Holy Trinity Church, Thornhill

Transcription

1 Holy Trinity Church, Thornhill Established in Brooke Street, Thornhill, ON L4J 1Y9 Phone: Fax: Something good is happening here!! A BLUE CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

2 Seasonal Sentence Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. All flesh shall see the salvation of God Luke 3.4, 6 Hymn 114 Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending Lo, He comes with clouds descending, once for favoured sinners slain; Thousand thousand saints attending swell the triumph of his train: Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! God appears on earth to reign. Every eye shall now behold, robed in dreadful majesty; All who set at nought and sold him, pierced and nailed him to the tree, Deeply grieving, deeply grieving, deeply grieving, shall the true Messiah see. Now redemption, long expected, see in solemn pomp appear; All his saints, on earth rejected, thrill the trumpet sound to hear: Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah,! See the day of God appear. Yea, amen, let all adore thee, high on thine eternal throne; Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the kingdom for thine own: O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly! Hallelujah! Come, Lord, come! Welcome Order of Service Celebrant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. All: And also with you. Litany of Remembrance and Hope Leader: In the spirit of this season we approach the God of all hope and grace praying. Hear our prayer. That the peace proclaimed by the Christmas angels, may be visited throughout the world; God of hope, Leader: That s all those who know pain and loneliness as a constant companion, and those who live without hope, may hear and receive the glad tidings of your love for them; God of hope, 2

3 Leader: That our family and friends, and all who share our pain and grief, may know your peace and love; God of hope, Leader: That we do not try to minimize our loss during this time but in our vulnerability we might meet you, who came to us as a vulnerable child; God of hope, Leader: That for those things done and left undone, we might be forgiven and restored; God of hope, Leader: That nothing good in the lives of our departed loved ones be lost but will be of much value to the world; God of hope, In silence or aloud let us remember our departed loved ones Leader: Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord. People: And let light perpetual shine upon them. Leader: May the souls of the departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace and rise in glory. People: Amen. Hymn 109 When The King Shall Come Again (vv 1-2) When the King shall come again, all his power revealing, Splendour shall announce his reign, life and joy and healing; Earth no longer in decay, hope no more frustrated, This is God s redemption day longingly awaited. In the desert, trees take root, fresh from God s creation; Plants and flowers and sweetest fruit join the celebration; Rivers spring up from the earth, barren lands adorning. Valleys, this is your new birth; mountains, greet the morning! The Gospel Reader: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you. Reader: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke (1:26-38) All: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ. 3

4 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her. Reader: The Gospel of Christ. All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. REFLECTION Silence Hymn 109 When The King Shall Come Again (vv 3-4) Strengthen feeble hands and knees; fainting hearts, be cheerful! God, who comes for such as these, seeks and saves the fearful. Deaf ears, hear the silent tongues sing away their weeping; Blind eyes, see the lifeless ones walking, running, leaping. There God s highway shall be seen where no roaring lion. Nothing evil or unclean, walks the road to Zion: Ransomed people homeward bound all your praises voicing, See your Lord with glory crowned, share in his rejoicing. Lighting of the Advent Candles Leader: During the season of Advent, we recalled the hope, peace, love and joy which we have in Christ. 4

5 The First Candle speaks of HOPE - because God keeps his promises to us. The Candle of Hope is lit. Leader: The Second Candle speaks of the PEACE we seek. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and he calls his children to work for peace in his name. The Candle of Peace is lit. Leader: The Third Candle speaks of the JOY we share. The Holy Spirit fills our hearts and minds with the presence the God. The Candle of Joy is lit. Leader: The Fourth Candle speaks of the LOVE we show to each other. Jesus gave everything for us and led us to know the forgiving love of God. The Candle of Love is lit. Leader: We now will light our last candle, the CHRIST CANDLE, to remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. As the prophets promised so long ago, you have come to us once again; and with the shepherds, we are filled with wonder and amazement. The Christ Candle is lit. Leader: Lord, you came as a tiny, fragile baby; yet we know that you reveal the image of God and you are with us. May the flame of this candle remind us that you are the light of the world and that if we follow you, we will never walk in darkness, but will have the true light of life. All: Come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen. Priest: God our Comforter, in this Holy Season we are invited to receive good news of joy because people who once walked in darkness have seen a great light. May we who have suffered loss in our lives once again experience joy and see your light. May the light that is the Holy Child of Bethlehem illumine our hearts; through him who is Christ our Lord. People: Amen. Prayer over The Gifts (Page 580) Celebrant: Let us pray. God of mercy, accept the worship we offer you this day. Increase, we pray, our faith, deepen our hope, and confirm us in your eternal love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. All: Amen. 5

6 Eucharistic Prayer 3 (Page 198) Celebrant: The Lord is with you. People: And also with you. Celebrant: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to the Lord. Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give our thanks and praise. Celebrant: 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. All: 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. Please kneel or sit as you are able. 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. 6

7 Therefore, Father, according to his command, All: 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. All: Amen. The Lord s Prayer Celebrant: And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say People: 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. The Breaking of the Bread (page 584) Celebrant: This is the bread which has come down from heaven. People: Those who eat this bread will live for ever. The Breaking of the Bread 5 (page 212) Celebrant: God of promise, you prepare a banquet for us in your kingdom. People: Happy are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb. Lamb of God Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace, grant us peace. 7

8 The Communion Celebrant: The Gifts of God for the People of God. All: Thanks be to God. Communion Instrumental music during Communion: O Little Town of Bethlehem and other selections as required. Prayer after Communion (page 585) Celebrant: Let us pray Almighty God, we thank you that in your great love you have fed us with the spiritual food and drink of the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ, and have given us a foretaste of your heavenly banquet. Grant that this sacrament may be to us a comfort in affliction, and a pledge of our inheritance in that kingdom where there is no death, neither sorrow nor crying, but fullness of joy with all your saints; through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. All: Amen. Celebrant: Glory to God, All: 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 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. All: Amen. Announcements Recessional Hymn 136 While Shepherds Watched Their Flock While shepherds watched their flocks by night, all seated on the ground, The angel of the Lord came down, And glory shone around. Fear not, said he, for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind, Glad tidings of great joy I bring to you and all mankind. To you, in David s town this day is born of David s line, 8

9 The Saviour, who is Christ the Lord;and this shall be the sign. The heav nly Babe you there shall find to human view displayed, All meanly wrapped in swathing bands, and in a manger laid. Thus spake the seraph; and forthwith appeared a shining throng Of angels praising God, who thus addressed their joyful song. All glory be to God on high, and to the world be peace; Good will henceforth from heaven to earth begin, and never cease. Priest: This act of worship is ended! Our service in the world continues! Let us go in peace, to love and serve the Lord. All: Thanks be to God. ********************* 9