Holy Eucharist with Confirmation

in Eastertide

President and Preacher: The Right Reverend David Urquhart

Bishop of Birmingham

Deacon: The Very Reverend Matt Thompson

Dean of Birmingham

The Cathedral Church of St Philip, Birmingham
Saturday 8 May 2021

Welcome to Birmingham Cathedral for this celebration of Holy Communion

with Confirmation. We are very pleased to welcome candidates for Confirmation to this special service, together with their supporters and all joining the service via the livestream.

Gluten-free wafers If you require a gluten-free wafer, please let the verger know before the service.

Face coverings Unless exempt, you are required to wear a face covering whilst in the cathedral. There are hand sanitising stations in the north and south aisles for your use as you remove and replace face coverings to receive Communion, or you may prefer to use your own.

Accessibility Large print copies of this order of service are available. An induction loop system is provided for hearing aid users – please switch to ‘t’. Guidance as to posture is given but if you need to sit at any point, please feel able to do so.

In the event of fire or other emergency Please remain seated until advised to

evacuate. This is normally through the entrance door and the door by the disabled toilet. The assembly point is the Burnaby Monument – the large white obelisk in cathedral square.

Material for this service is taken from Common Worship © The Archbishops’ Council, 2000

The Bible reading is from the New Revised Standard Version
© National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America
Music is reproduced with CCLI Licence 420397

Order of Service

Shortly before the service, The Very Reverend Matt Thompson, Dean of Birmingham, welcomes the congregation

As the procession enters, please stand

The Gathering

The Greeting

We remain standing

Bishop Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All All All All All

Blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

There is one body and one spirit.

There is one hope to which we were called;

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all.

Peace be with you

and also with you.

Words of introduction may be said

Confession

We are called to repentance

Deacon Christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed for us.
Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart. 1 Corinthians 5.7, 8

Silence is kept

Lord Jesus, you raise us to new life. Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

All All All

Lord Jesus, you forgive us our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you feed us with the living bread. Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.
Absolution

We receive words of forgiveness Bishop Almighty God,

who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon 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.

All

The Gloria

We remain standing

Glory to God in the highest,

All

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

We remain standing

Let us pray. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whose wounded side flowed life for the world: raise your people from sin and death and build them as living stones into the spiritual temple of your Church; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.

All

Amen.

We remain standing

The Liturgy of the Word

Gospel Reading

John 20.19 – 23

Deacon 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.

When it was evening on the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the

Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with

you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to

them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send

you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are

forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

All

The Sermon

The preacher is The Right Reverend David Urquhart We sit for the sermon, after which there will be a period of silence

The Liturgy of Initiation

Presentation of the Candidates

The candidates stand The Bishop asks the candidates

Have you been baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit?

Answer I   have.

Are you ready with your own mouth and from your own heart to affirm your faith in Jesus Christ?

Answer I   am. The Bishop addresses the whole congregation

Faith is the gift of God to his people. In baptism the Lord is adding to our number those whom he is calling. People of God, will you welcome these candidates and uphold them in their life in Christ?

All

With the help of God, we will.
The Decision

The Bishop addresses the candidates

In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light. To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him. Therefore I ask:

Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?

Answer I   reject them.

Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?

Answer I   renounce them.

Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?

Answer I   repent of them.

Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?

Answer I   turn to Christ.

Do you submit to Christ as Lord?

Answer I   submit to Christ.

Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?

Answer I   come to Christ.

Bishop May God, who has given you the desire to follow Christ, give you strength to continue in the Way.

Amen.

All We stand as the Bishop moves to the font The water in the font was blessed before the service

The Creed

Bishop Brothers and sisters, I ask you to profess together with these candidates the faith of the Church.

Do you believe and trust in God the Father?

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

All All

Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ?

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit?

