Sunday, May 24, 2020

Jerusalem Sunday




Jerusalem Sunday
May 24, 2020
St. Mary’s, Edgerton
St. Thomas, Wainwright
Anglican Churches
At the 2013 Joint Assembly, General Synod passed a resolution to “observe the Seventh Sunday of Easter, commonly known as the Sunday after Ascension Day, as Jerusalem Sunday.” For 2020, the theme for Jerusalem Sunday is The Jerusalem of Your Heart and Soul.

Jerusalem Sunday is an opportunity for Anglicans in Canada to learn more about and support God’s mission in the Diocese of Jerusalem. Parishes are encouraged to use liturgical resources listed below in celebration of Jerusalem Sunday. Parishes and individuals are also invited to make an offering in support important health care work in the Diocese of Jerusalem.

For resources:  Jerusalem Sunday Resources

Gathering
Opening Sentence
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:       
may they prosper who love you!
Psalm 122.6

Come Let Us Join Our Cheerful Song
Come, let us join our cheerful songs
with angels round the throne;
ten thousand thousand are their tongues,
but all their joys are one.

'Worthy the Lamb that died,' they cry,
'to be exalted thus';
'Worthy the Lamb,' our lips reply,
'for he was slain for us.'

Jesus is worthy to receive
honour and power divine;
and blessings, more than we can give,
be, Lord, for ever thine.

Let all that dwell above the sky,
and air, and earth, and seas,
conspire to lift thy glories high,
and speak thine endless praise.

The whole creation joins in one
to bless the sacred name
of him that sits upon the throne,
and to adore the Lamb.

2020Theme: The Jerusalem of Your Heart and Soul
Context:  In recent years more than four million travelers visited Jerusalem annually.  This year travel is not recommended but we can still visit this sacred place in spirit and thought.  We can consider our fellow Christians in the Diocese of Jerusalem, and their neighbours, to ask a blessing for them.

Similar to the Celts, the concept of place is central in the spirituality of Indigenous peoples. Place provides more of a spiritual connection than a time-related observance.  For Indigenous people a pilgrimage is valued more than a commemoration. Although physical pilgrimage would be ideal, a spiritual pilgrimage has deep value.

Indigenous spirituality does not perceive dualities, which separate the physical from the spiritual, the sacred from the ordinary, nor the heavenly from the earthly. So, in the eyes of Indigenous Christians, the contemporary city of Jerusalem is not separate from the ancient city of Leviticus and King David.  This current city is the location of the heavenly New Jerusalem envisioned in the book of Revelation. Being in that place, whether physically or spiritually is to encounter a dwelling place of God.  But doesn’t God also appear in the sacred land of Canada?

Listen to this passage with an Indigenous heart:

They confessed they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.  Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. (Heb. 11:13b-16)
Silence

Prayer for Jerusalem   Written by the Most Reverend Fred Hiltz
O God,
we give thanks that your dear Son has gathered us
in the embrace of his redeeming love
and sent us to make that love known to the ends of the earth.
We pray your continued blessings
on the steadfast witness of the Church in Jerusalem
and throughout the Middle East.

Give your deep joy to those who welcome the pilgrims
seeking to know this land and its many peoples.
Grace those who proclaim the Gospel.

Guide all who teach a new generation of young people.
Draw near to those who are sick and bless those who tend them.
Sustain the hope in all who long and labour
for a just and lasting peace in the land of The Holy One.

And may the companions of Jerusalem be many and faithful. 
We pray in the name of our merciful Saviour,
Friend, and Brother, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Proclamation of the word
Psalm 97  Dominus regnavit
The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice;
let the multitude of the isles be glad.

Clouds and darkness are round about you, O Lord;
righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne.

A fire goes before you
and burns up your enemies on every side.

Your lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees it and is afraid.

The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, 
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.

The heavens declare your righteousness,
and all the peoples see your glory.

Confounded be all who worship carved images and delight in false gods!
Bow down before the Lord, all you gods.

Zion hears and is glad, and the cities of Judah rejoice,
because of your judgements, O Lord.

