Regular services at St Mary's

 

Sunday Service of the Word

Fifth Sunday of Easter May 10th 2020

Public worship is suspended in the Church of England. We invite everyone to join together in a Service of the Word at the time of our main Sunday Service 9:30 am, though you are welcome to pray this service at whatever time suits you.

To worship with us, please listen to the audio file and join in the responses in bold.

Listen to the Service of the Word

O Lord open our lips
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Alleluia, Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!


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 Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayers of Penitence

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

Jesus Christ, risen Master and triumphant Lord, we come to you in sorrow for our sins,

and confess to you our weakness and unbelief.

We have lived by our own strength,
and not by the power of your resurrection. In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.

We have lived by the light of our own eyes, as faithless and not believing.
In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.

We have lived for this world alone, and doubted our home in heaven. In your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.

May the Father of all mercies
cleanse us from our sins,
and restore us in his image
to the praise and glory of his name,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Collect


Almighty God,
who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ
have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life:
grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires,
so by your continual help
we may bring them to good effect;
through Jesus Christ our risen Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Readings

Acts 7.55-end 
Standing before the High Priest and the Council, Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.
This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.

1 Peter 2.2-10
Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:
‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
   a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ 
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
‘The stone that the builders rejected
   has become the very head of the corner’, 
and
‘A stone that makes them stumble,
   and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. 
Once you were not a people,
   but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
   but now you have received mercy.

This is the word of the Lord
Thanks be to God.

The Gospel


Alleluia, Alleluia
I am the first and the last, says the Lord, and the living one;
I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore.
Alleluia

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John
Glory to you, O Lord.

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’

Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

 

Sermon

You can listen to the sermon on the audio file.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

Intercessions

These responses are used

Lord in your mercy
hear our prayer

And at the end:
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers,
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

 

The Benedictus

The Lord is risen from the tomb
who for our sakes hung upon the tree. Alleluia.

Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,  who has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, 
born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets God promised of old 
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,

To show mercy to our ancestors, 
and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:  to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear,  holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of all their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,  and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now
and shall be for ever. Amen.

The Lord is risen from the tomb
who for our sakes hung upon the tree. Alleluia.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Saviour taught us, so we 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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.

Hymn

Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son:
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness, hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conqerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

 

The Blessing

The God of peace,who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight;
and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Sprit, be with you all, evermore
All :  Amen.

 

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May
3 Fourth Sunday of Easter
10 Fifth Sunday of Easter
17 Sixth Sunday of Easter
24 Ascension Sunday
31 Pentecost

June
7 Trinity Sunday
14 Corpus Christi
21 Trinity 2
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