Morning Worship on 25 April

Welcome to this week’s Windmill United Benefice online service of Morning Worship, led by the Revd Dr Tony Rich with a talk by the Revd Charles Sargent. The music was all recorded at previous services in the benefice.

If you would like to follow the service, click on the bar below. The words can be found as you scroll down:

The hymn ‘Christ the Lord is risen again’ is sung

Christ the Lord is risen again;
Christ hath broken every chain!
Hark, angelic voices cry,
Singing evermore on high: Alleluia.

He who gave for us his life,
Who for us endured the strife,
Is our Paschal Lamb today.
We, too, sing for joy and say: Alleluia. 

He who bore all pain and loss
Comfortless upon the cross,
Lives in glory now on high,
Pleads for us and hears our cry: Alleluia.

He whose path no records tell,
Who descended into hell,
Who the strongest arm hath bound
Now in highest heav’n is crowned. Alleluia

He who slumbered in the grave
Is exalted now to save,
Now through Christendom it rings
That the Lamb is King of kings. Alleluia.

Now he bids us tell abroad
How the lost may be restored,
How the penitent forgiv’n,
How we, too, may enter heav’n. Alleluia.

Thou, our Paschal Lamb indeed,
Christ, thy ransomed people feed,
Take our sins and guilt away,
Let us sing for night and day: Alleluia.

The Greeting, Confession and Gloria

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

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.

Most merciful God,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
we confess that we have sinned
in thought, word and deed.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves.
In your mercy forgive what we have been,

help us to amend what we are,
and direct what we shall be;
that we may do justly, love mercy,
and walk humbly with you, our God.
Amen.

Almighty God, have mercy upon us,
pardon and deliver us from all our sins,
confirm and strengthen us in all goodness,
and keep us in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The Gloria is sung
Glory in the highest to the God of heaven!
Peace to all your people through the earth be given:
Mighty God and Father, thanks and praise we bring,
Singing alleluia to our heavenly king.

Jesus Christ is risen, God the Father’s Son:
Seated now and reigning from your Father’s throne,
Lamb of God the Saviour, all our sin to bear,
Show us now your mercy, now receive our prayer.

Christ the world’s true Saviour, high and holy One,
With the Holy Spirit, you are Lord alone!
Lord and God, we praise you; Highest heaven adores:
In the Father’s glory, all the praise be yours!

The Collect and readings

Let us pray.

The Collect for the fourth Sunday of Easter
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life:
raise us, who trust in him,
from the death of sin to the life of righteousness,
that we may seek those things which are above,
where he reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen

A reading from Acts 4: 5-12
by Peter Hill

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

Glory to you, O Lord.

The Gospel reading from John 10: 1-18
by Debbie Hubbard

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Talk
by the Rev Charles Sargent

Creed, intercessions and peace

Let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ

The Creed
Christ died for our sins
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he was buried;
he was raised to life on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures;
afterwards he appeared to his followers,
and to all the apostles:
this we have received,
this we believe. Amen.

Let us pray for the Church and for the world and let us thank God for his goodness.

The Intercessions
led by Michael Harvey

The responses to the intercessions are:

Lord, in your mercy:

Hear our prayer

and

Merciful Father,

accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
Amen.

The Peace
The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said:
Peace be with you.
Then they were glad when they saw the Lord.
The Peace of the Lord be always with you

And also with you.

The anthem is ‘The Lord is my shepherd’
(Words from Psalm 23; music by Howard Goodall, b. 1958)

Sung by the joint choir of the Windmill United Benefice at St Mary the Virgin, Horne on Advent Sunday, 1 December 2019; soloists, Kay Hammond and Di MacDonald

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want;
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.

Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil:
For you are with me, you will comfort me.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Closing prayers and blessing

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Eternal God,
whose Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life:
grant us to walk in his way,
to rejoice in his truth, and to share his risen life;
who is alive and reigns, now and for ever.
Amen

Lord Jesus, give us your light in our eyes,
your word on our lips, and your love in our hearts.
Send us out in the power of your Spirit
to live and work to your praise and glory.
Amen.

May the love of the risen Christ
draw us to himself,
may the power of the risen Christ
strengthen us in his service,
may the joy of the risen Christ fill our hearts;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among us and remain with us always.
Amen

The hymn ‘Jesus is Lord’ is sung

Jesus is Lord! Creation’s voice proclaims it,
For by his pow’r each tree and flow’r was planned and made.
Jesus is Lord! The universe declares it;
Sun, moon and stars in heaven cry: Jesus is Lord!

Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise Him with alleluias, for Jesus is Lord!

Jesus is Lord! Yet from his throne eternal
In flesh he came to die in pain on Calv’ry’s tree.
Jesus is Lord! From him all life proceeding,
Yet gave his life a ransom thus setting us free.

Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise Him with alleluias, for Jesus is Lord!

Jesus is Lord! O’er sin the mighty conqu’ror,
From death he rose and all his foes shall own his name.
Jesus is Lord! God sends his Holy Spirit
To show by works of power that Jesus is Lord.

Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord!
Praise Him with alleluias, for Jesus is Lord!

Organist: Peter Nye

Hymn words reproduced under CCLI: 845257
Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England (2000), material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.