St Matthew’s
Haslington
Lammastide Service
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The Blessing
May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who is the source of all goodness and growth,
pour his blessing upon all things created,
and upon you his children,
that you may use his gifts to his glory and
in the welfare of all people;
and the blessing of God Almighty,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
be with you and remain with you
and all those for whom you have prayed
this day and always.
Amen.
All
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.
Some of this Service is
© The Archbishops’ Council 2000
Some of this Service is
© The Staffordshire Seven 2003
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All
We break this bread,
to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Giving of Communion
Draw near with faith. Receive the body of our
Lord Jesus Christ which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you.
Eat and drink in remembrance that Christ died
for you and feed on him in your hearts by faith
with thanksgiving.
We welcome all who are baptised and love the Lord Jesus to receive Communion. If you prefer to receive a blessing, please still
come to the front, keep your hands by your side to indicate your
intention to those of us serving the Communion.
WELCOME
A very warm welcome to St Matthew’s for this special Service.
Lammastide is an ancient Christian festival which many village
and farming communities have re-discovered in recent years.
It is the festival at which the thanks is given to God for the start
of the harvest and grain and bread are offered as a symbol of
this thanksgiving.
Lammas is an Anglo-Saxon word for ‘loaf’ which is followed by
‘mass’ to indicate a Christian festival at which the Eucharist or
Communion is celebrated.
GREETING
All
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Hymn
Hymn
Prayers After Communion
God our creator,
you give seed for us to sow and bread for us to
eat: as you have blessed the fruit of our labour in
this eucharist, so we ask you to give all your
children their daily bread, that the world may
praise you for your goodness; through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
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.
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CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
We confess our sin, and the sins of our
society, in the misuse of God’s creation.
All
God our Father, we are sorry
for the times when we have used your gifts
carelessly, and acted ungratefully.
Hear our prayer, and in your mercy:
forgive us and heal us.
All
We enjoy the fruits of the harvest,
but forget that you have given them to us.
Hear our prayer, and in your mercy:
forgive us and heal us.
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All
We belong to a people who are full and satisfied,
but ignore the cry of the hungry.
Hear our prayer, and in your mercy:
forgive us and heal us.
All
We are thoughtless, and do not care enough for
the world you have made.
Hear our prayer, and in your mercy:
forgive us and heal us.
All
We store up goods for ourselves alone,
as if there were no God and no heaven.
Hear our prayer, and in your mercy:
forgive us and heal us.
All
May the God of love bring you back to himself,
forgive you your sins, and assure you of his
eternal love in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Praise
Speaker 1
All
Speaker 1
All
Speaker 2
All
Let us praise God:
For the rich soil of the countryside,
and drills drawn straight across the field;
for the green corn springing out of the earth,
and the warm sweetness of the rain:
Let us praise God.
For the power of tractors
and for all the machines that ease our labour;
and for the skill of those who gather the harvest:
Let us praise God.
Let us praise God:
for all who work on the farm and in the field;
for their hope and courage
in days of difficulty and disappointment:
Let us praise God.
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So, Father, we remember all that Jesus did,
in him we plead with confidence his sacrifice
made once for all upon the cross.
Bringing before you the bread of life
and cup of salvation, we proclaim his death
and resurrection until he comes in glory.
All
Christ is the bread of life:
When we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we proclaim your death, Lord Jesus,
until you come in glory.
Lord of all life, help us to work together for that day
when your kingdom comes
and justice and mercy will be seen in all the earth.
Look with favour on your people,
gather us in your loving arms
and bring us with St Matthew and all the saints
to feast at your table in heaven.
All
All
Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father,
for ever and ever.
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 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.
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Eternal God, through Jesus Christ your Son.
We thank you because you have set us
in the midst of your bounteous creation
and called us to be fellow-workers with you;
we thank you because you have ripened our first-fruits
with the rain of heaven, and the warmth of the sun.
And so we gladly thank you with saints and angels
praising you and saying:
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.
We praise and bless you, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord:
and as we obey his command,
send your Holy Spirit,
that broken bread and wine outpoured
may be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.
On the night before he died he had supper with his
friends and, taking bread he praised you.
He broke the bread, gave it to them and said:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
When supper was ended he took the cup of wine.
Again he praised you, 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.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
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THE ADDRESS
Declaring Our Faith
Do you believe and trust in God the Father,
who made the world?
All
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in His Son
Jesus Christ who redeemed humankind?
All
We believe and trust in him.
Do you believe and trust in His Holy Spirit,
who gives life to the people of God?
We believe and trust in Him.
All
All
This is the faith of the Church.
This is our faith.
We believe and trust in one God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Praying For Others
The Peace
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.
If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All
And also with you.
Hymn
(During which an offering will be taken)
OFFERING OF GRAIN AND BREAD
Farmer
In the name of the farmers and farm workers of our
community, I bring this sheaf of corn, the first fruits of
our harvest. We offer it to Almighty God and pray for
his blessing on the gathering of all our crops.
The sheaf of corn is presented at the altar.
Baker
In the name of the people of our community, I
bring this loaf made from ears of ripe corn. We offer it
to God, and pray for his blessing on our homes and our
families, on the food we eat and the work we do, and
on all the daily life of our village.
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Speaker 2
All
Speaker 3
All
Speaker 3
All
All (Sung)
For those who, often unnoticed and unsung,
provide their fellow-citizens with the means of life,
for the salvation of town and country:
Let us praise God.
For all who take the true craftsman’s pride
in the work they do,
and know the satisfaction that comes
from a hard day’s work well done:
Let us praise God.
For the bread given us as our daily food,
and for that Bread of Life
which we receive at the Lord’s table:
Let us praise God.
The loaf of bread is presented at the altar.
Thanks is offered for the grain, the bread, the wine
and the offerings of money.
All
Leader
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him all creatures here below.
Praise him above, Angelic host,
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The Collect (Special Prayer for the day)
All
Yours Lord is the greatness, the power, the glory
the splendour and the majesty, for everything in
heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you and of your own do
we give you.
O God, who has made heaven and earth,
and all that is in them,
we pray you to bless these fruits of harvest
and to multiply them abundantly.
We pray for seasonable weather
that this year’s harvest may be a plentiful one.
Rejoicing in your gifts, we offer our thanks
to your divine Majesty, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Reading
The Eucharist
Hymn
Gospel Reading
Alleluia, alleluia.
We do not live by bread alone but by every
word that comes from the mouth of God.
All
Alleluia.
All
All
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to St N
Glory to you, O Lord
The Gospel is read. At the end we say:
This is the Gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ
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All
All
All
The Lord be with you.
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,
It is right to give thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, it is our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places,
give you thanks and praise,
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