The Holy Eucharist, December 5, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.

 
The Holy Eucharist
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
December 5, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
Advent II and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
 
Introduction
 
The Gathering of the Community
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with you all.
And also with you.
 
Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from you 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.
 
The Lighting of the Advent Wreath – Peace
Let us pray,
God of Comfort, we pray for the peace that only You can bring through your Son, Jesus Christ. May we walk in the paths of peace guided by the Christ light shining in our hearts and in the world. Amen.
 
Song: Candle Light, Sacred Light (Tune - Silent Night)
© Catherine MacDonald 2006 (full permission given to use with acknowledgement)
Pastor in United Church of Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia
 
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
Almighty God, who sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people to welcome the Messiah, inspire us, the ministers and stewards of your truth, to turn our disobedient hearts to you, that when the Christ shall come again to be our judge, we may stand with confidence before his glory; who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Hymn 106: There’s a Voice in the Wilderness
 
The Proclamation of the Word
The Gospel: Luke 3:1-6
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, -as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; -and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Sermon
 
The Prayers of the People
In this Season of Advent, we pray for ourselves and the world, placing before you our hope, confident in your peace, mindful of your joy, basking in your love, saying, hear our prayer.
 
We are watchful at all times, we pray for strength to stand with confidence before you, O God, our Maker and Redeemer. Help us to live in the light of your coming and give us a longing for your realm of justice and mercy. Hear us when we cry to you for all the women and girls who experience violence; who are blamed and bruised by angry men; God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that you will establish among the nations your rule of righteousness, come to your world as King of nations, King of our hearts. We pray for Linda our Primate, Sandra our Bishop. Hear us when we cry out for mothers whose children are taken away by armies, governments, churches or family members; and the women and girls denied religious freedom, forced to submit by custom or law. God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that we may seek Christ in holy scriptures, know him in the breaking of the bread, recognize him in one another. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and distress, and set us free to serve you forever. Hear us when we cry out for women attacked because of their sexual identity, targets for physical or spiritual assault; We cry to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for our sisters, our daughters, our mothers, ourselves. God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray for all whom you call to share in the work of transforming the world so that girls and boys, women and men, may live, work and learn together with respect and dignity. We pray for organizations, programmes and individuals offering support to survivors; for specialized care for traumatized children bringing healing and hope. God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that you will bind up the brokenhearted, restore the sick and raise up all who have fallen, we pray for those we know who are ill at home or in the hospital, remembering especially…
- …
… and others we may name out loud, or in our hearts…
-
God of love:
Hear our prayer.
 
We pray that your light may dawn on all who live in darkness and the shadow of death, and come to us as shepherd and guardian of our souls. We remember those who have died in your peace and whose faith is known to you alone, especially…
-
…that, with all the saints in light, we may shine forth as lights for the world, God of love:
Hear our prayer.
Let us pray together:
Lord of justice and mercy, who has called us to be the body of Christ, use us as his hands and feet in the world; to raise awareness of what must be challenged, and to address the plight of the vulnerable.
 
We unite together across the world to champion the cause of  justice and to offer up our prayers for all who are affected by gender-based violence. Amen.
 
Confession and Absolution
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
Silence is kept.
 
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
 
Almighty God have mercy upon 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.
 
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
 
Announcements
 
Hymn 95: O Come Divine Messiah
 
The Celebration of the Eucharist
The Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray,
God our strength, we are nothing without you. Receive all we offer you this day as you sustain us with your mercy; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
The Great Thanksgiving: Eucharistic Prayer 3
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.
Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who in the fullness of time came among us in our flesh, and opened to us the way of salvation. Now we watch for the day when he will come again in power and great triumph to judge this world, that we, without shame or fear, may rejoice to behold his appearing. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name.
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 thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
 
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
 
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
 
Therefore, Father, according to his command,
we remember his death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory;
 
and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
 
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
 
In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation;
 
by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for 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
God of promise,
you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom.
Happy are those who are called
to the supper of the Lamb.
 
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
 
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 your peace.
 
Hymn 102: Prepare the Way, O Zion
270: Lamb of God, to Thee We Raise
Hymn 108: Hark, a Herald Voice Is Sounding
402: Confitemini Domino (Latin, English Latin)
 
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
Faithful God, we thank you for feeding us with this heavenly banquet. Help us always to hear the prophet's call to turn our hearts to you; in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
 
The doxology
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
Blessing
Be steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and untiring in love all the days of your life; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
 
Hymn 88: Come, Thou Long-expected Jesus
The Scattering
Go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the Peace of God the Creator.
Thanks be to God.