St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Regina, Fifth Sunday after Easter, May 17, 2020. Canon Claude Schroeder
Well, it’s a been a most unusual Easter season, where in the midst of a global pandemic, for the last six Sundays the Church has been celebrating the joy of the Resurrection, the appearances of the Risen Lord to his first disciples, and His being among us still. This Thursday, being the 40th day after Easter, we will celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, which begins a 10 day period of prayerful waiting and anticipation of the celebration of Pentecost, and the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise in the sending of the Holy Spirit.
So liturgically we are approaching a bit of a turning point, and this is reflected in our Scripture readings for today.
Choral Accompaniment: St. Machar’s Cathedral, Aberdeen.
Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone, chosen of the Lord and precious, binding all the church in one; holy Zion’s help forever, and her confidence alone.
To this temple, where we call thee, come, O Lord of hosts, today: with thy wonted loving-kindness hear thy people as they pray; and thy fullest benediction shed within its walls alway.
Here vouchsafe to all thy servants what they ask of thee to gain, what they gain from thee forever with the blessed to retain, and hereafter in thy glory evermore with thee to reign.
Praise and honor to the Father, Praise and honor to the Son, Praise and honor to the Spirit, ever Three and ever One, One in might, and One in glory, while unending ages run.
Sentence of Scripture. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, let all the earth stand in awe of Him. Psalm 96.9
The Minister, DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy. Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
For Pardon through the Cross.
ALMIGHTY Father, who of thy great love to men didst give thy dearly beloved Son to die for us; Grant that through his Cross our sins may be put away, and remembered no more against us, and that, cleansed by his Blood, and mindful of his sufferings, we may take up our cross daily, and follow him in newness of life, until we come to his everlasting kingdom; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 them that 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.
O Lord, open thou our lips; And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
O God, make speed to save us; O Lord, make haste to help us.
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Praise ye the Lord; The Lord’s Name be praised.
The LORD is risen indeed: O come, let us worship.
THE EASTER ANTHEMS
CHRIST our passover is sacrificed for us: therefore let us keep the feast; Not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness; / but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 1 Corinthians 5. 7.
Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; / death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, / but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6. 9.
Christ is risen from the dead, / and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, / by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, / even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15. 20.
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.
THE FIRST LESSON: Acts 7:55-60
55 But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. 58 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. 59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 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.
Here ends the first lesson.
THE PSALM: 31. 1-5, 15-16.
IN thee, O LORD, have I put my trust; / let me never be put to confusion; deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; / make haste to deliver me,
And be thou my strong rock and house of defence, / that thou mayest save me. For thou art my strong rock and my castle: / be thou also my guide, and lead me for thy Name’s sake.
Draw me out of the net that they have hidden for me; / for thou art my strength. I am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind; / I am become like a broken vessel.
For I have heard the whispering of the multitude, and fear is on every side; / while they conspire together against me, and plot to take away my life.
THE SECOND LESSON: 1 Peter 2. 2 -10.
2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8 and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Here ends the Second Lesson.
THE HYMN: Alleluia, Alleluia, Give thanks to the Risen Lord,
Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord, Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth. He is the King of creation. Refrain.
Spread the good news o’er all the earth. Jesus has died and has risen. Refrain.
We have been crucified with Christ. Now we shall live forever. Refrain.
God has proclaimed the just reward: Life for all men, alleluia! Refrain.
Come, let us praise the living God, Joyfully sing to our Saviour. Refrain.
THE HOLY GOSPEL: John 14. 1-14. R./ Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 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? 3 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. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 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’? 10 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. 11 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. 12 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. 13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.
R./ Praise be to thee, O Christ.
BENEDICTUS. ST LUKE 1:68
BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel; / for he hath visited and redeemed his people; And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, / in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, / which have been since the world began; That we should be saved from our enemies, / and from the hands of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our forefathers, / and to remember his holy covenant; To perform the oath which he sware to our forefather Abraham, / that he would grant us That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies / might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, / all the days of our life.
AND thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest: / for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people / for the remission of their sins; Through the tender mercy of our God; / whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us; To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, / and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.
Then shall be said or sung the Confession of the Faith, called the Apostles’ Creed.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
And after the Creed these prayers following, the Minister first pronouncing:
The Lord be with you; And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy upon us. Christ, have mercy upon us. Lord, have mercy upon 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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
O Lord, show thy mercy upon us; And grant us thy salvation.
O Lord, save the Queen; And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.
Endue thy Ministers with righteousness; And make thy chosen people joyful.
O Lord, save thy people; And bless thine inheritance.
Give peace in our time, O Lord; And evermore mightily defend us.
O God, make clean our hearts within us; And take not thy Holy Spirit from us.
The Collect for the Fourth Sunday after Easter.
O ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Second Collect, for Peace.
O GOD, who art the author of peace and lover of concord, in knowledge of whom standeth our eternal life, whose service is perfect freedom: Defend us thy humble servants in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in thy defence, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Third Collect, for Grace.
O LORD our heavenly Father, Almighty and everlasting God, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day: Defend us in the same with thy mighty power; and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger; but that all our doings may be ordered by thy governance, to do always that is righteous in thy sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for the Commonwealth
ETERNAL God, who rulest in the kingdoms of men: Grant, we most humbly beseech thee, honour and safety to our Sovereign Lady, Queen ELIZABETH; peace throughout the Commonwealth of her peoples; promotion of true religion; encouragement to learning and godly living; a patient service to the concord of the world; and, by all these, glory to thy holy Name; for his sake to whom thou hast given all power in heaven and earth, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Prayer for the Clergy and People.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Send down upon our Bishops and Clergy, and all Congregations committed to their charge, the healthful Spirit of thy grace; and that they may truly please thee, pour upon them the continual dew of thy blessing. Grant this, O Lord, for the honour of our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ. Amen.
