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
    that the mouth of the Lord will give.
You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
    and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
    and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
    so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
    so shall your God rejoice over you.
Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
    I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
    they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
    take no rest,
and give him no rest
    until he establishes Jerusalem
    and makes it renowned throughout the earth.

Go through, go through the gates,
    prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
    clear it of stones,
    lift up an ensign over the peoples.
The Lord has proclaimed
    to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
    and his recompense before him.’
They shall be called, ‘The Holy People,
    The Redeemed of the Lord’;
and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out,
    A City Not Forsaken.


This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

 

2 Corinthians 6.2-10

For he says,

‘At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
    and on a day of salvation I have helped you.’

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honour and dishonour, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

 

Gospel Reading Matthew 3.1-6 & 11-17

We stand and sing together Alleluia as the Gospel book is carried to the middle of the church and the congregation turn to face the reader.

 

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

Glory to you, O Lord.

 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
    make his paths straight.”’

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

 

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

 

We sing a setting of Alleluia as the gospel is carried back. We sit after the preacher offers an introductory prayer.

 

Sermon

After the sermon there is a brief pause for reflection or the choir or music group may sing an anthem, then all stand to say the Affirmation of Faith, based on the Athanasian Creed.

 

 

Affirmation of Faith

 

We proclaim the Church's faith in Jesus Christ

 

We believe and declare that our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Son of God, is both divine and human.

 

God, of the being of the Father;

the only Son from before time began;

human from the being of his mother, born in the world;

fully God and fully human;

human in both mind and body.

 

As God he is equal to the Father,

as human he is less than the Father.

Although he is both divine and human

he is not two beings but one Christ.

 

One, not by turning God into flesh,

but by taking humanity into God;

truly one, not by mixing humanity with Godhead,

but by being one person.

 

For as mind and body form one human being

so the one Christ is both divine and human.

The Word became flesh and lived among us;

we have seen his glory,

the glory of the only Son from the Father,

full of grace and truth.

 

Prayers of Intercession

 

All sit or kneel for the prayers, which are led by a member of the congregation. One of the following responses may be used or another response may be given.

 

Lord in your mercy  or        Lord hear us

hear our prayer.                   Lord graciously hear us

 

The prayers may conclude with these words:

 

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

 

The Peace

We stand. The president introduces the peace

 

Christ is our peace.

If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation.

The old has passed away: behold, everything has become new.

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you

and also with you.

 

Let us offer one another a sign of peace

We exchange a sign of peace from our seats.

 

 

Offertory Hymn

During this hymn the altar table is prepared . The offertory plate is presented, symbolic of the financial gifts of the people and the president gives thanks for these. If you want to make a financial gift today you can do so before or after the service using cash or card.

She sits like a bird, brooding on the waters,
hovering on the chaos of the world’s first day:
she sighs and she sings, mothering creation,
waiting to give birth to all the Word will say.

She wings over earth, resting where she wishes,
lighting close at hand or soaring through the skies;
she nests in the womb, welcoming each wonder,
nourishing potential hidden to our eyes.

She dances in fire, startling her spectators,
waking tongues of ecstasy where dumbness reigned;
she weans and inspires all whose hearts are open,
nor can she be captured, silenced or restrained.

For she is the Spirit, one with God in essence,
gifted by the Saviour in eternal love;
and she is the key opening the scriptures,
enemy of apathy and heavenly dove.

Taking of the Bread and Wine

When the altar-table is prepared the president offers this prayer

 

Gracious God,

accept the offering of your Church,

the hearts of your people

joined in praise and thanksgiving,

in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord

Amen.

 

The president washes their hands symbolising our desire to come together at the Lord’s table with pure hearts and minds.

 

The Eucharistic Prayer

 

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.

 

The president praises God for His mighty acts and all respond by singing (to the tune of Infant Holy)

 

‘Holy, holy, holy, holy,’

Sang the angels in the skies.

‘Holy, holy, holy, holy,’

All creation now replies.

Blessed is the infant Saviour,

Blessed is the world’s redeemer.

Sing Hosanna to the king.

Sing Hosanna to the king.

 

The prayer continues recalling the Last Supper and asking the Holy Spirit to be present with us in the bread and wine.

 

The following response is used

 

            Praise to you Lord Jesus

           Dying you destroyed our death,

              Rising you restored our life:

              Lord Jesus, come in glory.

 

The prayer will have one of the following endings:


 by whom and with whom and in whom,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father;

for ever and ever.

Amen

 

OR

 

Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,,

all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father,

for ever and ever.

Amen

 

OR

 

We worship you, Father almighty, in songs of everlasting praise:

Blessing and honour and glory and power

be yours for ever and ever.

Amen.

 

 We kneel or sit and observe a period of silence.

 

The Lord’s Prayer

We say this prayer together, each in our own language. It may be led by a member of the congregation using one of the global languages that make up our intercultural community.

 

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 the bread of life,

and that life is the light of the world.

God here among us,

light in the midst of us,

bring us to light and life.

 

While the ministers break the remaining consecrated bread and the communion assistants come to the front we sing together

 

‘Holy, holy, holy, holy,’

Sang the angels in the skies.

‘Holy, holy, holy, holy,’

All creation now replies.

Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy

Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy

Grant us peace Emmanuel

Grant us peace Emmanuel

 

Giving of Communion

The president gives an invitation to communion.

 

God’s holy gifts

for God’s holy people

Jesus Christ is holy

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

 

The choir come forwards to receive communion first and then the stewards will invite the rest of the congregation to come forwards. Please wear your face covering as you move. The minister will intinct the wafer in the wine before placing it in your hand. If you would prefer to receive a blessing instead please keep your hands down at your side or cross them across your chest.

As we share communion the choir or music group may sing an anthem or music will be played.

 

Prayer after Communion

A brief silence is kept. The president says the post communion prayer for the day before we say the following prayer together:

 

We thank you Lord,

that you have fed us in this sacrament,

united us with Christ,

and given us a foretaste of the heavenly banquet

prepared for all peoples.

Amen.

 

 The Dismissal

Notices and publishing of the banns of marriage.

 

The Blessing

We stand for the president to give the blessing to which all respond.

 

Amen.

 

Final Hymn

When Jesus came to Jordan
to be baptized by John,
he did not come for pardon,
but as his Father's Son.
He came to share repentance
with all who mourn their sins,
to speak the vital sentence
with which good news begins.

He came to share temptation,
our utmost woe and loss,
for us and our salvation
to die upon the cross.
So when the Dove descended
on him, the Son of Man,
the hidden years had ended,
the age of grace began.

Come, Holy Spirit, aid us
to keep the vows we make,
this very day invade us,
and every bondage break.
Come, give our lives direction,
the gift we covet most:
to share the resurrection
that leads to Pentecost.

 

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Please remain standing in your seats until the ministers have passed by and then sit to enjoy the music leaving when you are ready in a socially distanced manner. 




Giving at All Saints

As a charity, we rely on occasional and regular donations to fund the work of the church and to ensure the upkeep of our historic building. If you would like to make a gift today, this can be done by cash or contactless payment or here

If All Saints is your church community please consider planning to give regularly as your own response to God through the Parish Giving Scheme. You can find out more how to do this here.

Thank you, from the Rector and Church Wardens.