Cruden Parish Church

7.00pm, Sunday 6 September 2020

‘Celebration of Holy Communion’

[Image by Gerd Altman]

‘The joy of the Lord is your strength’

It is now over five months since we had to move online and cease public worship at Cruden Parish Church. However, as the lockdown caused by Covid-19 is now being eased, the church building reopens next Sunday, 13th September, at 10.00 am. Whilst the threat to public health remains and the reopening is subject to a number of stringent criteria, we are confident that attending church will be both safe and meaningful. More details are printed at the end of the Order of Service. For our celebration of Holy Communion, please have some bread & wine (or suitable alternatives) available.

Prayer of Solidarity

We light a candle and pray together
Living God,
You gather us together
From across the face of the earth,
That we might worship your holy Name
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
We gather together in strange times,
Whether virtually or actually,
And ask that you will accept our worship of your holy Name.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
You gather us together
In the company of those who have gone before us.
Hold us safe in your keeping and watch over us as the people of God.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
We come in the assurance
That, where we gather in the name of Jesus,
He is there among us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
Whether we gather in twos or in threes,
Or whether we come to you in our own company,
Never leave us or forsake us.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Living God,
We come, in the company of all your people,
And together we confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
To the glory of God the Father.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Amen

Bible Reading- Nehemiah 8:1-12

All the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel.
So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion. Beside him on his right stood (Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah and Maaseiah; and on his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam.)
Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
The Levites—(Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan and Pelaiah)—instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read.
Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.
Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”
Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

Reflection ‘Surprised by Joy’

Hymn
The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me lie in pastures green.
He leads me by the still, still waters,
His goodness restores my soul.
And I will trust in You alone,
And I will trust in You alone,
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.
He guides my ways in righteousness,
And He anoints my head with oil,
And my cup, it overflows with joy,
I feast on His pure delights.

And I will trust in You alone,
And I will trust in You alone,
For Your endless mercy follows me,
Your goodness will lead me home.
And though I walk the darkest path,
I will not fear the evil one,
For You are with me, and Your rod and staff
Are the comfort I need to know.

Communion Prayer

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.

Lord of all life,
you created the universe,
where all living things reflect your glory.
You give us this great and beautiful earth,
to discover and to cherish.
You give us happy times
and things to celebrate.
In these we taste your kingdom,
a feast for all your children.
You made us all,
each wonderfully different,
to join with the angels
and sing your praise:
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 thank you, loving Father,
because, when we turned away,
you sent Jesus, your Son.
He gave his life for us on the cross
and shows us the way to live.
Send your Holy Spirit
that these gifts of bread and wine
may be for us Christ’s body and his blood.
Amen.

Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
you will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Amen

Narrative of the Institution
The tradition which I handed on to you came to me from the Lord himself: that on the night of his arrest the Lord Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to God broke it and said: ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in memory of me.’ In the same way, he took the cup after supper, and said: ‘This cup is the new covenant sealed by my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in memory of me.’ For every time you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord, until he comes. 1 Corinthians 11:23-2

Prayer of consecration

Let us pray: God our Creator,
thank you for the gift of your son Jesus Christ,
whose love pursues us our whole life long.
Thank you, Jesus, for giving your life to us in word and deed,
even unto death, even death on a cross.
Come Holy Spirit, feed us with your love, rest upon this bread and wine
that we may be transformed and filled with power
to love God with all our hearts and souls and minds. Amen.

Break and eat the piece of bread that you are holding. Remember the times you have received bread in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Remember those who gathered with you. Remember the presence of Christ in that moment.

Drink the wine set before. Know that Christ shed his blood for the forgiveness of sins. Be assured that you are forgiven and Christ is with you in every moment of your life. Sit silently and allow Christ’s love to surround you.

The Peace of the Lord be with you all.

Prayers of Intercession

Lord Jesus Christ, light of the world, you speak to us words of life.
Call forth in us rivers of living water, and feed our deepest hunger.

In trying times, in times of loneliness or confusion, in times we feel most alone, remind us that we are never alone, for you are with us always.

Hear us now, and pray for us in our weakness with sighs too deep for words, as we lift up:

Those whom we love – those present with us and those from whom we are separated

The prisoners, and those held captive physically, mentally, or spiritually. The sick and the suffering. Those who care for the sick, both medical caregivers and families who wait and watch with them.

Those who mourn the loss of loved ones, the loss of freedom, the loss of security, the loss of a livelihood, or the loss of a sense of order and control.

Those with more questions than answers, and all who long for your guiding light for their path. The lonely, the isolated, those who long for a loving touch.

Those whose remaining days on this earth are few, and for those walking in the valley of the shadow of death. Those whom we too easily forget, and those whose needs are known only to you

God of compassion, hear our prayers; fill us with your grace, and inspire us to be instruments of mercy and hope, for we pray in Christ’s name.

Amen

Blessing

May the grace of God uphold you,
the peace of God surround you,
the love of God flow from you
and the strength of God protect
and bring you safely through this day. Amen

Church News

The Church reopens next Sunday, 13th September at 10.00 am. In order to confidently meet in a safe environment, please note the procedures attached to the Order of Service.

Online worship-this is our final online evening service. However, our 10.00 am service next Sunday will be broadcast live via the church Facebook page. Also many thanks for your perseverance and support as we have wrestled with the new way of working & limited IT skills!

Walking for health and wellbeing – restarts this Tuesday at 10.30 am meeting outside the St Olaf Hotel. (Sorry, no coffee until lockdown restrictions are further eased!)

Weekly study group moves to Sunday evening and will restart on 20th September at 7.00 pm, meeting via Zoom. Everybody welcome. For more details, please contact Sean. 07791 755976 sswindells@churchofscotland.org.uk

Pastoral Care-if you are aware of anyone who appreciate either an outdoor visit or phone call from the minister, please contact Sean.

Re-opening Cruden Parish Church
For where two or three gather in my name, there are I with them. Matthew 18:20
The Scottish Government have now granted permission for churches to open for worship under strict conditions and the Church of Scotland have issued guidance to congregations which need to be followed.

The necessary risk assessments have been successfully completed and permission received from Presbytery to open the church.
The Session have agreed that we will meet for Sunday worship at 10.00am on 13 September and every Sunday thereafter.
The church will be cleaned midweek and again on Sunday mornings prior to worship with antiviral and antibacterial cleaning solutions.
Seating in the church is limited to 30 due to the social distancing requirements.
Members are asked to reserve seating by contacting Robert Esson either by phone on 01779 813049 or by email at robertesson@btinternet.com before 7.00pm on the Saturday evening prior to the service.
Hand sanitisers will be available at both church doors for worshipers to use.
It is planned to enter through the Welcome area and exit via the Vestry door
The wearing of a face covering in the church is mandatory
The seats in the church were worshipers can sit are clearly marked and a member of the welcoming team will advise where to sit
There are a few areas in the church where two people from the same household can sit.
Worshipers will be required to complete an attendance slip, which will be at their seats, to comply with Trace and Protect regulations. These will be collected at the end of the service and sealed in an envelope.
Please try to maintain social distancing at all times.
Stephen Calder will be present to play the organ before, during and after the service. Singing is however not allowed.
The service will be broadcast live on the church Facebook page.
We request that all worshipers comply with the above requirements which at the time of writing are either current regulations or best practice as advised by the Church of Scotland. These regulations will change to reflect any changes issued by the Government and or the Church of Scotland.