St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

On- Line Bulletin 

The Baptism of the Lord

10 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 Father, who at the baptism of Jesus

revealed him to be your Son, anointing him with the Holy Spirit,

keep your children, born of water and the Spirit, faithful to their calling;

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 Genesis 1:1-5

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

 

 The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

           

Psalm 29     REFRAIN - The Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

 

Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

 

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. R

 

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders; the Lord is upon the mighty waters.

 

The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendour. R

 

The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

 

He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox. R

 

The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire; the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

 

The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe and strips the forests bare.

 

And in the temple of the Lord all are crying, "Glory!" R

 

The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king for evermore. The Lord shall give strength to his people; the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace. R

 

 

A Reading from the book of Acts 19:1-7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied - altogether there were about twelve of them.

 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 Mark 1:4-11

All: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

The Gospel of Christ                                                                                                                                                 All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

The Sermon

 

Renewal of Baptismal Covenant

Celebrant Let us confess our faith, as we say,

Celebrant Do you believe in God the Father?

People I believe in God, The Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Celebrant Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

People I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He 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, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Celebrant Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

People I believe in God the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Celebrant Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

People I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant Will you persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

People I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant Will you proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ?

People I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?

People I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

People I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God's creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?

People I will, with God’s help.

 

                                   

Prayers of the People

Presider:   Let us pray to our God who gives breath to all people upon earth and bestows the Holy Spirit on all of us, that through baptism we may be empowered as God's beloved children to share in the healing and reconciling work of Christ, saying:

All:  Give us the blessing of peace.

Litanist:    Praying for Sandra our Bishop, Ian our Rector, Stephen, our Honourary Assistant, and our entire Parish family of St. Stephen's – including our communities of St. Stephen’s, St. George’s, and All Saints, we ask you to uphold your chosen servant the Church, O Lord, and put your Spirit upon her, that she may not grow faint or be crushed until all have known the power of Christ's resurrection. Give strength to your people; 

All: Give us the blessing of peace.

Litanist:   Let your gentle Spirit be upon this nation, upon Elizabeth our Queen, and upon all in authority under her,  that we may share in your work to bring forth justice upon the earth. 
Give strength to your people;

All:  Give us the blessing of peace.

Litanist:  Look upon all humanity with your divine compassion, may the Dove of your Spirit bring peace and light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind and to bring from the prison those who sit in darkness and oppression. Give strength to your people; 

All: Give us the blessing of peace.

Litanist: May the heavens open and your Spirit descend upon all who are sick, anxious, grieving, especially...May they have wholeness and healing according to your loving will for them. Give strength to your people;

All: Give us the blessing of peace.

Litanist:   Welcome with your divine pleasure all who have died, (especially...). Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Give strength to your people; 
All: Give us the blessing of peace.

Presider:   Gracious and loving God, you have anointed your people with the waters of Baptism and have made us your beloved children: Let your Spirit spread mightily through us, that we may share in the work of your Son, bringing reconciliation and light to all the world in the power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

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

           

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.

Prayer over the Gifts:

God of life and freedom, we celebrate the revelation of Jesus

as the Christ who makes all creation new. Accept all we offer you this day

and make us new in him, who is Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

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.           

 

Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; by water and the Holy Spirit you have made us a holy people in Jesus Christ, our Lord. You renew that mystery in bread and wine and nourish us, to show forth your glory in all the world.  Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the holy people who have served you in every age, we raise our voices 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:  Gracious God, lover of all, by this sacrament

you make us one family in Christ your Son, one in the sharing of his body and blood,

one in the communion of his Spirit. Help us to grow in love for one another

and come to the full maturity of the Body of Christ. We ask this in his name. 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

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