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Eucharist

Sunday 10th December 2023 – 11:15

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God has been worshipped in this place through the prayers and praises of countless generations. Worship lies at the heart of our life as Christians and we express our theology and belief through our liturgy. It is through these liturgical patterns of words and actions that we are formed and transformed.

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You are invited to say the text in bold in English.

Please stand as the Minister, at the West End of the Cathedral, sings

Let us pray. 

Please remain standing whilst the Choir and Clergy enter the stalls

Please remain standing to sing the

Hymn

1. Hark! a herald voice is calling,
‘Christ is nigh,’ it seems to say;
‘Cast away the dreams of darkness,
O ye children of the day!’

2. Startled at the solemn warning,
Let the earth-bound soul arise;
Christ, her Sun, all sloth dispelling,
Shines upon the morning skies.

3. Lo! the Lamb, so long expected,
Comes with pardon down from heaven;
Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,
One and all to be forgiven;

4. So when next he comes in glory,
And earth’s final hour draws near,
May he then as our defender
On the clouds of heaven appear.

5. Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
To the Father and the Son,
With the co-eternal Spirit,
While eternal ages run.

William Monk (1823–89)

Latin, tr. Edmund Caswall (1814–78)

The Celebrant says

The Greeting

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Please remain standing for the lighting of 

The Advent Candle

Almighty God, you spoke to the prophets of old of a Saviour who would bring peace; help us to share the good news of your power and love revealed in Christ the Prince of peace and the true light.


Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

Please remain standing for

The Collect for Purity

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.

The Choir sings

Kyrie eleison

Kyrie eleison; Christe eleison; Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy upon us; Christ, have mercy upon us; Lord, have mercy upon us.

The Celebrant introduces

The Confession

After a short pause for reflection, all say

Almighty God,  our heavenly Father, we have sinned in thought and word and deed, and in what we have left undone. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may walk in newness of life to the glory of your name.  Amen.

The Celebrant pronounces

The Absolution

Please remain standing whilst the Celebrant intones

The Collect of the Day

O Father in heaven, who sent your Son to redeem the world and will send him again to be our judge: Give us grace so to imitate him in the humility and purity of his first coming, that when he comes again, we may be ready to greet him with joyful love and firm faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Please sit for the

Isaiah 40: 1–11

Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.


A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’


A voice says, ‘Cry out!’
And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand for ever.
Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.

At the end of the reading

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Please sit whilst the Choir sings

The Gradual

I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist. I dwelt in high places, and my throne is in a pillar of cloud. Alone I compassed the circuit of heaven and walked the depths of the abyss. In the waves of the sea and in all the earth, and over every people and nation I got a possession. With all these I sought rest. And I took root in a people that was glorified, in the portion of the Lord’s own inheritance. I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress on the mountains of Hermon. I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore, and as a fair olive tree in the plain. And my branches are branches of glory and grace, and my flowers are the fruit of glory and riches. Come unto me, ye that are desirous of me, and ye be filled with my fruits. For my thoughts are filled from the sea, and my counsels from the great deep. And I came out as a stream from a river I said, I will water my garden and will water abundantly my garden-beds. And lo, my stream became a river, and my river became a sea.

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)

Please stand for the

The Minister and Choir sing

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Saviour Christ according to Saint Luke, in the twenty-fourth chapter, beginning at the forty-fourth verse.

Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Mark 1: 1–8

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight” ’,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

Please sit to listen to

The Sermon

The Reverend J. K. McWhirter, B.Sc., B.Th., M.Th., Prebendary of Taney

Please stand to say

The Nicene Creed

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 by the Holy Spirit of 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.

The Prayers of the People

Let us pray.

Please kneel or sit, according to your custom

Each petition ends

Lord, in your mercy:

Hear our prayer.

At the end

Merciful Father, accept these our prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

Please stand for

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Please remain standing to sing

The Offertory Hymn

During this hymn, a collection of money is made. Should you wish to donate online, please tap the button below to give securely by card.

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1. Of the glorious body telling,
O my tongue, its mysteries sing,
And the blood, all price excelling,
Which the world’s eternal King,
In a spotless womb once dwelling,
Shed for this world’s ransoming.

2. Given for us, for us descending,
Of a virgin to proceed,
Man with man in converse blending,
Scattered he the gospel seed,
Till his sojourn drew to ending,
Which he closed in wondrous deed.

3. At the last great supper lying
Circled by his chosen band,
Duly with the law complying,
First he finished his command,
Then, immortal food supplying,
Gave himself by his own hand.

4. Word-made-flesh, by word he maketh
Bread his very flesh to be;
Man in wine Christ’s blood partaketh:
And if senses fail to see,
Faith alone the true heart waketh
To behold the mystery.

Thomas Aquinas (1227–74)

Paris (1881)

Please remain standing as the Celebrant and Choir sing

Sursum Corda

The Lord is here.

His Spirit is with us.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

The Celebrant intones the Preface, concluding

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and singing:

Sanctus & Benedictus

Please remain standing as the Eucharistic Prayer continues, concluding

. . . through Jesus Christ our Lord, with whom and in whom, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of never-ending praise:

Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen.

Please kneel or be seated for

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. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Celebrant breaks the bread and says

The bread which we break is a sharing in the body of Christ.

We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

The Celebrant invites the people to receive communion.

Saint Patrick’s Cathedral is the National Cathedral of the Church of Ireland, a member Church of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Communion. We welcome members of all Christian Church denominations to receive Holy Communion here. Please follow the stewards’ directions.

Whilst the people receive communion, the Choir sings

Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

(Lamb of God who takes away  the sins of the world, have mercy on us.)

Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

(Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, give us peace.)

The Motet

O for a closer walk with God, a calm and heavenly frame; a light to shine upon the road that leads me to the Lamb! Return, O holy dove, return, sweet messenger of rest! I hate the sins that made thee mourn, and drove thee from my breast. So shall my walk be close with God, calm and serene my frame; so purer light shall mark the road that leads me to the Lamb.

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)

When all have received, the Celebrant says

Let us pray.

A seasonal post-communion prayer is said, followed by

Almighty God,  we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of 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.

Please stand to sing the

Hymn

1. The Lord will come and not be slow,
His footsteps cannot err;
Before him righteousness shall go,
His royal harbinger.

2. Truth from the earth, like to a flower,
Shall bud and blossom then;
And justice from her heavenly bower,
Look down on mortal men.

3. Rise, God, judge thou the earth in might,
This wicked earth redress;
For thou art he who shalt by right
The nations all possess.

4. The nations all whom thou hast made
Shall come, and all shall frame
To bow them low before thee, Lord,
And glorify thy name.

5. For great thou art, and wonders great
By thy strong hand are done:
Thou in thy everlasting seat
Remainest God alone.

John Milton (1608–74)

William Jones (1726–1800)

The Celebrant says

The Blessing

The Minister and Choir sing

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Please stand as the Choir and Clergy depart.

Please remain at your seat for the duration of the

Organ Voluntary

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