The Parish of Berkswich
in the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield
Sung Eucharist for
Bible Sunday
Welcome to our worship this morning. We rejoice to sing in church again. If you are in church, unless exempt please continue to wear a mask when moving around the building or singing hymns. Sections in each of our buildings are reserved for those who wish to maintain strict social distancing – please respect those who have done so. Those at home, please do continue to sing loudly, you will still be muted!
The gathering
Let us join together to worship God with joy and wonder, and give thanks for God’s blessing on our lives.
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.
Holy and blessèd Three,
glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might;
boundless as ocean's tide
rolling in fullest pride,
through the earth far and wide
let there be light.
John Marriott (1780-1825)
The greeting
X In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord of glory be with you.
And also with you
The Act of Penitence
The word of God is living and active. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. All is open and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we give account.
Let your faithful love come unto me, O Lord,
even your salvation, according to your promise:
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Your word is a lantern to my feet
and a light upon my path:
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost;
O seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Words of forgiveness
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardonX and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The Gloria
Our virtual choir sing the Gloria.
The Collect for the day
Let us pray
Silence is kept
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us so to hear them,
to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The liturgy of the word
First reading Isaiah 55:1-11
A reading from the Prophet Isaiah
God’s liberality and faithfulness are to be received as free, unmerited gifts. The covenant God established with David is extended to all.
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel reading
The virtual choir sing the Alleluia
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John X
Glory to you, O Lord.
5:36b-end
There are a number of witnesses to Jesus’ deity, including the scriptures. Jesus charges the Jews with reading these scriptures in blinkered fashion, failing to notice the many pointers to the coming of a Messiah, who would bring them salvation and eternal life.
But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Homily
Affirmation of faith
With our Christian sisters, brothers and siblings throughout the world, let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us come before God, who knows our ambitions and innermost longings, and pray for the strength to put the Gospel teaching into practice, even when we find it confusing or difficult.
At the end of each bidding the following response is used
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
At the end, on behalf of us all, the intercessor gathers our individual prayers together into one, by saying on our behalf
Lord, we ask that you hear our prayers and plant your word in our hearts, that we may become true disciples. We pray this in the name of your Son. Amen.
The liturgy of the sacrament
The Peace
The Lord of glory be with you.
And also with you
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
All may exchange a sign of peace.
Offertory Prayer
Lord Jesus, you nourish us at the table of your word and the table of your sacrament; as we feed on you, the bread of life, may we daily grow into your likeness. 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 indeed right and good, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For he is your eternal and creative Word, through whom all things came into being; the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He fulfils the Law and the Prophets, dying for our sins and rising again in accordance with the Scriptures. He stands among us in his risen power, opening to us his living word, and making himself known in the breaking of the bread. Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:
Our Virtual Choir will sing the Sanctus. The priest then continues the prayer, recalling the words and actions of Jesus at the Last Supper during which our Virtual Choir will sing our Memorial Acclamation – a response to what has been proclaimed in the Eucharistic prayer
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, we assent to the prayer by saying....
Amen!
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us offer our prayers to God with grateful and trusting hearts as we say together.
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.
Breaking of the bread
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now we share your resurrection.
Live in us,
that we may live in you
The priest breaks the consecrated bread as our virtual choir sing the Agnus Dei
An act of Spiritual Communion
Those at home, as they look on to the consecrated elements, are invited to say
In union, dear Father, with Christian people throughout the world and across the centuries gathered to make Eucharist, hearing your holy Word and receiving the Precious Body and Blood, I offer you praise and thanksgiving.
Even though I am exiled from tasting the Bread of Heaven and drinking the Cup of Life I pray that you will unite me with all the baptised and with your Son who gave his life for us. Come Lord Jesus, dwell in me and send your Holy Spirit that I may be filled with your presence.
As those in church receive, a hymn will be sung
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as the dove,
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour’s love.
You spoke to us long, long ago,
gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth,
through it God’s voice is heard.
