The Preparatory Service

The Congregation standing, the Minister shall say,

The Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before him. Amen.

God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

2. 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: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

3. Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Name in vain.

4. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

5. Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

6. Thou shalt not kill.

7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.

8. Thou shalt not steal.

9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.

Lord, have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep all these laws.

Hear also what our Lord Jesus Christ saith:

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

Let us pray.

O Lord God, who didst at the first deliver thy commandments from the mount which burned with fire, amid blackness, and darkness, and tempest; we thank thee that this same law is now published unto us from Mount Zion, through the Mediator of a new and better covenant; and we humbly beseech thee to put these words into our minds, and write them in our hearts, that we may delight in thy law after the inward man, and serve thee in newness of spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Litany

Here the Litany may be used, the Congregation kneeling.

O God, the Father in heaven;

Have mercy upon us.

O God, the Son, Redeemer of the world;

Have mercy upon us.

O God, the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of the faithful;

Have mercy upon us.

O Holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, ever one God;

Have mercy upon us.

Remember not, Lord our offenses, nor the offenses of our forefathers; spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood.

Spare us, good Lord.

From all blindness of heart; from pride, vainglory and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice, and all uncharitableness.

Good Lord, deliver us.

From all impure lusts and desires; and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning and tempest; from fire and flood; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from all disasters by land, by air, and by water; from battle and murder, and from violent death,

Good Lord, deliver us.

From sedition and rebellion; from heresy and schism; from hardness of heart, and contempt of thy Word and authority,

Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of thy holy incarnation; by thy holy nativity; by the baptism, temptation and ministry.

Good Lord, deliver us.

By thine agony and bloody sweat; by thy cross and passion; by thy precious death and burial; by thy glorious resurrection and ascension; and by the coming of the Holy Spirit,

Good Lord, deliver us.

In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our wealth; in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment,

Good Lord, deliver us.

We sinners do beseech thee to hear us, O Lord God, and that it may please thee to govern and direct thy Holy Church Universal;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee so to rule the hearts of thy servants, the President of the United States, the Governor of this Commonwealth, and all others in authority that law and order may everywhere prevail;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to bless the rulers of all lands, giving them grace to execute justice, and to maintain truth;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to bless and protect all who serve mankind by labor, industry, and learning;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to give to all nations unity, peace, and concord;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to keep us in all time of temptation and heaviness; to comfort and help all the weakhearted; to raise up them that fall, and finally to beat down Satan under our feet;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to succor, help, and comfort all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation; to preserve all women in the perils of childbirth, all sick persons and young children; and to show thy pity upon all prisoners and captives;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to defend, and provide for, the fatherless children, the widows, and all that are desolate and oppressed;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

That it may please thee to have mercy upon all men;

We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.

O Son of God, Redeemer of the world;

Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God that takest away the sin of the world;

Have mercy upon us.

O Lamb of God that takest away the sin of the world;

Grant us thy peace.

The Minister shall say,

O God, merciful Father, who despisest not the sighing of the contrite heart, nor the desire of such as are sorrowful; be favorable to our prayers which in our afflictions that continually oppress us, we pour out before thee; and graciously hear them, that those things which the craft of the devil or man worketh against us, may be brought to nought, and by the counsel of thy goodness be dispersed; so that being hurt by no persecutions, we may evermore give thanks to thee in thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that we, being defended from the fear of our enemies, may by thy protection pass our time in peace and quietness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here special prayers may be offered, followed by the Lord's Prayer, in which the Congregation shall join.

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 debts, As we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Hymn Offering - Sermon

The Hymn, Offering and Sermon may take place according to the accustomed order. An Anthem or Chant may be sung.

Exhortation

The Minister, addressing the Communicants, shall say,

Beloved in the Lord; Our blessed Savior, Jesus Christ, when he was about to finish the work of our redemption, by making himself a sacrifice for our sins upon the cross, solemnly instituted the Holy Communion of his own Body and Blood, that it might be the abiding memorial of his precious death; the seal of his perpetual presence in the Church by the Holy Spirit; the mystical sign of his one offering of himself made once, but a force always, to put away sin; the pledge of his undying love for his people; and the bond of his living union and fellowship with them to the end of time.

It has not been without reason, therefore, that the celebration of the Lord's Supper has ever been regarded by the Church as the innermost sanctuary of the whole Christian worship. We have to do here, not with signs merely, but the realities themselves which these signs represent. Our Lord himself calls the bread his Body, and the cup his Blood, or the New Testament in his Blood.

Being of such a sacred nature it is plain that the table of the Lord can be rightly approached only by those who are of a truly devout, repentant, and believing mind. These holy mysteries are not for the worldly, the irreverent, or the indifferent. All who are impenitent and unbelieving, and who refuse to obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, have no right to partake of this table.

If any of you, then, are conscious that you are willing servants of sin, being without repentance and faith, and yielding yourselves to the power of worldly affections and lusts, we solemnly warn and admonish you, that ye presume not, so long as this is your character, to come to the table of the Lord: for those doing so eat and drink judgment to themselves; not because they are sinners, but because they are impenitent sinners; not because they are unworthy, but because they eat and drink unworthily, not discerning the Lord's Body.

On the other hand, we cordially invite to this table all who are truly grieved and penitent for their sins, who look to the Lord Jesus Christ for righteousness and salvation, who abide in the fellowship of his Church, and who earnestly desire to possess his Spirit and to walk in his steps. To all such the infinitely compassionate Redeemer himself says: Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Ye then, beloved brethren, who have looked earnestly into your own hearts, and who find in yourselves these good dispositions of penitence and faith, with the sincere desire and purpose of forsaking all sin and following after all Christian holiness, approach with me now to the throne of grace, and make your humble confession to Almighty God.

Confession of Sin

Here all shall kneel and say,

Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men; We cast ourselves down at thy feet with deep humiliation and heartfelt penitent grief, In view of our manifold sins. We have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed; We have broken thy holy laws; We have come short of thy righteousness and glory in all our ways. Righteousness belongeth unto thee, O Lord, But unto us only confusion of face; But unto thee, O Lord our God belong also mercies and forgivenesses, Though we have rebelled against thee; For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Look upon us, therefore, O righteous and holy Father, With an eye of pity and compassion, As we now humble ourselves, with sincere confession, Before the throne of thy heavenly grace; And for the sake of thy Son, Jesus Christ, Speak pardon and peace to our souls. Let thy mercy be upon us, O Lord, According as we hope in thee. And with the full pardon of our past sins, Be pleased also to quicken us, we beseech thee, In the way of righteousness, And uphold us with thy Spirit; That we may walk worthy henceforth of the vocation wherewith we are called, And ever hereafter serve and please thee in newness of life, To the honor and glory of thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Confessional Questions may be asked.

I now ask you in the presence of God, and upon the evidence of your own conscience:

Do you acknowledge and deplore your many sins with contrite heart?

Do you believe that our heavenly Father is willing, for Jesus' sake, to forgive all your sins?

Do you resolve to submit yourself in the future to the gracious direction of the Holy Spirit, so that you may no more purposely sin, but be enabled to follow after holiness?

Answer: I do.

Assurance of Pardon

Then the Minister shall say,

Hearken now unto the comforting assurance of the grace of God, promised in the Gospel to all that repent and believe: As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Wherefore, beloved brethren, those of you who have truly turned to God with hearty repentance and sincere faith, may assuredly believe that your sins are forgiven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Congregation shall now stand and sing a Doxology or a Hymn.

Benediction

The God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.