St Nicholas’ Church, North Walsham

Sunday 27th September 2020

Harvest Eucharist

Led by the Rev’d Nigel Paterson

The Greeting

The Lord be with you and also with you.

The land has yielded its harvest:God, our God has blessed us. Psalm 67:6

Hymn: Come, ye thankful people, come

Come, ye thankful people, come,raise the song of harvest home;all is safely gathered in,ere the winter storms begin.God our Maker doth providefor our wants to be supplied;come to God's own temple, come,raise the song of harvest home.

All the world is God's own field,fruit as praise to God we yield;wheat and tares together sownare to joy or sorrow grown.First the blade and then the ear,then the full corn shall appear;Lord of harvest, grant that wewholesome grain and pure may be.

For the Lord our God shall come,and shall take the harvest home;from the field shall in that dayall offenses purge away,give his angels charge at lastin the fire the tares to cast;but the fruitful ears to storein the garner evermore.

Even so, Lord, quickly come,to thy final harvest home;gather thou thy people in,free from sorrow, free from sin,there, forever purified,in thy presence to abide;come, with all thine angels come,raise the glorious harvest home.

Prayer of Preparation

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open,all desires known,and from whom no secrets are hidden:cleanse the thoughts of our heartsby the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,that we may perfectly love you,and worthily magnify your holy name;through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Invitation to confession

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, to be our advocate in heaven, and to bring us to eternal life.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, firmly resolved to keep God’s commandments and to live in love and peace with all.

We confess to you our lack of care for the world you have given us. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

We confess to you our selfishness in not sharing the earth's bounty fairly. Christ, have mercy. Christ, have mercy.

We confess to you our failure to protect resources for others. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent, have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria in Excelsis (Sung by the Choir)

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest.

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.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest.

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.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest. 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.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God in the highest.

The Collect

Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for your own well-being; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Deuteronomy 8. 7-18 (Read by Joan Andrews)

For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with flowing streams, with springs and underground waters welling up in valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land where you may eat bread without scarcity, where you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron and from whose hills you may mine copper. You shall eat your fill and bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has given you. Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have ismultiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. Do not say to yourself, ‘My power and the might of my own hand have gained me this wealth.’ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.

This is the word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

Psalm 65 (Please join in with the words in bold type)

Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion;    to you our vows will be fulfilled.8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;    where morning dawns, where evening fades,    you call forth songs of joy.9 You care for the land and water it;    you enrich it abundantly.The streams of God are filled with water    to provide the people with grain,    for so you have ordained it.10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;    you soften it with showers and bless its crops.11 You crown the year with your bounty,    and your carts overflow with abundance.12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;    the hills are clothed with gladness.13 The meadows are covered with flocks    and the valleys are mantled with grain;    they shout for joy and sing.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.

Gospel Reading: Luke 12. 16-30

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.Glory to you, O Lord.

Then he told them a parable: ‘The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, “What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?” Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared,

whose will they be?” So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich towards God.’

He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon: by the Rev’d Susanna Gunner

The Affirmation of Faith

Do you believe and trust in God the Father,source of all being and life,the one for whom we exist?We believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Son,who took our human nature,

died for us and rose again?We believe and trust in him.

Do you believe and trust in God the Holy Spirit,who gives life to the people of Godand makes Christ known in the world?We believe and trust in him.

This is the faith of the Church.This is our faith.We believe and trust in one God,Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession: (Led by Stephanie Cooper)

The Liturgy of the Sacrament

The Peace

We are the body of Christ.In the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.Let us then pursue all that makes for peaceand builds up our common life.

The peace of the Lord be always with you and also with you.

Preparation of the Table

Hymn: All creatures of our God and King

All creatures of our God and King,lift up your voices, let us sing:Alleluia, alleluia!Thou burning sun with golden beams,thou silver moon that gently gleams,O praise him, O praise him,Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,ye clouds that sail in heaven along,O praise him, Alleluia!Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice,ye lights of evening, find a voice,O praise him, O praise him,Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,make music for thy Lord to hear,Alleluia, alleluia!Thou fire so masterful and bright,that givest man both warmth and light,O praise him, O praise him,Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Dear mother earth, who day by dayunfoldest blessings on our way,O praise him, Alleluia!The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,let them his glory also show:O praise him, O praise him,Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Let all things their Creator bless,and worship him in humbleness,O praise him, Alleluia!Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,and praise the Spirit, Three in One:O praise him, O praise him,Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Prayer at the Preparation of the Table

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation; You bring forth bread from the earth. Blessed be God for ever.

