12/9/21

The Holy Eucharist December 12, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.

 
The Holy Eucharist
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
December 12, 2021, at 10:00 a.m.
Advent III
 
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 – Joy
Let us pray,
Dear God, we pray for the joy that is found in Jesus, that those who seek it may truly find it. May we celebrate the joy found in You and share that joy so all may be guided by the Christ light shining in our hearts and in the world. Amen.
 
Song: Candle Light, Sacred Light

 

Candle light, sacred light.
Mystery flames, burning bright
We are waiting for Jesus' new birth.
Shine his joy over all of the earth.
Thanks for the gift of joy, thanks for the gift of joy.

 

 

 

© 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,
God of power and mercy, you call us once again to celebrate the coming of your Son. Remove those things which hinder love of you, that when he comes, he may find us waiting in awe and wonder for him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Hymn 105: Where Jordon Cuts the Wilderness
 
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading: Philippians 4:4-7
A Reading From The Letter Of Paul To The Philippians
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God
 
The Gospel: Luke 3:7-18
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.
John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin 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." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
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. Guide us in making effective and lasting change for the poor. God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that you will establish among the nations your rule of righteousness, come to your world as who rules in our hearts. We pray for Linda our Primate, Sandra our Bishop. Be with us as we work towards truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people. 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. Help us be aware of our prejudice and break into our lives with hope and peace, and set us free to serve you forever. 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…
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God of love:
Hear our prayer.
We pray that your light may dawn on all who live in darkness and in 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…
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…that, with all the saints in light, we may shine forth as lights for the world, God of love:
Hear our prayer.
Almighty God, as your blessed Son Jesus Christ first came to seek and to save the lost; so may he come again to find in us the completion of his redeeming work; for he is now alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. 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 104: Joy Shall Come
 
The Celebration of the Eucharist
The Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray,
God of hope, renew in us the joy of your salvation and make us a living sacrifice to you, for the sake 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 103: On Jordon’s Bank, the Baptist’s Cry
 
91: People Look East
 
116: “Your Kingdom Come”
 
100: Comfort, Comfort Ye My People
 
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
Merciful God, may this eucharist free us from our sins, fill us with unending joy, and prepare us for the birthday of our Saviour. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who is Lord now and for ever. 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 425: Joyful, Joyful
 
The Scattering
Go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the Joy of God the Creator.
Thanks be to God.

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