The Parish of Christ Churchwith St Mary Magdalen and St Peter and

St PaulSt Leonards on Sea

6th

SUNDAY OF EASTER 17 May 2020

THE GATHERING

The strife is o'er, the battle done;

Now is the Victor's triumph won;O let the song of praise be sung. Alleluya!

Death's mightiest powers have done their worst,And Jesus hath his foes dispersed;Let shouts of praise and joy outburst. Alleluya!

On the third morn he rose againGlorious in majesty to reign;O let us swell the joyful strain. Alleluya!

He brake the age-bound chains of hell;The bars from heaven's high portals fell;Let hymns of praise his triumph tell. Alleluya!

Lord, by the stripes which wounded theeFrom death's dread sting thy servants free,That we may live, and sing to thee. Alleluya!

Words Latin, 17th century

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Penitential Rite

You raise the dead to life in the Spirit Lord, have mercyYou bring pardon and peace to the sinner Christ, have mercyYou bring light to those in darkness Lord, have mercy

May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen

Gloria

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth,

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father; we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer.For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the most high, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen

Collect

Grant, almighty God, that we may celebrate with heartfelt devotion these days of joy, which we keep in honour of the risen Lord, and that what we relive in remembrance we may always hold to in what we do; through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

THE LITURGY OF THE WORDActs 8. 5-8, 14-17; 1 Peter 3. 15-18; John 14. 15-21

First ReadingA reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Philip went to a Samaritan town and proclaimed the Christ to them.The people united in welcoming the message Philip preached, eitherbecause they had heard of the miracles he worked or because they sawthem for themselves. There were, for example, unclean spirits that cameshrieking out of many who were possessed, and several paralytics andcripples were cured. As a result there was great rejoicing in that town.When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the wordof God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there,and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had

not come down on any of them: they had only been baptised in the nameof the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received theHoly Spirit.

The word of the Lord Thanks be to God

Psalm from Psalm 66

Cry out with joy to God all the earth

Cry out with joy to God all the earth, O sing to the glory of his name.O render him glorious praise, say to God: ‘How tremendous your deeds.’

‘Before you all the earth shall bow; shall sing to you, sing to your name.’Come and see the works of God, tremendous his deeds among men.

He turned the sea into dry land, they passed through the river dry-shod.Let our joy then be in him; he rules for ever by his might.

Come and hear, all who fear God. I will tell what he did for my soul;blessed be God who did not reject my prayer, nor withhold his love from me.

Second ReadingA reading from the First Letter of St Peter

Reverence the Lord Christ in your hearts, and always have your answerready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have.But give it with courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience, so thatthose who slander you when you are living a good life in Christ may beproved wrong in the accusations that they bring. And if it is the will of Godthat you should suffer, it is better to suffer for doing right than for doingwrong. Why, Christ himself, innocent though he was, had died once for sins,died for the guilty, to lead us to God. In the body he was put to death,in the spirit he was raised to life.

The word of the Lord Thanks be to God

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia Jesus said: ‘If anyone loves me he will keep my word,and my Father will love him, and we shall come to him.’ Alleluia

GospelThe Lord be with you And also with youA reading from the holy Gospel according to JohnGlory to you, O Lord

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love me you will keep mycommandments. I shall ask the Father, and he will give you anotherAdvocate to be with you for ever, that Spirit of truth whom the world cannever receive since it neither sees nor knows him; but you know him,because he is with you, he is in you. I will not leave you orphans;I will come back to you. In a short time the world will no longer see me;but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you willunderstand that I am in my Father and you in me and I in you.Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them will be one wholoves me; and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Homily (Bishop Peter)

'I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter, the Spirit of truth.' (John 14. 15-16)

'When will we see our loved ones again?' That was the question so many people wanted the Prime Minister to answer on Sunday night. The pain of separation is acute – the parents, the grandchildren, the friends that we are used to seeing. In the Gospel today Jesus addresses the anxiety the disciples feel about their imminent separation. 'I will not leave you orphaned.' 'I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth.'

All the Gospels have Jesus speaking at length to his

disciples at the Last Supper. It is St John's account of this conversation that we are reading in these Sundays of Eastertide. Jesus knows that this is the last chance to teach his disciples. If you knew you were about to die, or seeing someone for the last time, what would you want to say? We think of those heart-rending messages sent from mobile phones on the planes flying into the World Trade Centre in New York. As then, most people want to say ‘I love you’ to those they love, and Jesus does this too at the Last Supper. ‘As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Remain in my love. This is my commandment, love one another.’ But this is also more that just Jesus’s last conversation with his closest disciples. St John lay on Jesus's breast at the Last Supper. He wasn't writing down in a notebook what Jesus was saying. What we have here are the last words of the human Jesus transformed through the gift of the Holy Spirit into a living speech to us by the one who is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who lives for ever. So Jesus Christ speaks to us. 'I will not leave you orphaned.' 'I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter, to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth.' 'You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.'

