The Gathering of the Community
Hymn: #519 The Lord’s My Shepherd
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.
Collect for Purity
All: Almighty God to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you 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
Collect of the Day
O God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do your will, and work in us that which is well-pleasing in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Proclamation of the Word
First Reading: Acts 2:42-47
Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:19-25
My Shepherd Will Supply My Need (Violin)
The Gospel
The Nicene Creed
All: 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 peace, let us pray to Jesus our Lord, who ever lives to make intercession for us.
Saviour of the world, be present in all places of suffering, violence and pain, and bring hope even in the darkest night. Inspire us to continue your work of reconciliation today. Lord in your mercy … hear our prayer
Lord of the Church, empower by your Spirit all Christian people, and the work of your Church in every land. We pray especially for our bishops, as they lead our church in difficult times. Give us grace to proclaim the gospel joyfully in word and deed. Help us to live so that people can see in our lives your love. Lord in your mercy … hear our prayer
Shepherd and Guardian of our souls, guide and enable all who lead and serve this community and those on whom we depend for our daily needs. We pray especially for health care workers and all those who are on the ‘front lines.’ Grant that we may seek the peace and welfare of our community in this time. Lord in your mercy … hear our prayer
Great Physician, stretch out your hand to bring comfort, wholeness and peace to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit … Fill us with compassion, that we may be channels of your healing love. Lord in your mercy …. hear our prayer
Conqueror of death, remember for good those whom we love but see no longer. We lift up Locksley into your everlasting arms. Help us to live this day in the sure and certain hope of your eternal victory. Lord in your mercy …. hear our prayer
We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone, and so uphold us by your Spirit that we may live and serve you in newness of life, through Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd. Lord in your mercy…hear our prayer.
Let us commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray, to the mercy and protection of God. 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.
Hymn: Blue #508 I Heard The Voice of Jesus Say
A Prayer for Spiritual Communion
Leader: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Leader: Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry; whoever believes in me will never thirst. …Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 …I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” (John 6:35-40; 51)
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.
Silence
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: God of steadfast love, watch over the Church redeemed by the blood of your Son. May we who share in these holy mysteries come safely to your eternal kingdom, where there is one flock and one shepherd. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the risen Lord. Amen.
Hymn: Blue #378 Crown Him With Many Crowns
Leader: Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia!
All: Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
We pray for: David and Wendy Geer, Jonathan and Clifford; Anthony Granville and Meaghan Candy, Noah
Announcements
ZOOM Coffee Hour: Today at 11am
Join Mtr Catherine and our St. Matt’s friends at 11:00 a.m.; bring a cup of coffee as we catch up with each other. The Zoom invitation, and ID and password if you need them, are in today’s Call to Worship email.
Prayer: Tuesday Afternoons and Friday Mornings
Join Susie and Aubrey on Tuesday afternoons from 5-5:30pm for an online Zoom prayer meeting. Please contact us if you are interested and we will send you a Zoom invite.
On Fridays follow along with Susie as she leads a short service of Morning Prayer starting at 8:30am on Facebook Live at the St. Matthew’s page.
Mid-Week Meditation with Mtr Catherine
A weekly encouragement to help us stay strong in our faith. Check your inbox for it each Wednesday and read the latest instalment here
Don’t fear, Pre-Authorized Giving is here!
Your generosity allows St. Matthew’s to maintain the church building as well as minister to our parishioners, refugees and the Riverdale neighbourhood. We have a monthly pre-authorised remittance system, through the United Church of Canada which allows for ease of giving. Please contact Audrey Chan for more information. Her email is: ahtchan@gmail.com
St. Matthew’s Anglican Church, Riverdale,
135 First Avenue, Toronto ON, M4M 1W9
416-463-9720
The Rev Dr Catherine Sider-Hamilton – Priest-in-charge: 416-463-9720
The Rev Dr Ephraim Radner – Honorary Assistant
Please direct all enquiries to Peter Oakes, Peoples’ Warden or Audrey Chan, Rector’s Warden