THE HYMN: Come My Way, My Truth My Life.
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life: Such a way as gives us breath; Such a truth as ends all strife; Such a life as killeth death.
Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength: Such a light as shows a feast; Such a feast as mends in length; Such a strength as makes his guest.
Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart: Such a joy as none can move; Such a love as none can part; Such a heart as joys in love.
O GOD, who willest that all men should be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth,: proper we pray thee all labour in the Gospel at home and in distant lands ; protect them all perils, and support them in loneliness and in the hour of trial; give them grace to bear faithful witness unto thee; endue them with burning zeal and love, that they may turn many unto righteousness;; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
For the Parliament
MOST gracious God, the author of all good things, we humbly beseech thee for the Parliament of Canada at this time assembled; that thou wouldest be pleased to direct and prosper all their counsels to the advancement of thy glory, the good of thy Church, and the safety, honour, and welfare of our people. All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our most blessed Lord and Saviour. Amen
For Industry.
O LORD Jesus Christ, who in thy earthly life didst share man’s toil, and hallow the labour of his hands: Prosper our brethren who maintain the industries of this land, and give to all who labour pride in their work, a just reward for their labours, and joy both in supplying need and in serving thee; who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
For Agriculture.
ALMIGHTY and merciful God, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift: Bless, we beseech thee, the labours of thy people, and cause the earth to bring forth her fruits abundantly in their season, that we may with grateful hearts again give thanks to thee for the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.
For the Family.
MERCIFUL Saviour, who didst love Martha and Mary and Lazarus, hallowing their home with thy sacred presence: Bless, we beseech thee, our home, that thy love may rest upon us, and that thy presence may be with us. May we all grow in grace and in the knowledge of thee, our Lord and Saviour. Teach us to love one another as thou hast given commandment. Help us to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil thy law, O blessed Jesus, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit livest and reignest, one God, for evermore. Amen.
At the Burial of the Dead
O God, whose days are without end, and whose mercies cannot be numbered; Make us, we beseech thee, deeply sensible of the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and let thy Holy Spirit lead us in holiness and righteousness all our days; that, when we shall have served thee in our generation, we may be gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience; in the Communion of the Catholic Church; the confidence of a certain faith; in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope; in favour with thee our God, and in perfect charity with all men. Grant this, we beseech thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
General Thanksgiving.
ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies, We thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks For all thy goodness and loving-kindness To us and to all men; particularly … on this Mother’s Day, for all mothers and those who have loved, cared for us, and nurtured is in the Gospel ….
We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; But above all for thine inestimable love In the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; For the means of grace, And for the hope of glory. And we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, That our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, And that we show forth thy praise, Not only with our lips, but in our lives; By giving up ourselves to thy service, And by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, To whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.
Ephesians 3. 20, 21
NOW unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.
THE HYMN: For the Beauty of the Earth
Choral Accompaniment: Trinity College Choir, University of Melbourne
For the beauty of the earth For the beauty of the skies For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies Over and around us lies
Lord of all, to thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise
For the beauty of the hour Of the day and of the night Hill and vale and tree and flower Sun and moon and stars of light Sun and moon and stars of light
Lord of all, to thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise
For the joy of human love Brother, sister, parent, child Friends on earth and friends above For all gentle thoughts and mild For all gentle thoughts and mild
Lord of all, to thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise
For each perfect gift of thine To our race so freely given Graces human and divine, Flowers of earth and buds of heaven.
Lord of all, to thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise.
St. Mary’s Anglican Church, Fourth Sunday after Easter, May 10, 2020 Canon Claude Schroeder.
At the time of his death in 1984, the distinguished biblical scholar, G.B. Caird, who earlier in his career, taught at both in Edmonton and Montreal, occupied the Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture at the University of Oxford. According to Bishop Tom Wright, a former student of his, “Caird loved words, and how human beings enjoyed using and abusing them. He insisted that both the Old Testament and New Testament be permitted to speak with their own voices and that modern ideas, presuppositions, and biases not be allowed to get in the way.” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G._B._Caird)
St. Mary’s Anglican Church, April 26, 2020. Easter 2. Canon Claude Schroeder. Sermon on Luke 24.13-35
In today’s Gospel lesson from the 24th chapter of St. Luke, who in his Gospel had a very keen eye for historical detail, furnishes us with some very important details with respect to the time and the place of the story he is going to tell. He writes, “on that same day, two of them, were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and were talking about all these things that had happened…”
Today we are continuing our celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Easter, in the Church calendar, is not a day, it is a season that lasts 50 days. Easter is for us a season of joy, of spiritual joy, in the restoration of our Communion with God through the forgiveness of our sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is eternal life. Easter is the celebration of the victory that Christ has won for us over Satan, sin, and death.
St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Church, Canon Claude Schroeder
Well, let me begin this morning wishing you all a very Happy Easter, in fact the very happiest of Easters!
Given the current circumstances, that probably comes across as something of a provocation. I mean, how can I wish you a happy Easter when all the things that we associate with the celebration of Easter, Easter flower arrangements and Easter music, a sense of new life associated with the coming to life of the earth again at springtime, Easter brunch with family and friends, and the delight and joy of children hunting for Easter eggs, has been taken from us? And we find ourselves plunged into this nightmare of a pandemic that has enshrounded the world in blanket of sickness, death, fear and anxiety and that has left many of us wondering, if, how, and when we are ever going to recover from this?
