…… but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God
The 2004 Danish Canadian Conference was held in Montreal and the theme was 'Human Rights'. The conference was held from May 27-30 and delegates joined with St. Ansgar's for the celebration of Pentecost on Sunday, May 30.
WELCOME! "God so loved the world." In the death of Christ, God reaches out to all. In His love He formed us. In His love He redeemed us. In His love He invites us to His banqueting table. As pilgrims on this earth we wait for the Father to return to bring us to the eternal city he has prepared. While we wait, we are called to live by faith in the midst of this world's suffering, disappointment, and trials. We hear Jesus' own words of reassurance and hope, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for the Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom." Thank you for coming today on this very special occasion. May your life be enriched through this service!
Call to Worship: St. Ansgar’s Handbells
Deacon’s Prayer
Prelude (Organ)
Opening Hymn: “We Praise You, O God”
We praise you, O God, our redeemer, creator;
In grateful devotion our tribute we bring.
We lay it before you; we kneel and adore you;
We bless your holy name; glad praises we sing.We worship you, God of our fathers, we bless You;
Through trial and tempest our guide you have been.
When perils o'er-take us, you will not forsake us,
And with your help, O Lord, our struggles we win.With voices united our praises we offer,
And gladly our songs of thanksgiving we raise.
With you, Lord, beside us, your strong arm will guide us,
To you, our Great Redeemer, forever be praise!
Invocation:
|
P: I Gud, vor Faders Navn, |
P: In the name of God the Father, |
Confession & Forgiveness:
C: Merciful Father, we confess we have failed You – spurning the resources of prayer, doubting Your power to intervene in human life and world events. We confess we have failed those we love and those who depend on us, not loving as fully as we can, leaving kind words unsaid, withholding caring actions, doing and saying things that wound others. We confess that we have failed ourselves, making feeble use of our gifts, falling short of our goals, failing to allow ourselves to accept forgiveness for our faults and the grace to begin anew. God in Your unfailing mercy, grant us the peace to part with past failure and the courage to graciously accept the future You offer. Amen
P: God, who is rich in mercy bids you lift your hearts and realize His presence. See God’s immeasurable grace in kindness toward us in Christ! In grace you have been saved through faith. It is the gift of God! Believe and accept the gift: Your sins are forgiven! Amen.
P: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
C: And also with you
Kyrie
Hymn of Praise: “ Beautiful Saviour / Delig er Jorden”
Dejlig er jorden, Prægtig er Guds Himmel!
skøn er sjælenes pilgrimsgang!
Gennem de fagre riger på jorden
går vi til Paradis med sang!Beautiful Saviour, King of creation,
Son of God and Son of Man!
Truly I’d love thee, Truly I’d serve thee,
Light of my soul, my joy, my crown.Tider skal komme, tider skal henrulle,
Slægt skal følge slægters gang;
Aldrig forstummer tonen fra himlen
I sjælens glade pilgrimssang.Fair is the sunshine, Fair is the moonlight,
Bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels in the sky.
P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us pray… God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as you sent upon the disciples the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, look upon your Church and open our hearts to the power of the Spirit. Kindle in us the fire of your love, and strengthen our lives for service in your kingdom; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C: Amen
Special Music: “Flower” (Presented by Yue Tu
First Lesson: Acts 2:1-21
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. 18Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 21Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
(Taken from http://bible.oremus.org)
Special music: “Rock-A My Soul” (St. Ansgar Choir)
Hymn: (Danish) Op al den ting, som Gud har gjort
Op al den ting, som Gud har gjort, hans herlighed at prise,
det mindste, han har skabt, er stort og kan hans magt bevies!Gik alle konger frem i rad i deres magt og vælde,
de mægted ej det mindste blad at sætte på en nælde!Det mindste græs jeg undrer på i skove og i dale,
hvor skulle jeg den visdom få, om det kun ret at tale?Hvad skal jeg sige, når jeg ser , at alle skove vrimle,
de mange fuglesving, der sker op under Herrens himle?Hvad skal jeg sige, når jeg går blandt blomsterne i enge,
når fuglesangen sammenslår som tusind harpestrenge?Hvad skal jeg sige? Mine ord vil ikke meget sige;
O Gud! Hvor er din visdom stor, din godhed kraft og rige.
