Sixth Sunday of Easter – 9th May 2021

ORDER OF SERVICE

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

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN

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.

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:

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 98

Cantate Domino

1 Sing to the Lord a new song, *
for he has done marvelous things.

2 With his right hand and his holy arm *
has he won for himself the victory.

3 The Lord has made known his victory; *
his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

4 He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

5 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *
lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

6 Sing to the Lord with the harp, *
with the harp and the voice of song.

7 With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

8 Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *
the lands and those who dwell therein.

9 Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord,
when he comes to judge the earth.

10 In righteousness shall he judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.

A reading from the book of John

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

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

✝✝✝

Jesus said to his disciples, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

‘Love’ – one of the most used and abused words in the whole of the English language, and yet it is unmistakably the theme of today’s Eucharist. When we see a film or television programme, when we hear people singing on the radio, the subject is very often ‘love’. Even in the church, we speak frequently about love. In fact, as Oliver sings in the musical based on Charles Dickens’ story, “Where is love?” And what is love?

According to today’s Second Reading the centre of all living is love. It is not only the centre of Christian living but needs to be at the centre of any kind of life.

Our Christian faith should not be just seen merely as a religion, something tacked on to an otherwise secular life, which in most other respects is the same as everyone else’s. Our Christian faith is a vision of how a human life should be lived in all its fullness. It teaches us how to be a real person. I think it was St Irenaeus who said a very long time ago that “The glory of God is a person fully alive”.  And a person is only fully alive when full of love, because such a person then best reflects the God who IS love.

It would be well at this point to define exactly what we mean by the term “love”. The Greek word that John uses in his gospel and in the three letters attributed to him is agape. The Christian writer, C.S. Lewis wrote a small book entitled “The Four Loves” in which he discusses four different ways of loving. The first of these is eros, which is physical love, the love of young lovers, the love of Romeo and Juliet. The second is filia, which in a way is the highest form of love.  It is the love of friendship, is essentially mutual and shared, and touches every aspect of a person’s being, expressing itself in a total transparency through intimacy, affection and perhaps sexually. It covers marriage and all other genuinely close relationships. To experience such a relationship is one of the great blessings of life. The third love mentioned by Lewis is prauths, sometimes translated as ‘gentleness’ and, less happily, as ‘meekness’ (as in “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”). It suggests someone who is unassuming, undemanding and totally submissive to what God wants but also warm and caring.

Finally, agape describes an unconditional love which reaches out to others, without expecting anything in return. Such is the love of God for his creation . God’s love is poured out in abundance on every single creature, and it continues to flow out whether there is a response or not. This is the love which the father in the story of the Prodigal Son shows to the wayward young man, who has gone far away, and wasted all of his father’s money on a life of debauchery.  It may come as a shock to realise and appreciate that the love of God for the Mother of Jesus and for the most immoral person you could ever imagine is exactly the same!  God is love; it is his very nature; he cannot not love.  What then is the difference between Mary and some depraved person?  It is in the response.  Mary listened to Jesus. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it,” Jesus once said, referring to his mother.  Mary said an unconditional ‘Yes’ to God at her annunciation. She opened her heart to the agape of God. 

It is that agape which we, too, are supposed to have.  It is this love that enables us to love our enemies, and want to be reconciled with them.  We are not asked to love them with eros or filia – that would not make sense.  To love them with agape is to want the very best for them, to want them to reform, to be changed, to be healed of hate and negativity.

Therefore, John says in today’s gospel, “Wherever there is love, there is God”. He does not say, “Wherever there are Christians, there is God” or “Wherever there is a Christian church, there is God”. But, wherever there is a person filled with real agape – love for others, God is there.  That is the meaning of the parable of the Good Samaritan.  He was called “good”, not because he was a religious person, but because he reached out in compassionate love for someone who was supposedly his enemy.  So we can find agape, and therefore God at work, in a Christian, a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Jew, or whatever.  Maybe that person has no religious faith at all. He or she may be an agnostic, an atheist, or even a communist!

Wherever in the world there is truth, compassion, justice, true freedom and peace, God is most certainly there!

Maybe we have been baptised, maybe our families have been Christian for a long time, perhaps we go faithfully to church every Sunday, perhaps we are careful in our keeping of all of the Ten Commandments, yet if we do not really love and reach out in solidarity to our brothers and sisters, whoever they are and wherever they are, we do not have God’s life in us.  Paul put it well when writing to the Christians of Corinth: “If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body to be burned, but do not have love, I gain nothing”.

