THE PARISH OF ALL SAINTS, UPPER TWICKENHAM A LITURGY OF HEALING, RECONCILIATION & RENEWAL www.allsaintstwickenham.co.uk
OPENING HYMN B e still for the presence of the Lord The holy one is here Come bow before him now With reverence and fear In him no sin is found We stand on holy ground Be still for the presence of the Lord The holy one is here Be still for the glory of the Lord Is shining all around He burns with holy fire With splendour he is crowned How awesome is the sight Our radiant king of light Be still for the glory of the Lord Is shining all around Be still for the power of the Lord Is moving in this place He comes to cleanse and heal To minister his grace No work to hard for him In faith receive from him Be still for the power of the Lord Is moving in this place 2
INTRODUCTION X In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. And with your Spirit. My dear friends, we are gathered here in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who is present among us. As the gospels relate, the sick came to him for healing; moreover, he loves us so much that he died for our sake. Through the apostle James, he has commanded us: Are there any who are sick among you? Let them send for the priests of the Church, and let the priests pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick persons, and the Lord will raise them up; and if they have committed any sins, their sins will be forgiven them. Let us therefore commend one another to the grace and power of Christ, that he may heal us and show us his mercy. THE OPENING PRAYER Let us pray G od our comforter, in this time of mercy you have come to bless us with your grace. Restore us and make us whole make us joyful in spirit, and ready to embrace your will. Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit One God, now and for ever. Amen. 3
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD A reading from the Gospel of St Mark X Jesus came back to Capernaum after a lapse of several days and word got around that he was at home. At that they began to gather in great numbers. There was no longer any room for them, even around the door. While he was delivering God s word to them, some people arrived bringing a paralyzed man to him. The four who carried him were unable to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they began to open up the roof over the spot where Jesus was. When they had made a hole, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, My son, your sins are forgiven. Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves: Why does the man talk in that way? He commits blasphemy! Who can forgive sins except God alone? Jesus was immediately aware of their reasoning, though they kept it to themselves, and he said to them: Why do you harbor these thoughts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven, or to say, Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk again? That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins (he said to the paralyzed man), I command you: Stand up! Pick up your mat and go home. The man stood and picked up his mat and went outside in the sight of everyone. They were awestruck; all gave praise to God, saying, We have never seen anything like this! The Gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God HOMILY Fr Philip Corbett SSC 4
THE LITURGIES OF HEALING & RENEWAL THE PENITENTIAL RITE You were sent with good news for the poor and healing for the contrite. You came to call sinners, not the righteous. You forgave the many sins of the woman who showed you great love. You did not shun the company of outcasts and sinners. You carried back to the fold the sheep that had strayed. You did not condemn the woman taken in adultery, but said, 'Go and sin no more.' You called Zacchaeus to repentance and a new life. You promised Paradise to the repentant thief. You are always interceding for us at the right hand of the Father. 5
THE THANKGIVING OVER THE BLESSED OIL Praise to you, God, the almighty Father. You sent your Son to live among us and bring us salvation. Blessed be God who heals us in Christ. Praise to you, God the only-begotten Son. You humbled yourself to share in our humanity and you heal our infirmities, Blessed be God who heals us in Christ. Praise to you God, the Holy Spirit, the Consoler. Your unfailing power gives us strength in our bodily weakness. Blessed be God who heals us in Christ. DURING THE MINISTRIES T he Lord s my shepherd, I ll not want; He makes me lie in pastures green. He leads me by the still, still waters, His goodness restores my soul. And I will trust in You alone, And I will trust in You alone, For Your endless mercy follows me, Your goodness will lead me home. He guides my ways in righteousness, And He anoints my head with oil, And my cup, it overflows with joy, I feast on His pure delights. 6
And though I walk the darkest path, I will not fear the evil one, For You are with me, and Your rod and staff Are the comfort I need to know. O God, you search me and you know me. All my thoughts lie open to your gaze. When I walk or lie down you are before me: Ever the maker and keeper of my days. You know my resting and my rising. You discern my purpose from afar, And with love everlasting you besiege me: In ev'ry moment of life or death, you are. Before a word is on my tongue, Lord, You have known its meaning through and through. You are with me beyond my understanding: God of my present, my past and future, too. Although your Spirit is upon me, Still I search for shelter from your light. There is nowhere on earth I can escape you: Even the darkness is radiant in your sight. For you created me and shaped me, Gave me life within my mother's womb. For the wonder of who I am, I praise you: Safe in your hands, all creation is made new. 7
S uch love, pure as the whitest snow Such love, weeps for the shame I know Such love, paying the debt I owe O Jesus, such love Such love, stilling my restlessness Such love, filling my emptiness Such love, showing me holiness O Jesus, such love Such love, springs from eternity Such love, streaming through history Such love, fountain of life to me O Jesus, such love HYMN OF THANKSGIVING AFTER THE MINISTRIES I n Christ alone my hope is found, He is my light, my strength, my song; This Cornerstone, this solid Ground, Firm through the fiercest drought and storm. What heights of love, what depths of peace, When fears are stilled, when strivings cease! My Comforter, my All in All, Here in the love of Christ I stand. In Christ alone! - who took on flesh, Fullness of God in helpless babe. This gift of love and righteousness, Scorned by the ones He came to save: Till on that cross as Jesus died, The love of God was magnified - For every sin on Him was laid; Here in the death of Christ I live. 8
There in the ground His body lay, Light of the world by darkness slain: Then bursting forth in glorious day Up from the grave He rose again! And as He stands in victory Sin's curse has lost its grip on me, For I am His and He is mine - Bought with the precious blood of Christ. No guilt in life, no fear in death, This is the power of Christ in me; From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand: Till He returns or calls me home, Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. THE LORD S PRAYER In joy and peace, let us now pray to our merciful Father as Jesus himself taught us. O ur 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. Amen. 9
The Lord be with you And also with you THE BLESSING AND DISMISSAL May the Lord be with you to protect you. Amen. May he guide you and give you strength. Amen. May he watch over you, keep you in his care, and bless you with his peace. Amen. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace, reconciled to God, and show the merciful face of the Father to the whole world Thanks be to God. FINAL HYMN B efore the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea. A great high Priest whose Name is Love Who ever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on His hands, My name is written on His heart. I know that while in Heaven He stands No tongue can bid me thence depart. 10
When Satan tempts me to despair And tells me of the guilt within, Upward I look and see Him there Who made an end of all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died My sinful soul is counted free. For God the just is satisfied To look on Him and pardon me. Behold Him there the risen Lamb, My perfect spotless righteousness, The great unchangeable I AM, The King of glory and of grace, One in Himself I cannot die. My soul is purchased by His blood, My life is hid with Christ on high, With Christ my Saviour and my God! 11
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: If you knew the gift of God! You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, l oved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with His anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. 12 We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.