Thanksgiving 2016
This
order of service is adapted from material found at Common Worship and in the
Book of Alternative services.
Hymn
405: Alleluia No. 1
The Gathering of the Community
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the
universe.
Your word brings on the dusk of evening.
Your wisdom creates both night and day.
You determine the cycles of time.
You arrange the succession of seasons
and establish the stars in their heavenly
courses.
The Lord of hosts is your name.
Living and eternal God, rule over us always.
Blessed be the Lord, whose word makes
evening fall.
Consider the birds of the air; they do not
sow or gather into barns, yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they do not toil nor spin, yet even Solomon in all his glory was not
arrayed like one of these. Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
How little faith we have. Seek first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Matthew 6.26,28-30,33
Collect
Let us
pray,
Creator of the fruitful earth, you made us stewards of
all things. Give us grateful hearts for all your goodness, and steadfast wills
to use your bounty well, that the whole human family, today and in generations
to come, may with us give thanks for the riches of your creation. We ask this
in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Hymn
414: God of the Sparrow
The
Proclamation of the Word
A
Reading from The Letter of Paul to The Philippians
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not
worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,
which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable,
whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of
praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have
learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be
with you. 4:4-9
Hear
what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God
The
Holy Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to John
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
When they found Jesus on the other side of
the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus
answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not
because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work
for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has
set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the
works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that
you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign
are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work
are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is
written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to
them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread
from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For
the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the
world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."
Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will
never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." 6:25-35
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
The Bringing Forward of Symbols of the Harvest
Let us bring forward symbols of the harvest
and groceries,
gifts that God has created and that sun and
rain have nurtured.
Thanks be to God.
Bring forward the harvest of the cornfields,
the oats and the wheat, the rye and the
barley.
Thanks be to God.
Bring forward the harvest of vegetables,
the potatoes and carrots, turnips and beet,
peas and beans.
Thanks be to God.
Bring forward the harvest of trees and
bushes,
pears and apples, berries and herbs.
Thanks be to God.
Bring forward the harvest of flowers,
the finest blooms from our gardens and our
fields.
Thanks be to God.
Bring forward the grain and the grape,
for our Saviour took bread and wine to feed
us with his body and his blood,
given and shed for the life of the world.
Let us feed on him by faith with
thanksgiving.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn
502: Bring forth the Kingdom
During
the hymn people are invited
to
place symbols of the harvest and groceries.
The Prayers of the People
Let us give thanks to God, the God of all
peoples of the earth.
For the colour and forms of your creation and
our place within it, we bring our thanks, good Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
For our daily food, and for those whose work
and skill bring your good gifts to us, we bring our thanks, good Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
For the gifts and graces inspired in human
minds and hearts; for insight and imagination, for the skills of research which
bring healing and fulfilment to the lives of many; we bring our thanks, good
Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
For the light and shades of the changing
seasons, and their variety and dependability; for new life and growth out of
barrenness and decay; we bring our thanks, good Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
For new hope and strength in our communities,
especially in your Church and among all you call to serve you, we bring our
thanks, good Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
For all in whose lives we see goodness,
kindness, gentleness, patience and humility, and all the fruit of the Spirit,
we bring our thanks, good Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
For the life we have been given, and for all
those whom you have given us to share it, we bring our thanks, good Lord:
your mercy endures for ever.
We offer our prayers to you O God for the
life of the world and for all your people in their daily life and work.
The response for the remaining petitions is:
Hear our prayer.
Confession and Absolution
As those who know the generosity of God,
let us confess our sins,
especially the ways in which we take his good
gifts for granted.
Lord, you give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, you give us this day our daily bread.
Let us not be led into temptation. Christ,
have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, you give us this day our daily bread.
Deliver us from evil. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly
repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm
and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Announcements & Transitions
Hymn
662: The Trees of the Field
The Prayer over the Gifts
Let us
pray,
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.
Eucharistic Prayer (#5)
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.
We give you thanks and praise, almighty God, for
the gift of a world full of wonder, and for our life which comes from you. By
your power you sustain the universe.
Glory to you for ever
and ever.
You created us to love you with all our heart, and
to love each other as ourselves, but we rebel against you by the evil that we
do. In Jesus, your Son, you bring healing to our world and gather us into one
great family. Therefore, with all who serve you on earth and in heaven, we
praise your wonderful name, as we sing,
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.
We give you thanks and praise, loving Father, because
in sending Jesus, your Son, to us you showed us how much you love us. He cares
for the poor and the hungry. He suffers with the sick and the rejected.
Betrayed and forsaken, he did not strike back but
overcame hatred with love. On the cross he defeated the power of sin and death.
By raising him from the dead you show us the power of your love to bring new
life to all your people.
Glory to you for ever
and ever.
On the night before he gave up his life for us, Jesus,
at supper with his friends, took bread, gave thanks to you, broke it, and gave
it to them, saying, “Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which
is given for you.”
After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, said the
blessing, gave it to his friends, and said, “Drink this, all of you: this is
the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which is shed
for you and for many, so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.”
Glory to you for ever
and ever.
Gracious God, with this bread and wine we celebrate
the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we offer ourselves to you in him.
Send your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts, that
we may know the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread, and share in the
life of the family of your children.
Glory to you for ever
and ever.
Father, you call us to be your servants; fill us
with the courage and love of Jesus, that all the world may gather in joy at the
table of your kingdom.
We sing your praise, almighty Father, through
Jesus, our Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.
Glory to you for ever
and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us 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. Save us from the time of
trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are
yours, now and for ever. Amen.
The
Breaking of the Bread
Creator of all, you gave us golden fields of wheat,
whose many grains we have gathered
and made into this one bread.
So may your Church be gathered
from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.
The Communion
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
Welcome
We extend the hospitality of the Lord’s Table to all.
Here are some things to note for our worship today:
-
Standing,
kneeling or sitting are optional for the prayers at St. Paul’s Church and we
encourage people to do what is most comfortable. Unless, of course otherwise
instructed.
-
You may stand or
kneel at the railing to receive communion, or you can stay in your pew and
we'll bring communion to you (just let the greeters or one of the clergy know).
-
Communicants may
receive the bread and the wine from the common cup, or just the bread, or just
the wine.
-
We have gluten
free wafers upon request.
“Intinction” or dipping the bread in the wine is no longer an accepted
practice in this parish or throughout the diocese of NS & PEI. This measure is taken to help reduce the
spread of infectious diseases.
Hymns-during-communion:
-
Praise God
- 259: For the Fruit of All Creation
- 429: For the Beauty of the Earth
The Sending
Forth of the People
Anthem: With Joyful
thanksgiving
Prayer after Communion
Let us
pray,
God of our hope, in this eucharist we find the source of
all your blessings. Nourished in these holy mysteries may we, with our lives, give
you continual thanks and praise. This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Blessing
May God our creator, who clothes the lilies and
feeds the birds of the air, bestow on you his care and increase the harvest of
your righteousness; and may the blessing God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.
Hymn 397:
Praise the One Who Breaks
Sending Forth
Freely you have received, freely give.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
in the name of Christ. Amen.
