Fifth Sunday of Easter - 10th May
Eastertide Spiritual CommunionFifth Sunday of Easter – 10th May, 2020
¶ Preparation: You may wish to find a space for prayer in front of a cross, a candle, or a special place.
The Lord be with you All: and also with you.
Alleluia! Christ is risen. All: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
HymnChrist is made the sure foundation
Christ is made the sure foundation,
To this temple, where we gather, Here vouchsafe to all thy servants
Prayer of Preparation Almighty God,
Prayers of Penitence Christ our Passover lamb
Like Mary at the empty tomb, All: Lord, have mercy.
Like the disciples behind locked doors, All: Christ, have mercy.
Like Thomas in the upper room, All: Lord, have mercy.
Gloria in ExcelsisAll: Glory to God in the highest,
The CollectLet us pray that we may walk the risen life of Christ in glory.
A period of silent prayer is kept. ​​​​​​​ Almighty God,
¶ The Liturgy of the Word
New Testament ReadingActs 7:55-endThe Stoning of StephenBut filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died. At the end: This is the Word of the Lord. All: Thanks be to God.
Gradual HymnHow sweet the name of Jesus soundsHow sweet the name of Jesus sounds
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
Dear name! the rock on which I build, Weak is the effort of my heart,
Till then I would thy love proclaim
Gospel ReadingJohn 14:1-14 ​​​​​​​ Alleluia, alleluia. All: Alleluia.
​​​​​​​ Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. All: Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus the Way to the Father‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
At the end: This is the Gospel of the Lord. All: Praise to you, O Christ.
ReflectionRevd Sally
Poignantly at this time, this reading – or part of it – is often used for funeral services. Jesus reassures us that “in my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places”, that he is preparing a place for us and we will share eternity with him, whenever that time may come. Coupled with ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled’, which is echoed very strongly by Mother Julian of Norwich, whom the Church remembered on Friday, when she writes ‘All shall be well’. I hardly need to tell Norfolk folk this, but Mother Julian lived through very troubled times. 14th Century Norwich was not the place to be: the city suffered the devasting effects of the Black Death, and much of the country was rocked by the Peasants’ Revolt in the same century. Julian herself became seriously ill when she was thirty and thought she was on her deathbed. It all seems like echoes of our time, with the threat of serious disease and the impact on so many people’s livelihoods; affecting not only health and well-being, but also relationships with those whom we hold dear. But it was in the wake of Julian’s experience that she wrote her Revelations of Divine Love, having had extraordinary visions of Christ’s Passion during her own recovery from illness. Through this time of considerable anxiety, one thing seems to be coming through very strongly – which is manifested in the Thursday 8pm ‘Clap for Carers’ and rainbows displayed in so many windows – is hope. And it is that hope that Jesus offers us, which Mother Julian understood. “If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.” Prayer may not always be answered in the way that we might at first wish, but the Lord is faithful and reassures us that we are all God’s children, loved by him, as the unique and precious people that we are. Jesus is the Way, and the Truth, and the Life: leading us into a meaningful and ever-lasting relationship with God our Father. Amen.
Affirmation of Faith
All: We believe and trust in God the Father,
We believe and trust in God the Son,
We believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,
This is the faith of the Church. ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​ This is our faith. ​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​ We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Prayers of Intercession
Pray for the needs of the world, for our local communities, our loved-ones and our friends.
At the end:
All: Merciful Father,
The Lord’s Prayer
All: Our Father, who art in heaven,
HymnThe Church’s one FoundationThe Church’s one foundation
Elect from ev’ry nation,
‘Mid toil and tribulation,
Yet she on earth hath union
Closing Prayer Eternal God, All: Amen.
Virtual Blessing All: He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
God the Father, All: Amen.
God the Son, All: Amen.
God the Holy Spirit, All: Amen.
And [may] the blessing of God almighty, All: Amen.
VoluntaryDirector of Music: James Lilwall |
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