Hybrid Church The Reign of Christ November 26, 2023

 

Christ Church Gabriola

A Collaborative Anglican – United Church

Open to All

 

                                                                                

 

Hybrid Church

The Reign of Christ

November 26, 2023

 

Presider: The Rev. Deborah van der Goes

Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

 

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

 

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

Welcome & Announcements

Whether you are gathering in person, on zoom or worshipping at home with the bulletin, welcome! We are one community, one in the body of Christ. 

 

Centering & Stillness  

We follow sound into silence and there we meet God (bell) 

 

Lighting of the Christ Candle  

One:  Christ is our Light.

All:    Thanks be to God!

 

(silence)

 

Greeting
One:  The grace of Christ Jesus, the love of God, 

          and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:    And also with you

 

Hymn: Jesus Shall Reign                                                 CP #383

 

The Collect                                  Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002) alt

Holy God, our refuge and strength, 

you have redeemed your scattered children, 

gathering them from all the corners of the earth 

through your firstborn, Jesus the Christ,

In whom all things are held together. 

Make us a just and righteous people, 

worthy by grace to inherit the kingdom of light and peace, 

where he reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

 

The Service of Word

                                                                                    

Reader: By the gift of your Spirit, calm and quiet our souls that we may hear your Word today and be lifted up to walk with you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

 

First Reading: Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24                    Reader: Pat Armstrong

For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and 

 

2

thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.

 

Psalm 100                                                                      Reader: Tim Leadem

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

          Worship the Lord with gladness;

          come into his presence with singing.

 

Know that the Lord is God.

          It is he that made us, and we are his;

          we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise.

          Give thanks to him, bless his name.

 

For the Lord is good;

          his steadfast love endures for ever,

          and his faithfulness to all generations.

 

Gospel Reading                                                Reader: Deborah van der Goes

As is your custom, please stand or sit for the reading of the gospel. 

 

Reader: God be with you.  
All:        And also with you

Reader: The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to Matthew

All:        Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

 

3

Matthew 25:31-46

‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

 

Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

All:        Praise be to Jesus Christ                                                                                                   

 

Reflection: Dancing in the Dark

 

Hymn: O Love, How Deep                                                         CP #628         

 

Creed                (from Creating Uncommon Worship by Richard Giles adapted DvdG)

Let us affirm our faith . . .               

We believe and trust in God our Creator. 

We believe and trust in Jesus the Christ. 

We believe and trust in the Holy Spirit. 

We believe and trust in the Three in One.

 

 

4

Prayers of the People                                                          Susan Brockley                                                   

One:  Good Shepherd,

All:    Hear our Prayer

 

Confession & Absolution

Presider: Dear friends in Christ,

          God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;

          God welcomes sinners

          and invites them to this table.

          Let us confess our sins,

          confident in God’s forgiveness.

 

silence is kept

 

Presider: Most merciful God, 

All:    We confess that we have sinned against you

          in thought, word, and deed,

          by what we have done,

          and by what we have left undone.

          We have not loved you with our whole heart;

          We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.

          We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.

          For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

          have mercy on us and forgive us,

          that we may delight in your will,

          and walk in your ways,

          to the glory of your name. Amen.

Presider: Almighty God have mercy upon you,

          pardon and deliver you from all your sins,

          confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,

          and keep you in eternal life;

          through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All:    Amen.

 

The Peace

 

Presider: The peace of Christ be with you! 

All:           And also with you!

 

You are invited to turn to those directly around you and share Christ’s peace. Those on zoom, please unmute and share with one another.

 

 

5

The Service of Holy Eucharist

                       

Offering Invitation (while music is played)

Presider: Let us now gather our offerings.             

 

Doxology (sung as offerings brought forward)                            CP #669

Praise God the Source of life and birth,

Praise God the Word, who came to earth.

Praise God the Spirit, holy flame.

All Glory, honour to God’s name.

 

Prayer over the Gifts 

Presider: Eternal God, by your grace you have raised us up

          And enthroned us with Christ in the heavenly realms.

          Receive all we offer you this day.

All:    Lead us in those good works for which you have created us.

          We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.

          Amen

 

Presider: God is here

All:    The Spirit is with us.

Presider: Lift up your hearts and minds.

All:    We lift them to God.

Presider: Let us give thanks to God the Creator.

All:    It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 

Presider: It is indeed right that we should praise you,

God of love, our source and our fulfillment,

you create all things and in you we live and move and have our being.  

Your wonder is manifest in land and sea and sky. 

You made us in your image.

And even though we turn from you,

again and again you call us to yourself,

and in every age, promise liberation.

As a mother gathers her children,

you embraced a people as your own,

to nurture them in the way of compassionate love.

You sent Jesus among us,

incarnate of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary.

Jesus revealed your love for all Creation,

and showed us the way of reconciliation.

Having lived among us - Jesus suffered the cross,

died, and in rising again

became the firstborn of the renewed family.                                                             6       

And so as we gather around your table,

With saints of every age and your beloved creations we raise our voices 

and sing

 

Sanctus                                                                                       MV #203

O holy, holy, holy God, O God of time and space.

All earth and sea and sky above bear witness to your grace.

Hosanna in the highest heaven, creation sings your praise.

And blessed is the One who comes and bears your name always!

 

To you be glory, almighty God,

because on the night before he died,

Jesus took bread,

when he had given thanks,

he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said

Take, eat, this is my body

which is given for you; do this to remember me.

After supper he took the cup;

when he had given thanks,                                                                       

he gave it to them and said

Drink this all of you.

This is my blood of the new covenant,

Poured out for you and for many;

do this to remember me.

Great is the mystery of faith.

 

Memorial Acclamation                                                               MV #204

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again! 

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

 

Presider: Recalling Christ’s death and resurrection, we ask you to accept this, our sacrifice of praise. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine that we may be fed with the body and blood of your Son.  When all of creation groans, unite us in Christ and give us your hope that we might be strengthened to do your work, as your body in the world.  Through Christ our Redeemer, in the power of the Spirit, all praise and glory be yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

The Prayer of Jesus (sung)                                                        VU #960 

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 them that 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.

 

Presider: The One who defeated death and injustice is now present in 

          this bread. The One who offers our life promise and hope is now 

          present in this wine. 

All:    Breaking into our lives and community,   

          We ask God for new life in Christ.

 

Communion is Shared

 

Prayer after Communion 

Presider: O Holy God, you have made us a royal priesthood

          In the kingdom of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.

All:    Make known his victory through us, we pray,

          that all the world may see his light.

          We ask this in the name of Jeus Christ the Lord.

          Amen

 

Hymn: Jesus calls us O’er the Tumult                                     CP #432

Blessing

Presider: Now God keep you in all your days. 

          Christ shield you in all your ways. 

          The Spirit bring you healing and peace. 

          And God the Holy Trinity 

          pour upon you blessing and light. 

All:    Amen.

 

Presider: Go in Peace. Remember the poor.

All:    Thanks be to God! Alleluia