The Great Fifty Days of Eastertide form a single festival period and its tone is Easter Joy with the Easter Candle taking pride of place. The liturgy is shot through with Alleluias at every excuse. The arrival of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost completes and crowns the Easter Festival.
Preparation
Alleluia. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia Alleluia.
O Lord, open our lips and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation, to you be praise and glory for ever.
As once you ransomed your people from Egypt and led them to freedom in the promised land, so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.
May we, the first fruits of your new creation, rejoice in this new day you have made, and praise you for your mighty acts.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.
Opening Hymn: CP178 Come Holy Ghost, our souls inspire
Opening Prayer
Almighty God to whom all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from whom 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.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
so may the light of your presence, O God, set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever. Amen.
The Word of God
In your Bible turn to the Psalm of the day – Psalm 104
Response: Send forth your Spirit, O Lord, and renew the face of the earth
The psalm ends with
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Responsory
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
O my God, in you I trust.
You are the God of my salvation,
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
In you I hope all the day long.
O my God, in you I trust.
Remember, Lord, your compassion and love, for they are from everlasting.
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; O my God, in you I trust.
In your Bible turn to the Gospel of the day – Acts 2:1-21
Alleluia Alleluia.
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Alleluia Alleluia.
He has defeated the powers of death. Alleluia Alleluia.
Jesus turns our sorrow into dancing. Alleluia Alleluia.
He has the words of eternal life. Alleluia Alleluia.
The gospel ends with
This is the gospel of the Lord
Praise to you O Christ. Alleluia Alleluia.
Gospel Canticle
The Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)
The Lord is risen from the tomb who for our sakes hung upon the tree. Alleluia.
1 Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, ♦
who has come to his people and set them free.
2 He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour, ♦
born of the house of his servant David.
3 Through his holy prophets God promised of old ♦
to save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all that hate us,
4 To show mercy to our ancestors, ♦
and to remember his holy covenant.
5 This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham: ♦
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
6 Free to worship him without fear, ♦
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
7 And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, ♦
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
8 To give his people knowledge of salvation ♦
by the forgiveness of all their sins.
9 In the tender compassion of our God ♦
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
10 To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, ♦
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Lord is risen from the tomb who for our sakes hung upon the tree. Alleluia.
Prayers*
Intercessions are offered
¶ for the world and its needs ¶ for the Church and her life ¶ for our loved ones and our neighbours and ourselves
This response may be used
Lord, hear us.
Lord, graciously hear us.
Silence may be kept.
Trusting in the compassion of God, 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.
The Peace
The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said ‘Peace be with you.’ Then were they glad when they saw the Lord. Alleluia.
We give thanks to God for the gift of his peace in these anxious times
Act of Spiritual Reception (may be omitted)
In union, dear Father, with Christian people throughout the world and across the centuries gathered to make ‘Eucharist’, hearing your holy Word and receiving the precious body and blood, I offer you praise and thanksgiving. Even though I am exiled from tasting the Bread of Heaven and drinking the Cup of Life I pray that you will unite me with all the baptised and with your Son who gave his life for us. Come Lord Jesus, dwell in me and send your Holy Spirit that I may be filled with your presence.
Closing Hymn: CP175 Come down, O Love divine
The Conclusion
May the risen Christ grant us the joys of eternal life.
Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia Alleluia.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia Alleluia.
© The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England, 2000-2005
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