God loves us all unconditionally, but yet that love is not in us if we are not passing it on to others.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us just one commandment.  He does not say, “Love Jesus, or love God as I have loved you”. No, he says, “If you want to be my disciple, then you must love one another, as I have loved you.”  If we really love our brothers and sisters, including strangers and even enemies, we do not have to worry if we love God. But, if we do not love everyone unconditionally, then there is no other way we can claim to love Jesus.  We need to love those God loves (with agape) and as I said a few moments ago, God loves every single person without exception, even the most wicked!

So we do not really have to worry and ask, “Is it a sin to think, say or do such a thing?” Or, “Does the Church allow me to do this?” Rather, let me put it this way: “When I think, say or do such and such, am I really a loving person?”  In one way, to be a Christian is in essence terribly simple. We do not need to study in a University, or a Theological College.  If we really love people as Jesus loves us, then we will definitely graduate – and with honours too!

In practice, of course, it is not remotely so easy.  We need to learn slowly how to love people unconditionally.  Our lower instincts and the prevailing culture around us think differently. Yet, we need to learn that the way of Jesus is in fact more in tune with our deeper nature.  It is more human to love than to hate, yet we often excuse our outbursts of anger or hatred as being “only human”.  Deep down, we all want to love people. We do not like to hate, and hating does terrible things to our minds and our bodies.  We much prefer people to be friends rather than enemies!

Yet, because of our past experiences, the influence of parents and other people around us, the pressures of our society and our traditions, we often do not know how to love, do not know how to forgive, and do not know how to be reconciled.

The love that Jesus speaks about is very different from the love of the pop songs, or much of the so-called ‘love’ on the TV, and in the movies. Sometimes when we love, we will be very happy.  But sometimes loving the poor, the sick, and the criminal will not be at all easy – love costs, love hurts! If we have to look after a relative who is close to dying, it can be a very painful experience indeed, especially if that patient is difficult or unresponsive to our attentions. But that is the very nature of love!

Love is not a question of keeping rules and commandments.  Love is a way of life.  It is an internal attitude, which influences every single thing we think, or say, and do.

The love of a Christian needs to be unconditional.  Sometimes people will love us in return; sometimes they will not.  On occasion, even though we want to love people, they may reject us.  If they do so, we need not necessarily think that we have done wrong.  When people cannot return genuine love, it is they and not we who have the problem.  Sad to say, not everyone is capable of loving.  All the more reason then why we need to reach out to them.  People often learn to love by being loved!

The most important thing in life is not to be very clever, successful, rich, or famous… The most pressing need is to be someone who really loves.  When we genuinely love others, there will always be some who cannot reciprocate, but there will be others who will readily respond in kind. And it just may be that our love has empowered them to be loving too.

To be able to reach out in love and to experience being loved is possibly God’s greatest gift to humankind.  Let us pray then that we might be blessed with this virtue in all its fullness, both now and until the end of our lives.  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 to God, in the love that he has shown and commanded.

Grant that your faithful people, chosen by your grace and sealed in baptism, may always proclaim your greatness by their deeds of love.

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. 

Bless and guide those who are working for the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

May the power of love overcome the anger and bitterness that divides people and nations…

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 India and Isreal, Myanmar and Northern Ireland, 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.

Send your Holy Spirit to heal all divisions and to make know the love of the Father which is revealed in Jesus Christ.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

Make us gracious and loving in our relationships, that we may show ourselves to be those whom Jesus calls his friends

We pray for all who are prevented from or persecuted for practicing 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.   

Keep our families faithful to follow his commandment of love.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

Have mercy on those who cannot love because they have never known love.

We pray for 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.  

Visit with new life the outcast and neglected in our society.

Give us compassion and understanding when the will to love grows cold.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

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

Amongst the sick we remember;

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

Give them trust in your goodness and help those who minister to them.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

We give thanks for all those who were called to be followers and friends of Jesus Christ in this world.

We pray for all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, especially the millions who have died in the COVID pandemic and all whose anniversary falls at this time that are known personally to each and every one of us…

Receive them into eternal live with that divine love which they partly knew through the gift of human love.

Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

Rejoicing that Christ has called us to be his friends, we make our prayers through him.

Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

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.

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.

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.

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR WORK

NOTE: The introductory music is ‘Romance sans Paroles’ – Bonnet

Music

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

Performed by Fr. David Price