Worship Bulletin ~ May 17, 2015 –ASCENSION SUNDAY
Fr. Brian Capanna, Rector; Fr. Don Kroeger, Associate; Deacons: Rev. Dee Renner & Rev. Rosalind Marver
Office Phone: (760) 728-2007 Web Site: e-mail:
Gathering Song: “Lion of Judah”
You're the Lion of Judah the Lamb who was slain, You ascended to heaven and ever more will reign
At the end of the age, when the earth You reclaim, You will gather the nations before You
And the eyes of all men will be fixed on the LambWho was crucified
With wisdom and mercy and justice You'll reign at Your Father's side
And the angels will cry,“Hail the Lamb! Who was slain for the world, rule in pow'r”
And the earth will reply,“You shall reign! As the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords”
There's a shield in our hand and a sword at our side, there's a fire in our spirits that cannot be denied
'Cause the Father has told us for these You have died, for the nations who gather before You
And the ears of all men need to hear of the LambWho was crucified
Who descended to hell, yet was raised up to reign at His Father's side
Opening Song: “Arise”
One thing we ask of You, one thing that we desire
That as we worship You, Lord come and change our lives
Arise, arise, arise, arise, arise take Your place, be enthroned on our praise
Arise King of kings, holy God as we sing, arise!
(bridge) We lift You up, we lift You up, we lift You up on our praises
We lift You up, we lift You up, we lift You up on our praises (repeat)
Greeting
Announcements
Fr. Brian or Fr. Don will point out noteworthy events. Announcement reels play on the screen before and after the service.
The Acclamation
CelebrantAlleluia, Christ is risen!
PeopleThe Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Collect for Purity
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: 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.
Song of Praise: “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High”
Lord I lift Your name on high, Lord I love to sing Your praises
I'm so glad You're in my life, I'm so glad You came to save us
You came from heaven to earth to show the way
From the earth to the cross my debt to pay
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord I lift Your name on high
The Collect of the Day
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And with your spirit.
CelebrantLet us pray.
Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting.Amen.
Scripture Lessons
The Bible is at the heart of our worship, because in it we read and understand the very words of God. Every word in the Bible has come from God and is vitally important so that we can know His heart and His truth. Each week during our service, we read a section of the Old Testament, a Psalm, a section from the New Testament, and a reading from the Gospels. If you do not have your own Bible, we would like to give you one as a free gift – please speak to a clergy member or an usher.
Old Testament: Acts 1:1-11
1In my first bookI told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach2until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit.3During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God.4Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them,“Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.5John baptized withwater, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”6So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”7He replied,“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”9After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.10As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them.11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”The Word of the Lord.
PeopleThanks be to God
Psalm: 47
1Come, everyone! Clap your hands!Shout to God with joyful praise!
2For theLordMost High is awesome.He is the great King of all the earth.
3He subdues the nations before us,putting our enemies beneath our feet.
4He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom
he loves.
5God has ascended with a mighty shout.TheLordhas ascended with trumpets blaring.
6Sing praises to God, sing praises;sing praises to our King, sing praises!
7For God is the King over all the earth.Praise him with a psalm.
8God reigns above the nations,sitting on his holy throne.
9The rulers of the world have gathered togetherwith the people of the God of
Abraham.For all the kings of the earth belong to God.He is highly honored everywhere.
Epistle Lesson: Ephesians 1:15-23
15Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,16I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,17asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdomand insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.18I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.19I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power20that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.21Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.22God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.23And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself. The Word of the Lord.
PeopleThanks be to God
Gospel Hymn: “Open the Eyes of My Heart”
Open the eyes of my heart Lord, open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You, I want to see You (repeat)
To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love, as we sing holy, holy, holy
(Bridge) Holy, holy, holy… Holy, holy, holy… Holy, holy, holy I want to see You
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke.
PeopleGlory to you, Lord Christ.
Gospel: Luke 24:49-53
49“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”50Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them.51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven.52So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy.53And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God. The Gospel of the Lord.
PeoplePraise to You, Lord Christ.
Gospel Hymn Continued: “Open the Eyes of My Heart”
To see You high and lifted up, shining in the light of Your glory
Pour out Your power and love, as we sing holy, holy, holy
(Bridge) Holy, holy, holy… Holy, holy, holy… Holy, holy, holy I want to see You
The Sermon
Moment for Reflection
Nicene Creed
Let us confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,the Father, the Almighty,maker of heaven and earth,of all that is, visible and invisible.
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 heavenand 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 worshiped 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
This is a time for group prayer as well as personal prayers. Please prayerfully respond to the leader with the words in bold type. And please add your own prayers of thanksgiving and intercession either silently or aloud when invited to do so.
The Prayers of the People
Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church and the world. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Help us to fulfill your great commission; making disciples of all nations; teaching them to obey all that you have commanded. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Give grace, heavenly Father, to all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, and especially to Foley Beach, our Archbishop; Keith Andrews, our Bishop; Fr. Brian and Fr. Don, our Priests; and Dee Renner and Rosalind Marver, our Deacons, that by their life and teaching, they may proclaim your true and life-giving Word, and rightly administer your holy Sacraments. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We ask you to rule the hearts of all who govern us. May they administer justice, govern wisely, and strive for the welfare and peace of the whole world. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
We humbly ask you, gracious Lord, to comfort and strengthen all those who, in this earthly life are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
I invite you to add your own thanksgivings or requests at this time.
We bless your holy Name for all your servants who departed this life in your faith and fear, praying you would grant us grace to follow their good examples, that with them we might partake in your heavenly kingdom. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.
The Deacon concludes with the following prayer
Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
The Confession and Absolution of Sin
Deacon We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.
Most merciful God,we confess that we have sinned against youin thought, word and deed,by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. 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 delight in your will, and walk in your ways,to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God, our heavenly Father, who in his great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all thosewho sincerely repent and with true faith turn to him, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and bring you to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Peace
Celebrant The Peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And with your spirit.
Birthday Prayer – Pray together
O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor we pray on you servant as he begins another year. Grant that he may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen his trust in your goodness all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Anniversary Prayer & Blessing of the Marriage
O God, you have so consecrated the covenant of marriage that in it is represented the spiritual unity between Christ and his Church: Send therefore your blessing upon these your servants, that they may so love, honor, and cherish each other in faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that their home may be a haven of blessing and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen.
Offertory Sentence
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Psalm 96:8
You may place money (check or cash) in the offering plate that will go toward the work of Christ Church to build the kingdom of God in Fallbrook and beyond. You may enter into singing or simply listen, and you may sit or stand as you feel led. This is a time of offering our gifts to the Lord.
Offertory Anthem: “Jesus Son of God”
You came down from Heaven's throne, this earth You formed was not Your home
A love like this the world had never known
A crown of thorns to mock Your Name, forgiveness fell upon Your face
A love like this the world had never known
On the altar of our praise let there be no higher Name, Jesus Son of God
You laid down Your perfect life, You are the sacrifice, Jesus Son of God
You took our sin, You bore our shame, You rose to life, You defeated the grave
And a love like this the world has never known
'Cause You took our sin, You bore our shame, You rose to life, You defeated the grave
A love like this the world has never known
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow, praise him all creatures here below,
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts, praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
HOLY COMMUNION
CelebrantThe Lord be with you.
PeopleAnd with your spirit.
CelebrantLift up your hearts.