Choral Eucharist

The Second Sunday of Lent

Sunday 28 February 2021 11.00am Welcome to Southwark Cathedral Set on the south bank of the River Thames in one of the most vibrant and diverse communities in London, this building has been a constant witness in a place of change. The first church was built on this site around the year 606. First a convent, then a monastery, it became in 1106 the Augustinian Priory of St Mary Overie. With Westminster Abbey and St Bartholomew the Great in Smithfield it is one of the three remaining great monastic churches of London. At the Reformation the Priory became a parish church and it remains so for the people of Bankside. In 1905, as south London was rapidly expanding, the church was consecrated as the cathedral for the new Diocese of Southwark. As well as a place of constant witness to our faith in Jesus Christ, this church has a momentous and proud history and has had links with many famous and influential characters including St Thomas Becket, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. In the 20th century this cathedral was at the heart of the new movement in theology termed ‘South Bank Religion’. This movement asked challenging questions of people about faith in the modern age which continue to be explored at Southwark Cathedral which describes itself as ‘inclusive: faithful: radical’. Whatever has brought you here today, you are most welcome.Become part of the life here if you can; it will change your life as you encounter with us our living God.

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Setting Mass for Double Choir in Eb · Josef Rheinberger

PLEASE BELIEVE THESE DAYS WILL PASS by Mark Titchner, 2006 nominee for the Turner Prize, is our selected work to mark the season of Lent this year. A glimpse of it can be seen on the front cover of this order of service. Regrettably, due to the national lockdown it will not be on public display before the summer.

Please visit us between 2 June and 22 July to see the Lent Art Installation in place in the Cathedral. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All Amen.

Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you All and also with you.

The President introduces the celebration.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Let us confess our sins remembering before God the times when we have fallen from temptation into sin.

The Cathedral Consort sings the Kyrie Eleison.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

4 Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all those who with heartfelt repentance and true faith turn to him: have mercy on you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen.

The Collect

Let us pray.

Almighty God, by the prayer and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following in his Way come to share in his glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. All Amen.

5 First Reading Genesis 17. 1–7; 15–16

Read by Xavier from the St Hugh’s congregation.

A reading from the Book of Genesis.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’

6 This is the word of the Lord All Thanks be to God.

Psalm Psalm 22. 23–32

Sung by the Cathedral Consort.

O praise the Lord, ye that fear him: magnify him, all ye of the seed of Jacob, and fear him, all ye seed of Israel;

For he hath not despised, nor abhorred, the low estate of the poor: he hath not hid his face from him, but when he called unto him he heard him.

My praise is of thee in the great congregation: my vows will I perform in the sight of them that fear him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied: they that seek after the Lord shall praise him; your heart shall live for ever.

All the ends of the world shall remember themselves, and be turned unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him.

7 For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the Governor among the people.

All such as be fat upon earth: have eaten and worshipped.

All they that go down into the dust shall kneel before him: and no man hath quickened his own soul.

My seed shall serve him: they shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation.

They shall come, and the heavens shall declare his righteousness: unto a people that shall be born, whom the Lord hath made.

Second Reading Romans 4. 13–25

Read by Maggie Still from the Cathedral congregation.

A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans.

The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is

8 null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

9 This is the word of the Lord All Thanks be to God.

The Gospel Acclamation

Sung by the Cathedral Consort.

Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory. The Lord is a great God; O that today you would listen to his voice. Harden not your hearts. Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory.

Gospel Mark 8. 31–38

The Lord be with you. All And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. All Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and

10 began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord. All Praise to you, O Christ.

Homily The Very Revd Andrew Nunn, Dean of Southwark

11 The Creed

All 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 Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and was made man. 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.

12 We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, 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.

Prayers Of Intercession

Led by Nigel Paine from the Cathedral congregation.

13 The Liturgy of the Sacrament

The Peace

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

The peace of the Lord be always with you All and also with you.

Anthem Geistliches Lied · Johannes Brahms

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord be with you All and also with you.

Lift up your hearts. All We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All It is right to give thanks and praise.

14 It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy, at all times and in all places to give you thanks and praise, holy Father, heavenly King, almighty and eternal God, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.

And now we give you thanks because each year you give us this joyful season when we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed. You give us a spirit of loving reverence for you and of willing service to our neighbour. As we recall the saving acts that give new life in Christ, you bring the image of your Son to perfection within our hearts.

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and singing:

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.

15 Accept our praises, heavenly Father, through your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, and as we follow his example and obey his command, grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit these gifts of bread and wine may be to us his body and his blood; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

16 Therefore, heavenly Father, we remember his offering of himself made once for all upon the cross; we proclaim his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension; we look for the coming of your kingdom, and with this bread and this cup we make the memorial of Christ your Son our Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus: All Dying you destroyed our death, rising you restored our life: Lord Jesus, come in glory.

Accept through him, our great high priest, this our sacrifice of thanks and praise, and as we eat and drink these holy gifts in the presence of your divine majesty, renew us by your Spirit, inspire us with your love and unite us in the body of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with all who stand before you in earth and heaven, we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of everlasting praise:

17 All Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.

All Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

18 Breaking of the Bread

Every time we eat this bread and drink this cup All we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Invitation to Communion

God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people. All Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The President makes their communion saying

The body of Christ. All Amen.

The blood of Christ. All Amen.

19 The Cathedral Consort sings the Agnus Dei followed by the

Communion Anthem Ach, arme Welt · Johannes Brahms

Prayer after Communion

Let us pray.

Almighty God, you see that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen.

Notices

20 The Blessing and Dismissal

The Lord be with you All and also with you.

Christ give you grace to grow in holiness, to deny yourselves, take up your cross, and follow him; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. All Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. All In the name of Christ. Amen.

Voluntary Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott (BWV 721) · Johann Sebastian Bach

All songs covered by the Christian Copyright Licensing have been reproduced under CCL licence no. 223439.

The Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the USA: Scripture quotations from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible © 1989 The Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Southwark Cathedral London Bridge London SE1 9DA 020 7367 6700 southwarkcathedral.org.uk