Advent Eucharist | Holy Trinity Melrose

Choral Eucharist for Advent 3 will be livestreamed and available online at Holy Trinity’s YouTube site from 10.55am Sunday

https://www.youtube.com/live/0KF-x8A3tRg

THE ADVENT PROSE (From Isaiah 64)

Refrain

Drop down ye heavens from above:

and let skies pour down righteousness.

Verse sung by cantor only

Be not wroth, very sore O Lord, neither remember iniquity for ever.

The Holy Cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation,

our holy and beautiful house, wherefore our forefathers praised thee.

REFRAIN

Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen;

that ye may know me and believe me:

I, even I, am the Lord, and beside me there is no Saviour:

and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.

REFRAIN

Comfort ye, Comfort ye, my people, my Salvation shall not tarry.

I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions.

Fear not, for I will save thee; for I am the Lord thy God,

the Holy one of Israel, thy redeemer.

REFRAIN

Introit Hymn NEH 6

HARK the glad sound! The Saviour comes,
The Saviour promised long!
Let every heart prepare a throne,
And every voice a song.

He comes the prisoners to release
In Satan's bondage held;
The gates of brass before him burst,
The iron fetters yield.

He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of his grace
Enrich the humble poor.

Our glad hosannas, Prince of peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heaven's eternal arches ring
With thy belovèd name.

APPROACH TO GOD

To you O Lord, I lift up my soul

my God I trust in you.

Show me your ways, O Lord

and teach me your paths.

We wait upon your loving kindness O Lord

in the midst of your Temple.

Be strong and do not fear,

for God will come to save us.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Our Lord Jesus Christ said, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.'

Let us turn from sin and turn to the Lord, confessing our sins in

penitence and faith.

Silence

CONFESSION

God and Father of all:

We prepare our hearts for the coming of your Son,

And we confess our sins, of thought, word and deed:

In what we have done and in what we have failed to do.

Forgive our sins, cleanse our hearts,

and keep us faithful for the coming of your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

THE ABSOLUTION

Almighty God, who sent your only-begotten Son to reconcile the world to Yourself;

lift our hearts from the darkness of sin,

have mercy upon us, pardon and forgive us,

and raise us to new life, in Christ our Lord.

Amen.

COLLECT(S)

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING Isaiah 35:1-10

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the LORD,
the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.’

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes and

A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people;
no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray.
No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there.
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

At the end:

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

GRADUAL HYMN NEH 500 omit v. 4)

Thy kingdom come on bended knee
The passing ages pray;
And faithful souls have yearned to see
On earth that kingdom's day.

But the slow watches of the night
Not less to God belong;
And for the everlasting right
The silent stars are strong.

And lo, already on the hills
The flags of dawn appear;
Gird up your loins, ye prophet souls,
Proclaim the day is near:

When knowledge, hand in hand with peace,
Shall walk the earth abroad:
The day of perfect righteousness,
The promised day of God

GOSPEL Matthew 11:2-11

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

When the Gospel is announced:

Glory to Christ our Saviour.

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,
“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.”
Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

At the end:

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel

Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON

CREED

We believe in One God

Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Trinity in Unity.

We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son:

Though he was divine

he made himself nothing

Taking the form of a slave.

He was born in human likeness

He humbled himself

and became obedient even to death on a cross.

God has raised him on high

and given him the name that is above all names;

that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow

and every tongue proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father Amen.

INTERCESSIONS

PEACE

We meet in Christ’s name.

Let us share his peace.

OFFERTORY HYMN NEH 55, omit verse 4)

Hail to the Lord's Anointed!
Great David's greater Son;
Hail, in the time appointed,
His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression,
To set the captive free;
To take away transgression,
And rule in equity.

He comes with succour speedy
To those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy,
And bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing,
Their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying,
Were precious in his sight.

He shall come down like showers
Upon the fruitful earth,
And love, joy, hope, like flowers,
Spring in his path to birth:
Before him on the mountains
Shall peace the herald go;
And righteousness in fountains
From hill to valley flow.

O'er every foe victorious,
He on his throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All -blessing and all -blest:
The tide of time shall never
His covenant remove;
His name shall stand for ever;
That name to us is Love.

THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT

PRAYERS OF OFFERING

Even as this broken bread was once scattered over the hills as wheat,

and when gathered together, became one mass,

so let your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom,

for Yours is the Glory and the Power through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.

THE SURSUM CORDA

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 God thanks and praise.

Worship and praise belong to you, God our maker.

Out of nothing, you called all worlds to be,

and still you draw the universe to its fulfilment.

Dawn and evening celebrate your glory

till time shall be no more.

In Christ your Son

the life of heaven and earth were joined,

sealing the promise of a new creation,

given, yet still to come.

Taught by your Spirit,

we who bear your threefold likeness

look for the City of Peace

in whose light we are transfigured

and the earth transformed.