It may not be often that we say, 'We know him.' Many of us experience most strongly the sense of God's presence with us through worship in church . The poet John Milton expresses it in this way:'There let the pealing organ blow, To the full-voiced choir below,In service high and anthems clear As may, with sweetness, through mine earDissolve me into ecstasiesAnd bring all Heaven before mine eyes.' (Il Penseroso 1. 158)

We are at present deprived of the sense of God in the

beauty of worship in church and the presence of Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, but we can continue the practice of the presence of Christ. In my pastoral letter last week I suggested a couple of ways in which we may come to experience a closer sense of God's presence. Counting our blessings may lead to a wordless sense of praise of God. Or simply closing down our restless minds and allowing a feeling of love and adoration to rise and pierce the darkness above us. Or, thirdly, allow Jesus to speak to you through scripture and then you to him. Take a short passage of scripture Read one verse. Repeat it a number of times savouring it, perhaps shortening it. Then form a short prayer or see if one rises spontaneously or just come to a short moment of silence, before moving on to the next verse. 'I will pray the Father and he will give you another Encourager, to be with you for ever, the Spirit of truth.....You shall know that I am in the Father and you in me and I in you.' The 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, (all bow) 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 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

Prayers of the People After each petition this response may be usedLord, hear us. Lord, graciously hear us.

Heavenly Father, we pray for the universal Church, for peace and harmony in the Church, and that we may be a sign of God’s love for all, and point to Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We pray for all of her leaders, especially for Martin, our Bishop as he guides our diocese in these troubled times.

We pray for our world. For all of her leaders, for wisdom, and for good decisions which benefit all people. We pray for the poorest members of our world, and people who live with an uncertain future. We pray for all those suffering with coronavirus, those who care for them, and those searching for a cure.

We pray for our Church family at Christ Church, that those who feel lonely and cut off may be uplifted by our prayer. We pray for our school, for St Richard’s House, for our Scout groups, and for all who we encounter.

We pray for those who suffer. For the fearful, the sorrowful, the bereaved. We pray for all those suffering with coronavirus, those who care for them, and those searching for a cure.

In His Resurrection Jesus Christ overcame death. Hear our prayers for those who have passed beyond the veil of death.

We commend all of these our prayers to almighty God, joining them with those of all of the saints, especially those of St Mary Magdalen, St Peter, St Paul, St Leonard, and Our Lady, whom we greet, saying:

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

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

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,hallowed by thy name.Thy kingdom come,thy will be done, on earth as it is in heavenGive us this day our daily breadand forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil. Graciously grant us peace in our days, that by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen

Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your apostles: Peace I leave

you, my peace I give you; look not on our sins, but the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will; who live and reign for ever ad ever. Amen

Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

If you love me, keep my commandments, says the Lord. The Father will send you the Holy Spirit, to be with you for ever, alleluia.

Act of Spiritual Communion

In union, dear Lord, with the faithful at every altar of your Church where your blessed Body and Blood are being offered to the Father, I desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving. I believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament. And since I cannot receive you sacramentally, I ask you to come spiritually into my heart. I unite myself to you, and embrace you with all the affections of my soul. Let me never be separated from you. Let me live and die in your love. Amen.

Prayer of St Richard of Chichester

Thanks be to you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits you have won for us, for all the pains and insults you have borne for us. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow

you more nearly, day by day. Amen Hymn

A brighter dawn is breaking, and earth with praise is waking;for thou, O King most highest, the power of death defiest.

And thou hast come victorious, with risen Body glorious, who now for ever livest, and life abundant givest.

O free the world from blindness, and fill the world with kindness,give sinners resurrection, bring striving to perfection.

In sickness give us healing, in doubt thy clear revealing, that praise to thee be given in earth as in thy heaven.Words Percy Dearmer (1867-1936)

Prayer God of life, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of our enemy: grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

May almighty God bless us, keep us free from evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen

Let us bless the Lord, alleluia, alleluia. Thanks be to God, alleluia, alleluia.

During the week

The calendar, intentions and readings for Mass are below.

