3/12/24

The Holy Eucharist St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI March 17, 2024 Lent 4

 
The Holy Eucharist
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
March 17, 2024
Lent 4
Preludes: Jesus, I Will Ponder J.G. Walther; Have Mercy, O God J.S. Bach; In Memoriam Frank Bridge
 
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.
 
614 Forgive Our Sins
 
Confession and Absolution
Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against God. Let us then renounce our wilfulness and ask God’s mercy by confessing our sins in penitence and faith.
 
Most merciful God,
we have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. In your mercy forgive what we have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be; that we may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with you, our God. 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.
 
431 Take Up Your Cross, the Saviour Said
 
The Collect for Saint Patrick’s Day
Let us pray.
O God, we thank you for Patrick, whom you took into your service, to bring within the freedom of your household those who once enslaved him. Encourage us through his example, that we may know your power made perfect in our weakness, and delight in serving others for the sake of him who became servant of all, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
 
Karen Armstrong, Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life
“Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.”
 
The Proclamation of the Word
Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
A Reading From The Book Of Jeremiah
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church
Thanks be to God
 
Gospel: John 12:20-33
The Lord be with you
And also with you
The Holy Gospel Of Our Lord Jesus Christ according To John
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say - 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
 
Sermon
 
77 My Soul Cries Out (SNC)
 
An Affirmation of Faith (Colossians 3.10-16)
We affirm our faith in a compassionate God,
We clothe ourselves with the new self, according to the image of God our creator. We clothe ourselves without distinction of race, Creed or colour, we are one humanity; but Christ is all and in all! We clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 
 
We clothe ourselves with forgiveness; just as the Lord has forgiven us, so we also will forgive. We clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. We clothe ourselves with the peace of Christ in our hearts. We clothe ourselves with gratitude for all wisdom and praise. Amen.
 
The Prayers of the People
With confidence and trust let us pray to the God of all creation, saying: in your mercy hear us.
 
For the Church universal, for Linda our Primate, Sandra our Bishop, that you will give us courage to give up our preoccupation with ourselves and to give more of ourselves to your mission in the world. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
For the vision and mission of this Parish, that in faithful witness we may show your love and justice in all that we do. We ask you will give us the nourishment we need to bear the fruit of repentance, so that we too may be a people of forgiveness and mercy. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
For help to be a people of radical inclusion, that we may honour the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; help us create equality and safety for visible minorities, women, and for everyone. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
For peace in the world, that a spirit of respect and reconciliation may grow among nations and peoples. Give all people the courage to give up war, bitterness, hatred, and to seek peace. We pray especially at this time for peace in places of violence. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
For the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer. We give thanks for development and aid agencies and pray for refugees, prisoners, and all in danger; that they may be relieved and protected. Give us the courage to give up quarrels, strife and jealousy in our families, neighbourhoods and communities. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
For those we know who are ill at home or in the hospital, especially…
-
…and for others, we may name out loud or in our hearts…
-
Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
For those whom we have injured or offended, for grace to amend our lives and to further your reign of love and mercy. Bless us in our efforts to bring an end to poverty. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
In communion with all those who have walked in the way of holiness we pray for those who have died, especially…
-
…and we pray for comfort and peace to all those who mourn. Lord of compassion,
in your mercy hear us.
Almighty God, who in your wisdom chose people like Patrick to proclaim the Gospel of love: keep alive in us the fire of the faith he kindled and strengthen us in our pilgrimage towards the light of everlasting life; 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. Amen.
 
The Peace
Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us access to God’s grace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
 
545 We Will Lay Our Burden Down
 
The Celebration of the Eucharist
The Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
Eternal God, your only Son suffered death upon the cross to bring the world salvation. Accept the praise and thanksgiving we offer you this day, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
 
The Great Thanksgiving (EP 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, because you bid your faithful people to cleanse their hearts and to prepare with joy for the paschal feast; that reborn through the waters of baptism and renewed in the eucharistic mystery, we may be more fervent in prayer and more generous in the works of love.
 
Therefore we raise our voices to you in praise 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 (Lent and Holy Week)
We break this bread,
Communion in Christ’s body once broken.
Let your Church be the wheat
which bears its fruit in dying.
If we have died with him,
we shall live with him;
if we hold firm,
we shall reign with him.
 
The Communion
The gifts of God for the People of God.
Thanks be to God.
 
Lamb of 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.
 
HYMNs during communion
160 Spirit, Open My Heart (SNC)
 
PB 81 In His Time (verses 1, 2)
 
The Scattering
PB 81 In His Time (verses 1, 2)
 
The Prayer
All your works praise you, O Lord.
And your faithful servants bless you.
 
Gracious God we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. May we, who share his body, live his risen life; we, who drink his cup, bring life to others; we, whom the Spirit lights, give light to the world.
 
Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us, so that we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Blessing
May the God of mercy transform you by his grace. May you journey with a Saviour who has come. For we are all God’s children, in the Spirit we are one. And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.
 
482 Come and Journey
 
Dismissal
Go forth into the world,
remembering that the Lord
is full of compassion and mercy,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
Thanks be to God.