As children of your redeeming purpose

who await the coming of your Son,

we offer you our praise,

with angels and archangels

and the whole company of heaven

singing the hymn of your unending glory:

SANCTUS

Holy, holy, holy Lord,

God of power and might,

Heav'n and earth are full of thy glory.

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

CONSECRATION PRAYER

Glory and thanksgiving be to you,

most loving Father.

In Jesus you showed us yourself.

Our hope is built on him,

the first, the last, the living one.

Obedient, even to accepting death,

He opened the gate of glory

and calls us now to share the life of heaven.

Before he was given up to suffering and death,

alight with the vision

of a feast that heralded a kingdom yet to come,

at supper with his disciples

he took bread and offered you thanks.

He broke the bread,

and gave it to them, saying:

‘Take, eat. This is my Body:

it is broken for you.’

After supper, he took the cup,

he offered you thanks,

and gave it to them saying:

‘Drink this, all of you.

This is my Blood of the new covenant;

it is poured out for you, and for all,

that sins may be forgiven.

Do this in remembrance of me.’

We now obey your Son’s command.

We recall his blessed passion and death,

his glorious resurrection and ascension;

and we look for the coming of his Kingdom.

Made one with him,

we offer you these gifts and with them ourselves,

a single, holy, living sacrifice.

Hear us, most merciful God,

and send your Holy Spirit upon us

and upon this bread and this wine,

that, overshadowed by his life-giving power,

they may be the Body and Blood of your Son,

and we may be kindled with the fire of your love

and renewed for the service of your Kingdom.

Help us,

who are baptised into the fellowship of Christ’s Body,

to live and work to your praise and glory;

may we grow together in unity and love

until at last, in your new creation,

we enter into our heritage,

in the company of the Virgin Mary,

the apostles and prophets,

and of all our brothers and sisters living and departed.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

with whom, and in whom,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory be to you,

Lord of all ages, world without end. Amen.

THE FRACTION

The living bread is broken for the life of the world.

Lord, unite us in this sign.

LORD’S PRAYER

As our Saviour Christ has commanded and taught us,

we are bold to say;

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name;

Thy kingdom come; thy will be done;

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

AGNUS DEI

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:

have mercy, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world:

Grant us, grant us peace.

PRAYER OF HUMBLE ACCESS

We do not presume to come to this holy sacrament, merciful Lord,

because we are strong, but because we are weak;

not because of our goodness,

but because we need mercy and help.

We come in weakness, and frailty, and humility.

We come because we love the Lord a little,

and seek to love him more.

We come to take, and eat, in remembrance of you.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

COMMUNION

COMMUNION HYMN NEH 307

Sweet Sacrament divine,
Hid in thine earthly home,
Lo, round thy lowly shrine,
With suppliant hearts we come;
Jesu, to thee our voice we raise
In songs of love and heartfelt praise:
Sweet Sacrament divine.

Sweet Sacrament of peace,
Dear home for every heart,
Where restless yearnings cease
And sorrows all depart;
There in thine ear all trustfully
We tell our tale of misery:
Sweet Sacrament of peace.

Sweet Sacrament of rest,
Ark from the ocean's roar,
Within thy shelter blest
Soon may we reach the shore;
Save us, for still the tempest raves,
Save, lest we sink beneath the waves:
Sweet Sacrament of rest.

Sweet Sacrament divine,
Earth's light and jubilee,
In thy far depths doth shine
Thy Godhead's majesty;
Sweet light, so shine on us, we pray
That earthly joys may fade away:
Sweet Sacrament divine

THANKSGIVING AND SENDING OUT

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious.

And his mercy endures for ever.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER

God, for whom we wait,

we thank you for feeding us with the Body and Blood

of your Son Jesus Christ

who, at his first advent,

came to seek and save that which was lost:

grant that, on the last day,

he may be found in us,

and we in him; through the

same, Christ our Lord. Amen.

BLESSING this or some other may be used

Now may Christ the Sun of Righteousness

shine upon us,

and scatter all darkness from before our path;

and the blessing of God Almighty,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

be with us and remain with us always. Amen

DISMISSAL

Let us go in peace, to love and serve the Lord

In the name of Christ. Amen.

FINAL HYMN NEH 466

THOU whose almighty word
Chaos and darkness heard,
And took their flight;
Hear us, we humbly pray,
And where the gospel day
Sheds not its glorious ray
Let there be light.

Thou who didst come to bring
On thy redeeming wing
Healing and sight,
Health to the sick in mind,
Sight to the inly blind,
O now to all mankind
Let there be light.

Spirit of truth and love,
Life -giving, holy Dove,
Speed forth thy flight;
Move on the water's face,
Bearing the lamp of grace,
And in earth's darkest place
Let there be light.

Blessèd and holy Three,
Glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might,
Boundless as ocean's tide
Rolling in fullest pride,
Through the world far and wide
Let there be light.

Voluntary