Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all life thou givest – to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And whither and perish – but nought changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render: O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

♫♫ 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. ✝

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Alleluia. 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.

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

Isaiah 6:1-8

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 138

Confitebor tibi

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness;

3 For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.

4 When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.

5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.

6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
that great is the glory of the Lord.

7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.

8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.

9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you–unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them–though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,

And I will make you fishers of men.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

Luke 5:1-11

✝️ ✝️ ✝️

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Let’s first turn our minds this afternoon to the Gospel that we have just heard.   This story about St Peter’s miraculous catch of fish is well-known.  We can easily imagine Peter and the other fishermen, who had been fishing all night without catching anything.   We can well appreciate just how tired and disappointed they were: all their work had availed them nothing.  Such a long, hard night’s effort, with absolutely nothing to show for it!   And then Jesus had the effrontery to tell Simon to “put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” This simple command which Jesus gave to Peter might have been taken as a joke.  What was the point of telling professional fishermen, who had already worked all night and caught nothing, to try again?  Maybe for the fishermen, it was a joke.

But Jesus, of course, knew exactly what he was doing!

And now Peter, after a whole night’s fishing, despite his tiredness and disappointment, didn’t argue with Jesus.  He didn’t ask, ‘What are you talking about?   He simply said, “Master, we have toiled hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command, I will lower the nets.”

Many think that Peter’s response shows his obedience to Christ.  But quite possibly Peter had a different way to show how pointless Jesus’s command was!

He might well have decided to lower his nets again, to show the crowd that Jesus’s preaching may be beautiful, but it doesn’t have much relevance to real life.  So he lowered his nets into the water, confident that when he raised them again, the crowd would see they were empty!

But we know how the story ends.  Peter had to call his partners in the other boat to come and help raise the nets, because they were beginning to tear from such a huge catch of fish!

So now Peter knew that Jesus wasn’t joking when he told him to try again.  His whole attitude changed: “he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.’” Jesus had demolished Peter’s lack of faith.

And now we know that Jesus isn’t joking when he tells us to try again, even when our efforts have been fruitless.  Jesus tells us, “Try again, with hope.”

Now, let’s think for a moment about the second reading, from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians.  At the beginning of this reading, we heard, “I am reminding you, brothers and sisters, of the Gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received, and in which you should also stand.  Through it you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.   For I handed on to you, as of the first importance, what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures.”

It should be emphasised that Paul was reminding the Corinthians that what he preached to them wasn’t something he invented, but something he received.   It was the Good News, the Gospel about Christ who died for our sins and was raised on the third day.  The faith which Paul received, he shared with many different people.

That was two thousand years ago.  Today it is very important to understand that the faith which we have in our hearts, the faith which brings us to the Eucharist this afternoon, is a gift we have received.  We received it from our parents, or maybe other believers, who, by their testimony, kindled the seed of faith within us.

And now we carry this faith in our hearts and in our hands, and we should know that we are called to share this gift of faith with other people. We must share it, so that the Good News about the loving God, our Father, who sent his only Son to die for our sins, will live in the hearts of others.

Let us pray: Jesus our Saviour, always be close to us, and speak in the silence of our hearts.  Give us great faith and trust in your words, so that we can live with You and for You, and help us to share our faith in You, our Saviour and our Lord.  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 for the world and for the Church:

Prayers of intercession are now said and at the end of each prayer the priest says:

Lord in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

or

Lord hear us,

Lord graciously hear us

At the conclusion of the prayers the priest says:

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.

 Jesus said: Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

or

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

The Fifth Sunday After Epiphany

6th February 2022 – Year C

a. Let us pray to God, who gives more abundantly that we dare to ask.

b. Grant that the Church, confident in the power of the Resurrection, shall be always alert to hear your call and faithful to follow it…Give your people courage to launch out into the deep, and make your word known to all.

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.

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. Give to the world a new vision of your glory…Raise up witnesses who in your name will turn the hearts of men and women from hostility to friendship, and from suspicion to trust.

d. In all our work, strengthen us to co-operate with others for the common good…Bless our families, friends and neighbours with the joy of knowing the Risen Christ.

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 unrest, and also in the countries from which we come, giving thanks on this, the 70^th anniversary of the accession of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. We remember also all the people in countries that have had problems of any kind during this past week.

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.

2 Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.

e. Have mercy on those who are weary and discouraged because their see no result for their work….Strengthen them to persevere, and to trust in your calling.

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 PattaYa. We give you thanks that Thailand has now reopened to visitors from abroad, as the outbreak is showing gradual signs of decline, and for the progress which has been made with the vaccination programme,

Amongst the sick we remember;

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

5 Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.

f. We pray for those who have died and have been raised to new life…Grant them the eternal glory which Christ won for them by his saving death for our sins.

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 Francis (3), ………..Allan, and all those whose anniversaries occur at this time and known to us, either collectively or individually.

6 Lord, in your mercy Hear our prayer.

[DAVID] – g. As sinners we pray in the name of Christ, that he will not reject us for our sins.

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

Amen.

**TURN OFF MIC**

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.

My God, how wonderful thour art,
Thy majesty how bright,
How beautiful thy mercy-seat,
In depths of burning light.

Yet I may love thee too, O Lord,
Almighty as thou art,
For thou hast stooped to ask of me
The love of my poor heart.
No earthly father loves like thee,
No mother, e’er so mild,
Bears and forbears as thou hast done
With me thy sinful child.

Father of Jesus, love’s reward,
What rapture will it be
Prostrate before thy throne to lie,
And gaze and gaze on thee.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

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.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
To his feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me his praise should sing?
Praise him! Praise him! (Twice)
Praise the everlasting king.

Praise him for his grace and favour
To our fathers in distress;
Praise him still the same for ever,
Slow to chide and swift to bless.
Praise him! Praise him! (Twice)
Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like he tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Praise him! Praise him! (Twice)
Widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon bow down before him,
Dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him! Praise him! (Twice)
Praise with us the God of grace.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