6th Sunday of Easter, 25th May 2025

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Opening Hymn 818  [9:10] 

Ye choirs of new Jerusalem,
your sweetest notes employ,
the paschal victory to hymn
in strains of holy joy.
 

How Judah's Lion burst his chains,
and crushed the serpent's head;
and brought with him, from death's domains
the long-imprisoned dead.
 

From hell's devouring jaws the prey
alone our leader bore;
his ransomed hosts pursue their way
where he has gone before.
 

Triumphant in his glory now
his sceptre ruleth all;
earth, heaven and hell before him bow
and at his footstool fall.
 

While joyful thus his praise we sing,
his mercy we implore,
into his palace bright to bring
and keep us evermore.
 

All glory to the Father be,
all glory to the Son,
all glory, Holy Ghost to thee,
while endless ages run. Alleluia! Amen

℣ In the name of the Father, and of the Son,✠and of the Holy Spirit.

℟  Amen.

℣ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and communion of the Holy Spirit be  with you all.

℟  And with your spirit.

After the greeting, the Priest stands with a vessel containing the water to be blessed before him, he calls upon the people to pray in these words:

Dear brothers and sisters, let us humbly beseech the Lord our God to bless this water he has created, which will be sprinkled on us as a memorial of our Baptism. May he help us by his grace to remain faithful to the Spirit we have received.

After a brief pause for silence, he continues:

Lord our God, in your mercy be present to your people’s prayers, and, for us who recall the wondrous work of our creation and the still greater work of our redemption, graciously ✠ bless this water. For you created water to make the fields fruitful and to refresh and cleanse our bodies. You also made water the instrument of your mercy: for through water you freed your people from slavery and quenched their thirst in the desert; through water the Prophets proclaimed the new covenant you were to enter upon with the human race; and last of all, through water, which Christ made holy in the Jordan, you have renewed our corrupted nature in the bath of regeneration. Therefore, may this water be for us a memorial of the Baptism we have received, and grant that we may share in the gladness of our brothers and sisters who at Easter have received their Baptism. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

The Principal Celebrant sprinkles himself and the ministers, then the clergy and people, moving through the church while this song is sung.

Baptised in water, sealed by the Spirit,

cleansed by the blood of Christ our King:

trusting his promise, heirs of salvation,

faithfully now God’s praises we sing.

Baptised in water, sealed by the Spirit,

dead in the tomb with Christ our King:

one with his rising, freed and forgiven,

thankfully now God’s praises we sing.

Baptised in water, sealed by the Spirit,

marked with the sign of Christ our King:

born of one Father, we are his children,

joyfully now God’s praises we sing.

The Principal Celebrant concludes the rite:-

May almighty God cleanse us of our sins,

and through the celebration of this Eucharist

make us worthy to share at the table of his Kingdom.

R. Amen

The Gloria 

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace to people of good will.

We praise you, we bless you,

we adore you, we glorify you,

we give you thanks for your great glory,

Lord God, heavenly King, 

O God, almighty Father.

Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son,

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

you take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us;

you take away the sins of the world,

receive our prayer;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

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

Grant, almighty God, that we may celebrate 

with heartfelt devotion these days of joy,

which we keep in honor of the risen lord,

and that what we relive in remembrance

we may always hold to in what we do.

Through our lord Jesus Christ, your son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit, God, for ever and ever.

R.  Amen

First Reading (Ref: Acts 15:1-2.22-29)

Theme: It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden beyond these essentials.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

In those days: Some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the Apostles and the elders about this question. Then it seemed good to the Apostles and the elders, with the whole Church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers and sisters, with the following letter: ‘The brothers, both the Apostles and the elders, to the brothers and sisters who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 

Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.’

℣ The Word of the Lord. 

℟ Thanks be to God.   

Responsorial Psalm

R  Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

May God be gracious and bless us

and let his face shed its light upon us.

So will your ways be known upon earth

and all nations learn your salvation. R. 

Let the nations be glad and shout for joy,

with uprightness you rule the peoples;

you guide the nations on earth. R. 

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you.

May God still give us his blessing

that all the ends of the earth may revere him. R. 

Second Reading  (Ref: Rev 21:10-14.22-23)

Theme: He showed me the holy city coming down out of heaven.

A reading from the Book of Revelations

The angel carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed — on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb.

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 

℣ The Word of the Lord. 

℟ Thanks be to God. 

Please stand for the Gospel Acclamation.

Alleluia! Alleluia!

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, says the Lord,

and my Father will love him, and we will come to him. 

Alleluia!

Gospel ( Ref: John 14:23-29)

Theme: The Holy Spirit will remind you of all I have said to you.

℣   The Lord be with you

℟  And with your spirit.

℣   A reading ✠ from the holy Gospel according to John

℟ Glory to you, O Lord.

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. ‘These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I will come to you.” If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.’

℣ The Gospel of the Lord.

