Celebrating St Levan’s Feast
Sunday 11th October 2020
Welcome and Notices
We come from scattered lives to meet with God.
Let us recognize his presence with us. Silence is kept.
As God’s people we have gathered:
let us worship him together. Alleluia.
Lord God, heavenly Father, as we celebrate the life and witness of St Levan and all the saints who worshipped in this place grant to your Church today the faith of her apostles, the hope of her martyrs and the love of her Lord, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Invitation to Confession We sit or kneel
O God of Life, Eternity cannot hold you, nor can our little words catch the magnificence of your kindness. Yet in the small space of our hearts and in silence you come close and repair us. (Silence)
God of life, grant us forgiveness for our wild thoughts and wild deeds, for empty speech and the words with which we wounded. Grant us forgiveness for our false desires, our hateful actions, our wastefulness and for promises we left undone.
Forgive us for not reflecting your love, for living for ourselves, for holding back from you, from our companions, from ourselves.
Lord let our memories have no shelter for grievance against another,
Let our heart provide no harbour for hatred of another
Let our tongues never speak judgement our brothers and sisters.
Absolution
God forgives you, forgive others, forgive yourself, live in peace. Amen
Gloria We stand
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his 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.
The Collect
Almighty God, to whose glory we celebrate the dedication of this house of prayer: we praise you for the many blessings you have given to those who worship you here: and we pray that all who seek you in this place may find you, and, being filled with the Holy Spirit, may become a living temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, Amen.
Gospel Reading We stand
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Philippians 4.4-9. Glory to you, O Lord.
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
At the end This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Reflection
It is Feast Sunday for St Levan, and while we know that this year it will be different, it is with a heavy heart that we think of the things we can no longer take for granted. The Feast Supper, the coffee and gathering of the three church communities together, the singing and the sharing of the peace with friends old and new.
A bit like the wedding feast, what we planned for cannot happen and we can throw our hands in the air and bewail the sadness of 2020 or we can more like the father (well not the punishing and throwing into darkness!). On hearing that his planned celebration would not happen as he had thought, instead of cancelling the celebration of the wedding, he reshaped it, he made the best of what was available. Those who were invited must have been rather surprised. Once I was at a posh party, chatting to someone who like me was not usually invited to these social gatherings. He turned to the child of the house who was handing out delicious bites, and said, “What a treat! I wonder what I did to be part of tonight!” The child, a stranger to the idea of tact replied: “Lots of our friends went on holiday so we had to make up the numbers!” Ouch! Rather an embarrassing pause as the host was standing behind their child and heard it all!
The response to the lack of proper clothing for the guest is one that sounds terrible unless you know that the people invited to a wedding at the time of Jesus in the Holy Land would have been invited to the home, and given a ritual bath and ceremonial clothes were provided as a mark of respect to the bride and groom and their families. This guest must have refused the robes, therefore dishonouring the family, and bringing them shame as the other guests would have seen the man without wedding clothes as a lack of resources and riches of the family.
So shall we be like those who did not attend the wedding feast, finding excused to avoid fulfilling the promise? Or like the one who choose to dishonour the family? Or shall we be like the father who embraces change of plans without notice and still somehow manages to make the celebration exceptional! Or one of the lucky unexpected guests?
St Levan Feast is still happening, not quite as usual admittedly, but God is still present as we celebrate the founding of the building, the building is still there, and prayers are still offered. As for the service, well Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me” So we shall offer the Eucharist in obedience to Jesus’ call upon our lives, and we shall remember the first reading today, making it our own: 4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4.4-9
The Creed We stand
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.