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation; You create the fruit of the vine. Blessed be God for ever.

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord be with youAnd also with you.

Lift up your hearts.We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.It is right to give thanks and praise.

Father, you made the world and love your creation. You gave your Son Jesus Christ to be our Saviour. His dying and rising have set us free from sin and death. And so we gladly thank you, with saints and angels 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 who comes in the name of the Lord.Hosanna in the highest.

We praise and bless you, loving Father, through Jesus Christ, our Lord; and as we obey his command, send your Holy Spirit, that broken bread and wine outpoured may be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.

On the night before he died he had supper with his friends and, taking bread, he praised you. He broke the bread, gave it to them and said: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

When supper was ended he took the cup of wine. Again he praised you, gave it to them and said: Drink this, all of you;this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

So, Father, we remember all that Jesus did, in him we plead with confidence his sacrifice made once for all upon the cross.Bringing before you the bread of life and cup of salvation, we proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes in glory.Christ has died:Christ is risen:Christ will come again.

Lord of all life, help us to work together for that day when your kingdom comes and justice and mercy will be seen in all the earth.Look with favour on your people, gather us in your loving armsand bring us with all the saints to feast at your table in heaven.Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father,for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

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.

Breaking of the Bread

The president breaks the consecrated bread.

We break this breadto share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body,because we all share in one bread.

Giving of Communion

The president says the invitation to communion

Draw near with faith. Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christwhich he gave for you, and his blood which he shed for you.Eat and drink in remembrance that he died for you,and feed on him in your hearts by faith with thanksgiving.

Prayer after Communion

Silence is kept.Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation and have shared in the bread and the wine of the kingdom: by your grace plant within us a reverence for all

that you give us and make us generous and wise stewards of the good things we enjoy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.

The Dismissal

Hymn: We plough the fields and scatter

We plough the fields, and scatterthe good seed on the land,but it is fed and wateredby God's almighty hand;he sends the snow in winter,the warmth to swell the grain,the breezes and the sunshine,and soft refreshing rain.All good gifts around usare sent from heaven above,then thank the Lord, O thank the Lordfor all his love.

He only is the Makerof all things near and far;he paints the wayside flower,he lights the evening star;the winds and waves obey him,by him the birds are fed;much more to us, his children,he gives our daily bread.All good gifts around us

are sent from heaven above,then thank the Lord, O thank the Lordfor all his love.

We thank thee, then, O Father,for all things bright and good,the seed time and the harvest,our life, our health, and food;no gifts have we to offer,for all thy love imparts,and, what thou most desirest,our humble, thankful hearts.All good gifts around usare sent from heaven above,then thank the Lord, O thank the Lordfor all his love.

Blessing May the Father, who fed his children with bread and honey in the wilderness, strengthen you in your pilgrimage to the Promised Land.May the Son, who gave his flesh for food and his blood for drink,keep you in eternal life and raise you up on the last day. May the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth, help you discern the Lord’s body and empower you to proclaim his death until he comes;and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.In the name of Christ. Amen.

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Organ Voluntaries Organist: Jo Richards

Music before the service: Farmyard Medley arr. Jo Richards

Music after the service: Theme from 'All Creatures Great and Small' (original series) - Johnny Pearson

Returning in October to St Nicholas’:

Sunday 8.00 am: Holy Communion (BCP)

Sunday 5.00 pm: Choral Evensong (1st and 3rd Sunday) Compline (2nd and 4th Sunday)The 5.00 pm services will be livestreamed only for the first month. This is to enable us the safely work out how best to include a congregation at a later date.

Words reproduced with permission under CCL licence no 55968.Our streaming licence number is the same.