An order of service for communion

Morning Worship and Eucharist
in the spirit of Leuenberg and Porvoo

Monday 5 July 2010
The Ecumenical Chapel, Geneva

The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle focuses this week on
Colombia, Ecuador and Venzuela

An open invitation to the Eucharist is extended to all,
with due repect for churches’ varied positions on intercommunion.
Co-presidents: Revds Karin Achtelstetter (Lutheran) and Theodore Gill (Reformed)
Preacher: The Venerable Colin Williams (Anglican)


Welcome

Gathering

Sing praises and give thanks to God, all you who are faithful.
Let us give thanks to God, and praise God’s holy name.

For God turns mourning into dancing, and clothes us with joy.
O Lord our God, we will give you thanks forever and ever! Amen.

Sing: Cantai ao Senhor Agape 12
Verse 1 in Portuguese, 2-3 in English, 4-5 in French

God of justice and of mercy,
You turn our mourning into dancing, our darkness into light, our sorrow into joy.
We give you thanks.

Forgive us our sin, we pray.
Empower us by your Spirit to follow in Christ’s way,
displaying and proclaiming the good news of your abundant goodness.

We bring our prayers for the world and the church, the rich and the poor, the strong and the struggling. We bring prayers for our families and friends, and for those unknown to us but well-known to you. This week we pray especially for the people, the churches and the cultures of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
In the name of Jesus: Amen.

The Lord’s prayer (we each pray aloud in our own language)

Ministry of the Word

Galatians 6:7-14

Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right. For we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised – only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God!

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

After this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to come. And he said to them,
"The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house!' And if a son of peace is there, your peace shall rest upon him; but if not, it shall return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the labourer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 'Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you; nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'

… "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!" And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless: do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Sing: Thuma mina Agape 91
All three verses in Zulu

Meditation
The Venerable Colin Williams

Sing in Spanish: Santo, santo, santo Agape 81


The Sacrament of the Eucharist

Peace be with you.
And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.
We lift up our hearts to the Lord!

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is fitting and right to give God thanks and praise.

It is truly fitting and right, Holy, Almighty and Eternal God, that we should give you
thanks and praise, at all times and in every place, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For you sent him to offer salvation to the world;
through his death you made possible the forgiveness of our sin,
and through his resurrection we realize your gift of abundant life.

Therefore the angels offer praise at your throne; with the company of the heavenly host, we unite our voices in celebration and join in the song without end.

Sing: Santo, santo, santo Agape 81
In Spanish.

O Christ, you invite us to gather at your table, to share the bread and wine with you.
By the power of your resurrection, you open our minds to your presence.

O Christ, the bread and wine communicate your life, death, and resurrection to life.
You transform our humanity by your love.

In the midst of suffering and brutality, you awaken us to hope and the promise of peace.

Lord God, send your Holy Spirit to unite us in Christ and make us your faithful people.

Words of Institution
This is the account of the holy supper of our Lord as delivered by the apostle Paul:
I have received from the Lord that which I now deliver to you, that on the same night that he was betrayed our Lord took bread; and, when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way, he took the cup after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Drink from it, all of you, in memory of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink from this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes again in glory.

Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again!

Lord our Creator, we praise you, for you love us and we are your children.
We praise you for Jesus Christ, alive in our midst.
We praise you for the Holy Spirit who gathers us together despite our differences.
We praise you for calling us to unity, and for making us one.
We recall your goodness toward us, for you have opened the gates to your kingdom
through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

And now, ministering in Christ’s name, we take this bread and this wine to be set apart by prayer and thanksgiving to the holy use for which he intended them.

Most gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, we give you our thanks.
Sanctify by your Word and Spirit these your own gifts of bread and wine,
that we may by faith receive Christ crucified for us, and so feed upon him
that he may become fully one with us, and we with him.

And here we offer and present to you ourselves, our souls and bodies,
to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice;
and we ask you mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
as, in fellowship with all the saints in heaven and on earth,
we pray that you may fulfill in us, and in all people, the purpose of your redeeming love.

This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be the glory and the praise, both now and forever.
Amen.

The peace of the Lord be with you all!

[The congregation exchanges signs of peace.
Those who wish to commune or receive a blessing
come forward to surround the Lord’s table.]

Ubi caritas

Thanksgiving

Lord, we give you thanks for your great mercy given us in this sacrament, through which we are made partakers of Christ. So enrich us by the power of your Holy Spirit that the life of Jesus may be made manifest in us, and the remainder of our days may be lived in your love and service. In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.


Sending

For the simplicity of this bread and wine, praise to God our maker.
For the simple gift of Christ’s presence here, praise to the Lord.
For the Spirit that surrounds us always, praise to the Triune God.
Amen.

Go forth in peace, to love and serve the Lord.


Sing: Komm, Herr, segne uns Agape 45
Verse 1 in German, 2 in English, 3 in French, 4 in German

This service was put together by Thedore Gill and Karin Achtelstetter

Order of Worship for Epiphany

The following service of holy communion according to the Anglican rite has been prepared by the Venerable Colin Williams, general secretary of the Conference of European Churches. Colin will preside at the eucharist on Monday and Rev Michael Wallace, general secretary of the World Student Christian Federation will be deacon. Michael, who comes from New Zealand, was ordained deacon with the Old Catholic or Christian Catholic Church here in Switzerland. That has meant he's had to learn some interesting liturgical French. Nothing like having to lead prayers in a language to put you on an upwards learning curve! And sometime over the weekend I'll have to write a sermon.
Time constraint is always our main concern on a Monday morning but occasionally we allow ourselves an extra 15 minutes for communion or other special services.
Afterwards we'll have a pot luck breakfast and share some traditional galette des rois for epiphany - this kind of fellowship is important in an ecumenical community when we are very aware that we cannot all share together in the eucharist.

