Welcome to our Sunday Service!
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God has gone up with a
shout,
The Lord with the sound
of a trumpet.
Song: Crown Him with
Many Crowns https://youtu.be/en7pOd9Ix-M
We meet in the name of
the Father,
and the Son and the
Holy Spirit
Amen
Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are
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.
Christ our Passover
lamb has been sacrificed
for us.
Let us therefore
rejoice by putting
away all malice
and evil
and confessing our sins
with a sincere and true
heart.
Almighty God, our
heavenly Father
we have sinned against
you,
through our own fault,
in thought, and word
and deed and in what we have left undone.
We are heartily sorry
and repent of our sins.
For your Son our Lord
Jesus Christ’s sake,
forgive us all that is
past;
and grant that we may
serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your
name.
Amen
May Almighty God
have mercy upon you,
forgive you your sins,
and bring you to
everlasting life.
Amen
Song: Freely Freely https://youtu.be/SFV0OVeKdlw
The Collect
Risen Christ,
you have raised our
human nature to the throne of heaven:
help us to seek and
serve you,
that we may join you at
the Father’s side,
where you reign with
the Spirit in glory,
now and for ever. Amen.
Psalm 93 The Lord is
king.
He
is clothed with majesty and strength.
The earth is set firmly in place
and cannot be moved.
2 Your throne, O Lord, has been firm from the beginning,
and you existed before time began.
3 The ocean depths raise
their voice, O Lord;
they raise their voice and roar.
4 The Lord rules supreme in heaven,
greater than the roar of the ocean,
more powerful than the waves of the sea.
5 Your laws are
eternal, Lord,
and your Temple is holy indeed,
forever and ever.
Song: Our God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01Yj7H-eSjM
Ascension Reading: Acts
1:4-11
While
staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there
for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from
me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit
not many days from now.’ So when they had come together, they asked
him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He
replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has
set by his own authority. But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ When he
had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him
out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven,
suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why
do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from
you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
Alleluia.
Christ is risen.
He is
risen indeed. Alleluia.
Sermon:
Today we’re looking at the
account of Jesus’ ascension. It’s the end of his time on earth in a human body;
it’s the final appearance with his first disciples. It’s the turning point of
his ministry.
Jesus goes back to his
Father in heaven. Now it’s over to us!
And throughout at all
the events after Easter, all the stories in the gospels, the first disciples
(and us too) ask questions. What does mean? Jesus tells them what they need to
know- and they ask more questions.
So today, Jesus gives
them some clear instructions:
While staying with them, he ordered them not
to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he
said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you
will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all
Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
So this is the
important bit.
But for both the
disciples after that, and for us- as we follow Jesus, we’re continually asking
for and being filled up by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes, we have a powerful experience when we’re really aware of God’s presence with us; people shake or fall down or are overcome. But we’re not looking for an experience, we’re looking to receive God’s power day by day to follow him in obedience. So for some of us, we don’t ever seem to have a one-off experience. But we can point to the difference over time that the Holy Spirit has made in our lives.
It’s like crossing the
Equator. If you’re on a cruise ship and in the daytime, you go across the
equator- they have a ceremony, make a big deal.
But if you’re flying
over in the equator at night- you still pass from one hemisphere to the other,
but you might not notice the exact moment. You could be asleep! But the
difference is still there. At one stage you’re in the northern hemisphere; then
you’ve gone south.
The ceremony or
experience isn’t what counts. It’s where you end up!
Because the point of
receiving the Holy Spirit- is to be witnesses. We receive God’s presence ,
power, love, transformation as we turn our lives over to follow him.
And then, we in turn
share that love power and transformation with others.
It’s not for just
ourselves- it’s so that we can join in with God’s work in the world.
So the challenge for us
as we move from Ascension to Pentecost- is to use that time to focus on our
witness. That’s why we have the pray for 5 challenge.
At St Catherine’s we
are good at looking out into our community and joining in with events or
projects that seek to love our neighbours. And that’s great - Jesus tells us to
love our neighbours as we love ourselves. And we need to get to know our
neighbours, those in our community so we can share what Jesus has done for us.
But part of sharing
that love, is telling people about Jesus- so that they can know him for
themselves. And we start with prayer. Praying for people that they will know
God’s love; there may be then some more steps we’d need to do.
Where can people come to
in order to learn?
It might be our church
services or GLU, but it might also be in specific courses or events. We might
not be able to much right at the moment but what can we think or dream or pray
for in the future?
The important thing is that we focus on what God is calling us to do. Wait, be filled pray and then be witnesses.
The disciples, however, get distracted. Is this the time that Jesus is going to sort out their country? They had issues to fix. When would God kick out the invaders, sort out the corrupt politicians or religious leaders? Jesus is clear. It’s not for they to know when God would do something, it’s up to them to get on with their job.
We have all sorts of
reason to hesitate. We don’t like confronting people; we don’t want to be
embarrassing; we just aren’t really quite sure what to do…
Jesus asks us to do
what we can. Try and resist the distractions. Focus on that next step in
praying, inviting and telling others…
When Jesus leaves, the angels reassure them. Jesus went up into heaven. He’s going to come back. He will sort everything out.
