Easter Season | Holy Trinity Melrose

'Choral Eucharist on 12th April will be livestreamed and available online at Holy Trinity’s YouTube site from 10.55am on Sunday at https://www.youtube.com/live/lSCCCFliGvc

The Preparation

WELCOME
Grace and peace to you from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

OPENING HYMN NEH 124 Ye choirs of new Jerusalem (St Fulbert) (with ‘Alleluya! Amen’) (omit vv. 3 & 4)

1 Ye choirs of new Jerusalem,
your sweetest notes employ,
the paschal victory to hymn
in strains of holy joy.

2 For Judah's Lion bursts his chains,
crushing the serpent's head;
and cries aloud through death's domains
to wake the imprisoned dead.

5 While we his soldiers praise our King,
his mercy we implore,
within his palace bright to bring
and keep us evermore.

6 All glory to the Father be,
all glory to the Son,
all glory, Holy Ghost to thee,
while endless ages run.
Alleluia. Amen.

APPROACH TO GOD
Christ our Passover is sacriﬁced for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness;
But with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Christ being raised from the dead dies no more;
Death has no more dominion over us.
O be joyful in the Lord, all his people;
Let us serve the Lord with gladness.

COLLECT FOR PURITY

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.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

Christ broke the bonds of death and hell,

and rose victorious from the grave.

Let us pray that God may bring us to the fullness of redemption.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

CONFESSION

Almighty God,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

THE ABSOLUTION

May the risen Lord, whose love was stronger than death,
forgive us through his redeeming love,
that we may be healed and strengthened,
and raised to new life in him, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

GLORIA

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to God’s people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

COLLECT:

The Liturgy of the Word

FIRST READING (Acts 2:14a, 22-32)

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

On the day of Pentecost, Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,
“I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.”

‘Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,
“He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.”
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.

Ends with
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL HYMN NEH 117 The Day of Resurrection (Ellacombe)

1 The day of resurrection,
Earth, tell it out abroad!
The passover of gladness,
The passover of God!
From death to life eternal,
From earth unto the sky,
Our Christ has brought us over
With hymns of victory.

2 Our hearts be pure from evil,
That we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal
Of resurrection light;
And, listening to his accents,
May hear, so calm and plain,
His own 'All hail!' and, hearing
May raise the victor strain.

3 Now let the heavens be joyful,
And earth her song begin,
The round world keep high triumph,
And all that is therein;
Let all things seen and unseen
Their notes of gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen,
Our joy that hath no end.

GOSPEL (John 20:19-31)

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

When it is announced

Glory to Christ our Saviour

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

At the end:
Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON

ANTHEM Breathe on me, breath of God (Stainer, arr.)

THE NICENE CREED

Let us proclaim our faith in the words of the 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 substance with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made human.
For our sake he was cruciﬁed under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and 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,
who with the Father and the Son is 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.

INTERCESSIONS

PEACE

Christ is our peace.
He has reconciled us to God in one body by the cross.
We meet in Christ’s name.
Let us share his peace.

OFFERTORY HYMN NEH 104 At the Lamb's high feast we sing (Salzburg) (omit verse 2)

1 At the Lamb's high feast we sing
praise to our victorious King,
who hath washed us in the tide
flowing from his piercèd side;
praise we him, whose love divine
gives the guests his blood for wine,
gives his body for the feast,
Love the victim, Love the priest.

3 Mighty victim from on high,
powers of hell beneath thee lie;
death is broken in the fight,
thou has brought us life and light.
Now thy banner thou dost wave,
conquering Satan and the grave.
See the prince of darkness quelled;
heaven's bright gates are open held.

4 Paschal triumph, Paschal joy,
only sin can this destroy;
from sin's death do thou set free
souls re-born, dear Lord, in thee.
Hymns of glory, songs of praise,
Father, unto thee we raise;
risen Lord, all praise to thee,
ever with the Spirit be.

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

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,
author of all being.
Your power sustains,
your love restores our broken world.
You are unceasingly at work,
from chaos, bringing order
and ﬁlling emptiness with life.
Christ raised from the dead,
proclaims the dawn of hope.
He lives in us that we may walk in light.

Your Spirit is ﬁre in us,
your breath is power to purge our sin
and warm our hearts to love.
As children of your redeeming purpose,
freed by him who burst from the tomb
and opened the gate of life,
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.
God of power and might.
Heaven 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.

Praise and thanksgiving be to you, Lord of all,
for by the cross eternal life is ours
and death is swallowed up in victory.
In the ﬁrst light of Easter,
glory broke from the tomb
and changed the women’s sorrow into joy.
From the garden the truth shone clear
that he whom they had loved and lost
was with them now in every place, for ever.
Making himself known in the breaking of the bread,
speaking peace to his fearful disciples,

welcoming weary ﬁshers on the shore,
he renewed the promise of his presence,
and of new birth in the Spirit
who sets the seal of freedom
on your sons and daughters.

On the night when he was given up to death,

knowing that his hour had come,
having loved his own, he loved them to the end.
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 Father,
and send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon this bread and this wine,
that, overshadowed by your Spirit’s 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.

THE 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

INVITATION

Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ
which was given for you,
and his blood which was shed for you.
Eat and drink in remembrance that He died for you,
and feed on Him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

COMMUNION HYMN NEH 276 Bread of heaven, on thee we feed (Nicht So Traurig)

1 Bread of heaven, on thee we feed,
for thy flesh is meat indeed;
ever may our souls be fed
with this true and living bread;
day by day with strength supplied
through the life of him who died.

2 Vine of heaven, thy blood supplies
this blest cup of sacrifice;
'tis thy wounds our healing give,
to thy Cross we look and live:
thou our life! O let us be
rooted, grafted, built on thee.

Thanksgiving and sending out

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious.
And his mercy endures for ever.

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER

All-powerful God,
whose will is to restore all to life in you,
grant that as you have come to us
in these gifts of bread and wine,
so you may come to others through us;
that more and more,
the world may know the power of him
who is our Resurrection and our Life.
Amen.

BLESSING This or some other may be used.

The God of peace,
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the eternal covenant,
make you perfect in every good work to do his will,

working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit
be with you and those whom you hold in your prayers
now and always. Amen.

DISMISSAL

Let us go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.
In the Name of Christ. Amen.

FINAL HYMN NEH 443 Rejoice, the Lord is King (Gopsal)

1 Rejoice, the Lord is King.
Your Lord and King adore;
mortals, give thanks and sing,
and triumph evermore:

Chorus
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

2 Jesus the Saviour, reigns,
the God of truth and love;
when he had purged our stains,
he took his seat above:
Chorus.

3 His kingdom cannot fail;
he rules o'er earth and heaven;
the keys of death and hell
are to our Jesus given:
Chorus.

4 He sits at God's right hand
till all his foes submit,
and bow to his command,
and fall beneath his feet:
Chorus.

ORGAN VOLUNTARY