SERVICE OF HOLY COMMUNION – (WESTERN) EPIPHANY
7 January, 2008, Chapel of the Ecumenical Centre

GATHERING

Gathering Hymn Cantai ao Senhor Agape 12

Welcome and Introduction
God in Christ has revealed his glory.
Come let us worship.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
the Lord's name is greatly to be praised.
Give him praise, you servants of the Lord.
O praise the name of the Lord!

Greeting
The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Prayers of Penitence
When the Lord comes, he will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness, and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Therefore in the light of Christ let us confess our sins.

We have not held out the word of life in a dark and twisted world. Lord have mercy,
Gospodi pomilui (Agape 28)

We have failed to share our bread with the hungry. Christ have mercy,
Lord have mercy (Agape 28)

We have closed our hearts to the love of God. Lord have mercy,
Gospodi pomilui (Agape 28)

The leader pronounces God’s forgiveness.

Gloria Gloria a Dios Agape 26
(v1 Spanish v2 English v3 German)

Prayer of the Day
Creator of the heavens, who led the Magi by a star to worship the Christ-child:
guide and sustain us, that we may find our journey's end in Jesus Christ our Lord
Amen

WORD

Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Matthew 2:1-12
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Glory to You O Lord

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

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

Homily The Revd. Jane Stranz

The Prayers of the People

Let us worship the Saviour with joy
and make our prayer to our heavenly Father.

The Magi came from the east to worship your Son:
Father, grant to Christians everywhere the spirit of adoration . Especially we pray for the Church in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Iran, Iraq

Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

The infant Christ received gifts of gold, incense and myrrh:
Father, accept the offering of our hearts and minds at the beginning of this year
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ:
Father, grant an abundance of peace to your world, especially in Kenya, in Pakistan, in the Middle East, in Serbia and Kosovo
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

The Holy Family lived in exile and in the shadow of death:
Father, look in mercy on all who are poor and powerless, and all who suffer
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

Your Son shared the life of his home and family at Nazareth:
Father, protect in your love our neighbours, our families and all who work in this Centre
Lord of glory,
hear our prayer.

Rejoicing in fellowship with the shepherds, the angels, the magi, the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph
and all the faithful departed,
we commend ourselves and all people to your unfailing love.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers
For the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ

The Sharing of Peace
Christ came and proclaimed the gospel,
peace to those who are far off and peace to those who are near.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
And also with you.

Hymn Let us Break Bread Together Agape 52

MEAL
The Preparation of the Table
Look upon us in mercy not in judgement;
draw us from hatred to love;
make the frailty of our praise a dwelling place for your glory.
Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
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.
It is right to praise you, Father, Lord of all creation; in your love you made us for yourself. When we turned away you did not reject us, but came to meet us in your Son.
You embraced us as your children and welcomed us to sit and eat with you.
In Christ you shared our life that we might live in him and he in us.
He opened his arms of love upon the cross and made for all the perfect sacrifice for sin.
On the night he was betrayed, at supper with his friends he took bread, and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his body is the bread of life.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine, he gave you thanks, and said: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins; do this in remembrance of me.
Father, we do this in remembrance of him: his blood is shed for all.
As we proclaim his death and celebrate his rising in glory, send your Holy Spirit that this bread and this wine may be to us the body and blood of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy gifts make us one in Christ, our risen Lord.
With your whole Church throughout the world we offer you this sacrifice of praise and lift our voice to join in singing the eternal song of heaven:
Santo, santo, santo, !Mi corazon te adora. Mi corazon te sabedecir !Santo eres Senor
Holy, holy, holy. With joy my heart adores you! My heart cries out to worship you! Holy are you Lord!
Dieu saint, Dieu saint, Dieu saint! Mon coeur, mon coeur t’adore! Mon coeur le sait, mon coeur le dit,: sacré est ton nom!

Lord’s Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us, each in our own language…

Breaking of the Bread
We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.
God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.

Giving of Communion
God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people.
Jesus Christ is holy; Jesus Christ is Lord; To the glory of God the Father.

During the giving of Communion we sing Eat this Bread (Agape 20)

Prayer after Communion
Lord God, the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
May we, with the Wise Men, being drawn by your light,
recognise the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ
our Lord.
Amen

SENDING

Blessing
May the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ shine in your hearts and fill our lives with his joy and his Peace. And the blessing…

All turn to face the door
L The Cross,
C We shall take it.

L The Bread,
C We shall break it.

L The Word,
C We shall bear it.

L The Joy,
C We shall share it.

L The Gospel,
C We shall live it.

L The Love,
C We shall give it.

L The Light,
C We shall cherish it.

L The Darkness,
C God shall perish it.

Dismissal
L Let us go in peace,
C Thanks be to God.

Sending Hymn Nun Danket Alle Gott Agape 62