Spiritual Communion for the 3^rd Sunday of Epiphany

24^th January, 2021

pdf version

¶  Welcome & Gathering

          Grace, mercy and peace
          from God our Father
          and the Lord Jesus Christ
          be with you.

All:    and also with you.       

Hymn

All creatures of our God and King

Mormon Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAXv8mGM4cQ

All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and with us sing
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam:
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, O praise him, alleluia.

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,
ye lights of evening, find a voice:
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, O praise him, alleluia.

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
make music for thy Lord to hear,
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou fire so masterful and bright,
that givest us both warmth and light:
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, O praise him, alleluia.

Dear mother earth, who day by day
unfoldest blessings on our way,
alleluia, alleluia!

The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
let them his glory also show.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, O praise him, alleluia.

Alleluia!

Text: William Henry Draper (1855-1933)
Music: Geistlicher Kirchengesang, arr: R Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

Prayer of Preparation

          Almighty God,
          to whom all hearts are open,
          all desires known,
          and from whom 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 Jesus Christ our Lord.
          Amen.  

Prayers of Penitence

           The grace of God has dawned upon the world
           through our Saviour Jesus Christ,
           who sacrificed himself for us to purify a people as his own.
           Let us confess our sins.

         
           Lord Jesus, illuminate the darkness in our hearts:
           Lord, have mercy.

All:     Lord, have mercy.

          Lord Jesus, open our eyes to your saving love:
           Christ, have mercy.

All:     Christ, have mercy.

          Lord Jesus, unstop our ears to hear you living word:
            Lord, have mercy.

All:     Lord, have mercy.

          Absolution

          Almighty God,
          who forgives all who truly repent,
          have mercy upon you,
          pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
          confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
          and keep you in life eternal;
          through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All:     Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis

(Tune: At the name of Jesus: Camberwell)

All:     Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!

          Peace to all your people, through the earth be given:

          Mighty God and Father, thanks and praise we bring,

          Singing alleluyas to our heavenly King.

          Jesus Christ is risen, God the Father’s Son:

          With the Holy Spirit, you are Lord alone!

          Lamb once killed for sinners, all our guilt to bear,

          Show us now your mercy, now receive our prayer.

          Christ the world’s true Saviour, high and holy one,

          Seated now and reigning, from your Father’s throne:

          Lord and God, we praise you; highest heaven adores:

          In the Father’s glory, all the praise be yours!

The Collect

          Let us pray:

A period of silent prayer is kept.

Almighty God,
whose Son revealed in signs and miracles
the wonder of your saving presence:
renew your people with your heavenly grace,
and in all our weakness
sustain us by your mighty power;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

All:     Amen.

¶  The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading

Revelation 19:6-10

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder-peals, crying out,
‘Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
   the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
   and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
   and his bride has made herself ready;
to her it has been granted to be clothed
   with fine linen, bright and pure’—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ And he said to me, ‘These are true words of God.’ Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow-servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.’

At the end:

          This is the Word of the Lord.

All:     Thanks be to God.

Gradual Hymn

Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Westminster Abbey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1MN3chW1Hk

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways!
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper rev’rence praise,
in deeper rev’rence praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word,
rise up and follow thee,
rise up and follow thee.

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
the beauty of thy peace,
the beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm!

O still small voice of calm!

Text: John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

Music: Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918)

Gospel Reading

John 1:43-end

          Alleluia, alleluia.
          Christ was revealed in flesh, proclaimed among the nations
          and believed in throughout the world.

All:     Alleluia.

          Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. Alleluia!

All:     Glory to you, O Lord. Alleluia!

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.

At the end:

          This is the Gospel of the Lord. Alleluia!

All:     Praise to you, O Christ. Alleluia!

Reflection

Sally Kimmis

Affirmation of Faith

All:      We believe and trust in God the Father,
           source of all being and life, the one for whom we exist.

           We believe and trust in God the Son,
           who took our human nature, died for us and rose again.

           We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
           who gives life to the people of God
           and makes Christ known in the world.

           This is the faith of the Church.

           This is our faith.

          We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Prayers of Intercession 

To the bidding ‘Father, by your Spirit’, the response is:

All:     bring in your kingdom.   

          Father, use us, unworthy as we are,
           to bring in your kingdom of mercy, justice, love and peace.
           Empower us by your Spirit and unite us in your Son,
           that all our joy and delight may be to serve you,
           now and for ever.

All:     Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

         
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

All:      Our Father, who art in heaven,
           hallowed be thy name,
           thy kingdom come,
           thy will be done,
           on earth as it is in heaven.
           Give us this day our daily bread.
           And forgive us our trespasses
           as we forgive those who trespass against us.
           And lead us not into temptation;
           but deliver us from evil.
           For thine is the kingdom,
           the power and the glory,
           for ever and ever.  Amen.

Hymn

The Church’s one foundation

Jubilate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rIS166ppoE

The Church’s one foundation
is Jesus Christ, her Lord;
she is his new creation,
by water and the word;
from heav’n he came and sought her
to be his holy bride,
with his own blood he bought her,
and for her life he died.

Called out from ev’ry nation,
yet one throughout the earth,
her charter of salvation,
one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food,
and to one hope she presses,
with ev’ry grace endued.

We see her long-divided
by heresy and sect,
yet she by God is guided -
one people, one elect;
her vigil she is keeping,
her cry goes up, ‘How long?’
and soon the night of weeping
shall be the dawn of song.

In toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore;
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest,
at last the Church victorious
shall be the Church at rest.

Yet she on earth has union
with God the Three in One,
and mystic sweet communion
with those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, grant to us your grace
with them, the meek and lowly,
in heaven to see your face.

Text: Samuel John Stone (1839-1900)

Music: Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876)

Closing Prayer

          Almighty Father,
        whose 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;
        for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever.

All:     Amen.

Blessing

          May God the Son,
        who turned water into wine at the wedding feast at Cana,
        transform your lives and make glad your hearts;

        and the blessing of God almighty,
        the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
        be among you and remain with you, today and always.

All:     Amen.  

          Dismissal

          Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

All:     In the name of Christ. Amen.

 Voluntary

Director of Music: James Lilwall,