St Paul’s Church, Knightsbridge The Diocese of London The Solemn Eucharist The Sunday next before Lent 2nd March 2014 at 11 a.m. Welcome to St Paul’s Knightsbridge, part of the Diocese of London and a church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. If you are visiting us from another church, please make yourself known to the sidesmen or to one of the clergy after the service. Members of all Christian churches are welcome to share with us in this Eucharist – and those who do not wish to receive the Sacrament are invited to approach the altar at the time of Communion, to receive a blessing. There is a loop system in the lower parts of the church for the benefit of the hearing- impaired. Hearing aid users should switch their devices to ‘T’. During the service a collection will be taken for the work of the church in this parish, throughout the Diocese of London and further afield. Please use the special envelopes at the end of each pew to maximise your giving through the ‘Giftaid’ scheme. Members of the congregation are asked to ensure that mobile phones are switched off (or to silent) and are reminded that the taking of photographs or the making of audio or video recordings during services is prohibited. Cover: Icon - ‘The Transfiguration’ 2 ORDER OF SERVICE The Introductory Rite At 11 a.m. a bell is rung. All stand to sing: THE ENTRANCE HYMN ( 408) Love Divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down, Fix in us thy humble dwelling, All thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, Pure unbounded love thou art; Visit us with thy salvation, Enter every trembling heart. Come, almighty to deliver, Let us all thy grace receive; Suddenly return, and never, Never more thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, Serve thee as thy hosts above, Pray, and praise thee, without ceasing, Glory in thy perfect love. Finish then thy new creation Pure and spotless let us be; Let us see thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in thee, Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise! Text: Charles Wesley (1707-88) Tune: ‘Blaenwern’ by William Rowlands (1860-1937) 3 THE GREETING When all are in their places the Celebrant says: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. The Lord be with you and with thy spirit. THE PRAYER OF PREPARATION Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name; through Christ, our Lord. Amen. THE PRAYERS OF PENITENCE The Deacon says: The grace of God has dawned upon the world through our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who came among us to purify a people as his own. In his light, let us confess our sins. All kneel. Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have sinned against thee and against our neighbour, in thought and word and deed, through negligence, through weakness, through our own deliberate fault. We are heartily sorry and repent of all our sins. For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, who died for us, forgive us all that is past, and grant that we may serve thee in newness of life to the glory of thy name. Amen. 4 The Celebrant says: 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,nand keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. The choir sings: Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison. Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. (After the intonation of Gloria in excelsis Deo, all sit). GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO Gloria in excelsis Deo. Et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis. Laudamus te, benedicimus te, adoramus te, glorificamus te. Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam. Domine Deus, Rex coelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens, Domine Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe. Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris. Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis. Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nostram. Qui sedes ad dexteram Patris, miserere nobis. Quoniam tu solus Sanctus. Tu solus Dominus. Tu solus altissimus, Jesu Christe cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris. Amen. Glory be to God on high, and in earth peace, goodwill towards men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly king, God, the Father almighty. O Lord, the only-begotten son, Jesus Christ: O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us. For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art the most high, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Music: Messe Solennelle – Jean Langlais (1907-1991) All stand when the sacred ministers stand. 5 T H E C O L L E C T The Celebrant introduces a period of silent prayer: Let us pray. Almighty Father, whose Son was revealed in majesty before he suffered death upon the cross: give us grace to perceive his glory, that we may be strengthened to suffer with him and be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Liturgy of the Word THE FIRST READING Exodus 24: 12-end A reading from the book of Exodus The Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.’ So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, ‘Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.’ Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. At the end: This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God All stand. 6 P S A L M 2 Quare fremuerunt gentes? WHY do the heathen so furiously rage together : and why do the people image a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth stand up, and the rulers take counsel together : against the Lord, and against his Anointed. 3 Let us break their bonds asunder : and cast away their cords from us. 4 He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn : the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath : and vex them in his sore displeasure. 6 Yet have I set my King : upon my holy hill of Sion. 7 I will preach the law, whereof the Lord hath said unto me : Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. 8 Desire of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance : and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt bruise them with a rod of iron : and break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings : be learned, ye that are judges of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord in fear : and rejoice unto him with reverence. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and so ye perish from the right way : if his wrath be kindled, (yea, but a little,) blessed are all they that put their trust in him. THE EPISTLE 2 Peter 1: 16-end A reading from the second epistle of St Peter For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own 7 interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.