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,

All

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Bishop signs himself with water on behalf of all the baptised, then says this prayer

Bishop Almighty God,

we thank you for our fellowship in the household of faith with all who have been baptised into your name. Keep us faithful to our baptism, and so make us ready for that day when the whole creation shall be made perfect in your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

All

Confirmation

We sit or kneel; the candidates remain standing

The Bishop stands before those who are to be confirmed and says

Our help is in the name of the Lord

All All

who has made heaven and earth.

Blessed be the name of the Lord

now and for ever. Amen.

The Bishop extends his hands towards those to be confirmed and says

Almighty and ever-living God, you have given these your servants new birth in baptism by water and the Spirit, and have forgiven them all their sins. Let your Holy Spirit rest upon them: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding; the Spirit of counsel and inward strength; the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and let their delight be in the fear of the Lord.

All

Amen.

The incumbents present their candidates to the Bishop The Bishop addresses each candidate by name and anoints them with the oil of chrism

N, God has called you by name and made you his own.

He lays his hand on the head of each candidate, saying

Confirm, O Lord, your servant with your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

All After all the candidates have been confirmed, the Bishop invites us to pray All

Defend, O Lord, these your servants with your heavenly grace, that they may continue yours for ever, and daily increase in your Holy Spirit more and more until they come to your everlasting kingdom. Amen.
The Welcome

We stand; the candidates turn to face the congregation

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism: by one Spirit we are all baptised into one body.

All

We welcome you in the fellowship of faith; we are children of the same heavenly Father; we welcome you.

We greet the candidates with applause and the Birmingham Bell is rung Then the candidates turn to face the Bishop

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

The Peace

The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples

and said, ‘Peace be with you.’

Then were they glad when they saw the Lord.

cf Colossians 3.14 – 15

The peace of the Lord be always with you

and also with you.

All We remain in our places If you prefer to sit whilst the altar is prepared, please do so, and then stand as the following prayer begins

Prayer at the Preparation of the Table

Be present, be present, Lord Jesus Christ, our risen high priest; make yourself known in the breaking of bread.

Amen.

All

The Eucharistic Prayer

We remain standing as the Bishop says the prayer of consecration

The Lord be with you

and also with you.

All All All

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, 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 by water and the Holy Spirit you raise us to new life in him and renew in us the image of your glory. 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:

All

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.

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.

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.

Deacon Great is the mystery of faith:

All

Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.

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:

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

All Silence is kept

The Lord’s Prayer

We remain standing

As our Saviour taught us, so we 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.
The Breaking of the Bread

The Bishop breaks the consecrated bread, saying

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

All

The Invitation

Alleluia. Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.

All

Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

Communion will be administered silently so we say the response together first; those who intend to receive are invited to join in saying Amen

The body and blood of Christ.

Amen.

All Communion is distributed in the form of the bread only, given to the hand. Gluten- free wafers are available on request. If you would prefer to receive a blessing, please fold your arms across your chest and a blessing will be administered silently

Please come forward when invited and filter into the line one by one, maintaining social distancing; please return to your seat via the side aisles. There are hand sanitising stations in the north and south aisles for your use as you remove and replace face coverings, or you may prefer to use your own

Silence is kept

Post Communion Prayer

We sit or kneel to pray

Bishop Let us pray.

Author of life divine, in the resurrection of your Son, you set before us the mystery of his triumph over sin and death; may all who are washed in the waters of rebirth rise to newness of life and find the promised presence of your abundant grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

All

The Dismissal

Giving of a Lighted Candle

The newly-confirmed stand and are given a lighted candle, lit from the Easter Candle

Bishop God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life.

Shine as a light in the world

All

to the glory of God the Father.
The Blessing

We stand

Bishop God the Father, by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead, strengthen you by his life-giving Spirit to walk with him in the paths of righteousness and peace; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.

Amen.

All

The Dismissal

Deacon Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.

All

Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.
Organ Voluntary

After the service, please make your way promptly and safely outside via the main entrance. Owing to current restrictions, we are asked to disperse immediately

Find out more about the life of the
Cathedral community at

www.birminghamcathedral.com