5th Sunday of Easter

St Michael and All AngelsHoly Communion

Sunday 2 May 2021

1The GatheringThe Priest welcomes everyone and announces the first hymnHymn - Lord of the Dance (Choir & Organ)

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,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 all, wherever you may be,and I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,but they would not dance and they wouldn't follow me.I danced for fishermen, for James and John -they came with me and the dance went on:I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;The holy people said it was a shame.They whipped and they stripped and they hung me high,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.They cut me down and I leapt up high;I am the life that'll never, never die;I'll live in you if you'll live in me -I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.

President Let us worship God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.All Amen.

The Lord be with youAll and also with you.

This is the day that the Lord has made.All We will rejoice and be glad in it.

2

Prayer of PreparationAll Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,all desires known,and from whom no secrets are hidden:cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love you,and worthily magnify your holy name;through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Prayer of PenitenceAs we recognise God’s presence here with us, let us first remember the times in our lives when we turn from God in our weakness and failure and bring to God those times when we have hurt one another or saddened God through our selfishness.

All We confess to our loving God and to one another that we have turned from God in our thoughts and with our words, in the wrong things we have done and in the good things we have failed to do. We are sorry and ask God’s forgiveness.May our God who welcomes us home, who enfolds all who are truly sorry, forgive our failure, lead us into all goodness and bring us to eternal life.

All AmenAbsolution The minister may use these or other suitable words.

May the God of all healing and forgivenessdraw us to himself,and cleanse us from all our sinsthat we may behold the glory of his Son,

3the Word made flesh,Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis The choir sings the clapping Gloria Everyone can clap!

Gloria, Gloria In Excelsis Deo x2Lord God, heavenly King, peace you bring to us; We worship you, we give you thanks, we sing our song of praiseGloria, Gloria In Excelsis Deo x2Jesus, Saviour of all, Lord God, Lamb of God, You take away our sins, O Lord, have mercy on us all.Gloria, Gloria In Excelsis Deo x2At the Father’s right hand, Lord, receive our prayer, for you alone are the Holy One and you alone are Lord.Gloria, Gloria In Excelsis Deo x 2Glory, Father and Son, glory Holy Spirit, To you we raise our hands up high, we glorify your name.Gloria, Gloria In Excelsis Deo x 2

The CollectRisen Christ, your wounds declare your love for the worldand the wonder of your risen life:give us compassion and courageto risk ourselves for those we serve,to the glory of God the Father. 

The Liturgy of the WordThe Gospel Reading John 15: 1 - 8

4Reader Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to

John.All Glory to you, O Lord.

‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. 2 He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 6 Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. At the end, the reader says:

This is the Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, O Christ.

Short TalkThe Creed

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;

5through him all things were made.For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit

and the Virgin Mary and was made man.For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;he suffered death and was buried.On the third day he rose againin accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heavenand 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 Sonis 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.

Prayers of Intercession The response to ‘Lord, in your mercy’ is ‘Hear our prayer’ or to ‘Lord, hear us’, ‘Lord, graciously hear us.’

At the end of the intercessions the leader says

6Merciful FatherAccept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

The Liturgy of the SacramentThe PeaceThe minister may use these or other suitable words.

Jesus says to his disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled or afraid.’ The peace of the Lord be always with you. All And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace.We offer those near to us a sign of peace. We say to each other, “Peace be with you”, and respond, “and also with you”. And we wave to each other. Offertory During which the collection is taken and the bread and wine are brought to the altar.This church relies on donations to provide care and support to everyone in this community. Now more than ever, please consider giving generously to support our mission and ministry. Thank you for your support. Collection can be made by online transfer or cheques payable to ‘ST MICHAELS&ANG’ Sort code 20-49-81 Account No. 80800007; you can also put money into your envelopes to bring to church.Offertory Song - Ten Thousand Reasons (recording)

Chorus:Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soulWorship His holy nameSing like never before, O my soulI'll worship Your holy nameThe sun comes up, it's a new day dawningIt's time to sing Your song again

