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Prelude: Now the Bells Ring
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering Song: Light One Candle
Light one candle for the Maccabee children With thanks that their light didn't die, Light one candle for the pain they endured When their right to exist was denied;
Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice Justice and freedom demand, And light one candle for the wisdom to know When the peacemaker's time is at hand.
Don't let the light go out, it's lasted for so many years; Don't let the light go out, let it shine through our love and our tears.
Light one candle for the strength that we need To never become our own foe, And light one candle for those who are suffering Pain we learned so long ago;
Light one candle for all we believe in That anger not tear us apart, And light one candle to bind us together With peace as the song in our heart.
Don't let the light go out, it's lasted for so many years; Don't let the light go out, let it shine through our love and our tears.
(Repeat)
And what is the memory that's valued so highly That we keep it alive in that flame? What the commitment to those who have died We cry out, They've not died in vain!
We have come this far, always believing
That justice will somehow prevail; This is the verdict, this is the promise, This is why we will not fail.
Don't let the light go out, it's lasted for so many years; Don't let the light go out, let it shine through our love and our tears.
(Repeat)
Don't let the light go out (x 3)
Gathering Sentences (Bread for the Journey)
We have come to praise God, who has done wonderful things among us
In Jesus, the Christ, God has shown us love giving light for our darkness, and strength for all our days
Sing praise to God’s name, bow before God in prayer, open your hearts to God’s saving word
Arise, shine for your light has come!
God of infinite love, who through Jesus Christ shared our life and communed with tax collectors and sinners, we rejoice that you come to us and seek us where we are and as we are. We celebrate Christ’s presence with us now, working in us your new creation. Amen
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, by grace alone you call us and accept us in your service. Strengthen us by your Spirit, and make us worthy of your call; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the prophet Isaiah 9.1–4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined. You have multiplied the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as people exult when dividing plunder. For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
Living word of God live in our lives today
Psalm 27.1, 5–13 Refrain: The Lord is my light and salvation.
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid? For in the day of trouble, O God, you shall keep me safe in your shelter; you shall hide me in the secrecy of your dwelling and set me high upon a rock. Even now you lift up my head above my enemies round about me. Therefore I will offer in your dwelling an oblation with sounds of great gladness; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
The Lord is my light and salvation.
Hearken to my voice, O Lord, when I call; have mercy on me and answer me. You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.” Your face, Lord, will I seek.
The Lord is my light and salvation.
Hide not your face from me, nor turn away your servant in displeasure. You have been my helper; cast me not away; do not forsake me, O God of my salvation. Though my father and my mother forsake me, the Lord will sustain me.
The Lord is my light and salvation.
Show me your way, O Lord; lead me on a level path, because of my enemies. Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen up against me, and also those who speak malice. What if I had not believed that I should see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!
The Lord is my light and salvation.
A Reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians 1.10–18
Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Living word of God live in our lives today
Gradual Hymn: CP 425 Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee
Joyful, Joyful we adore thee, God of glory; Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away;
giver of immortal gladness; fill us with the light of day
All thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays;
stars and angels sing around thee, centre of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,
wellspring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father and our Mother, all who live in love are thine;
teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine.
The Lord be with you And Also with you
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 4.12–23
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.’ From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ
The star of divine promise shines before us still.
Over a world of mute hopes, dim visions, dark fears, still the light shines.
In a world shrouded by darkness both tragic and willful,
still we proclaim: Our light has come. The glory of God shines upon us.
For One born of God is born of our own flesh, and that One is light for our lives.
As we receive the light and let it shine through us, it rises as a beacon for a darkened world.
The peoples shall stream toward its promise; meek and might alike share in its dawning brightness.
Then all shall say; Arise! The glory of God is upon us. Amen
Prayers of the People (from Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Resources)
With faith and confidence, we come in prayer, before God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Creator God, today we live with the consequences of actions that have made life unsustainable for some and overabundant for others. Teach us to know how to use responsibly the resources you have given to us for the benefit of all and the respect of your creation. The groaning creation cries out to you.
Teach us and show us the way.
Compassionate God, help us repair the harm that we have inflicted upon each other and the divisions we have created among your people. Just as Christ Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit onto the disciples to birth the community of the new creation, send your grace to heal our divisions and gift us with the unity for which Jesus prayed.
Teach us and show us the way.
Christ, the way, the truth and the life, you embodied justice in your ministry on earth by the good that you did, breaking down the walls that divide and the prejudices that imprison. Open our hearts and minds to recognize that though we are many, we are one in you.