For you are the Lord, most high over all the earth;
you are exalted far above all gods.

The Lord loves those who hate evil,
preserving the lives of the saints 
and delivering them from the hand of the wicked.

Light has sprung up for the righteous,
and joyful gladness for those who are truehearted.

Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous,
and give thanks to the holy name of the Lord.

Acts 16:16-34
One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
  
The Responsory
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your sting?
Christ is risen from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
Death is swallowed up in victory.
The trumpet will sound and the dead shall be raised.
Where, O death, is your sting?
We shall not all sleep,
but we shall be changed.
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your sting?
   
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
‘See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.’

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

‘It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.’
The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who hears say, ‘Come.’
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

At the Name of Jesus
At the name of Jesus ev'ry knee shall bow,
ev'ry tongue confess him King of glory now.
'Tis the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord,
who from the beginning was the mighty Word.

At his voice creation sprang at once to sight,
all the angel faces, all the hosts of light,
thrones and dominations, stars upon their way,
all the heav'nly orders in their great array.

Humbled for a season to receive a name
from the lips of sinners unto whom he came,
faithfully he bore it spotless to the last,
brought it back victorious, when from death he passed.

In your hearts enthrone him; there let him subdue
all that is not holy, all that is not true;
crown him as your Captain in temptation's hour:
let his will enfold you in its light and pow'r.

Brothers, this Lord Jesus shall return again,
with his Father's glory, with his angel train;
for all wreaths of empire meet upon his brow,
and our hearts confess him King of glory now.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

John 17:20-26
‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

‘Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

The Gospel of Christ
Praise to you, O Lord Jesus Christ

Sermon
Hear, O Israel
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind,
and with all your strength.

This is the first and the great commandment.
The second is like it:
Love your neighbour as yourself.

There is no commandment greater than these.

Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life
Where cross the crowded ways of life,
where sound the cries of race and clan,
above the noise of selfish strife,
we hear your voice, O Son of Man.

In haunts of wretchedness and need,
on shadowed thresholds fraught with fears,
from paths where hide the lures of greed,
we catch the vision of your tears.

From tender childhood's helplessness,
from human grief and burdened toil,
from famished souls, from sorrow's stress,
your heart has never known recoil.

O Master, from the mountainside,
make haste to heal these hearts of pain;
among these restless throngs abide;
O tread the city's streets again;

Till all the world shall learn your love,
and follow where your feet have trod;
till glorious from your heaven above
shall come the city of our God.

The Prayers of the Community
Anglican Communion
   Pray for all members of the Anglican Communion around the world
      For the Archbishop of Canterbury,
         the Most Reverend Justin Welby,
         and all primates and bishops
      For members of the Anglican Consultative Council
      For the Secretary General,
         The Most Revd Dr Josiah Idowu-Fearon, 
      For the staff at the Anglican Communion Office in London
         and the UN offices in Geneva and New York
Anglican Church of Canada
   Diocese of Huron
      the Right Reverend Doctor Todd Townsend, Bishop
Council of the North
   Diocese of Moosonee
      The Most Reverend Anne Germond, Bishop
       The Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, Assisting Bishop
The Diocese of Edmonton
   The staff of the Diocesan Synod Office
   Buyé Diocese Youth Coordinator
      Audace Kwizera
   Montana First Nation. 
(I will not place our individual parish prayers on the internet. 
We know who we pray for each week. 
Rest assured that your loved ones continue in our prayers.)

We continue to pray for Burundi and our twinned parishes
      Kabanga and St. Luke’s Bigombo
We also pray for the Canadian Armed Forces
  serving at home and abroad.

A Jerusalem Prayer
From the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem
For the World Week for Peace in Palestine Israel 2011
Almighty and Merciful God,
by the gift of the Holy Spirit,
you gathered the first Christians in Jerusalem.
Grant that, like the first church of Jerusalem,
we may come together, and with courage,
we may preach and live the Word,
and the good news of truth, reconciliation, and peace.

