Preliminary Comments: I created the following service based on a number of resources (as cited at the end of the document) and following the structure of An Order for Celebrating the Holy Eucharist found on page 400 of the Book of Common Prayer 1979. The theme of generosity was chosen based on a careful but non-traditional reading of the day's Gospel passage from Luke. Language of generosity was woven throughout the service, particularly in the prayers of the people and preface to the Eucharistic prayer, which I wrote myself. Besides facilitating the service and organizing the supplies for the reflection activity, I delegated all other service-related tasks.
Holy Eucharist
According to An Order for Celebrating
the Holy Eucharist found in the Book of Common Prayer, 1979
Monday, March 13, 2017
Gather
Presider: Blessed be God, Giver of Life,
Creator of all that is.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom,
now and forever. Amen.
Presider: Let us pray.
Eternal God, You heal the broken and redeem the
lost. Send Your Spirit upon us. Fill us with your generosity, that our love for
one another may be as constant as your love for us. May we be merciful as you
are merciful. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son, we pray. Amen.
Proclamation: The Old Testament
Reader: Hear what the Spirit is saying to
God’s people. / People: Thanks be to God.
Listen and Reflect: Gospel and Interactive
Reflection
What does it mean to be generous as God is generous?
Reflection Explanation
Prayers of the People
Let us pray to God responding, God of
generosity...Hear our prayer.
Eternal God, we pray for your church. We
pray for unity in love even in the face of our differences. We pray for leaders
in every church community and our own church community, especially Archbishop
Welby, Bishop Johnston and Dean Markham. We pray also for [those
institutions in our community prayer cycle]. God of generosity...Hear
our prayer.
Eternal God, we pray for all who hold
authority in every nation. We pray for the leaders of our country, our states
and our cities. We pray they will have the best interests of the most
vulnerable at the heart of every decision. God of generosity...Hear our
prayer.
Eternal God, we pray for the world. We
pray for the well-being of all people. We pray for peace in every nation and
peace between all nations. We pray for all who have experienced and continue to
experience the pain of war. We pray for those who lack basic security,
especially refugees. God of generosity...Hear our prayer.
Eternal God, we pray for the needs of our
seminary community. We pray you will sustain us through the upcoming days of
mid-term examinations, papers, projects and grading. Surround us with your
wisdom and your peace. God of generosity...Hear our prayer.
Eternal God, we pray for those who
suffer. We pray especially for those with any physical or mental illness. We
pray for those who are isolated from their families and communities. We pray
for those dear to us who are suffering, especially [those on our community
prayer list]. God of generosity...Hear our prayer.
Eternal God, we pray for those who have
died and those who mourn, especially for [those on our community prayer
list]. Surround all mourners with your love and comfort. God of
generosity...Hear our prayer.
The Confession and Absolution
Presider: We have
all fallen short of God’s call to love all, even those who do not love us. Let us confess our sins before God.
All: God of all
mercy,
we confess that we
have sinned against you,
opposing your will
in our lives.
We have denied your
goodness in each other,
in ourselves, and in
the world you have created.
We repent of the
evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have
done,
and the evil done on
our behalf.
Forgive, restore,
and strengthen us
through our Savior
Jesus Christ,
that we may abide in
your love
and serve only your will. Amen.
Presider: Almighty
God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus
Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit
keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace
Presider: May the peace of the Lord be
always with you.
People: And also with you.
Presider: Let us show one another a sign
of peace.
The Holy Eucharist
Presider: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Presider:
Eternal God, by your own hand you created
the universe and all that is in it. You made the earth and blessed it with
abundant resources, so that all creatures have everything they need. You
surround us with your constant love, yet we fall short of that love by failing
to care for one another and failing to care for the bountiful creation you have
given.
In spite of our failures and
faithlessness, you, Eternal God, have remained faithful throughout the ages.
You led Abraham and his family to lands unknown. You used the evil of Joseph’s
brothers selling him into slavery as a means to save your chosen family from
starvation. You saved Moses from the danger of the Nile and the perils of the
desert, and used him, in spite of his weakness, to lead your people from
slavery to freedom. You provided food for your people during their long journey
across the barren desert. Though you gave many gifts, your people forgot your
love and failed to care for one another. Determined to reach them, you set your
Spirit upon your prophets, that they might call your people back to you. Eventually,
you sent your own heart, Jesus Christ, to redeem us and show us the way of true
and perfect love.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord / God of power and might...
On the night before he died
for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread;
and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said,
"Take, eat: This is my Body, which
is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them and said, "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. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."
Eternal God, we remember the
life, death and resurrection of your only Son, Jesus Christ. We await his
coming again in glory. Accept this sacrifice of praise, in thanksgiving for the
great generosity you have show us and all of your creation.
Send your Holy Spirit upon
these gifts. Let them be for us the
Body and Blood of your Son. And grant that we who eat this bread and drink this cup may be
filled with your life and your goodness.
All this we ask through your
Son Jesus Christ. By Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the
Holy Spirit all honor and glory
is yours, Almighty and Eternal God, now and forever. AMEN.
Post-Communion Prayer
Presider: Let us
pray.
All:
God of abundance,
you have fed us
with the bread of
life and cup of salvation;
you have united us
with Christ and one
another;
and you have made us
one
with all your people
in heaven and on earth.
Now send us forth
in the power of your
Spirit,
that we may proclaim
your redeeming love to the world
and continue for
ever
in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.
Dismissal
The Wisdom of God, the
Love of God, and the Grace of God
strengthen you to be
Christ’s hands and heart in this world,
in the name of the Holy Trinity. Amen.
Service Participants
Greeters: Matthew Rhodes
Readers: Kevin Laskowski; Barbara Anne Fisher; Halim Shukair
Intercessor: the Rev Serena Sides
Deacon: the Rev Cara Rockhill
Celebrant: the Rev Ruthanna Hooke, PhD
Gospel read from the NRSV, CEB & NJB
translations; other readings from the NRSV
Brick wall graphic courtesy Jeremy Meyers, redeeminggod.com