℟ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Please sit for the Address and then stand for the Creed 

and Prayer of the Faithful

The Creed

I believe in one God,

the Father almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;

through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, 

and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,

he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day

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.

I 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 adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.  

The Prayer of the Faithful

V:  Father, hear us

R And send us your spirit

Those in Need:

Fr Keith, Brenda Anscombe, Pete Boyes, Diane Burrell, Valerie Clarke, Elle Deveson, Denise Edmunds, Emily Glass, Sue Korth, Pete Mac, Jen and Jez McAteer, Jo Rees-Davies, Terry Roberts, Chris Swetman, 

Julie Swetman, Dorothy Valder, Alex, John, Rachel, Rita, Timothy

The Recent Departed:

Christine Salvage

John Gayford (Pr)

Year’s Mind: 

(25) Alfie Way

(26) Arthur Ingram (Bp), Peter Cobb (Pr)

(27) Charles Simons (Pr), Margaret Tyrie, Doris Cove, 

Jane Richardson

(28) Frederick Betson, Percy Philcox, Lilian Craven

(29) Lilian Young,Annette Walton, Theresa McSorley

(30) Percy Budgen

(31) Thomas Washington, Winifred Williams, Caroline Winton

Offertory Hymn 745 [7:10] 

To God be the glory
Great things He has done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life-gate that all may go in

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord let the people rejoice
O Come to the Father through Jesus his Son
and give Him the glory great things He has done

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood
To every believer the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives R

Great things He has taught us, great things He has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our worship, when Jesus we see R

℣ Pray, brothers and sisters, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

℟ May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy Church.

The Prayer over the Gifts

℟ Amen

℣ The Lord be with you

℟. And with your spirit.

℣ Lift up your hearts

℟ We lift them up to the Lord

℣ Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

℟ It is right and just.

The Proper Preface

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.

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.

The Eucharistic Prayer

V. The mystery of faith 

We proclaim your Death, O Lord,

and profess your Resurrection

until you come again.

/

When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,

we proclaim your Death, O Lord,

until you come again.

/

Save us, Saviour of the world,

for by your Cross and Resurrection

you have set us free. 

The Eucharistic Prayer

Amen. Amen, Alleluia! Amen, Amen, Alleluia!

And we lift our hearts before you 

as we give you thanks and praise.

Amen, Amen, Alleluia!

℟ Amen.

The 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 those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

℣ Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,

graciously grant peace in our days,

that, by the help of your mercy,

we may be always free from sin

and safe from all distress,

as we await the blessed hope

and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

℟ For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.

℣ Lord Jesus Christ,

who said to your Apostles:

Peace I leave you, my peace I give you,

look not on our sins,

but on the faith of your Church,

and graciously grant her peace and unity

in accordance with your will.

Who live and reign for ever and ever.. 

℟ Amen.

℣ The peace of the Lord be with you always.

℟ And with your spirit. 

℣ Let us offer each other the sign of peace.

The Agnus Dei

Lamb of God you take away the sins of the World, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God you take away the sins of the World, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God you take away the sins of the World, grant us your peace.

℣. ✠Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world.

Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.

℟ Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

Please be guided to Communion by the Stewards 

Silence will be kept after Communion.

The Post Communion Prayer

Post Communion Hymn 285 [3:23] 

I the Lord of sea and sky, 

I have heard My people cry. 

All who dwell in dark and sin, 

My hand will save. 

I who made the stars of night, 

I will make their darkness bright. 

Who will bear My light to them? 

Whom shall I send? 

Here I am Lord, Is it I, Lord? 

I have heard You calling in the night. 

I will go Lord, if You lead me. 

I will hold Your people in my heart. 

I, the Lord of snow and rain, 

I have borne my people's pain. 

I have wept for love of them, 

they turn away. 

I will break their hearts of stone, 

Give them hearts for love alone. 

I will speak My word to them 

Whom shall I send? R

I, the Lord of wind and flame 

I will tend the poor and lame. 

I will set a feast for them, 

My hand will save 

Finest bread I will provide, 

Till their hearts be satisfied. 

I will give My life to them, 

Whom shall I send? R

℣ The Lord be with you

℟ And with your spirit.

℣   And may the blessing of God Almighty, the  Father ✠ and of the Son and of the Holy   Spirit, come down upon you and remain with you for ever.  

℟ Amen

℣ Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord  

℟ Thanks be to God.

The Regina Caeli 

Joy to thee O Queen of Heaven, Alleluia.

He whom thou wast meet to bear, Alleluia.

As he promised hath arisen, Alleluia.

Pour for us to him thy prayer, Alleluia.

℣  Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary. Alleluia.

℟  For the Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia..

Let us pray.

O God, 

by the resurrection of your Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, 

you have brought joy to the whole world: 

grant that, by the help of his mother the Virgin Mary,

we may obtain the joys of everlasting life; 

through Christ our Lord.

℟ Amen.