Come, ye faithful, raise the anthem,
Cleave the skies with shouts of praise;
Sing to him who found the ransom,
Ancient of eternal days,
God eternal, Word incarnate,
Whom the heaven of heaven obeys.

Ere he raised the lofty mountains,
Formed the sea, or built the sky,
Love eternal, free, and boundless,
Forced the Lord of life to die,
Lifted up the Prince of princes
On the throne of Calvary.

Bring your harps and bring your incense,
Sweep the string and pour the lay;
Let the earth proclaim her wonders,
King of that celestial day;
He the Lamb once slain is worthy,
Who was dead, and lives for ay.

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ✝

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Allelulia. Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia

 

In Lent and other penitential occasions:

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;

His mercy endures for ever.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be 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.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

This prayer is omitted during Lent and Advent:

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.  Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.  Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

 Holy God, holy and mighty ✝, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles:

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.” And she prevailed upon us.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 67

Deus misereatur

A reading from the book of Revelation

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day– and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,

And my father will love him, and we shall come to him’.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

John

✝✝✝

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Let me start by opening a chapter from my own life. Never fear, I won’t dwell here for very long. After graduating from seminary, I took a job at an Episcopal church in Savannah, Georgia. Covid was at its height in those days: Lockdowns without end, deserted streets, no social gatherings allowed, everyone shut away in their homes… And the news cycle brought precious little in the way of hope. If memory serves, we were still awaiting a vaccine at that time. Savannah is an old city, by American standards at least, with colonial era buildings lining the streets and Spanish moss swaying in the wind. It also has a reputation for being the most haunted city in America, and I suppose the Covid regulations must have applied to the ghosts as well, for they were nowhere to be seen. Somehow in that atmosphere—antiquated, faded, and haunted—the empty streets felt emptier, the deserted restaurants looked more deserted, and the quiet was magnified into silence.

To escape from the depressing atmosphere of post-Covid America, I would sometimes attend evening prayer at St. Paul’s, another Episcopal parish, this one closer to my home—right across the street, in fact. There were usually only three of us in attendance: Fr. Willoughby, the priest, Susan, the deacon, and myself. I still remember the feeling of stepping inside of that church. It was like passing into another world. Outside of St. Paul’s was ordinary life, where the pandemic raged and spread, where the days in lockdown felt as if they would never end, and where the news got more heavier and more depressing with each cycle. But after slipping away from work and coming in through the side door, I was in another realm altogether. Here, waves of light poured in from above and lit up the dust, rising in that abandoned sanctuary. Here, a statue of St. Francis greeted me from the vestibule, welcoming me from another age, as if I were a weary traveler. And here, other saints hovered in stained-glass windows, like gentle wraiths above us, waiting for evening prayer to begin, as if they were frozen there, preserved from another age, and would come to life as soon as the liturgy began…

I suspect that most of you can relate to this experience in one way or another. On Sunday, we come to St. George’s to worship, and we leave our ordinary lives behind for a moment, suspended in the background. The difference between “out there” and “in here” is quite stark: out there, we pay bills, throw our clothes in the wash, write checks, answer phone calls, talk to neighbors… But in here, we sing hymns, partake of the sacraments, and offer up our prayers and concerns to God. Yes, we Anglicans lead a double life. Most of the week is often unremarkable, but then on Sundays we gather here to perform these strange and archaic rituals that so many people in our age find irrelevant. We come from Pattaya, or from Si Racha, or Bangkok, where our senses are bombarded with advertisements, with noise from cars hurtling down these perilous roads, but then we come here and pass by the lush garden, walk up the steps of the chapel, stop for a moment to discard our shoes, open the doors and enter. And there is that stark transition between the secular world “out there” and the chapel “in here.” Crossing that threshold is no small thing. As Anglicans, we are always passing between worlds.

But I think we all too often lose our sense of wonder about coming here to worship. I certainly do. For all of us Anglicans, attending Sunday Eucharist can start to feel like a routine. We do it every week, after all. We take it for granted. But perhaps if we stop for a moment and reflect on that transition, that passage between worlds, as we step from outside into this beautiful chapel, we can begin to recover some of our amazement. Gathering together as Anglicans, as Christians, is no small thing. And this, in my view, is one theme of our gospel reading for this week. The scene takes place during the last supper. Christ knows that He is going to die, and somehow the disciples know it too—if only dimly, if only as a disturbing intuition disquieting their hearts. But our Lord offers them comfort: “Those who love me will keep my word,” he says, “and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them… and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” And later He promises to send the Holy Spirit: “The Advocate, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”

Did you notice? All three persons of the Trinity appear here: Father, Son, and Spirit. These words of Jesus offer more than just consolation—they are an invocation of the Trinity. Here at the last supper—which is also the first Eucharist, as it happens—Christ draws His disciples into the life of the Trinity: He speaks to them of the Father, loves them as the Son, and sends the Holy Spirit to bring them comfort. And He does the same for us, whenever we gather here at St. George’s, in this chapel. And in a few moments, we will take the Eucharist. And  as we do, we relive that meal and we, too, are caught up in that love. We are raised into the life of the Trinity. There are no boundaries here. The Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons and yet they are one God, and all of us here, though we come to the table as individuals, one-by-one, we drink the same wine and eat the same bread, we pray together, and we remember that we are one body, and that the church is the mystical body of Christ. We take Christ into ourselves, and as we are united to Him and to each other. Yes, gathering here is no small thing. But the strangeness of it all, and the loveliness, can grow dim in our perceptions.

