The Collect

God our redeemer, you have delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of your Son: grant, that as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Acts 16.9-15

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we travelled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptised, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.

Psalm 67

God be gracious to us and bless us *and make his face to shine upon us,
That your way may be known upon earth, *your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *let all the peoples praise you.
O let the nations rejoice and be glad, *for you will judge the peoples righteously and govern the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God; *let all the peoples praise you.
Then shall the earth bring forth her increase, *and God, our own God, will bless us.
God will bless us, *and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.

Second Reading: Revelation 21.10,22-22.5

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day – and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign for ever and ever.

Gospel Reading: John 14.23-29

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.’

Prayers of Intercession

Some wonderful images today – the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God;  need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light;  and the collect: by his continual presence in us he may raise us to eternal joy.

And again, Jane Williams has the most helpful reflection (p.69): ‘God is asking [the apostles] to continue to make him present , as Jesus does, and he is giving them his own life and presence to make that possible. Over and over again, in God’s great and gracious plan, we see that we are asked to do and to give what has already been done and given to us by God. We are given forgiveness and asked to forgive, we are given love and asked to love, we are given God and asked to make him a home with us. ‘

Am I alone in seeing this as a foreshadowing of Trinity Sunday (see Andre Rublev’s icon, for example)?

Lord, be present with us today and grant that our prayers may be taken up with those of our fellow Christians as we pray on behalf of the whole world.

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, may we and your whole Church live as those travelling  deeper into your presence and into your love. As we share the Eucharist in this church,  may we also share with all parts of our Church the love  that you have shown us. Lord,  from whom all thoughts of truth and peace derive, set our hearts on fire with the true love of peace, and let us begin with your Church, that all those who confess your name may be united in the desire to be reconciled one with another.

Lord, by your continual presence in us may you raise us to eternal joy; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Lord, we ask you to guide your Church so that we may love others as you have loved us. Then in tranquility your kingdom may go forward and your way will be known upon earth.  May all the people praise you, O Lord,  let the nations rejoice and be glad, till the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of your love.

Lord, by your continual presence in us may you raise us to eternal joy; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, inspire us with your love and refresh us with the water of the river of life.  Then may we in turn through you be enabled to bring light to those with whom we live and work. Daily renew in us all the sense of joy, filling every corner of our hearts with love and gladness so that we may be diffusers of life and meet all that comes with gallant and high-hearted happiness, giving you thanks always for all things.

Lord, by your continual presence in us may you raise us to eternal joy; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, we pray for all those who suffer, whether physically or mentally. We thank you with all our hearts that, though the human condition may speak to us of hope unfulfilled, the mark missed, the fading bloom, the autumn chill and beyond that the dark, yet the Christian condition, through the promise of  your son, is one of joy.

Lord, by your continual presence in us may you raise us to eternal joy; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Lord, your risen son came and stood among his disciples and said, ‘I am the first and the last, and the living one; I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore.’ Grant to the faithful departed that they shall indeed see the face of Christ and live with him for ever, where light perpetual shall shine.

Lord, by your continual presence in us may you raise us to eternal joy; in your mercy, hear our prayer.

The illustration is Stripes of colour by: Rachel Marsh via Seed Resources

The prayer for those who suffer is based on one by Timothy Dudley-Smith, quoted in The Lion Prayer Collection, page 363.