The Eucharist
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The Eucharist The Feast of St John the Evangelist The First Sunday after Christmas Sunday 27 December 2020 9.00am 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. We stand for the entrance of the president. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. All Amen. Welcome in the name of Christ. God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you All and also with you. The president welcomes the congregation and then introduces the Penitential Rite saying Hear what Saint John says: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Lord Jesus, you are the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Lord, have mercy. All Lord, have mercy. Lord Jesus, you came not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved. Christ, have mercy. All Christ, have mercy. 4 Lord Jesus, you are the Saviour of the world. Lord, have mercy. All Lord, have mercy. May the God of all healing and forgiveness draw you to himself and cleanse you from all your sins, that you may behold the glory of his Son, the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. All Amen. Gloria All 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. 5 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 Let us pray. Merciful Lord, cast your bright beams of light upon the Church: that, being enlightened by the teaching of your blessed apostle and evangelist Saint John, we may so walk in the light of your truth that we may at last attain to the light of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ your incarnate Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. All Amen. We sit for the readings. 6 First Reading Exodus 33. 7–11a Read by the Verger. A reading from the book of Exodus. Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, far off from the camp; he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting, which was outside the camp. Whenever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand, each of them, at the entrance of their tents and watch Moses until he had gone into the tent. When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, all of them, at the entrance of their tents. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent. This is the word of the Lord All Thanks be to God. 7 Responsorial Psalm Psalm 117 O praise the Lord. O praise the Lord, all you nations; praise him, all you peoples. R For great is his steadfast love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Alleluia. R Second Reading 1 John 1 Read by Jessica Kingsley. A reading from the first letter of John. We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are 8 writing these things so that our joy may be complete. This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. This is the word of the Lord All Thanks be to God. We stand for the reading of the Gospel. Alleluia Alleluia, alleluia! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. All Alleluia! 9 Gospel John 21. 19b–25 The Lord be with you. All And also with you. Hear the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. All Glory to you, O Lord. Jesus said to Peter, ‘Follow me.’ Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?’ When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!’ So the rumour spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, ‘If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?’ This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. 10 This is the Gospel of the Lord. All Praise to you, O Christ. We sit for Homily Canon Michael Rawson, Sub Dean We keep silence and then stand. 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. 11 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.