Trinity Sunday May 26, 2024 St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI

 
Trinity Sunday
May 26, 2024
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
 
Preludes:  Improvisation on Veni, Creator Spiritus Noel Rawsthorne; Berceuse Louise Vierne
 
1 Holy, Holy, Holy
 
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.
 
Summary of the Law
Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Amen. Lord, have mercy.
 
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
Father, we praise you: through your Word and Holy Spirit you created all things. You reveal your salvation in all the world by sending to us Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. Through your Holy Spirit you give us a share in your life and love. Fill us with the vision of your glory, that we may always serve and praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading: Isaiah 6:1-8
A Reading From The Book Of Isaiah
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
 
Second Reading: Romans 8:12-17
A Reading From The Letter Of Paul To The Romans
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh - for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ - if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.
Thanks be to God.
 
86 More Than We Can Ask or Imagine
 
Gospel Reading: John 3:1-17
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.
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Sermon:
 
The Prayers of the People
Holy, holy, holy God, in calling forth creation from the void, revealing yourself in human flesh, and pouring forth your Spirit to guide us, you show your concern for your whole universe. You invite us, as your people, to gather the world's needs and bring them before you, and so we pray saying, hear our prayer.
 
Eternal Trinity, we give thanks that in the beginning, you created the heavens and the earth, separated the dry land from the waters, the day from the night, provided seeds and vegetation, living creatures of every kind, and ourselves – human beings, created in your image. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Eternal Trinity, our God-given intellect, the love of Christ, and the holy courage of the Spirit, give us strength and will to serve with justice, mercy, and in peace. Help us encourage the leaders of our nation and in the world to do likewise. We pray especially for reconciliation with Indigenous People and for peace around the world, God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Eternal Trinity, our refuge and strength, our help in times of trouble. Have mercy on the lands damaged by fires. Have mercy on the lands where the weather has destroyed livelihoods. Give comfort to those who have been displaced, surround with your peace those who are anxious, and strengthen all first responders. We ask this in the name of the One who is our compassion and our hope. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Eternal Trinity, give grace, hope and healing to those who are ill in mind, body, or spirit and grant those who give them care continuing strength and perseverance. We pray especially for those we know who are ill at home or in the hospital…
-
… and others we may name out loud or in our hearts…
-         
… that they may know your love, forgiveness and presence. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Eternal Trinity, we pray for those who have died in your peace and whose faith is known to you alone. We remember especially,
-         
… that they may share in the risen life of Christ and be with those who mourn. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Eternal Trinity, for all of us we seek your blessing for our peace of heart, strength of mind, and courage of conviction. Let us hold fast together and walk through all blessings and trials of life. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
Holy, holy, holy God, fill us with strength and courage, with discernment and compassion, that we may be your instruments of justice and love in this world, that it may be on earth as it is in heaven, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen.
 
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; welcoming sinners and invites us to his table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
 
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
 
The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
 
PB 66 Stand in the Congregation (verses 1 - 3)
 
Prayer Over the Gifts
Let us pray,
Living God, receive all we offer you this day. Grant that hearing your word and responding to your Spirit, we may share in your divine life. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
 
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, because, in the mystery you disclose to us, you reveal your glory as the glory of your Son and the Holy Spirit: three persons equal in majesty, undivided in splendour, yet one Lord, one God, ever to be adored in your everlasting glory.
 
Therefore with all the company of heaven we raise our voices 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
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
We, being many, are one body,
for we all share in the one bread.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
               Thanks be to God.
 
Lamb of 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.
 
Hymns-during-communion:
Here I Am, Lord (verses 1 - 3, refrain after each verse)
PB123 God So Loved the World (verses 1, 2)
 
The Sending Forth of the Community
PB 123 God So Loved the World (verse 1)
 
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
Almighty and eternal God, may we who have received this eucharist worship you in all we do, and proclaim the glory of your majesty. We ask this 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
May God, faithful and true:
draw us deeply into the mystery of divine love,
that our worship may be seen in acts of service,
And may the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be amongst you and remain with you always. Amen.
 
255 Eternal God, Your Love’s Tremendous Glory
 
The Scattering (Mark 4:20)
Go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.