SUNDAY 6th SEPTEMBER FEAST OF CREATION IN CHRIST
LED BY ALAN COTGREAVE
WELCOME AND NOTICES
SILENCE
CALL TO WORSHIP
In the beginning God created heaven and earth;
and saw that they were good.
Wisdom was firmly set from everlasting,
delighting the Most High day by day, ever at play in God’s presence;
and God saw that She was good.
In the beginning was the Word who was with God, and who was God;
and God saw that He was good.
God is not far from any of us;
and sees that we are good.
So come and worship the God in whom we live, move, and have our being,
because God is good. Amen!
HYMN R+S 41 For the beauty of the earth
PRAYERS
SHARING GOOD NEWS
LYCIG PRAYER
READINGS Genesis 2: 4-25
Acts 17: 24-28
HYMN R+S 44 Lord of the boundless curves of space
(Tune: possibly London New (R+S 59) or any suitable CM tune)
REFLECTION
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION & LORD’S PRAYER
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
SHARING THE PEACE
HYMN MP 1157 Behold the lamb
COMMUNION 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 our thanks and praise.
We give You thanks, Eternal One,
that before the ages You created all things
by the power of Your Word.
You brought forth the depths and the mountains,
the birds of the air and the fish of the sea,
You fashioned the stars in the heavens,
and set the planets around them.
At play before the dawn of the ages
You created us in Your own image,
to delight, tend, and protect Your Creation,
and to live in harmony with all created things.
And so, with angels and archangels, with the whole company of heaven,
and with all Your Creation here below we sing to your glory:
The Ash Grove Sanctus
Tune: The Ash Grove
O holy, most holy, the God of Creation,
for ever exalted in pow'r and great might.
The earth and the heavens are full of your glory.
Hosanna, hosanna and praise in the height!
How blessèd is he who is sent to redeem us,
who puts ev'ry fear and injustice to flight;
who comes in the name of the Lord as our Saviour.
Hosanna, hosanna and praise in the height.
You are not far from any of us, O Most High,
as You do not live in shrines or buildings made from human hands,
but, instead, give Yourself to us all,
so that we may seek and find You.
To help us better understand Your purposes
You became one of us, one with us,
bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh,
in Jesus, the Christ.
He lived our life on earth,
healed the sick, cast out demons,
fed the hungry, cared for those on the edge,
and challenged those with power.
In response the powerful had him arrested, tortured, and tried,
putting him to a shameful death on a cross.
But You did not leave him in the grave, but raised him on high,
to offer new and everlasting life to those who trust in Him.
Before he was given over to death,
Jesus shared in the simplicity of a meal with his friends
.
During that meal he said the ancient blessing over bread,
broke it, and gave it to his friends, saying:
“This is my body, which is for you;
do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way after the meal,
Jesus took the cup, said the blessing,
and giving the cup to his friends said:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.”
As often, then, as we eat this bread and drink from this cup,
We are proclaiming the Lord’s death until he comes.
Come now, O Holy Spirit,
and set aside these gifts of bread and wine
that they may be for us the communion with the body and blood of Christ.
Come now, O Holy Spirit, upon us, Your people – faithful and unfaithful –
that we may be transformed into the body of Christ which we share.
May our sharing of this bread and wine transform us,
that we, and the whole created order, may find reconciliation in Christ.
For, through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
all glory and honour is Yours, O Most High,
with the Holy Spirit forever and ever, Amen.
The holy gifts of God are given for God’s holy people:
the body and blood of Christ are given for us.
And so we sing:
Acclamation (St Columba)
Tune: St Columba
When we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus,
until you come in glory,
until you come in glory.
WE SHARE THE BREAD AND WINE
PRAYER
HYMN R+S 95 God is love let heaven adore him