Mass for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. 2020

Mass for Corpus Christi Sunday

15^th June 2020

THE GATHERING

Hymn

The church's one foundation

The church's one foundation
is Jesus Christ her Lord;
she is his new creation
by water and the word:
from heaven he came and sought her
to be his holy bride;
with his own blood he bought her
and for her life he died.

Elect from every nation,
yet one o’er all the earth;
her charter of salvation
one Lord, one faith, one birth:
one holy name she blesses,
partakes one holy food;
and to one hope she presses
with every grace endued.

Though with a scornful wonder

Men see her sore opprest,

By schisms rent asunder

And heresies distrest, 

yet saints their watch are keeping
their cry goes up, 'How long?'
and soon the night of weeping
shall be the morn of song.

‘Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
she waits the consummation
of peace for evermore:
till with the vision glorious
her longing eyes are blest;
and the great church victorious
shall be the church at rest!

Yet she on earth hath union
with God the Three-in-One;
and mystic, sweet communion
with those whose rest is won:
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, grant us grace that we,
like them the meek and lowly,
on high may dwell with Thee.

NEH 484

Introit

Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry,

and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’

In the name of the Father,

and of the Son,

and of the Holy Spirit.

All       Amen

The Lord be with you

All       Amen

The celebrant welcomes the people and introduces the service

Prayer of Preparation

All   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.

Prayer of Confession

As we prepare to celebrate the mystery of God’s love,

revealed in Word and Sacrament,

let us call to mind our sins.

All       Almighty God, our heavenly Father,

we have sinned against you

and against our neighbour

in thought and word and deed,

through negligence, through weakness,

through our own deliberate fault.

we are truly sorry

and repent of all our sins.

For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,

who died for us,

forgive us all that is past

and grant that we may serve you in newness of life

to the glory of your name.

Amen.

Almighty God,

who forgives all who truly repent,

have mercy upon you,

pardon and deliver you from all your sins,

confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,

and keep you in life eternal;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All       Amen

The Gloria

All    Glory to God in the highest,

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.

The Collect

Let us pray

Lord Jesus Christ,

we thank you that in this wonderful sacrament

you have given us the memorial of your passion:

grant us so to reverence the sacred mysteries

of your body and blood

that we may know within ourselves

and show forth in our lives

the fruits of your redemption;

for you are alive and reign with the Father

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

All       Amen

LITURGY OF THE WORD

A reading from the Book of Genesis.

And King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine; 

he was priest of God Most High.

He blessed him and said,
‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
   maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
   who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’

And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything. 

[Genesis 14.18-20]

This is the word of the Lord.

All        Thanks be to God.

A reading from the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians.

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 

[1 Corinthians 11.23-26]

This is the word of the Lord.

All        Thanks be to God.

Amazing grace!

Amazing grace! how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch; like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears relieved;

How precious did that grace appear

The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares

I have already come.

‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be

As long as life endures.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun,

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we first begun.

CAHON 29 

Gospel reading

Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord.

Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever.

All      Alleluia.

The Lord be with you.

All      And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St John.

All        Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus said to them ‘I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ 

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ 

[John 6.51-58]

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All       Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

The Creed

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,

was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and 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 and the Son,

who with the Father and the Son 

is worshipped and glorified,

who 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 Intercession

These responses are used

Lord, in your mercy

All        hear our prayer.

And at the end

Merciful Father,

All    accept these prayers

for the sake of your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

 THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT

The Peace

We are the body of Christ.

In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.

Let us then pursue all that makes for peace

and builds up our common life.

The peace of the Lord be always with you

All        and also with you.

Hymn

Sweet Sacrament divine,

Sweet Sacrament divine,
Hid in thine earthly home,
Lo, round thy lowly shrine,
With suppliant hearts we come;
Jesu, to thee our voice we raise
In songs of love and heartfelt praise:
Sweet Sacrament divine.

Sweet Sacrament of peace,
Dear home for every heart,
Where restless yearnings cease
And sorrows all depart;
There in thine ear all trustfully
We tell our tale of misery:
Sweet Sacrament of peace.

Sweet Sacrament of rest,
Ark from the ocean's roar,
Within thy shelter blest
Soon may we reach the shore;
Save us, for still the tempest raves,
Save, lest we sink beneath the waves:
Sweet Sacrament of rest.

Sweet Sacrament divine,
Earth's light and jubilee,
In thy far depths doth shine
The Godhead's majesty;
Sweet light, so shine on us, we pray
That earthly joys may fade away:
Sweet Sacrament divine.

NEH 307

Prayer over the gifts

God our sustainer,

receive the gifts we bring before you,

and feed us continually with that bread which satisfies all hunger,

your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.

All       Amen

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord be with you

All        and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

All        We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All        It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is indeed right and good,

our duty and our salvation

always and everywhere to give you thanks and praise

holy Father, almighty and eternal God,

through Jesus Christ our great high priest.

