Second Sunday after Epiphany St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI January 19, 2024, 10:00 am

 
Second Sunday after Epiphany
St. Paul’s Church, Charlottetown, PEI
January 19, 2024, 10:00 am
 
Preludes: Adagio Antonio Vivaldi; Trumpet Voluntary Jeremiah Clark
 
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.
 
The Collect for Purity
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.
 
341 God of Mercy, God of Grace
 
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray,
Almighty God, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world. May your people, illumined by your word and sacraments, shine with the radiance of his glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
A Reading From The First Letter Of Paul To The Corinthians
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God
 
Psalm 36:5-10
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the strong mountains, your justice like the great deep; you save both man and beast, O Lord.
We feast on the riches of your house, O Lord.
How priceless is your love, O God! your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings. They feast upon the abundance of your house; you give them drink from the river of your delights.
We feast on the riches of your house, O Lord.
For with you is the well of life, and in your light we see light.
We feast on the riches of your house, O Lord.
Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and your favour to those who are true of heart.
We feast on the riches of your house, O Lord.
 
437 Jesus, Come, for We Invite You
 
The Holy Gospel: John 2:1-11
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.
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
 
Sermon
 
Prayers of the People
United in the same mind and the same purpose, let us pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the whole human family, saying: hear our prayer.
 
For the Church and for the unity of purpose of all Christian people. We pray especially for our bishops, and that all of us may have the freedom to follow Jesus’ call to service. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For this parish, that we who are called to celebrate (as if at a wedding feast) may see God’s glory reflected in us as we use our diverse gifts to show the love and mercy in all that we do. Bless us as we work for reconciliation with Indigenous people and the acceptance of everyone in the church and community. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For a spirit of hope, that all who find themselves walking in darkness may be renewed in mind and spirit with a vision and promise of life and wholeness. For all war-torn places in the world, for food and shelter for those in need. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For the members of the various levels of government, that your Spirit will give them wisdom, insight and courage to lead in ways that are just and righteous, and that everyone will have enough of what they need. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For all who help us deepen our relationship with you, that they may share the good news of Jesus in life-giving and healing ways. We pray for all healthcare providers and those who guide us through illness. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For all who struggle with the burdens of life, and for the people we know who are ill at home or in hospital, especially,
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And others we may name out loud or in our hearts,
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that the light of your love will bring them joy and wholeness. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For victims of our society, that we may be moved to help protect the innocent. We pray for all those who have died in your peace, remembering especially,
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that the light of Christ may shine upon them forever and bring comfort to their loved ones and to all who mourn. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
For the whole human family, help us to see your presence with us today and continue to inspire us with the lives of people like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and drive out darkness with light and drive out hatred with love. God of love,
Hear our prayer.
God of all dawning light, hear our prayers and give us courage to answer quickly the call to follow you, letting nothing in us interfere with the good news of your realm. Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
 
Confession and Absolution
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
Martin Luther King said, “Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”
 
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
 
Announcements
 
531 You Who Dwell in the Shelter of the Lord
 
The Celebration of the Holy Eucharist
Prayer Over the Gifts
Let us pray,
Living God, you have revealed your Son as the Messiah. May we hear his word and follow it and live as children of light. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
 
Supplementary Eucharistic Prayer 3 (S3)
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.
 
It is indeed right to thank you and praise you, holy and gracious God, creator of all things, ruler of heaven and earth, sustainer of life, for you are the source of all goodness, rich in mercy and abounding in love; you are faithful to your people in every generation, and your word endures for ever.
 
Therefore with angels and archangels, with the fellowship of saints and the company of heaven, we glorify your holy name, evermore praising you and singing,
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 praise you, merciful Father, not as we ought, but as we are able, because in your tender love you gave the world your only Son, in order that the world might be saved through him. He made you known by taking the form of a servant, healing the sick, liberating the oppressed, reaching out to the lost.
 
Betrayed, reviled, and nailed to the cross, he confronted the power of sin and disarmed it for ever. In his offering of himself, he became the perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Redeemed by Christ, we have been adopted as your children; by your pardon you have made us worthy to praise you.
 
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus, at supper with his friends, took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, gave it to them, and said, “Take and 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.”
 
In obedience to him and with grateful hearts we approach your holy table, remembering our Saviour’s sacrifice, and rejoicing in his victory. Confident in his sovereign purpose, we declare our faith.
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
 
Send your Holy Spirit on us that as we receive this bread and this cup we may partake of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and feed on him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
 
May we be renewed in his risen life, filled with love, and strengthened in our will to serve others; and make of our lives, we pray, a pure and holy sacrifice, acceptable to you, knitting us together as one in your Son Jesus Christ, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, now and forever. 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.
 
Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life,
and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us,
light in the midst of us,
bring us to light and life.
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
 
Lamb of God [sung]
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
PB 126 Holy Spirit, Come (repeat)
PB 115 Where the Spirit of the Lord Is (repeat)
PB 121 We Remember You (repeat)
 
The Sending Forth of the Community
PB 121 We Remember You (repeat)
 
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
God of glory, you nourish us with bread from heaven. Fill us with your Holy Spirit, that through us your light may shine in all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. 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.
 
The Blessing
May the God of infinite goodness
scatter the darkness of sin
and brighten your hearts with holiness;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among 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.