7Whatever may pass and whatever lies before meLet me be singing when the evening comesChorusYou're rich in love and You're slow to angerYour name is great and Your heart is kindFor all Your goodness, I will keep on singingTen thousand reasons for my heart to findChorus[Interlude]And on that day when my strength is failingThe end draws near and my time has comeStill, my soul will sing Your praise unendingTen thousand years and then forevermoreForevermoreChorus x2I'll worship Your holy nameLord, I'll worship Your holy nameSing like never before, O my soulI'll worship Your holy nameJesus, I will, worship Your holy nameWorship Your holy name

Music and words: Matt RedmanBlessed are you, Lord, God of all creation; through your goodness we have this money to offer, the fruit of our labour and of the skills you have given us. Take us and our possessions to do your work in the world.Blessed be God forever. Lord, as we give our resources, we surrender our whole beings to you in worship and adoration. Amen.

The Eucharistic PrayerThe Lord is here.God’s spirit is with us.Lift up your hearts.

8We lift them to the Lord.Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give thanks and praise.It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,always and everywhere to give you thanks,almighty and eternal Father,and in these days of Easterto celebrate with joyful heartsthe memory of your wonderful works.For by the mystery of his passionJesus Christ, your risen Son,has conquered the powers of death, restored us to the image of your gloryand opened the gates of eternal life.And so, in the joy of this Passover,earth and heaven resound with gladness,while angels and archangels and all the powers of creation sing forever the hymn of your glory: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.Father of all, we give you thanks for every gift that comes from heaven. To the darkness, Jesus came as your light. With signs of faith and words of hope he touched untouchables with love and washed the guilty clean. The crowds came out to see your Son, yet at the end they turned on him.

9On the night he was betrayed he came to table with his friends to celebrate the freedom of your people. Jesus blessed you, Father, for the food; he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said:  Take eat, this is my body, given for you all. Do this in remembrance of me. Jesus then gave thanks for the wine; he took the cup, gave it to them and said: This is my blood, shed for you all for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me. Great is the mystery of faith.Christ has died:Christ is risen:Christ will come again.Therefore, Father, with this bread and this cup we celebrate the cross on which he died to set us free. Defying death he rose again and is alive with you to pray for us and all the world. Send your Spirit that by these gifts we may feed on Christ with opened eyes and hearts on fire. May we and all who share this food offer ourselves to live for you and be welcomed at your feast in heaven where all creation worships you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours forever and ever. Amen

The Lord’s PrayerWe say together the prayer Jesus taught his friends:

10Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and for ever. Amen.

Breaking of the BreadThe priest breaks the consecrated bread saying:

We break this bread to share in the body of ChristThough we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

The priest invites the people to communion saying:

Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed 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.

If you are baptized you are welcome to come and receive the bread and the wine or, if you prefer, to come to the altar for God’s blessing. The Welcomers will guide you forward.

11At the distribution of the bread and wine, the minister says to each communicant:

The body of Christ broken for you.The blood of Christ shed for you.

The response is: Amen

Communion Hymn – This is my body (choir and organ)This is my body, broken for you,bringing you wholeness, making you free,take it and eat it, and when you do,do it in love for me.This is my blood poured out for you,bringing forgiveness, making you free.Take it and drink it, and when you do,do it in love for me.Back to my Father soon shall I go.Do not forget me; then you will seeI am still with you, and you will knowyou’re very close to me.Filled with my Spirit, how you will grow!You are my branches; I am the tree.If you are faithful, others will knowyou are alive in me.Love one another – I have loved you,and I have shown you how to be free;serve one another, and when you do,do it in love for me.

After Communion, silence is kept.Then the priest says a short prayer followed by:

Lord we have broken your bread and received your life. By the power of your Spirit keep us always in your love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Notices

12The BlessingThe minister will say a prayer followed by:

The blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy be and remain with you, now and forever.Amen.

Recessional Hymn – Thine be the glory (choir & organ)1. Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son, endless is the vict'ry thou o'er death hast won; angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay. Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son, endless is the vict'ry thou o’er death has won. 2. Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb; lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom. Let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing, for her Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting. 3. No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life! Life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife. Make us more than conqu'rors through thy deathless love. Bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

13The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. All In the name of Christ. Amen