The Holy Eucharist
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
December 4, 2022, at 10:00 a.m.
Advent II - Peace
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.
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.
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.
Candle light, sacred light.
Mystery flames, burning bright
We are waiting for Jesus' new birth.
Shine his peace over all of the earth
Thanks for the gift of peace, thanks for the gift of peace.
© Catherine MacDonald 2006 (full permission given to use with acknowledgement)
Pastor in United Church of Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia
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.
First Reading: Isaiah 11:1-10
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder's den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. On that day the root of Jesse shall stand as a signal to the peoples; the nations shall inquire of him, and his dwelling shall be glorious.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God.
Give the King your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the King's Son; That he may rule your people righteously and the poor with justice; That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, and the little hills bring righteousness.
In his time shall peace and justice flourish.
He shall defend the needy among the people; he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor. He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, from one generation to another. He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, like showers that water the earth.
In his time shall peace and justice flourish.
In his time shall the righteous flourish; there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more. Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous deeds! And blessed be his glorious name for ever! and may all the earth be filled with his glory. Amen. Amen.
In his time shall peace and justice flourish.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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. But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 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."
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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 pray that you will establish righteousness, come to the world and bring peace – peace among nations – peace in our homes – and peace in our hearts. We pray for an end to racial discrimination, an end to gender-based violence, and for truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people. We pray for peace in Ukraine and in all places of war and violence. God of love:
We pray that we may seek Christ in holy scriptures, know him in the breaking of bread, and recognize him in one another. Break into our lives, where we struggle with sickness and pain, and set us free to serve you forever. We pray for Linda our Primate, Sandra our Bishop and all who minister in your name. God of love:
We pray for those in any distress from floods, drought, fire and earth-quakes, and we pray for those in need as we approach the Christmas season, especially for our outreach efforts and for the PWRDF World of Gifts campaign. God of love:
We pray that you will bind up the broken-hearted and restore the sick. 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 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:
Laboring God, with axe and winnowing fork you clear a holy space where hurt and destruction have no place, and a little child holds sway. Clear our lives of hatred and despair, sow seeds of joy and peace, that shoots of hope may spring forth and we may live in harmony with one another, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
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.
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 of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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.
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 that we should praise you, gracious God, for you created all things. You formed us in your own image: as your children you created us. When we turned away from you in sin, you did not cease to care for us, but opened a path of salvation for all people. You made a covenant with Israel, and through your servants Abraham and Sarah gave the promise of a blessing to all nations. Through Moses you led your people from bondage into freedom; through the prophets you renewed your promise of salvation.
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.
Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life.
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
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.
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.
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.
117 Lo, How a Rose E’re Blooming
457 Alleluia! Glory to God
402 Confitemini Domino (Latin, English repeat as needed)
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.
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.
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.
Go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the Peace of God the Creator.
Thanks be to God.
