19th Sunday after Pentecost – 3rd October 2021
18th Sunday after Trinity
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Proper 22
Year B – Track 2
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.
♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫
HYMN: Praise the Lord! Ye heavens, adore him; Praise him, angels, in the height
Praise the Lord! Ye heavens, adore him;
Praise him, angels, in the height;
Sun and moon, rejoice before him,
Praise him, all ye stars and light:
Praise the Lord! For he hath spoken,
Worlds his mighty voice obeyed;
Laws which never shall be broken,
For their guidance he hath made.
Praise the Lord! For he is glorious;
Never shall his promise fail;
God hath made his saints victorious,
Sin and death shall not prevail.
Praise the God of our salvation;
Hosts on high, his power proclaim;
Heaven and earth, and all creation,
Laud and magnify his name.
♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫
BLESSED BE GOD: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
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.
THE COLLECT OF THE DAY
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
THE FIRST READING
A Reading from the book of:
Genesis 2:18-24
The Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
for out of Man this one was taken.”
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
THE RESPONSE
Psalm 8
Domine, Dominus noster
1 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
THE SECOND READING
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,
“What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
or mortals, that you care for them?
You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned them with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under their feet.”
Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying,
“I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.
ACCLAMATION
Alleluia! Alleluia!
As long as we love one another
God will live in us,
And his love will be complete in us.
Alleluia!
THE GOSPEL
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:
Mark 10:2-16
✝✝✝
Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”
People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.
After the Gospel reading
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
THE HOMILY
Our first reading, and also today’s gospel passage clearly have something very much in common – in other words, the relationship between a man and a woman. In Genesis, the suggestion is that woman was a derivative from man, and for many that has been an excuse to treat her as his inferior, rather than his equal. This unfortunately is very much the historical perspective in Islam, where a woman is still regarded very much as a chattel, to be possessed and controlled by a man, to whom she must be entirely subservient in marriage. That is closely related to the wearing of a headscarf, but much more oppressively so in the burka and the hijab, where her physical form and allure are effectively obscured from the gaze, and therefore any possible physical attraction to other men!
Although not nearly so pronounced, and not demarcated by dress, something of this attitude was present in Judaism at the time of Christ – perhaps hardly to be wondered at, when we recall that Judaism and Islam both share the same roots, and along with Christians, are often referred to as ‘People of the Book’! With this in mind, it is a cause of great sadness that down the centuries there has been a history of such enmity between members of these three great world religions when, as I have suggested previously, we ought to be concentrating on the things which unite rather than divide us. Again too, this is another example of the ‘me first, me only’ and ‘my way is right and yours is wrong’ attitude. All three faiths acknowledge the supremacy of God the Creator, and as there is but one creation, clearly there can be only one God, whether known as Allah, Yahweh or Jesus!
If last week’s gospel, which in fact we didn’t hear, due to our keeping of the Feast of Michaelmas, presented us with a dilemma when it comes to the rightness or otherwise of personal ambition, then that pales into utter insignificance when we read today’s passage. Mosaic Law permitted divorce, but the Pharisees who, of all the Jewish groups, were the most ‘pro-Jesus’, threw down the gauntlet yet again by asking him whether or not it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. As we have heard on many previous occasions, they were always striving to catch Jesus out, and prove that he was not a faithful follower of ‘the Law’. However Jesus, being well aware of their ‘hardness of heart’, told them that Moses had written this commandment merely for them. God had made both men and women as equals, and when they married, the two people became as one in an indissoluble union. Both must leave their parents and become fullyunited, physically, spiritually and emotionally with one another – ‘those whom God has joined together, let no person put asunder’ as invariably we hear in the Marriage service.
The 7th commandment states unambiguously, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, and Jesus tells us here that if either were to desert the other and remarry, then they would both be committing adultery.
