The Feast of the Holy Trinity – 30th May 2021

ORDER OF SERVICE

You can click to expand or minimize the order of service below.

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN or when instructed by Fr. David.

Where the ✝ is shown, all are encouraged to make the sign of the cross.

Where the ✊ is shown all are encouraged to strike their breast with a closed hand following the actions of Fr. David.

Where the ✋ is shown all are encouraged to tap their breast with an open hand following the actions of Fr. David.

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy!  All the saints adore thee,

Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

Which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, Holy, Holy!  Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

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.

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. 

Amen.

A reading from the Book of

Isaiah

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 29

Afferte Domino

1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare.

9 And in the temple of the Lord *
all are crying, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.

11 The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

A reading from the book of Romans

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh– for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ– if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Acclamation:

Alleluia! Alleluia!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

The God who is, and was, and is to come.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

John

✝✝✝

There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

+ In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

This formula, which I’ve just used, is the standard introduction to prayer, used by countless numbers of Christians down the centuries the whole world over.  It is like addressing the envelope in which to send one’s petitions to the Throne of Heaven or, using more up-to-date terminology, ‘logging on’ to God!  Today we are keeping the Feast of the Holy Trinity, and so we would do well to explore this rather more deeply.  Last Sunday was the Day of Pentecost, sometimes referred to as ‘the birthday of the Church’, when we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.

It is indeed tempting to view this as the first appearance of the Holy Spirit, but to do so is a grave error.  In only the 2ndverse of the first chapter of the book of Genesis, we read, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”, so clearly the Holy Spirit was at work from the very beginning of creation.  Then we can recall the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the angel Gabriel said to her that ‘the Holy Spirit will come upon you’.  When Jesus was baptised, we are told that ‘the Holy Spirit came down upon him like a dove’, and Jesus later instructed his disciples to baptise ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’.  Clearly then it is our Lord Jesus Christ himself who is, so to speak, ‘the new kid on the block’!  The word ‘Trinity’ is nowhere to be found in the Bible, but it is clearly implicit in the teachings of Jesus, who referred frequently to ‘the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’, so all the term ‘Trinity’ does is to quantify this in an easily-recognisable manner – the first therefore, and most important of the doctrines, or dogmas of the Church.

I have often wondered what life in the Early Churchwould have been like – was it all sweetness and light?   Far from it – there were just as many disputes and disagreements then as have disfigured the Church down the ages, right through to the present day, as we are only too uncomfortably aware.  The Early Church was inevitably very fragmented, with little or no interaction between the communities dotted around the ancient world, which was, to all intents and purposes, the Roman Empire, with the situation made worse through persecution, so worship had very often, of necessity, to be clandestine.  When the Roman Empire embraced Christianity, the situation eased in this respect, but right from the time of the Apostles themselves, we have Paul telling  Christians not to claim, “I am for Paul, or I am for Appollus” etc. but to do all in the name of Jesus Christ.  Inevitably there had crept in a whole variety of beliefs and practices, some of which were dubious at best and heretical at worst.  In the year 325 therefore, the Emperor Constantine (not the Pope!) summoned one of the many ‘councils of the Church’ of which there have been quite a number down the centuries.  Those of us who were around in the 1950s will recall ‘Vatican I’ and later ‘Vatican II’, when the practice of the Church, though avowedly not ‘the Faith’, was changed almost out of all recognition.  One of the tasks of the Council of Nicaea was to clamp down on suspect faith and practice, and to draw up a list of things to which a Christian must assent in order to be deemed ‘a believer’. It was here that the Doctrine of the Trinity – as I have already said, without doubt the most important of all the Church’s doctrines, was promulgated and incorporated into the newly-drafted Nicene Creed, which we say together every Sunday at the Eucharist.  There are some branches of Christians who don’t accept this doctrine, for example the Unitarians in the UK along with others in the United States and elsewhere.  Projecting forward now to the 10thcentury schism between the Eastern & Western branches of Christianity, the main cause of which was the ‘Filioque’ clause in the Nicene creed.   As we have seen, the Holy Spirit clearly was around longbefore God sent his Son to redeem the world.  The Orthodox therefore refused to accept that the Spirit ‘proceeded from the Father and the Son’, and one has to admit, they have some justification in so doing, claiming that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone!  Now this is indeed a debatable point, as the Latin verb ‘procedere’, along with its Greek counterpart, can legitimately be translated in a way that covers both possibilities. Just for the record, another point of dissent was as to whether leavened or unleavened bread should be used at the Eucharist.   The Anglican Communion, often likened to ‘a camel – a horse designed by a committee’, has adherents for both, thought the bread used at the Last Supper was undoubtedly the latter, which you will have observed, is our practice here!

Now it is no accident then that the Fathers of the Early Church, in their wisdom, should have decided to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Trinity immediately following on from Pentecost.  We have for many weeks now been following the life and teaching of God the Son, underpinned always by his relationship with God the Father.  Then, as the Sundays of Easter have progressed, our minds have been focussed increasingly on ‘God the Holy Spirit’.  It is therefore essential now for us, so to speak, to ‘reassemble’ God in his unity and entirety, which is the whole point of our celebration today.