Spirit of God…
Without your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live his way;
we need your power, we need your strength,
following Christ each day.
Spirit of God…
Margaret V Old (1932-2001)
Prayer after communion
God of all grace, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen
The dismissal
We have a gospel to proclaim,
good news for all throughout the earth;
the gospel of a Saviour’s name,
we sing His glory, tell His worth.
Tell of His birth at Bethlehem,
not in a royal house or hall
but in a stable dark and dim,
the Word made flesh, a light for all.
Tell of His death at Calvary,
hated by those He came to save,
in lonely suffering on the cross,
for all He loved His life He gave.
Tell of that glorious Easter moon,
empty the tomb, for He was free.
he broke the power of death and hell
that we might share His victory.
Tell of His reign at God’s right hand,
by all creation glorified,
he sends His Spirit on His Church,
to live for Him, the Lamb who died.
Now we rejoice to name Him King,
Jesus is Lord of all the earth,
This gospel message we proclaim,
we sing His glory, tell His worth.
Edward J Burns (1938-)
The Blessing
The Lord of glory be with you.
And also with you
Go now in peace, knowing that you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God; And the blessing of God almighty, theX Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen
Come to me and listen to my words;
hear me, and you shall have life.
Come to me and listen to my words;
hear me, and you shall have life.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the simple.
Hear me, and you shall have life.
The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and gives light to the eyes.
Hear me, and you shall have life.
The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Hear me, and you shall have life.
More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey dripping from the honeycomb.
Come to me and listen to my words;
hear me, and you shall have life.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Equipped to go out into our world, we leave in silence
Copyright acknowledgment: Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops' Council 2000, 2006
CCLI Streaming licence: 1169112 Copyright licence: 202876
in the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield
Sung Eucharist for
Bible Sunday
Welcome to our worship this morning. We rejoice to sing in church again. If you are in church, unless exempt please continue to wear a mask when moving around the building or singing hymns. Sections in each of our buildings are reserved for those who wish to maintain strict social distancing – please respect those who have done so. Those at home, please do continue to sing loudly, you will still be muted!
The gathering
Let us join together to worship God with joy and wonder, and give thanks for God’s blessing on our lives.
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.
Holy and blessèd Three,
glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might;
boundless as ocean's tide
rolling in fullest pride,
through the earth far and wide
let there be light.
John Marriott (1780-1825)
The greeting
X In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Lord of glory be with you.
And also with you
The Act of Penitence
The word of God is living and active. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. All is open and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we give account.
Let your faithful love come unto me, O Lord,
even your salvation, according to your promise:
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Your word is a lantern to my feet
and a light upon my path:
Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.
I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost;
O seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Words of forgiveness
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardonX and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
The Gloria
Our virtual choir sing the Gloria.
The Collect for the day
Let us pray
Silence is kept
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: help us so to hear them,
to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them that, through patience, and the comfort of your holy word, we may embrace and for ever hold fast the hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The liturgy of the word
First reading Isaiah 55:1-11
A reading from the Prophet Isaiah
God’s liberality and faithfulness are to be received as free, unmerited gifts. The covenant God established with David is extended to all.
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel reading
The virtual choir sing the Alleluia
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John X
Glory to you, O Lord.
5:36b-end
There are a number of witnesses to Jesus’ deity, including the scriptures. Jesus charges the Jews with reading these scriptures in blinkered fashion, failing to notice the many pointers to the coming of a Messiah, who would bring them salvation and eternal life.
But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. ‘You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Homily
Affirmation of faith
With our Christian sisters, brothers and siblings throughout the world, let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love. We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high. We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
Let us come before God, who knows our ambitions and innermost longings, and pray for the strength to put the Gospel teaching into practice, even when we find it confusing or difficult.
At the end of each bidding the following response is used
Lord, in your mercy.
Hear our prayer.
