Prelude

The Gathering of the Community

Leader: Alleluia! Christ is risen.

All: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Leader: May his grace and peace be with you.

All: May he fill our hearts with joy.

Hymn: Common Praise #203 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

Collect of the Day

Leader: Lord of life and power, through the mighty resurrection of your Son, you have overcome the old order of sin and death and have made all things new in him. May we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, reign with him in glory, who with you and the Holy Spirit is alive, one God, now and for ever.

The Proclamation of the Word

First Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25

Violin Solo

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43

Hymn: Common Praise #215 Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain

The Gospel

Violin Solo

Sermon

Hymn: Common Praise #60 I Come with Joy

I come with joy, a child of God, forgiven, loved, and free, the life of Jesus to recall, in love laid down for me.

I come with Christians far and near to find, as all are fed, the new community of love in Christ’s communion bread.

As Christ breaks bread and bids us share, each proud division ends. The love that made us makes us one, and strangers now are friends.

The spirit of the risen Christ, unseen, but ever near, is in such friendship better known, alive among us here.

Together met, together bound, by all that God has done, we’ll go with joy, to give the world the love that makes us one.

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: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from 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.  With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified.  He 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

In joy and hope let us pray to our Father through our risen Lord. That our risen Saviour may fill us with the joy of his glorious and life-giving resurrection, we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That isolated and persecuted churches, together with all Christians everywhere singing Christ’s praise at home today, may find fresh strength in the good news of Easter …we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That God may grant us humility to be subject to one another in Christian love; that we may be more than ever mindful of those in need — those who are lonely; those without food or work or shelter; those in the grip of war — we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That by his power war, famine and pandemic may cease through all the world …we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That he may reveal the light of his presence to the sick, the weak and the dying, [especially…] to comfort and strengthen them, we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That he may bless those who minister to the sick and the dying, giving them strength and hope in the risen Jesus, we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That, according to his promises, all who have died in the faith of the resurrection may be raised on the last day. We pray especially for victims of the war in Ukraine and of all wars everywhere, for victims of this pandemic, for all who have died alone and all who have been buried in haste. That with all who love you, they may know the joy of the resurrrection, we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

That he may send the fire of the Holy Spirit upon his people, so that even and especially in the midst of difficult times we may bear faithful witness to his resurrection, we pray to the Father. Lord of life, hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: grant that, as his death has recalled us to life, so his continual presence in us may raise us to eternal joy; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peace

Leader: Once we were far off, but now in union with Christ Jesus we have been brought near through the shedding of Christ’s blood, for he is our peace (Eph. 2:13, 14).

The peace of the Lord be always with you

All:  And also with you.

Offertory Hymn: Common Praise #222 All Shall Be Well

The Holy Eucharist

A Prayer for Spiritual Communion

Leader: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.

Leader: Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” (John 6:54-58)

All: 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.

All: Dear Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul. And since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself to you, together with all your faithful people gathered around every altar of your Church, and I embrace you with all the affections of my soul. Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

Concluding Prayer

Leader: Giver of all, we are nourished with your Easter sacraments. Fill us with your joy and unite us in faith, that we may be witnesses to your love and show forth your glory to all the world, in the name of Jesus Christ the risen Lord.

Hymn: Common Praise #212 Alleluia! The Strife Is O’er

Leader: Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia!

All: Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!


We pray for: Nell Bradshaw and Natasha, Lisa and Gracjan Jarworski, Olivia and Lucy.


Announcements

Easter Lilies

in the church today are given to the glory of God and

In Loving Memory of

Marjorie Bradshaw, our mother, and Aunt Marion Cox and brother Colin Cox, from the Bradshaw family

Bev Brown, from Melissa Ritz

John Duffy, from Aubrey Duffy

Patricia John, from Miriam John

Olga Savulescu from Matt Savulescu and Lorraine Wright, and Viorel Savulescu.

Scott, Adrienne, Sue and Blake MacDonald, from Mark and Virginia MacDonald

Jasmine Spence and Marilyn Wells, from Anthony and Meaghan Granville

Walter Zimmerman, from Carol Zimmerman

Ko and Aki, Nasmun, Barry, Marjorie, Mavis and Pauline, from the Kishibe family.

In Thanksgiving:

Suzee Dass

Thank you also to

Audrey Chan, Claire and William Middleton


St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Riverdale,

135 First Avenue, Toronto ON, M4M 1W9

416-463-9720

www.stmatthewsriverdale.org

stmatthewsang@outlook.com

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The Rev Dr Catherine Sider-Hamilton – Priest-in-charge: 416-463-9720 

The Rev Dr Ephraim Radner – Honorary Assistant

Please direct all enquiries to William Middleton, People’s Warden or Audrey Chan, Rector’s Warden

Catherine Sider Hamilton

Catherine Sider Hamilton

Catherine Sider Hamilton is Priest-in-Charge of St. Matthew's Riverdale, and Professor of New Testament and New Testament Greek (part-time) at Wycliffe College. She has served also as Chaplain at Havergal College and Associate Priest at Grace Church on-the-Hill and St. John the Baptist, Norway (Toronto). She enjoys singing around the piano with her kids, her husband's Indian food, all things Italian -- and above all her two little grandchildren. Catherine and David live in Greektown. She blogs occasionally on feasts and fasts at feastfastferia.wordpress.com.