He will be revealed for
who he is. That’s why we have the Psalm - it tells us what God is like. Along
with the challenge of Ascension, there is also this reassurance. God is King;
that means Jesus is King too. He is in charge.
When the psalmist proclaims that the earth shall never be moved- he’s reminding
us that even when our world is turned upside down; when we feel that everything
is in freefall, God is still in charge, and in charge here on earth.
He is powerful, almighty and eternal. The psalmist compares God to the sea- probably the most powerful force he could think of. God is more powerful than a raging ocean storm.
Ascension shows us more
of who Jesus is and reminds us of his command to us.
Don’t worry. God will
do his bit.
We should do ours.
What we believe
Let us declare our faith
in the resurrection of
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ died for our
sins
in accordance with the
Scriptures;
he was buried;
he was raised to life
on the third day
in accordance with the
Scriptures;
afterwards he appeared
to his followers,
and to all the
apostles:
this we have received,
and this we believe.
Amen.
Our Prayers
Let us
join our prayers with those of our Saviour Christ,
seeking
the Father’s blessing and the gifts of the Spirit.
Jesus
Christ, great high priest,
living
for ever to intercede for us,
pray
for the Church, your broken body in the world …
Lord,
hear us.
Lord,
graciously hear us.
Jesus
Christ, king of righteousness,
enthroned
at the right hand of the majesty on high,
pray
for the world, and make it subject to your gentle rule …
Lord,
hear us.
Lord,
graciously hear us.
Jesus
Christ, Son of Man,
drawing
humanity into the life of God,
pray
for your brothers and sisters in need, distress or sorrow …
Lord,
hear us.
Lord,
graciously hear us.
Jesus
Christ, pioneer of our salvation,
bringing
us to glory through your death and resurrection,
surround
with your saints and angels
those
who have died trusting your promises …
Lord,
hear us.
Lord,
graciously hear us.
Jesus
Christ, Lord over all things,
ascended
far above the heavens and filling the universe,
pray
for us who receive the gifts you give us for work in your service …
Lord,
hear us.
Lord,
graciously hear us.
Jesus
Christ,
keep
the Church in the unity of the Spirit
and in
the bond of peace,
and
bring the whole created order to worship at your feet;
for you
are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Peace
The Risen Christ came and stood among his
disciples and said,
Peace be with you.
Then they were glad
when they saw the Lord.
Alleluia
The peace of the Lord
be always with you.
And also with you.
Song: My Jesus, My Saviour https://youtu.be/hGmZcTCXjmM
Holy Communion
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.
And now we give you
thanks
because, after his most
glorious resurrection,
he appeared to his
disciples,
and in their sight
ascended into heaven to prepare a place for us;
that where he is,
thither we might also ascend,
and reign with him in
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
We praise and bless
you, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ,
our Lord;
and as we obey his
command,
send your Holy Spirit,
that broken bread and
wine outpoured
may be for us the body
and blood of your dear Son.
On the night before he died,
he had supper with his friends
and, taking bread, he
praised you.
He broke the bread,
gave it to them and said:
Take, eat; this is my
body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance
of me.
When supper was ended,
he took the cup of wine.
Again he praised you,
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.
Do this, as often as
you drink it, in remembrance of me.
So, Father, we remember
all that Jesus did,
in him we plead with
confidence his sacrifice
made once for all upon
the cross.
Bringing before you the
bread of life and cup of salvation,
we proclaim his death
and resurrection
until he comes in
glory.
Dying you destroyed our
death,
rising you restored our
life:
Lord Jesus, come in glory.
Lord of all life,
help us to work
together for that day
when your kingdom comes
and justice and mercy
will be seen in all the earth.
Look with favour on
your people,
gather us in your
loving arms
and bring us with all
the saints
to feast at your table
in heaven.
Through Christ, and
with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the
Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory
are yours, O loving Father, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Our 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 sins
as we forgive those who
sin against us.
Lead us not into
temptation
but deliver us from
evil.
For the kingdom, the
power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen.
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.
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us
Alleluia! Let us keep
the feast!
Prayer of Spiritual
Communion
Thanks be to you, Lord
Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits
you have given me,
for all the pains and
insults you have borne for me.
Since I cannot now
receive you sacramentally,
I ask you to come
spiritually into my heart.
O most merciful
redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more
clearly,
love you more
dearly,
and follow you more
nearly, day by day. Amen
Song: O Praise the
Name https://youtu.be/yrFtFVZsNLQ
As we wait in silence,
make us ready for
your coming Spirit.
As we listen to your
word,
make us ready for your
coming Spirit.
As we worship you in
majesty,
make us ready for your
coming Spirit.
As we long for your
refreshing,
make us ready for your
coming Spirit.
As we long for your
renewing,
make us ready for your
coming Spirit.
As we long for your
equipping,
make us ready for your
coming Spirit.
As we long for your
empowering,
make us ready for your
coming Spirit.
The Blessing
May the Spirit,
who set the Church on
fire upon the day of Pentecost,
bring the world alive
with the love of the risen Christ.
And the blessing of God
almighty,
the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain
with you always.
Amen.
Song: This Amazing
Grace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPQKj2Zptr0
Dismissal
Waiting expectantly for
the promised Holy Spirit,
go in the peace of
Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God.
Alleluia, alleluia.