At the end, on behalf of us all, the intercessor gathers our individual prayers together into one, by saying on our behalf
Lord, we ask that you hear our prayers and plant your word in our hearts, that we may become true disciples. We pray this in the name of your Son. Amen.
The liturgy of the sacrament
The Peace
The Lord of glory be with you.
And also with you
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
All may exchange a sign of peace.
Offertory Prayer
Lord Jesus, you nourish us at the table of your word and the table of your sacrament; as we feed on you, the bread of life, may we daily grow into your likeness. 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 indeed right and good, our duty and our joy, always and everywhere to give you thanks, holy Father, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. For he is your eternal and creative Word, through whom all things came into being; the Word made flesh who dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He fulfils the Law and the Prophets, dying for our sins and rising again in accordance with the Scriptures. He stands among us in his risen power, opening to us his living word, and making himself known in the breaking of the bread. Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:
Our Virtual Choir will sing the Sanctus. The priest then continues the prayer, recalling the words and actions of Jesus at the Last Supper during which our Virtual Choir will sing our Memorial Acclamation – a response to what has been proclaimed in the Eucharistic prayer
At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer, we assent to the prayer by saying....
Amen!
The Lord’s Prayer
Let us offer our prayers to God with grateful and trusting hearts as we say together.
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.
Breaking of the bread
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now we share your resurrection.
Live in us,
that we may live in you
The priest breaks the consecrated bread as our virtual choir sing the Agnus Dei
An act of Spiritual Communion
Those at home, as they look on to the consecrated elements, are invited to say
In union, dear Father, with Christian people throughout the world and across the centuries gathered to make Eucharist, hearing your holy Word and receiving the Precious Body and Blood, I offer you praise and thanksgiving.
Even though I am exiled from tasting the Bread of Heaven and drinking the Cup of Life I pray that you will unite me with all the baptised and with your Son who gave his life for us. Come Lord Jesus, dwell in me and send your Holy Spirit that I may be filled with your presence.
As those in church receive, a hymn will be sung
Spirit of God, unseen as the wind,
gentle as the dove,
teach us the truth and help us believe,
show us the Saviour’s love.
You spoke to us long, long ago,
gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth,
through it God’s voice is heard.
Spirit of God…
Without your help we fail our Lord,
we cannot live his way;
we need your power, we need your strength,
following Christ each day.
Spirit of God…
Margaret V Old (1932-2001)
Prayer after communion
God of all grace, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of his life and the word of his kingdom: renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread; who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen
The dismissal
We have a gospel to proclaim,
good news for all throughout the earth;
the gospel of a Saviour’s name,
we sing His glory, tell His worth.
Tell of His birth at Bethlehem,
not in a royal house or hall
but in a stable dark and dim,
the Word made flesh, a light for all.
Tell of His death at Calvary,
hated by those He came to save,
in lonely suffering on the cross,
for all He loved His life He gave.
Tell of that glorious Easter moon,
empty the tomb, for He was free.
he broke the power of death and hell
that we might share His victory.
Tell of His reign at God’s right hand,
by all creation glorified,
he sends His Spirit on His Church,
to live for Him, the Lamb who died.
Now we rejoice to name Him King,
Jesus is Lord of all the earth,
This gospel message we proclaim,
we sing His glory, tell His worth.
Edward J Burns (1938-)
The Blessing
The Lord of glory be with you.
And also with you
Go now in peace, knowing that you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God; And the blessing of God almighty, theX Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen
Come to me and listen to my words;
hear me, and you shall have life.
Come to me and listen to my words;
hear me, and you shall have life.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure and gives wisdom to the simple.
Hear me, and you shall have life.
The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure and gives light to the eyes.
Hear me, and you shall have life.
The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Hear me, and you shall have life.
More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey dripping from the honeycomb.
Come to me and listen to my words;
hear me, and you shall have life.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Equipped to go out into our world, we leave in silence
Copyright acknowledgment: Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops' Council 2000, 2006
CCLI Streaming licence: 1169112 Copyright licence: 202876