He offered himself to you as the Lamb without blemish,

the acceptable gift that gives you perfect praise.

At the Last Supper, seated with his apostles,

he left this memorial of his passion

to bring us its saving power until the end of time.

In this great sacrament you feed your people

and strengthen them in holiness,

so that throughout the world the human family

may be enlightened by one faith

and drawn together in one communion of love.

We come to this foretaste of your heavenly banquet

to be transformed by your grace

and restored in the image and likeness of the risen Christ.

Therefore earth unites with heaven

to sing a new song of praise;

we too join with angels and archangels

as they proclaim your glory without end:

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.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness;
grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, 

and according to your holy will,
these gifts of bread and wine
may become for us the body and blood 

of our Lord Jesus Christ;
who, in the same night that he was betrayed,

took bread and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:
          

Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper 

he took the cup and gave you thanks;
he gave it to them, saying:

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.

Great is the mystery of faith.

Christ has died; 

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross,
his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world;

rejoicing in his mighty resurrection

and glorious ascension,
and looking for his coming in glory,
we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
we bring before you this bread and this cup
and we thank you for counting us worthy
to stand in your presence and serve you.

Send the Holy Spirit on your people
and gather into one in your kingdom
all who share this one bread and one cup,
so that we, in the company of Blessed Mary the ever virgin,

St Peter Prince of the Apostles, St Stephen the Protomartyr,

St Nicholas of Myra, St Michael the Archangel, 

St Richard of Chichester,

and all the Apostles, Martyrs and Saints,
may praise and glorify you for ever,

through Jesus Christ our Lord;
by whom, and with whom, and in whom,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father,
for ever and ever.

All       Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us

All       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 

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 Fraction

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ

All      Though we are many, we are one body,

because we all share in one bread.

The Agnus Dei

All       Jesus, Lamb of God,

have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins,

have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer of the world,

grant us peace.

God’s holy gifts

for God’s holy people.

All       Jesus Christ is holy,

Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Communion Antiphon

Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.

He had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

We make our spiritual communion

Communion Anthem

Bread of the world in mercy broken.

Post Communion Prayers

All praise to you, our God and Father,

for you have fed us with the bread of heaven

and quenched our thirst from the true vine:

hear our prayer that, being grafted into Christ,

we may grow together in unity

and feast with him in his kingdom;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All       Amen

All                 Almighty God,

we thank you for feeding us

with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.

Through him we offer you our souls and bodies

to be a living sacrifice.

Send us out

in the power of your Spirit

to live and work

to your praise and glory.

Amen.

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

I am the bread of life,

anyone who comes to me shall not hunger,

anyone who believes in me shall never thirst.

All       Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.

The bread of God comes down from heaven,

and gives life to the world.

All       Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.

Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life

and I will raise them up on the last day.

All       Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.

It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail.

The words I speak, they are spirit and they are life.

All       Alleluia. Lord, give us this bread always.

The Celebrant blesses the people of God with the consecrated bread

THE DISMISSAL

Notices

Hymn

Lord, enthroned in heav'nly splendour,

Lord, enthroned in heav'nly splendour,
first-begotten from the dead,
Thou alone, our strong Defender,
liftest up Thy people's head.
Alleluya,
Jesu, true and living Bread!

Here our humblest homage pay we,
Here in loving reverence bow;
Here for faith’s discernment pray we,
Lest we fail to know Thee now.

Alleluya,

Thou art here, we ask not how.

Though the lowliest form doth veil Thee
As of old in Bethlehem,
Here as there Thine angels hail Thee,
Branch and flower of Jesse’s stem.

Alleluya,

We in worship join with them.

Paschal Lamb! Thine off'ring finished
once for all when Thou wast slain,
in its fullness undiminished
shall for evermore remain.
Alleluya,
Cleansing souls from every stain.

Life-imparting heavenly Manna,
stricken Rock, with streaming side,
heav'n and earth with loud hosanna
worship Thee, the Lamb who died.
Alleluya,
Risen, ascended, glorified!

NEH 296

Final blessing

The Lord be with you

All       Amen

May the Father,

who fed his children with manna in the wilderness,

strengthen you in your pilgrimage to the Promised Land.

All       Amen

May the Son,

who gave his flesh for food and his blood for drink,

keep you in eternal life and raise you up on the last day.

All       Amen

May the Holy Spirit,

who leads us into all truth,

help you discern the Lord’s body

and empower you to proclaim his death until he comes.

All       Amen

And the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.

All       Amen

The Dismissal

Blessing and honour and thanksgiving and praise,

more than we can utter, more than we can conceive,

be to you, most holy and glorious Trinity,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

by all angels, all people, all creatures,

for ever and ever.

All        Amen

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which 

is included in this service, is copyright of the Archbishops' Council 2000

The New English Hymnal, material from which is included in this service, is copyright of 

The Canterbury Press, 2010

Complete Anglican Hymns Old and New, The New English Hymnal material from which is included in this service, is copyright of Kevin Mayhew Ltd, 2000