(Brorson)
Gospel Acclamation:
Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
P: The Holy Gospel according to… Matthew 25:34-45
34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”g 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ (Taken from http://bible.oremus.org)
C: Glory to you, O Lord.
P: The Gospel of the Lord
C: Praise to you, O Christ.
Special Music: “Hymn of Promise” (St. Ansgar Choir)
The Pastor's Message was not delivered, but can be read here on-line.
Instead, the drama on Human Rights was presented.
Hymn of the Day: Come Down, O Love Divine
Come down, O Love Divine; Seek thou this soul of mine
And visit with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near; Within my heart appear
And kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.
Oh, let it freely burn, Till worldly passions turn
To dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
And let thy glorious light Shine ever on my sight,
And clothe me round, the while my path illuming.
Let holy charity Mine outward vesture be,
And lowliness become mine inner clothing----
True lowliness of heart, Which takes the humbler part,
And o’er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.
And so the yearning strong, With which the soul will long,
Shall far outpass the pow’r of human telling;
No soul can guess his grace Till it become the place
Wherein the Holy Spirit makes his dwelling.
P: God has made us his people through our Baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH
C: In life and death we belong to God.
Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
whom alone we worship and serve.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and
neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church.
The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us in the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church.
In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth, praying, "Come, Lord Jesus!" With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.
Sharing of Peace:
P: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
C: And also with you.
Offering:
Offertory:
Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord, and fill to the brim our cup of blessing. Gather a harvest from the seeds that were sown, that we may be fed with the bread of life. Gather the hopes and the dreams of all; unite them with the prayers we offer now. Grace our table with your presence, and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.
Offertory Prayer:
P; Merciful Father,
C: we offer with joy and thanksgiving what you have first given us—our selves, our time, and our possessions, signs of your gracious love. Receive them for the sake of him who offered himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Great Thanksgiving:
P: The Lord be with You
C: And also with you
P: Lift up your hearts
C: We lift them to the Lord.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God
C: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
P: It is indeed right and salutary…we praise your name and join in your unending hymn:
C: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might: Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna, Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
P: Blessed are you, Lord of heaven and earth.
In mercy for our fallen world you gave your only Son, that all those who believe in
him should not perish, but have eternal life.
We give you thanks to you for the salvation you have prepared for us through Jesus
Christ. Send now your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive our Lord
with a living faith as he comes to us in his holy supper.
C: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
P: In the night in which he was betrayed our Lord Jesus took
bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you
and all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this in remembrance of me.
|
Vor Fader |
Lord’s Prayer: |
Lamb of God:
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.
Distribution of Communion
Thank the Lord:
Thank the Lord and sing his praise; tell ev’ryone what he has done.
Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his name.
He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Post-Communion Prayer:
P: Let us pray…Pour out upon us the spirit of your love, O Lord, and unite the wills of those whom you have fed with one heavenly food; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C: Amen
Benediction
P: Almighty and ever-living God, we thank You for having fed us with the body and blood of our Saviour Jesus Christ, assuring us thereby that we are truly members of His body, the Church. And we ask You to help us by Your Holy Spirit that
we may continue in this fellowship and do the good works which you desire us to do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, to whom, with You and the same Spirit, be all honour and glory, forever and ever.
Amen.
Go out into the world in peace; have courage; hold to what is good; return no person evil for evil; strengthen the faint-hearted; support the weak; help the suffering; honour and respect all people; love and serve the Lord, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. And may almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless you.
C: Anoint us with Your Spirit, Lord God, as we go forth in peace and be agents of change in our world. Amen.
Closing Hymn: “ Spirit of God, Descend upon my Heart ”
Spirit of God, descend upon my heart; Wean it from earth,
through all its pulses move; Stoop to my weakness, strength to me impart,
And make me love you as I ought to love.I ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, No sudden rending of the veil of clay,
No angel visitant, no opening skies; But take the dimness of my soul away.Have you not bid me love you, God and King; All, all your own, soul, heart,
And strength, and mind? I see your cross; there teach my heart to cling.
Oh, let me seek you and, oh, let me find!Teach me to love you as your angels love, One holy passion filling all my frame:
The baptism of the heaven descended dove, My heart an altar, and your love
the flame.
Deacon’s Prayer
Dismissal
P: Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia!
C: Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Worship Bells