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THE OFFICE OF CONFESSION
As the Community gathers at the Table
the Minister shall say the following:
The Lord be with you.
Community: And
with thy spirit.
Here let the Community be seated
after which the Minister shall read the Law of the Old Covenant.
God spake these words, and said: I am
the Lord thy God; thou shalt have none other gods but me. Thou
shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them. Thou shalt not take the Name
of the Lord thy God in vain; remember that thou keep holy the
Sabbath day. Honour thy father and thy mother; thou shalt do no
murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou
shalt not covet.
Then shall the Community say together:
Lord, have mercy upon us, and write
all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee.
The Minister shall then say:
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.
Then shall the Community say together
the Doxology:
For thine is the Kingdom and the
Power and the Glory forever and ever.
THE OFFICE OF THE WORD
The Minister shall then say:
Lift up your hearts.
Community:
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Then shall follow the reading of
the appointed Lesson from the Holy Scriptures after which the
Minister shall say:
The Lord bless to us the reading of
his Holy Word.
Community: Thanks
be to thee, O Lord.
Here a designated member shall offer
on behalf of all a witness to the Word, after which the Community
shall say together the Apostles' Creed:
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our
Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost; born of the Virgin
Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried.
He descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven; and sitteth on the right hand of God
the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick
and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection
of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE OFFICE OF THE SUPPER
Here let the Bread and Wine be brought
to the head of the Table, while the Minister is saying:
My brethren, this is the holy feast
of the people of God. Let us give thanks unto our God for it is
meet and right so to do.
Community: It
is very meet, right and our bounded duty that we shall at all
times and in all places give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father,
Almighty, Everlasting God.
Then shall the Minister say, holding
up in turn the Bread and the Wine:
We give thanks to thee, our Father,
for the life and knowledge which thou hast made known to us through
Jesus thy servant. To thee be the glory forever.
Community: Amen.
We give thanks to thee, our Father,
for the Holy Vine of David, which thou hast made known to us through
Jesus thy servant. To thee be the glory forever.
Community: Amen.
And the Community shall then say:
We humbly pray thee, O Lord, graciously
to accept this our thanksgiving and praise, which is our bounded
duty and service; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Minister shall then say:
And we most humbly beseech thee, our Father, to bless and sanctify with thy Holy Spirit these creatures of the loaf and the cup, that they may be unto us the most blessed Body and Blood of thy dearly beloved son, Jesus Christ.
The Community shall then say:
And here we offer and present unto
thee ourselves, our souls and bodies to be a reasonable, holy
and living sacrifice unto thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Here the Minister shall break the
Bread while he says what follows:
Unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. This is my
body, the broken body of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Then shall the Minister spill the
Wine as he continues saying:
Unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. This is my
blood, the spilt blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ. the true Vine.
Then shall the Minister hand a portion
of the broken bread to the person on his right hand, who shall
break a small piece offend give it to the Minister, who shall
break it again and partake of it while he says quietly:
O Lord, enable us through the Word of
Jesus Christ to be your free, obedient servants in humility, gratitude
and compassion.
The Minister shall then serve the
brother on his right hand and the brother on his left who each
serve the brothers next to them, and so on around the table.
The Minister shall, after a brief
pause, hand the cup to the brother on his left hand who shall
spill it and pour a small portion into the extended cup of the
Minister who shall spill it again and partake of the remaining
while he repeats once more the prayer above. The Minister shall
then, in like manner, serve the brothers on his right and his
left who each serve the brothers next to them, and so on around
the table.
After all have partaken, the remaining
Bread and Wine shall be brought to the head of the Table and the
Minister shall say:
Let us give thanks to God.
Community: We give thanks to thee, Almighty God, that thou hast refreshed us with
this thy salutary gift; and we beseech thee, of thy mercy, to strengthen
us through the same in faith toward thee, and in fervent love toward one
another; through Jesus Christ, thy dear Son, our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without
end. Amen.
And then the Minister shall say:
Let us feast in the Joy of Christ Jesus
and go forth into the world in his Peace; let us all be of good
courage; hold fast to that which is good; render to no man evil
for evil; strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak;
help the afflicted; honour all men, love and serve the Lord, rejoicing
in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Community:
Amen.