St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

On- Line Bulletin 

The Epiphany of the Lord

3 January 2021

 

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ.

 

The Rev. Ian Wissler, Rector (902.275.8627)

Rev. Canon Dr. Stephen Paul Booth, Honorary Assistant

Wardens:  Mary Casavant, Jon Waddell

Choir Director: Dawn Harwood-Jones

Organist: Margaret Machum

ststephensparish@ns.sympatico.ca

saintstephenschester.ca

Parish Office Hours:  Monday-Thursday, 9am – 1pm

54 Regent St. Chester NS  B0J 1J0      902-275-3804 

 

 

Holy Eucharist

(Book of Alternative Services)

 

The Gathering of the Community                                                                                                                  Celebrant The grace of  our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.  People And also with you.

Celebrant Almighty God,

All to you all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from you no secrets are hidden.

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Celebrant: 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.

All Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

 

Collect:  Eternal God, who by a star led wise men to the worship of your Son. Guide by your light the nations of the earth, that the whole world may know your glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever..  Amen

The Proclamation of the Word

 

A Reading from Isaiah  60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

           

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14      REFRAIN; All nations shall serve him.

 

Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the king's son;

 

That he may rule your people righteously and the poor with justice;

 

That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, and the little hills bring righteousness. R

 

He shall defend the needy among the people; he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

 

He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, from one generation to another.

 

He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, like showers that water the earth.

 

In his time shall the righteous flourish; there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more. R

 

The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

 

All kings shall bow down before him, and all the nations do him service.

 

For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, and the oppressed who has no helper. R

 

He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

 

He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, and dear shall their blood be in his sight. R

 

 

 

 

A Reading from the Letter of Paul to Ephisians (3:1-12)

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

 

Priest: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.

Priest: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, According to Matthew 2:1-12

All: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel. '" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.The Gospel of Christ                                                                                                                                                 All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

The Sermon: The Rector

 

The Nicene Creed

Celebrant Let us confess our faith, as we say,

All We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

                                   

Prayers of the People

Presider:  Let us pray to the Lord God, who is made manifest in Jesus Christ.

Litanist:  As the prophet Isaiah rang out, “Arise, shine; for your light has come”; we pray for Sandra our Bishop, and our Parish of St. Stephen, with our communities of St. Stephen's, St. George's, and All Saints. Empower your Church, O God, to ring out the Good News of the Light of your son Jesus, which pierces even the deepest darkness. Lord, in your mercy,
All: Hear our prayer.

 Litanist: As a star rose high into the nighttime sky to draw the nations to the Christ-child, send your blessing, O God, on Elizabeth our Queen, this country, and every nation, and draw the whole world to your peace and truth. Lord, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

Litanist:  Like the Wise Men who travelled from afar to bring gifts and celebrate the Saviour’s birth; we pray for all communities of this municipality, that we may bring peace to those who are far off, and to those who are near. Lord, in your mercy,

 

 

 

All: Hear our prayer.

Litanist: As Jesus climbed the mountaintop, and proclaimed blessings on the people of the world; we pray for the sick and the distressed, the poor and the lame. We especially pray for ... Lord, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

 Litanist As Jesus called his disciples to leave their nets and boats, and follow him; we pray for those we love and who have answered your call, and have joined Jesus in your Heavenly Kingdom (especially...) Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Lord, in your mercy,

All: Hear our prayer.

 

Presider:  Heavenly Father, you have made our Lord Jesus to be the Light of the World. Hear our prayers,  and make us reflections of his Light, revealing him to all, so that his Light will pierce the dark places of our world and in our lives, and that the nations will be drawn to you and be overwhelmed with joy. All this we pray through the same, Jesus Christ, your Son, who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.

All: Amen.

 

The Confession and Absolution

Celebrant Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; he welcomes sinners and invites us to this table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Celebrant Most merciful God,

All we confess that we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

 

 

 

 

The Peace

Preface for Epiphany: Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; you have  .

           

Prayer over the Gifts:

Gracious God, accept the offering of your Church, the hearts of your people

joined in praise and thanksgiving, in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

 

A Note about Communion – Please be aware that those who are physically present for worship are there in order to help with the liturgy, with specific ministries to fulfill to help our worship to take place. While these ministers will be receiving the Body of Christ in the bread, the priest will alone receive the wine on behalf of all who worship. According to our Book of Common Prayer, all who believe in the Lord and his saving work (as articulated in the Creed and the Prayer of Consecration over the bread and wine) and who can say “Amen” to the bread being the Body of Christ, and the wine being the Blood of Christ, receive all the spiritual benefits of Communion, without actually physically receiving them. This “spiritual Communion” is meant only for extenuating circumstances – which this time of public health emergency clearly is.

The Great Thanksgiving

Presider: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.

Presider: Lift up your hearts.

All: We lift them up to the Lord.

Presider: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.                       

Celebrant: Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, who in the mystery of his incarnation was made perfect man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; in him we have seen a new and radiant vision of your glory. Therefore with all the angels of heaven, we lift our voices and sing our joyful hymn of praise to proclaim the glory of your name.

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.

Celebrant: We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “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. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore, Father, according to his command,

All we remember his death, we proclaim his resurrection, we await his coming in glory;

Celebrant: and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts, that they may be the sacrament of the body of Christ and his blood of the new covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever. People Amen.

 

The Lord’s Prayer      

                       

The Breaking of  the Bread

Celebrant We break the bread of life, and that life is the light of the world.

All God here among us, light in the midst of us, bring us to light and life.

 

The Communion

Celebrant The gifts of God for the people of God.

All: Thanks be to God.

 The Communion is distributed. When the Body and Blood are offered, simply respond, “Amen”. If you are unable to view the service, your “Amen” to the Sacrament bestows on you all the spiritual benefits of receiving the Eucharist.

 

Prayer after Communion:  God of all the nations of the earth, guide us with your light.

Help us to recognize Christ as he comes to us in this eucharist and in our neighbours.

May we welcome him with love, for he is Lord now and for ever.  Amen.

 

The Doxology

Celebrant: Glory to God,

All: whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Blessing

Announcements

Dismissal