So let us remember that through the bread and wine, deep is calling to deep, God is inviting into His embrace, into the very life of the Trinity, which is love.

Amen.

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.

Let us together affirm the faith of the Church. ✝

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

✝ and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

Sixth Sunday of Easter

22^nd May 2022 – Year C

In peace and confidence, let us pray to the Lord.

We pray for the welfare of your church here on earth; guide and govern it by your Spirit, so that all Christians may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and righteousness of life.

Make your Church a worthy temple for your presence… Bless all missionaries and inspire them both with zeal for the Gospel and understanding of those to whom they preach.

We ask your blessing on +Vsevolod our Bishop, on this, our parish of St. George – for its work, its worship and its witness. We pray particularly for Fr. David in his ministry to us at this time of great personal sorrow and desolation, and for all members of our congregation, be they near or far.

Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.   

Lighten the darkness of the world with the light of Christ… Give the water of life to all who thirst for hope and direction in their human journey.

Grant that we and all those who love shall always be ready to respond to your call, to help each other or those as yet unknown to us… Bless those in our community who have recently come to faith and strengthen them to grow in love and obedience day by day.

We pray for the leaders of all the nations of the world, most particularly for the King and Government of Thailand at this time of local elections, and also in the countries from which we come. We remember also all the people in countries that have had problems of any kind during this past week, continuing to pray fervently for a speedy end to the war in Ukraine.

Grant wisdom to those in authority in every land, and give to all people a desire for righteousness and peace, the will to work together in trust, to seek the common good, and to share with justice and equity the limited resources of the earth.

Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.  

We pray for all who are prevented from or persecuted for practising their faith, wherever they may be. We pray for our fellow Christians, both here in Thailand, and also in our own home countries.

Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.  

We pray for all those who suffer in body, mind and spirit; the sick; the poor; the depressed; the lonely; the afraid, the unloved; the persecuted; the unemployed and those who care for them. Those who grieve; and those who have nobody to pray for them.

Bring healing to those who are sick in body or mind… Lift up those whose spirts are weary… Comfort those who mourn.

Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.  

We remember all those who have been touched by the COVID 19 pandemic; particularly here in Pattaya. We give thanks that Thailand is increasingly reopening to visitors from abroad, as the outbreak is being  contained, and for the progress which has been made with the vaccination programme,

Amongst the sick we remember;

Fr. David, Fr. Tom, Brian, Colin, Mavis, Patricia, Kent, Elizabeth, Conrad, Griselda, Jun, Martyn, Dave, Carole, Emilia, John, and any others, known personally to each and every one of us…

Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.  

Grant to the faithful departed that they shall indeed see the face of Christ and live with him for ever… May perpetual light shine upon them.

We bring to you all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, especially the millions who have perished in the COVID pandemic.

For Simon, and all who have died recently….

and for all those whose anniversaries occur at this time and known to us, either collectively or individually.

6 Lord, hear us.  Lord, graciously hear us.  

[CELEBRANT] – g. Taught by the Holy Spirit, we pray through Christ our Saviour.     

Almighty God, who has promised to hear our prayers,

Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.  

THE CONFESSION:

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy, welcoming sinners and inviting them to the Lord’s table.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry ✊ for all ✊ our sins ✊, Father forgive us, strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

**(Note: all are encouraged to strike their breast 3 times following the lead of Fr. David as he utters the words: ‘sorry for all our sins’)**

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you ✝ and set you free from all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

THE PEACE:

The congregation stands.

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Please greet each other with a sign of peace.

Come down, O Love divine,
Seek thou this soul of mine,
And visit it with thine own ardour glowing.
O Comforter, draw near,
Within my heart appear,
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

Let holy charity
Mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing;
True lowliness of heart,
Which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own short comings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
With which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the power of human telling;
For none can guess its grace,
Till he become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.

THE OFFERTORY

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and the service of your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever.

 Let us pray

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

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 thanks and praise.

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people.

Proper Preface

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

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.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body ✝ which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: 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. Do this, as often as you drink it,

in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:

Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice, made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father, as our Saviour has taught us:

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.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  ✋

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.✋

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.✋

**(Note:  All are encouraged to tap their breast three times following the example of Fr. David as he utters the words ‘…have mercy, …have mercy and …grant us peace’)**

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This is the Lamb of God ✝, who takes away the sins of the world;

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy ✊ to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to strike breast following the example of Fr. David as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

After Communion the celebrant and the congregation say

 

Let us pray.

Father of all we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s 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 in this hope that we have grasped; so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name.

Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ✝, be amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth;

At Bethlehem I had my birth.
Dance then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you on, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance said he.

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black –
It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I’d gone;
But I am the dance and I still go on.
Dance then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you on, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance said he.

They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that will never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me –
I am the Lord of the Dance said he.
Dance then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you on, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance said he.