The Lord be with you

Kirsty:
And also with you

Praise the Lord

Praise God you servants of the Lord

Blessed be the God of our salvation

Blessed be God’s Holy name

Lord, have mercy

Lionel:
Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy

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

Almighty God,
Who forgives all who truly repent,
Have mercy on us.
Pardon our sins and set us free from them.
Confirm and strengthen us in all goodness, and keep us together in eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Amen

Trond
The first reading is from: Acts 4:1-12

Peter and John before the Council
4
While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them,
2
much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead.
3
So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening.
4
But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.
5
The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,
6
with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family.
7
When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, ‘By what power or by what name did you do this?’
8
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘Rulers of the people and elders,
9
if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed,
10
let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.
11
This Jesus is
“the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;
it has become the cornerstone.”
12
There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.’

After the reading ...

Hear the word of the Lord,

Thanks be to God.

Allegra
The appointed Psalm is: Psalm 116:1-9

Thanksgiving for Recovery from Illness
1
I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
2
Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3
The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’
5
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6
The Lord protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7
Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8
For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
9
I walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.

(After the reading of the Psalm)

Glory to the triune God; Creator, Redeemer and Life-giving Spirit

Amen.

Anna
Listen to the Good News proclaimed in the gospel of John 21:1-14

Glory to Christ our Saviour

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples
1
After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way.
2
Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples.
3
Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
4
Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5
Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’
6
He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
7
That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake.
8
But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
9
When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.
10
Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’
11
So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.
12
Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord.
13
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.
14
This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

After the reading ...

This is the Gospel of Christ

Praise to Christ our Lord

Mary Jean

The Peace of the Lord be with you

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation. Through your goodness we have this bread to offer, which earth has given and human hands have made.

Athol
For us it becomes the bread of life, blessed be God forever.

Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation; through your goodness we have this wine to offer, fruit of the vine and work of human hands.

Bill
For us it becomes the cup of salvation, blessed be God forever.

The Lord be with you

Kirsty
And 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 God thanks and praise

Lionel
Holy Spirit of God, you blow where you will.
You are complete freedom.
Space and time cannot contain you.
You are there when we are born,
when we shout our first breath.
You are there when we die,
when we sigh our last breath.
You are always with us, in us, between us,
among us and present in all creation,
even though we may not always be conscious of your Presence.
You are the ever-present Yes in all creation.

Nina
Yes: You were present at the dawn of creation.
Yes: You were present with the Khoi and the San people.
Yes: You were present with the lepers and the missionaries.
Yes: You were present when the humanity of some was questioned.
Yes: Even now, you are here.

Trond
Uyingcwele, uyingcwele, uyingcwele,
God of Power and wisdom and might;
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the Highest,
Blessed is the one who comes in the Name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the Highest.

Allegra
Holy Spirit, you are indeed present.
You are a gift to all creation.
Jesus is united with you and with Abba God.
You are in Jesus and Jesus is in you.
And you are all united with us, affirming not only our humanity but also our dignity and our divinity.

Anna
On the day before Jesus died, knowing that he wanted to be ever-present and in community with us, so that we can always be in community with each other and live out God’s reconciling love.

Athol
Knowing that the forces of division would always give us reasons to remain divided, Jesus wanted to leave us a sign of that community in unity, rooted in collaboration between us, the earth and in our memory.
Jesus wanted us to make memory of an act of self-offering and reconciling love.

Bill
He asked for bread and wine to be gathered and sat down with his small community.
Jesus knew their strengths and weaknesses, and yet He made them an everlasting part of his community.

He took bread, blessed it and said:
"Thabatani nidle, take and eat, neem en eet.
This is my body that was given for you,
do this in memory of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine,
he blessed it and said:
"This is my blood, igazi lam,
my bloed wat vir julle uitgestort word,
that will be shed for you.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in memory of me."

Together we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

Kirsty
The Christ has died,
The Christ has risen,
The Christ will come again.

Lionel
Jesus, we are all made in your image.
Christians, Jews and Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus, and those who claim to have little or no faith.
With you, superiority and inferiority are both lies. Apartheid is a sin. Division is no more. Inequality is evil.
You love us all. Your love is the Alpha and the Omega. You unite and reconcile, where we divide.
You call on us to love our enemies, to create community with them, to bless those who despise us.
Give us the strength, the will and the grace to do that.

Nina
Give us the wisdom, the patience and the intellect to tell and live and embody your new story of Ubuntu, of beloved community.

May this bread and wine, your body and blood strengthen and unite us.

With you, with one another, with all creation, so that we may truly say:
We who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

In the language of your dreams, we pray together the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples

Trond
Abba God in heaven, hallowed be your name, may your reign become reality, and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For to you belong supreme dominion, power and glory forever.

The bread which we break, is it not a sharing in the life of Christ?

Allegra
Though we are many, we are one body!

Soul of Christ, sanctify us;
Body of Christ, save us;
Blood of Christ, refresh us;
Water from the side of Christ, wash us;
Passion of Christ, strengthen us;
O good Jesus, hear us;
Within the wounds of Christ, hide us.

Let us never be separated from you.
From the malicious enemies, defend us.
In the hour of our death, call us and bid us come to you, that with your Saints we may praise You forever and ever.
Amen

The gifts of God for the people of God.
Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts, by faith, with thanksgiving.

Anna
Behold who we are:
We are the body of Christ!

Let us give thanks to God

Athol
God's mercy endures forever

Bill
God Almighty, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Send us out into the world, in the power of your Holy Spirit, to live and work, to your praise and glory.

Kirsty
God Bless Africa and our World,
Guard our children,
Guide our leaders,
And grant us peace,
For Jesus Christ sake.

May God bless us with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships ...

Lionel
... so that we may seek truth boldly and love deep within our hearts.

May God bless us with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people ...

Nina
... so that we may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless us with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer, especially women, children and sojourners ...

Trond
... so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we really can make a difference in this world ...

Allegra
... so that we are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

May the eternal blessing of God, the One-in-Three and the Three-in-One, be among us and remain with us always.
Amen

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,

Anna
In the name of Christ. Amen.

Athol