God Creator,
Giver of Life, Bearer of Pain, Initiator of Love,
you made the world and everything in it.
You created the human race in your image and likeness,
and gave us the earth for all to share.
Break down the walls that separate us.

God of Justice,
your generosity is without bounds.
Guard us from selfishness;
inspire us to be instruments of love,
and witnesses of your mercy and justice.
Help us to face challenges
and to struggle against all that is born of injustice.
Lead us to act together
in places and situations of want and need:
where families are driven from their homes,
where the vulnerable suffer
in the hands of the powerful,
where poverty and unemployment destroy lives.

God of Hope,
you continue to call us to work for Peace in our world,
broken and wounded by injustice, violence, and indifference.
Alone, we are overwhelmed by challenges
 but together, and inspired by your Spirit,
we can prevail beyond dreams and imagination.
In fear we lose hope, and feel the futility of our efforts.
Instill in our hearts and minds
the image of your suffering and compassionate love
as a source of courage and strength.

God, Protector of the widow,
the orphan and the stranger,
in a world where many know despair,
you raised your Son Jesus Christ
to give hope for humanity and renewal to the earth.
Strengthen and unify your Church
against the forces of evil in this part of the world,
where aggression of all forms,
killings and the blood of martyrs shed
even in places of worship,
obscure the hope of a new life.

God of Peace and Mercy,
inspire nations to transform oppression and violence
into freedom and peace for the sake of the poor,
the vulnerable and the broken-hearted.
Help us to respect and promote
the equality and dignity of all,
particularly in your Holy Land.
Grant discernment to leaders and legislators,
that righteousness and truth
may flourish among all peoples throughout the world.
Amen

Come Down O Love Divine
Come down, O Love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till Love create a place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

Prayer of Thanksgiving
Father, we are in your Spirit and hear your voice:
'I am the first and the last,
who is, who was, and who is to come.'
Before the worlds were made,
Jesus Christ the living one
was reigning with you and the Holy Spirit.
Through Christ you created everything
in heaven and earth,
the whole universe created through him and for him.
Lord of glory
we worship and adore you.

You sent him,
the visible likeness of the invisible God,
to reflect the brightness of your glory,
to sustain the universe with his word of power,
to achieve forgiveness for the sins of all.
Lord of glory
we worship and adore you.

And now he rules in heaven, mighty risen Lord,
his voice like a roaring waterfall:
'I am the living one!
I was dead but now I am alive for ever and ever.'
So, with angels and archangels,
and all the company of heaven,
we praise you for ever, saying:

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.

Collect of the Day
A PRAYER BY GERALD BUTTwritten for St. George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem
O Lord soften the stone hearts of those who preach
and practice intolerance and bigotry;
as the sun’s setting glow softens
the stone walls of your holy city, Jerusalem.
Lord, the rocky hills, the valleys,
the deserts and the sea shores
are filled with the echoes of centuries of pain.

Lord, bring peace to house and village.
Comfort the mothers who fret and those who mourn.

Lord, keep strong the twisted old root of the olive tree,
and protect the young vine.
Lord of water and stone, of bread and wine,
Lord of the resurrection, feed hope, and bring peace,
to this wracked but beautiful Holy Land. Amen.

Lord’s Prayer
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.

Blessing
Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
he whose word cannot be broken
formed thee for his own abode;
on the Rock of Ages founded,
what can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
thou may'st smile at all thy foes.

See the streams of living waters,
springing from eternal love,
well supply thy sons and daughters,
and all fear of want remove;
who can faint while such a river
ever flows their thirst t'assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord, the giver,
never fails from age to age.

Round each habitation hov'ring,
see the cloud and fire appear
for a glory and a cov'ring,
showing that the Lord is near;
thus deriving from their banner
light by night and shade by day,
safe they feed upon the manna
which he gives them when they pray.

Savior, if of Zion's city
I, thro' grace, a member am,
let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name;
fading is the worldling's pleasure,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasure
none but Zion's children know.

Go in Now in Peace (x3  1st together, 2nd and 3rd as a round)

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