Teach us and show us the way.
Holy Spirit, you create anew the face of the earth. The summit of the mountains, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the lakes speak to us –
Because we are connected.
The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrops on the flower speak to us –
Because we are connected.
The voices of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized speak to us –
Because we are connected.
The Peace
Offertory Hymn: CP 430 Will You Come and Follow Me
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name? Will you go where you don't know and never be the same? Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known, will you let my life be grown in you, and you in me?
Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name? Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare? Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?
Will you let the blinded see if I but call your name? Will you set the prisoners free and never be the same? Will you kiss the leper clean and do such as this unseen? And admit to what I mean in you, and you in me?
Will you love the "you" you hide if I but call your name? Will you quell the fear inside and never be the same? Will you use the faith you've found to reshape the world around through my sight and touch and sound in you, and you in me?
Lord, your summons echoes true when you but call my name. Let me turn and follow you and never be the same. In your company I'll go, where your love and footsteps show. Thus I'll move and live and grow in you, and you in me.
Prayer over the Gifts
Loving God, before the world began you called us. Make holy all we offer you this day, and strengthen us in that calling. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
The Great Thanksgiving
May God be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to God our Creator.
It is right to offer thanks and praise.
Eternal God, Source of all being, we give you thanks and praise for your faithful love. You call us into friendship with you and one another to be your holy people, a sign of your presence in the world. When those we trust betray us, unfailingly you remain with us. When we injure others, you confront us in your love and call us to the paths of righteousness. You stand with the weak, and those, broken and alone, whom you have always welcomed home, making the first last, and the last first.
Therefore we raise our voices with angels and archangels, forever praising you and singing:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest. Blessed is one that comes in the name of the Lord
Blessed is one that come in the name of the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed are you, O Holy One: when Hagar was driven into the wilderness you followed her and gave her hope. When Joseph was sold into bondage, you turned malice to your people’s good. When you called Israel out of slavery, you brought them through the wilderness into the promised land. When your people were taken into exile you wept with them by the river of Babylon and carried them home.
Restore us, O God, let your face shine!
At the right time you sent your Anointed One to stand with the poor, the outcast, and the oppressed. Jesus touched lepers, and the sick, and healed them. He accepted water from a woman of Samaria and offered her the water of new life. Christ knew the desolation of the cross and opened the way for all humanity into the redemption of your reconciling love.
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus, at supper with his friends, took bread, gave you thanks, broke the bread, gave it to them, and said, “Take and 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.”
Loving and Holy One, recalling Christ’s death and resurrection, we offer you these gifts, longing for the bread of tomorrow and the wine of the age to come. Therefore we proclaim our hope.
Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life. Lord Jesus, come in glory.
Pour out your Spirit on these gifts that through them you may sustain us in our hunger for your peace. We hold before you all whose lives are marked by suffering, our sisters and brothers. When we are broken and cast aside, embrace us in your love.
Restore us, O God, let your face shine!
Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, O Source of all life, now and for ever. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer (sung: Cameron)
The Breaking of the Bread
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ
We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread
These are the gifts of God for the People of God
Thanks be to God
The Communion
Hymns During Communion: Old Sage
Brightest and the Best
Prayer after Communion
Gracious God, our hands have taken holy things; our lives have been nourished by the body of your Son. May we who have eaten at this holy table be strengthened for service in your world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen
Glory to God,
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
Blessing
Announcements
Closing Hymn: Sent Out in Jesus Name
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes. The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain In to a world of love, of justice and of peace. The task is our to do, to really set it free. O, help us to obey, and carry out your will.
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.
The angels cannot change a world of hurt and pain In to a world of love, of justice and of peace. The task is our to do, to really set it free. O, help us to obey, and carry out your will.
Sent out in Jesus’ name, our hands are ready now To make the world the place in which the kingdom comes.
The Dismissal
Go now and live as children of light.
For the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness.
Let us wake from sleep and Christ will shine upon us.
Peace be to the whole community
Amen. Thanks be to God. Alleluia
Postlude: I Am the Light of the World
Some material in this service is copyright
Bread for the Journey © 1981 The Pilgrim Press
Flames of the Spirit, Ruth Duck ©1985 Pilgrim Press
Book of Alternative Services © 1985 The Anglican church of Canada
Permission to reprint, podcast and stream copyright music through ONE LICENSE A-60523
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