St George's Rod And Staff St George The Martyr KR

COLLECT
Almighty God, with wind from heaven and tongues of flame you poured out your spirit on the disciples:
set our hearts on fire with joy and power, and send us out as witnesses to the wonder of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever

READING Numbers 11: 24-30
a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp

READING Acts of the Apostles 2: 1-21
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

GOSPEL according to John 20: 19-23
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

THE BLESSING
The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of his Son Jesus Christ;
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

The Sending
This service is ended. The larger service begins.
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of Holy Spirit, Alleluia, Alleluia

7th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
Triune God, Jesus prayed that we might be one:
help us to transcend our differences
and find our unity in Jesus Christ our Lord;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever


READING Acts 1: 6-14
6 When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”
7 Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father's own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. 8 But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them 11 and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”


READING 1 Peter 4: 12-14; 5: 6-11
12 My dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful test you are suffering, as though something unusual were happening to you. 13 Rather be glad that you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may be full of joy when his glory is revealed. 14 Happy are you if you are insulted because you are Christ's followers; this means that the glorious Spirit, the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
6 Humble yourselves, then, under God's mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. 7 Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.
8 Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

GOSPEL according to John 17: 1-11
1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you,

2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.

3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do.

5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

6 "I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;

8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.


THE BLESSING
This service is ended. The larger service begins.
Go now, steadfast in your faith.
Resist the evil one,
devote yourselves to prayer,
and bear witness to Christ as he makes us one.

6th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
O God, you reveal yourself in love:
pour into our hearts such love towards you,
that we, loving you in all things
and above all things,
may obtain your promises,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever

READING Acts 17: 22-31
22 Paul stood up in front of the city council and said, “I see that in every way you Athenians are very religious. 23 For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an altar on which is written, ‘To an Unknown God.’ That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you. 24 God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples made by human hands. 25 Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. 26 From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live.

READING 1 Peter 3: 13-22
Do not be afraid of anyone, and do not worry. 15 But have reverence for Christ in your hearts, and honor him as Lord. Be ready at all times to answer anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you, 16 but do it with gentleness and respect. Keep your conscience clear, so that when you are insulted, those who speak evil of your good conduct as followers of Christ will become ashamed of what they say.

GOSPEL according to John 14: 15-21
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.
17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you.
19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."

THE BLESSING
May God, who gave birth to all creation, bless us: May God, who became incarnate by an earthly mother, bless us: May God, who broods as a mother over her children, bless us;
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father and mother of us all, Son and Holy Spirit be among you and remain with you always.

5th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
Eternal God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life for all creation; grant us grace to walk in his way, rejoice in his truth, and share his risen life: who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READING Acts 7: 55-60
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw God's glory and Jesus standing at the right side of God. 56 “Look!” he said. “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right side of God!”
57 With a loud cry the Council members covered their ears with their hands. Then they all rushed at him at once, 58 threw him out of the city, and stoned him. The witnesses left their cloaks in the care of a young man named Saul. 59 They kept on stoning Stephen as he called out to the Lord, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!” 60 He knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord! Do not remember this sin against them!” He said this and died.

READING 1 Peter 2: 2-10
2 Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved. 3 As the scripture says, “You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.”
4 Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable. 5 Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.
7 This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe: “The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.”
9 But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvellous light.

GOSPEL according to John 14: 1-14
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
4 And you know the way to the place where I am going."
6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

THE SENDING
This service is ended. The larger service begins.
Go on your separate paths never forgetting the treasure you hold in trust
We are a chosen race, royal priests, God’s own people, called to declare the wonderful deeds of the One who called us out of the darkness into glorious Light.
The nurturing, fatherly love of God always hold you in strong, everlasting arms.
The costly, brotherly love of Christ ever walk beside you and deliver you from all evil.
The dependable, motherly love of the Spirit ever enfold you with holy warmth.

4th Sunday of Easter

COLLECT
Good Shepherd,
you are the gate that secures the sheepfold:
grant that all who hear your voice
may know you who calls us each by name,
and follow where you lead;
for you live and reign
in the unity of the Blessed Trinity
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

READING Acts 2: 42-47
43 Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe.
44 All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another.
45 They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed.
46 Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts,
47 praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people.

READING 1 Peter 2: 19-25
19 God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will.
20 For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it.
21 It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.
22 He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips.
23 When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.
24 Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.

GOSPEL according to John 10: 1-10
1 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.
2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers."
6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.

THE BLESSING
Go now, listening for the voice of Christ,
and follow the example he left us.
Devote yourself to the apostles’ teaching,
to fellowship,
to the breaking of bread
and to the prayers of God’s people.

Patronal Festival

COLLECT
Risen Christ, you revealed yourself to the disciples
and calmed their fears:
meet us in our uncertainties, and walk with us into the new life you bring;
for you live and reign with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

READING Acts 2: 14, 36-41
38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit. 39 For God's promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away—all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40 Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!” 41 Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.

READING 1 Peter 1: 17-23
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
22 Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. 23 For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.

GOSPEL according to Luke 24: 13-35
18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"
19 He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.
20 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.
21 Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?"
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.

THE BLESSING
Go now as witnesses of God’s eternal presence.
The risen Christ has made himself known to you
in the breaking of bread,
so set your faith and hope on God,
fulfilling your vows and living in genuine mutual love.