Daily Anglican Prayer – Sunday Holy Eucharist at home – 5th January 2025

Daily Prayer from the Anglican Prayer Book for Australia

Daily Anglican Prayer – Sunday Holy Eucharist at home – 5th January 2025

Readings.

Samuel 2. 18-20, 26;

Psalm 148;

Colossians 3. 12-17;

Matthew 2. 1-12.

Led by Felicity Scott, a Liturgical Assistant with the Anglican Church, QLD, Australia.

The full prayer transcript is available by going to this episode on the Podcast website.

https://dailyprayeranglicanprayerbookforaustralia.podbean.com

Welcome to Sunday Holy Eucharist for you at home from the Anglican a prayer book for Australia.

Preparing for this Eucharist:

During this service you can minister Eucharist to yourself and your gathered family members.

Place on your table if you have them, a Bible, a small glass of red wine or grape juice, pieces of bread or wafers, one piece for each participant, a lighted candle and a cross. Gather all who are to partake in the Eucharist around the table.

The majority of the words of this eucharist are available from page 119 in the Anglican a prayer book for Australia or use the episode link to view the words.

We gather together to celebrate God.

The Good News

We proclaim the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ:

GOD in his infinite mercy, forgives all sins, and through our baptism in the name of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, we are given a rebirth into new life, free from the burden of all sin. ALLELUIA

With faithfulness we respond to the good news:

We acknowledge Christ as our saviour and accept with gratitude, that we are forgiven for all wrong doings, past and present. To honour the gift of forgiveness, we release our burden of guilt and rise up to live in the glory of God forever more.

Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Blessed be God forever.

Let us Pray.

The greeting

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

And also with you.

The prayer of preparation.

Let us pray.

Almighty God,

To whom all hearts are open,

All desires known,

And from whom 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

Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Jesus said: ‘This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’

The Confession

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:

Lord, have mercy on us, and write your law in our hearts by your Holy Spirit.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God,

our maker and our judge,

we have sinned against you

in thought, word, and deed;

And in what we have failed to do:
we have not loved you with our whole heart,
we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves;
we repent and are sorry for all our sins.
Father, forgive us.
Strengthen us to love and obey you

in newness of life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Assurance of Forgiveness

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you and set you free from all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord have mercy

Christ have mercy

God have mercy

The Gloria, we say together

Glory to God in the highest

and peace to God’s 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 sin 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.

The Collect of the Day – Year B

Collect for the celebration of Epiphany.

Lord God of the nations, we have seen the star of your glory rising in

splendour: may the brightness of your incarnate Word pierce the night that covers the earth, signal the dawn of justice and peace, and beckon all nations to walk as one in your light. We ask this through Jesus Christ, your Word made flesh, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever. Amen.

The Prayer of the Week

Second Sunday after Christmas

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only begotten Son to the gentiles: mercifully grant, that we who know you now by faith, may after this life be led to the vision of your glorious Godhead; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

The Old Testament, Scripture Reading 1

Isaiah 60:1-6.

1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon

you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the

Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall

come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the

abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall

come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of

Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and

frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Hear the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14.

1 Give the king your judgement, O God:

and your righteousness to the son of a king,

2 That he may judge your people rightly:

and the poor of the land with equity.

3 Let the mountains be laden with peace because of his righteousness:

and the hills also with prosperity for his people.

4 May he give justice to the poor among the people:

and rescue the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor.

35 May he live while the sun endures:

and while the moon gives light, throughout all generations.

6 May he come down like rain upon the new-mown fields:

and as showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall righteousness flourish:

and abundance of peace, till the moon shall be no more.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring tribute:

the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.

11 All kings shall fall down before him:

and all nations do him service.

12 He will deliver the needy when they cry:

and the poor that have no helper.

13 He will pity the helpless and the needy:

and save the lives of the poor.

14 He will redeem them from oppression and violence:

and their blood shall be precious in his sight.

The New Testament, Scripture Reading 2

The Second Reading, from the New Testament, Ephesians 3:1-12.

1 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you

Gentiles -2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace

that was given to me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by

revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you 4to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9 and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

The lord be with you.

And also with you.

We welcome the gospel:

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

The Gospel reading.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 2:1-12

As you make a small cross signs on your own forehead, left cheek and upper chest, we say together ‘Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ’.

Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.

1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise

men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They told him,

‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 “And you,

Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of

Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact

time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

This is the gospel of the Lord,

Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ.

A short homily on Matthew 2: 1-12

Our lack of knowledge is still, keeping the truth at bay, of the connection between the galaxy of stars in the sky and the people on earth. How great a truth it would be if each person had their own star that arose at their awakening, whether at birth like in case of Jesus or later in life. To know that there is a named star out in the galaxy reflecting the bright light that Jesus depicted during His short life brings us closer to the revelation that we can all be bright stars shining in the dark night. To brightly shine our star is to believe in God and have faith in His saving grace despite our trespasses towards each other and ourselves. Today shine your light to bring the bright light of God to the people still in darkness.

Let us pause for a moment to reflect.

The belief and principle is said

I believe in God,
creator of heaven and earth,

whose love and merciful forgiveness

endures everlasting.

I believe in Christ the saviour,

whose example of love and compassion,

taught us a restored way to live,

in collaborative unity with all people.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

whose divine guidance brings

us together to be one with the Holy Trinity.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in Jesus Christ, Son of God, God from God, Light from Light, of one Being with the Father. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human. 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 in glory 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 has spoken through the Prophets.

