Saint Michael’s Paris

Ascension Day

Holy Communion Service

The Greeting

Grace, mercy and peace

from God our Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ

be with you

All and also with you.

Introduction

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, for forty days we have been

celebrating with joyful hearts the resurrection of our

Lord Jesus Christ, his bursting from the tomb and his defeat of

the power of sin and death. He appeared to his disciples many

times and told them about the kingdom of God. Today we recall

how he left this earth and returned to his Father, ascending into

heaven to take his throne over all dominions and powers.

Trusting in his reign over all creation, and submitting to his

kingly yet loving rule, let us hear the story of his parting.

Hymn AM 224. Ascended Christ

The Ascension Reading

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 1.4-11

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

All He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Confession

Christ has gone up on high, leading captivity captive

and bringing gifts for men.

As we prepare ourselves to meet him here in the courts of heaven,

let us call to mind our many failures and sins.

You raise the dead to life in the Spirit:

Lord, have mercy.

All Lord, have mercy.

You bring pardon and peace to the broken in heart:

Christ, have mercy.

All Christ, have mercy.

You make one by your Spirit the torn and divided:

Lord, have mercy.

All Lord, have mercy.

Words of Forgiveness

Seeing we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God,

let us offer him the praise worthy of his name.

Gloria in Excelsis

All 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.

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

Hymn AM 388. Speak O Lord

Reading

The first lesson is written in the book of the prophet Daniel 7.9-14

The word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Please stand

Hymn AM 196. Alleluia

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke 24.44-53

All Glory to you, O Lord.

At the end

The Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Please sit

Sermon. Fr. Mark.

Affirmation of Faith

All We believe in God the Father,

God almighty, by whose plan

earth and heaven sprang to being,

all created things began.

We believe in Christ the Saviour,

Son of God in human frame,

virgin-born, the child of Mary

upon whom the Spirit came.

Christ, who on the cross forsaken,

like a lamb to slaughter led,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

he descended to the dead.

We believe in Jesus risen,

heaven’s king to rule and reign,

to the Father’s side ascended

till as judge he comes again.

We believe in God the Spirit;

in one Church, below, above:

saints of God in one communion,

one in holiness and love.

So by faith, our sins forgiven,

Christ our Saviour, Lord and friend,

we shall rise with him in glory

to the life that knows no end.

Please sit

Prayers of Intercession

The responses to the prayers are:

Lord, hear us.

All Lord, graciously hear us.

Please stand

The Peace

Jesus says: ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.

If you love me, rejoice because I am going to the Father’. Alleluia.

John 14.

The peace of the Lord be always with you

All and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Hymn AM 434. Christ bid us break the bread

The Eucharistic Prayer

The Lord be with you

All and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

All We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

All It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,

always and everywhere to give you thanks

holy Father, almighty and eternal God,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

For he is our great High Priest

who has entered once for all

into the heavenly sanctuary,

evermore to pour upon your Church

the grace and comfort of your Holy Spirit.

He is the one who has gone before us,

who calls us to be united in prayer

as were his disciples in the upper room

while they awaited his promised gift,

the life-giving Spirit of Pentecost.

Therefore all creation yearns with eager longing

as angels and archangels sing the endless hymn of praise:

All Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessèd is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness;

grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit,

and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine

may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ;

who, in the same night that he was betrayed,

took bread and gave you thanks;

he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you

do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks;

he gave it to them, saying:

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.

Great is the mystery of faith:

All Christ has died: Christ is risen: Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross,

his perfect sacrifice made once for the sins of the whole world;

rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension,

and looking for his coming in glory,

we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,

we bring before you this bread and this cup

and we thank you for counting us worthy

to stand in your presence and serve you.

Send the Holy Spirit on your people

and gather into one in your kingdom

all who share this one bread and one cup,

so that we, in the company of all the saints,

may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord;

by whom, and with whom, and in whom,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father,

for ever and ever.

All Amen.

Please sit

The Lord’s Prayer

Looking for the coming of his kingdom,

as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

All 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.

Breaking of the Bread

Lord, we died with you on the cross.

All Now we are raised to new life.

We were buried in your tomb.

All Now we share in your resurrection.

Live in us, that we may live in you.

Giving of Communion

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,

you have raised our humanity in Christ

and have fed us with the bread of heaven:

mercifully grant that, nourished with such spiritual blessings,

we may set our hearts in the heavenly places;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

All 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.

Hymn AM 227. Crown him with many crowns

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. 1.12, 13a, 14

Responsory

As we wait in silence,