Prayers on a stormy season amended by Vanda We sit or kneel
Almighty God, we praise you for your creation, and all you richly provide. Enable us to live in such a way that your majesty and mercy are seen by all. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
All governments rule under your authority. May they work for the good of those they rule, seeking your justice and peace in every law and action. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Enable those who are engaged in industry and commerce, the media and education, sport and the arts, to fulfil their responsibilities with integrity and an attitude of service. We pray for Lucie and Michael to be married in St Levan later this month, bless them Lord in their marriage and celebration. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Comfort and strengthen those who are gripped by poverty, weakened by illness, or oppressed by cruelty. We pray especially for those who are battling with Covid 19. May they know your love and experience your care. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Inspire your church here on earth to proclaim the gospel of your love
in the death and resurrection of your Son. May all people hear the call to trust you. We pray for St Levan on their feast day, equip the church Lord to be alert to your call, sacrificial in service and loving to all, even those least loveable. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Help your people to display your compassion to all those in need.
May the poor and the lost of this world find in you their true wealth and sure destiny. Refresh and equip us, O God, to be your faithful and obedient people, Merciful Father, accept these prayer in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Prayer at the Preparation of the Table
We hold before you this bread. We believe you are the creator of all.
We hold before you this wine. We believe in Jesus, whose blood was shed for us. We hold before you ourselves.
We believe we are your church, here, online and in your world.
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.
Lord of all life, you created the universe, where all living things reflect your glory. You give us this great and beautiful earth, to discover and to cherish. You give us sun and moon and star-lit sky, everything that gives us light, light for our eyes, our hearts, our minds. You made us all, each wonderfully different, to join with the angels and sing your praise:
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 thank you, loving Father, because, when we turned away, you sent Jesus, your Son. He gave his life for us on the cross and shows us the way to live. Send your Holy Spirit that these gifts of bread and wine may be for us Christ’s body and his blood.
On the night before he died, when darkness had fallen, Jesus took bread. He gave thanks, broke it, and shared it with his disciples, saying: ‘This is my body, given for you. Do this to remember me.’
After they had eaten, he took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and shared it with his disciples, saying: ‘This is my blood, poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins.’
So Father, with this bread and this cup we celebrate his love, his death, his risen life. As you feed us with these gifts, send your Holy Spirit,
and change us more and more to be like Jesus our Saviour. Help us, Father, to love one another, as we look forward to that day when suffering is ended, and all creation is gathered in your loving arms. And now with St Levan, St Sennen and St Buriana and all your saints we give you glory, through Jesus Christ, in the strength of the Spirit, today and for ever. Amen.
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, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
Every time we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Giving of Communion
Draw near with faith. Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ which he gave for you, and his blood which he shed for you. Eat and drink in remembrance that he died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.
Post communion
As you have been fed at this table, go to feed the hungry. As you have been set free, go to free the imprisoned. As you have received, give:
As you have heard, proclaim. The blessing, love, peace and challenges of following our Lord lead you to new life in his name. Amen. Kate McIlhagga amended
Grant us a vision, Lord, to see what we can achieve
To reach out beyond ourselves, to share our lives with others
To stretch our capabilities, to increase our sense of purpose
To be aware of where we can help, to be sensitive to your presence
To give heed to your constant call. Grant us an understanding of your vision Lord for these parishes and the courage to make it ours. Amen.
David Adams adapted
Blessing and Dismissal
Calming and reliable God, when the storms break, I break too! Especially if the storm is sudden and unexpected, panic sets in and I find myself drowning, unable to breathe. And you may not be immediately there, at my side hushing my fears and making everything OK again. Calming and reliable God, give me the faith I need to hang on in times of darkness and terror and despair. Help me to understand that when you calm my storms you may not necessarily do so in the way I want or expect but will always do so in the way that is best for me.
Calm me Lord as you calmed the storm. Shelter me, Keep me from harm. Let all the tumult within me cease. Enfold me Lord, in your peace.
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above):
Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops' Council 2000
Additional words by Perran Gay, Kate McIlhagga and David Adams.
Absolution from the St Hilda Community
Common Worship Eucharistic Prayer Additional Prayer number 2
Post Communion (18th after Trinity) © 1973 ICEL: Roman Missal (English Translation)
Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops' Council 2000