We acknowledge the forgiveness of sins and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers

Let us pray for the world and for the church.

God, we give you thanks for opening our eyes to witness your hand at work in the gifts that surround us. Thank you for your continued love and blessings in abundance throughout our lives. Bless us with your generous nature good Lord, as we answer your call to minister to your will. Guide us to walk before you in faithfulness, in righteousness and in upright honour towards you.

God of Love we ask you. Hear our Prayer

God, we offer thanks for your blessing of peace across all countries and continents. Give all your servants an understanding mind, able to recognise between good and evil. Give us all wise and discerning minds, that we might know how to honour God in our life.

God of Love we ask you. Hear our Prayer

God, we thank you for the church leaders in Australia, teach them to refresh us through their leadership. Guide our bishops, ministers and lay people and renew our courage to proclaim the good news of Christ in our schools, workplaces, and homes.

God of Love we ask you. Hear our Prayer

God, we pray thanks that with your guidance we live in your light and go out in your name to help others who are less fortunate. We pray that through our reverence in the name of Christ, we become new and maintain our light even when surrounded by darkness.

God of Love we ask you. Hear our Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you that through your Son Jesus Christ, you have shown us the way to live and breathe in your righteousness. Give us the strength to remain in your presence in all we do. Help us to be willing advocates of your work, guiding our actions to a better life for all.

God of Love we ask you. Hear our Prayer

We pause for a moment for you to pray for your own petitions.

Almighty God you have promised to hear our prayers.

Grant that what we have asked in faith

we may by your grace receive,

through Jesus Christ our lord. Amen

The greeting of peace:

We are the body of Christ.

His spirit is with us.

The peace of the lord be always with you

And also, with you.

Let us all exchange a sign of peace.

The Preparation for the Lord’s Supper

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord,
trusting in our own righteousness,
but in your manifold and great mercies.

We are not worthy
so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table.
But you are the same Lord
whose nature is always to have mercy.
Grant us, therefore gracious Lord,
so to eat the flesh of your dear Son Jesus Christ,
and to drink his blood,
that we may evermore dwell in him,
and he is us. Amen.

The thanksgiving:

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give Him thanks and praise.

All glory and honour be yours always and everywhere mighty creator ever living God. We give you thanks and praise for our saviour Jesus Christ who by the power of your spirit was born of Mary and lived as one of us. By his death on the cross and rising to new life he offered the one true sacrifice for sin and obtained an eternal deliverance for his people.

Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with the whole company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, forever praising you, and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he that comes in the name of the LORD. Hosanna in the highest.

Merciful God we thank you for these gifts of your creation, this bread and wine, and we pray that by your word and Holy Spirit we who eat and drink them may be partakers of Christ body and blood.

On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread and when he had given you thanks he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying ‘take eat. This is my body given for you do this in remembrance of me.’

After supper he took the cup and again giving you thanks he gave it to his disciples saying drink from this all of you this is my blood of the new covenant shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.

The memorial acclamation:

Christ has died;

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

Therefore, we do as our saviour has commanded proclaiming his offering of himself made once for all upon the cross his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension and looking for his coming again we celebrate with this bread and this cup his one perfect and sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

Renew us by your Holy Spirit, unite us in the body of your son and bring us with all your people into the joy of your eternal Kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord with whom and in whom, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we worship you father in songs of never ending praise.

Blessing and honour and glory and power are yours for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our saviour Christ has taught us, we are confident to pray,

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name
your kingdom come,
your 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.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

We who are many are one body, for we all share in the one bread.

Jesus Lamb of God, have mercy on us.

Jesus bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.

Jesus redeemer of the world, grant us your peace.

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Come, let us take this holy sacrament of the body and blood of Christ in remembrance that He died for us, and feed on Him in our hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

As we minister the bread to each of the people gathered, we say:

‘The body of Christ, keep you in eternal life’,

and they respond with: ‘Amen’.

As we minister the cup to each of the people gathered, we say:

‘The blood of Christ, the cup of salvation, keep you in eternal life’; and they respond with: ‘Amen’.

Please pause the recording while you minister the gifts and offer personal prayers of gratitude.

On Continuing:

Living God, in this holy meal you fill us with NewHope. May the power of your love, which we have known in word and sacrament, continue your saving work among us, give us courage for our pilgrimage, and bring us to the joys, you promise.

We say together:

Most loving God, you send us into the world you love.
Give us grace to go thankfully and with courage, in the power of your holy spirit.

The Final 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 our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always.

Amen.

The Dismissal

We have today proclaimed the message of Christ in our homes, go forth and proclaim the message of Christ in your streets, towns, cities and countries, that all are saved by the death and resurrection of our saviour.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ, Amen.

Music by John Keys – Anglican Chant Canticle organ accompaniments.

A reminder disclaimer to the listener.

The readings in the podcast may include ancient and old-fashioned sayings and instructions that we do not in any way condone as in use or to be used in today’s modern world. The readings have not been modernised to reflect todays thinking, instead the readings remain from the old version of the NRSV bible. The podcast owners explicitly declare that each listener is responsible for their own actions in response to the bible readings and the podcast owners bare no responsibility in this sense.

End.