A special service of Holy Communion for the Feast of the Birth of Saint Mary the Virgin on 6 September 2020

Welcome to this week’s Windmill United Benefice online service of Holy Communion to celebrate the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Patronal Saint of St Mary the Virgin, Horne. The three clergy of the benefice, Nicholas, Charles and Tony, all play a part in the service and filmed their parts in St Mary’s church. Other parts were recorded remotely and at previous services. The words are all below

This service has been put together as a continuous film, so just click below to take part

The hymn ‘For all your saints still active’ is sung

For all your saints still active,
For those whose work is done;
For saints with you in glory
Whose earthly race is run.
You rose as King and Sov’reign,
That they the crown might wear,
Reserved for those who humbly
your earthly pathway share.

We sing with joy of Mary,
whose heart with awe was stirred
When, youthful and unready,
she heard the angel’s word;
Yet she her voice upraises,
God’s glory to proclaim,
As once for our salvation
Your mother she became

Apostles, prophets, martyrs,
Who served you here on earth,
Now reign with you in heaven,
Singing your praise and worth.
With them, and all whose witness
Is known to you alone,
We share our earthly journey
Towards your heavenly throne.

We praise you, God our Father,
We worship Christ, your Son,
We glorify your Spirit,
Forever three, yet one.
On earth we see you dimly,
In heaven face to face;
And then with all who’ve served you,
We’ll praise you, God of grace.

The Greeting, Welcome and Confession

The Lord be with you
And also with you.

Welcome to St Mary the Virgin, Horne on the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the patron saint of this church.

We have done what was wrong in the Lord’s sight
and chosen what displeased him.
Yet as a mother comforts her child,
so shall the Lord himself comfort us.
So let us come to him who knows our every deed and thought.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you
and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us, forgive us all that is past
and grant that we may serve you
in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
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 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.
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 and readings

Collect for Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Almighty and everlasting God,
who stooped to raise fallen humanity
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary:
grant that we, who have seen your glory
revealed in our human nature
and your love made perfect in our weakness,
may daily be renewed in your image
and conformed to the pattern of your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Amen

A reading from Acts 1: 12-14
by Barbara Verco

The Gospel reading from Luke 1: 39-47
by Sue Wates

Talk by the Rev Nicholas Calver

The Creed, Intercessions and Peace

The Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
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.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

The Intercessions
led by David Spruce

The response to the intercessions is:
Living God:
Let your kingdom come

The Peace
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given,
and his name shall be called the Prince of Peace.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you

The Celebration of Holy Communion

The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.

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.

The Eucharistic prayer begins. The next response is:

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.

The Eucharistic prayer continues. The next response is:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus:

Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life:
Lord Jesus, come in glory.

The Eucharistic prayer concludes:

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.

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.

Lamb of God, you take away
the sin of the world:
have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away
the sin of the world:
grant us peace.

After the Celebration, you are invited to make your spiritual communion by using the following prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, since I cannot now receive you sacramentally
I ask you to come spiritually into my heart.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly, day by day.
Amen

The anthem is ‘For Mary, Mother of our Lord’
(Music by Simon Lole, b. 1957; words by John Raphael Peacey, 1896-1971)
Recorded remotely for this service by members of the Windmill United Benefice choirs and mixed together by Peter Nye

For Mary, mother of our Lord
God’s holy name be praised,
Who first the Son of God adored
As on her child she gazed.

She gave her body for God’s shrine,
Her heart to piercing pain,
And knew the cost of love divine
When Jesus Christ was slain.

Dear Mary, from your lowliness
And home in Galilee,
There comes a joy and holiness
To every family.

Hail, Mary, you are full of grace,
Above all women blest;
and blest your Son, whom you embrace
In birth and death confessed.

The Blessing

Christ the Son of God, born of Mary,
fill you with his grace to trust his promises and obey his will;
and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
Amen.

The hymn ‘Tell out my soul’ is sung

Tell out my soul, the greatness of the Lord
Unnumbered blessings give my spirit voice;
Tender to me the promise of his word;
In God my Saviour shall my heart rejoice.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his name:
Make known his might, the deeds his arm has done;
His mercy sure, from age to age the same;
His holy name, the Lord, the mighty one.

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might:
Pow’rs and dominions lay their glory by;
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

Tell out, my soul, the glories of his word:
Firm is his promise and his mercy sure.
Tell out, my soul the greatness of the Lord
To children’s children and for evermore.

Organist: Peter Nye
Hymn words reproduced under CCLI: 845257