Readings Easter weekday Acts 16. 11-15 The unemployed

John 15.26 – 16.4

Dunstan B Acts 16.22-34 Diocese of Chichester John 16.5-11

Easter weekday Acts 17.15, 17.22-18.1 Local councillors John 16. 12-15

ASCENSION Acts 1. 1.11 The terminally illOFTHE LORD Ephesians 1 17-23 and the hope of Heaven

Matthew 28.16-20 Easter weekday Acts 18. 9-18 The bereaved

John 16. 20-23

Easter weekday Acts 18. 23-28 Musicians John 16.23-28

The cycle of readings at Mass continues readings from the Acts of the Apostles. Whereas at Mass during the week we (almost) complete the whole of the book, on Sundays our readings are spread over the 3 year cycle.The Gospels for Eastertide are taken from the Gospel according to St John. We continue this week readings from St John’s account of Our Lord’s farewell discourse at the Last Supper. This daily cycle is interrupted by the feast of Our Lord’s Ascension. Perhaps using some of the outline from the Sunday booklet, you could use these to form a daily offering of prayer with the clergy saying Mass in Church.

NEXT SUNDAY 24th May 2020 7th Sunday of Easter Next Sunday’s Readings: Acts 1. 12-14; 1 Peter 4. 13-16; John 17. 1-11 Intention: The parish

For Your PrayersFrom the congregation Noreen Knight, Lesley Manser, Kathleen Hughes, Sheila Johnston, Pam Simmons, Sonia Rook, Antonella Lewis, Wil Jewitt, Julie Langdon, David Dawkins, Anne Brice

From those for whom our prayers are asked

Monica Ellis, Jan & Howard Hill, Roger Clark,, Maureen Pocock, Gemma Bruno, Miranda and family, Margaret Buck, Denny and Marley Nassey, Fr Bill Campen, Fr Mike Havell, Stephen Gurden, Adela, Barbara Crofts, Diane Tarling, Katie Alexander-Redford, Gavin Everton, Ollie Spencer, Celia Fleming – and all suffering from the Coronavirus and all caring for the sick

This list is revised monthly and if you wish someone to continue to be remembered at Mass or added to the list (with their consent if possible), please let Fr Nick know, by contacting the Parish Office, by phone 01424 44 77 84 or email christchurchstleonards@hotmail.co.uk

THE DEPARTED

The Recently Departed: Maggie Jackson, Colin Tolworthy, priest, Derek Robin Wood, Christopher Hopkins, priest

Anniversaries:

17th Thomas Pink, Jessie Shaw18th Ethel Cleverly, Percy Sutton, William Davies19th Robert James Bryant, Enid Thirza Jupp (1991), Jack Bramley (2014)20th Br Martin SSF (2014)21st William Ernest Thompsett, Ted Hughes, Edith Wild (2011), Jill Nash (2012), Amy Bennett (2012)

Notices

Financial Appeal

We know that it is a difficult time for many of you, and un-derstand that there is real hardship in many families both financially and healthily presently. Our Church is in the same position, and our costs continue whilst being closed for actual attendance and worship. This closure reduces our income from Planned Giving, Collections and Fund Raising activities. Our shortfall of income over expenditure is almost £3,000 each month.

We continue to be grateful to those who contribute to the Church through the Planned Giving Scheme. This enables us to receive Gift Aid from your donations on a frequent basis.   

We are also grateful to all who contribute through the green envelopes.  Your commitment to a gift week by week, even when you are not in church on a particular Sunday, enables us to feel secure as we budget for our ex-penditure.   Unfortunately we are not receiving this in-come at present, but thank you for continuing to put aside money for this.   If you contribute in this way, or otherwise generously con-tribute via the collection plate, would you consider one of the options below?1. Joining the Parish Giving Scheme – there are three ways that this can be done – (i) online at https://register.parishgiving.org.uk, or (ii) by telephone 0333 0032 1271 (Monday to Friday 9-5), or (iii) by completing a form (please write or e-mail the Par-ish Office or leave a message on the Parish telephone 01424 447784 with your name and address and we will post one to you). The details you will need to provide in all instances are:Your Bank detailsName of Parish: St Leonards Christ ChurchDo you wish to increase donations annually in line with in-flation Yes / NoAre you a tax payer and can gift aid your donation Yes / NoOur Parish Giving Scheme number 100610421

2. Making a payment directly to our Bank CAF Bank (de-tails from the Hon. Treasurer c/o the Parish Office – ad-dress on back page) or by cheque to the Parish Office made out to Christ Church PCC.

Hoping you keep well and look forward to being back in Church and seeing you all again.

Sue Shaw and Maureen Harman Churchwardens Trevor Davies Treasurer

Fr Christopher Hopkins RIP

Fr Christopher’s Funeral Mass will be in Christ Church on Wednesday 27th May at 2.00 pm followed by burial in Peas-marsh churchyard at 3.30 pm It is with much regret that, following Government legislation, only close family are allowed to attend.We hope that we can celebrate another Requiem Mass when all of us can be present. We thank God for his min-istry among us and pray that he may rest in peace and rise in glory.

If there are pieces of news which people would like to share – or just to share how they are getting on, please forward it to the Parish Office christchurchstleonards@hotmail.co.uk

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