Now we come to the knotty problem of understanding the mystery of the Holy Trinity itself.  Many priests will tell you how they, as Seminarians, used to dread drawing this topic for their preaching assignment, but it has always seemed to me that the problem here was overrated.  How then can God be Three and yet also One?  Consider for a moment what scientists term ‘H20’ – this can be either ice, water or steam – three substances, yet all unmistakably of the same origin.  A typical music stand has three legs, but yet there is only the one stand.  A cricket wicket consists of 3 stumps but it takes all the 3 to make the wicket.   Looked at in thislight, what at first might appear to be a formidable stumbling-block, can be very satisfactorily explained in everyday terminology with which we’re all familiar!

Let me finish by drawing your attention to that great hymn by John Henry Newman, one of the Church’s great thinkers of the 19th century, who began his professional career as an Anglican priest, and died a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, and now of course is Saint John Henry Newman!  In addition, he was a poet of considerable standing, who produced, among other writings, ‘The Dream of Gerontius’, so wonderfully set to music and brought to fruition by Edward Elgar.  When you have a moment, his writings are well worth exploring in depth, and those so doing will be richly rewarded.  The hymn though to which I alluded, and which we are going to sing in its entirety today, in a little while, at the Offertory, is his very personal paraphrase of the Nicene Creed:

Firmly I believe and truly

God is Three and God is One;

And I next acknowledge duly

Manhood taken by the Son.

Adoration ay be given,

With and through the angelic host;

To the God of earth and heaven,

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  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.

Let us pray in and through faith to the blessed and glorious Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Preserve your Church, O Lord, in the true faith, to acknowledge with awe and reverence the mystery of the Holy and undivided Trinity.

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 the unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.  Fill our worship with wonder and adoration.

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, and for all members of our congregation, be they near or far.

Give us due humility and assurance as members of the Church, which you have created, loved and sanctified.

1 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

Open our human eyes to the wonder of things unseen…Make all lives richer in the hope of blessing,s more than we can comprehend…

We pray for the leaders of the nations of this world, and especially for the King and Government of Thailand, and also in the countries from which we come.

We remember in particular the people of North Korea and Belarus, India and the Holy Land, Myanmar and Northern Ireland, Brazil and Ukraine, Afghanistan and Latin America.

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.

Give clearer vision to all those in positions of power and influence.

2 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

Grant to us in our own lives a share in the mutual love of the Holy Trinity…

We pray for all who are prevented from, or persecuted for practising their faith, especially for Christians in North Korea, China, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan and Nigeria. We pray for our fellow Christians both here in Thailand and also in our own home countries.

May that unbroken harmoney be shown in our families, in our work, and in all our relationships.

3 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

Have mercy on those whose lives are crippled by strain and anxiety in themselves, and in hostility to others…

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

We remember especially at this time all those who find it necessary to self isolate who may be known to us; and the difficulties this will inevitably produce.

4 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

We remember all those whose lives have been touched by the COVID 19 pandemic; particularly for all those here in Pattai-Ya whose livelihoods have been destroyed;  and where so many depend on the hotel, hospitality and tourist industry, now given added urgency as the outbreak continues to increase in intensity.

Amongst the sick we remember;

Fr. Tom, Robert, Colin, Mavis, Patricia, Ron, Eric, Kent, David, Sedi, Graham, Elizabeth, Conrad, Issabelle,  Jun and any others known personally to each and every one of us…

Release their tension, give them inward peace, restore them to the wholeness which is your will for all.

5 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for the departed, who in this world held fast to the faith of the Holy Trinity,  and now adore you for ever…

We pray for all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, especially the many millions who have died in the COVID pandemic.

We remember particularly all whose anniversary falls at this time…..

May their example strengthen and prepare us for the coming of joy made complete, and love made perfect in your heavenly Kingdom.

6 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

May our prayers be received in the unity of the Holy Trinity, three Persons in One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…

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.

Firmly I believe, and truly

God is Three, and God is One,

And I next acknowledge duly

Manhood taken by the Son.

And I trust and hope most fully

In that Manhood crucified;

And each thought and deed unruly

Do to death, as he has died.

Simply to his grace and wholly,

Light and life and strength belong,

And I love supremely, solely,

Him the holy, him the strong.

And I hold in veneration,

For the love of him alone,

Holy Church as his creation,

And her teachings as his own.

Adoration ay be given,

With and through the angelic host,

To the God of earth and heaven,

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  Amen

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.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER C

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.

Most ancient of all mysteries,
Before thy throne we lie;
Have mercy now, most merciful,
Most holy Trinity.

When heaven and earth were yet unmade,
When time was yet unknown,
Thou in thy bliss and majesty
Didst live and love alone.

Thou wert not born; there was no fount
From which thy being flowed;
There is no end which thou canst reach;
But thou art simply God.

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR WORK

Music

Here is the music for this week’s hymns, if you would like to practice beforehand.

Performed by Fr. David Price

NOTE: The introductory music is Tuba Tune – Lang