The Holy Eucharist - The Harvest Thanksgiving
October 8, 2023 @ 10:00 a.m.
St. Paul’s Parish
The Season of Creation 2023
"Let Justice and Peace Flow"
The heavens declare the glory of God.
The firmament proclaims God’s handiwork.
The plants and trees show God’s presence.
Let us join with creation in praising God.
who moves and inspires us through every time and season,
we bless you and praise you for the gift of life in your good, created world.
that we may honour you among all peoples and nations,
create wholesome and right companionship with our fellow living creatures,
and work for the healing of this world that you created.
so that we may glorify your goodness to us and live rightly in your creation.
We pray to you through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You and the Spirit,
Three in One, One in Three, now and forever. Amen.
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.
Reading: Deuteronomy 8:7-18
For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, "My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth." But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors as he is doing today.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
As the whole of creation looks with eager longing for the redemption of humankind, let us pledge ourselves anew to serve our Creator God, the One who is the maker of all things, the Saviour through whom all things are made, and the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, who renews the face of the earth.
Lord of life and giver of hope,
we pledge ourselves to care for creation,
to reduce our waste,
to live sustainably,
and to value the rich diversity of life.
May your wisdom guide us,
that life in all its forms may flourish,
and may be faithful in voicing creation’s praise.
May the commitment we have made this day
be matched by our faithful living. Amen.
Creator God, teach us to see you in the beauty of the universe, for all things speak of you. Awaken our praise and thankfulness for everything that you have made. Give us the grace to perceive that we are connected to everything that is. In gratitude let us pray to the Lord
We give you thanks, O God.
God whom we love, we are here with open and humble hearts. In our imagination, allow us to see and hear and feel the beautiful expressions of the earth, that speak to each of us - mountains, rivers, prairie, oceans, islands, forest, meadows, trees, flowers.
… we pray for farmers and fishers, and everyone involved in the food industry, from field to table to disposal and compost, that each person is honoured for their contribution to this essential process…
In gratitude let us pray to the Lord
We give you thanks, O God.
God of love, show us our place in this world, as kin to all the non-human creatures with whom we share the earth. They came forth from your hand; they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love, and not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
… we pray for all who work for peace and justice in this world and in gratitude we praise the gifts and skills present in the people of this parish…
In gratitude let us pray to the Lord
We give you thanks, O God.
Saving God, we give thanks for all human beings on the earth, created from dust, yet crowned with glory, those we know and those who are strangers; those near to us and those far away; All of us beautiful, all of us flawed.
… we pray for those who are ill…
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In gratitude let us pray to the Lord
We give you thanks, O God.
God of abundance, we give thanks for the sun, for water, for soil, for air, on which our lives depend moment by moment. In silence we are aware of our frailty, our complete dependence on our beloved Mother Earth who nurtures us and sustains our every breath.
… we pray for those who mourn and those who have died…
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In gratitude let us pray to the Lord
We give you thanks, O God
Creator God, we enjoy the abundant fruits of the earth, yet, we acknowledge that we in the developed world, have often wasted the gifts of the earth, taking more than our share, leaving other people in other places in poverty and need. Renew our minds and transform us into servants of the earth, so that her richness and bounty will sustain, not only us, but generations to come after us.
… we pray for all who hunger, all who are homeless, all who seek employment, and all who hope to develop their skills and abilities…
In gratitude let us pray to the Lord
We give you thanks, O God.
All creation invites us to join our voices in praise to God.
Trusting in God’s mercy and grace,
let us confess our sin to God and to one another.
you created us and placed us here to care for all of creation.
Forgive us for turning away from you
and for neglecting the earth.
Raise us up and make us again stewards of your creation
that we may see your presence in all that surrounds us;
through Christ we pray. Amen.
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. (Isa 55:12)
With each other, with us all, and with all creation. Amen.
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray,
Bless these gifts and our lives, O God, that we may share both food and faith with all people and all creation. With our own hunger, feed the hungry; with our doubt, inspire our faith; and with our voice, we join other voices, demanding justice, here and everywhere, now and always. Amen.
May God be with you
And also with you
Lift up your hearts
We lift them up
Let us give thanks to God our Creator
It is right to give our thanks and 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.
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.
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 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.
402 Come and Fill Our hearts With Peace
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.
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.
God the Father, who created the world,
give you grace to be wise stewards of creation.
God the Son, who redeemed the world,
inspire you to go out as labourers into the harvest.
God the Holy Spirit, whose breath fills the whole creation,
help you to bear fruits of love, joy and peace.
And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
Go in peace,
and may the commitment we have made this day
be matched by our faithful living.
Thanks be to God.