Men in particular are often deemed to be promiscuous – nowhere does one see this more clearly than perhaps here in Pattaya! During the 20th century in particular, there was an increasing and progressive breakdown in standards of personal and moral discipline, and this has inevitably resulted in the Law of the Land becoming increasingly divergent from the Statutes of God. Divorce has been legal in civil law in most countries for very many years now, and it is only the Catholic church which has consistently held out against this, whereas other Christian traditions have merely ‘bowed to the inevitable’, and accepted what they realised they were wholly unable to prevent!
The overriding reason, of course, to reject divorce, is for the bringing up of children, who need a stable and loving family relationship with two parents – a man and a woman – for a considerable number of years, and far longer than other members of the animal kingdom. I discovered only recently that the human brain is so complex that it is only about 40%complete at the time of birth, whereas the brain of a calf is about 80% formed. A calf will be able to stand on its feet within 30 minutes of birth and will be running around within 24 hours. By comparison, the human infant is almost totally helpless on leaving the womb. We take an average of 8 to 12 months to crawl, stand on our feet, walk and eventually run. A baby will need 18 months before it can produce its first real words, and after 2 years of life will be able to communicate with a vocabulary of somewhere between 50 and 100words. Consider also the years it takes for a child to attain sexual maturity. After all, in most societies today someone is only legally considered to be an adult at the age of 18 – in other words, until then a child is vulnerable and dependent, whereas in the animal kingdom this dependence can be measured often in months, and at worst only a year or two at most. This has always been the essential Christian objection to the whole principle of divorce, and after all, it is the children who are most damaged by the break-up of a stable home.
Now this is all leading us into a minefield into which I don’t propose to go, other than to recapitulate what has happened in recent years further to destabilise the whole concept of Christian marriage. Arguments about sexuality and sexual freedoms have inflicted immeasurable damage on the Church, from which I fear it may well never recover. So-called ‘liberal’ Christians, and of course others of no religious affiliation whatsoever have become increasingly vocal in demands for Gay and Lesbian relationships to be given equal status to heterosexual marriage, and so in recent years this has been put onto the statute book in an ever– growing number of countries. Hardly surprisingly, the first fractures were caused in the United States, but rapidly spread like wildfire, and this produced a furious reaction in Africa in particular, which now threatens the continued existence of the Anglican Communion as we have always known it. To throw yet more fuel on the flames, the growing avalanche of sexual misdemeanours by priests and clergyhave provided detractors with still more ammunition to use against us, just at a time when in any case belief in God is in steep decline. We claim here in this parish to be ‘a welcoming and accepting church’ and we don’t discriminate against anybody for their ethnic or sexual orientation. On one of my recital tours in the UK, I saw a similar claim made on many parish notice boards – one church in Manchester though was forced to take a long, hard look at itself after a teenage member committed suicide for fear that her Lesbian state would not be accepted by the congregation, to which she was very committed!
Like it or not though, the genie is by now well and truly ‘out of the bottle’, and the previous status quo will never be re-established. It is a matter for a great deal of prayer and soul-searching by all Christians, as we strive to discern what God’s will might be for the Church in the years ahead. The teachings of Jesus were always very much tailored to the circumstances which prevailed at his time, as he strove always to be relevant to the people amongst whom he moved, and so what might he have to say to us, here and now? Come what may, personal freedoms nowadays will always find more favour than self-discipline, and this is an inescapable fact, whether or not we might wish otherwise. We simply cannot merely close our eyes to what is going on around us, so let us pray then that we may be enabled to find the mind of Christ for us here in ‘Sin City’ in the first instance, but also by extension in the Church and the world as a whole. Amen.
THE NICENE CREED
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.
INTERCESSION
PROPER 22 – YEAR B – p94-95
19th Sunday after Pentecost
18th Sunday after Trinity
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
a. Let us pray to God, who from the beginning has made all things for his loving purpose.
b. Grant to the Church grace to witness unceasingly to Jesus Christ her Lord…Empower your ministers to proclaim his lordship and the coming of his Kingdom.
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 in righteousness of life.
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.
1 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
c. Bless and hold in your safe keeping all children…May they grow in health of mind and body, learning to live in the way of love and faith…Grant them the loving care that will sustain them into them into happy and secure lives.
d. We pray for our families, and for all families everywhere….Protect and guide them day by day, as they look to you in faith for all their needs….Strengthen our love when we are together and all the more so when we are apart.
We pray for the leaders of all the nations of this world, most particularly for the King and Government of Thailand at this time of unrest, 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, most particularly all those caught up in the tragic situation in Afghanistan and the volcanic eruption in La Palma.
Grant wisdom to all 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.
2 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
e. Have mercy on those whose marriages are broken, or under great strain…Grant healing in the restoration of love that has been lost…Tenderly comfort the children of broken homes.
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.
3 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
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.
4 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
We remember all those who have been touched by the COVID 19 pandemic; particularly here in Pattai-Ya, where so many lives and livelihoods have been senselessly destroyed; and where there is such heavy dependence on the hotel, hospitality and tourist industry, now given added urgency as the outbreak still persists at a high level of intensity. We pray for the on-going vaccination programme here in Thailand, giving thanks that greater numbers are being safeguarded more speedily, and then be spared the worst of the unpleasant side-effects.
Amongst the sick we remember;
Fr. Tom, Fr. Michael, Brian, Kyoko, Colin, Mavis, Patricia, Eric, Kent, Graham, Elizabeth, Conrad, Griselda, Jun, Maurice, Martyn, Emilia and any others known personally to each and every one of us…
5 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
f. We give thanks for the departed who have been brought to glory by the power of Christ….Grant them rest and peace in the family of heaven, where all are for ever one in him.
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 Graham (3), Robert (2), Rick(?) Bill (2), Margaret (1)…. … and for Gerald whose anniversary occurs at this time, and for all those known personally to us, collectively or individually…
Give them joy in the fellowship of your heavenly Kingdom, where Christ reigns for ever.
6 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.
[DAVID] – g. As little children, may we pray in faith and simplicity.
Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
THE CONFESSION:
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’)**
THE ABSOLUTION:
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 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.
HYMN: Alleluia, sing to Jesus, His the sceptre, his the throne
Alleluia, sing to Jesus,
His the sceptre, his the throne;
Alleluia, his the triumph,
His the victory alone:
Hark, the songs of peaceful Zion
Thunder like a mighty flood;
Jesus, out of every nation,
Hath redeemed us by his blood.
Alleluia, Bread of Angels,
Thou on earth our food, our stay;
Alleluia, here the sinful
Flee to thee from day to day;
Intercessor, friend of sinners,
Earth’s Redeemer, plead for me,
Where the songs of all the sinless
Sweep across the crystal sea.
Alleluia, King eternal,
Thee the Lord of lords we own;
Alleluia, born of Mary,
Earth thy footstool, heaven thy throne:
Thou within the veil hast entered,
Robed in flesh, our great High Priest;
Thou on earth both Priest and Victim
In the Eucharistic Feast.
♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫
THE OFFERTORY
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
CLICK HERE FOR EUCHARISTIC PRAYER
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.
HYMN: Thy hand, O God, hast guided Thy flock from age to age
Thy hand, O God, hast guided
Thy flock from age to age;
The wondrous tale is written,
Full clear on every page;
Our fathers owned thy goodness,
And we their deeds record;
And both of this bear witness,
One Church, one Faith, one Lord.
Thy heralds brought glad tidings
To greatest as to least;
They bade men rise and hasten
To share the great King’s feast;
And this was all their teaching,
In every deed and word,
To all alike proclaiming
One Church, one Faith, one Lord.
Thy mercy will not fail us,
Nor leave thy work undone;
With thy right hand to help us,
The victory shall be won;
And then by men and angels,
Thy name shall be adored,
And this shall be their anthem,
One Church, one Faith, one Lord.
♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫
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 ‘Berceuse’, from ’24 Pieces’ – Vierne.