Saint Leonard’s Trinity Service Welcome to our OpenCast church service - on-line. There are prayers, readings, hymns and music; just as you would have in church. As you read through this service you may care to say aloud the bold text. To hear the music and the readings, click on each title (red, underlined text) (and remember to adjust the volume on your speakers).

Welcome

We call on the Father, Spirit, Son; Holy Trinity, Three in One: to be in our meeting and our greeting, in the worship we share and the words of our prayer. We call on the Father, Spirit, Son; Holy Trinity, Three in One: be in our living and our breathing, that through our hearts and our words your truth may be heard. Composed by by John Birch, and posted on Faith and Worship. Welcome in the name of Christ. God’s grace, mercy and peace be with you.

Hymn

” Gloria in excelsis Deo “ (Gregorian latin)

Intercessions

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. Let us pray for the needs of God’s world and give thanks to him for his love so freely given. Loving God we thank you for the beauty and wonder of your creation. Help us to love and respect all that you have made; to share your gifts with our brothers and sisters in need and to protect and nurture all that is fragile and vulnerable on this earth. Loving God we thank you for the huge diversity of peoples who share this world. We pray for a renewed spirit of longing for peace and reconciliation wherever there is conflict, injustice and oppression. Help us to do what we can to bring peace into our own lives and to seek your ways of peace for the welfare of all your children. Loving God we thank you for the love and fellowship of friends and families. Help us to be generous with our time, with our love and with ourselves to care for all who are lonely and in need of our support. Loving God we thank you for all who help people. Those who work to improve care and treatment of those who are physically ill or mentally distressed. We pray that your loving and healing presence will surround all who are suffering today and that your Holy Spirit will comfort and uphold them throughout their troubles. Loving God we offer you our prayers. We trust that in your love you will use them and us for the fulfilment of your purpose for your creation. Give us courage to be part of your answer to prayer and when you ask “Whom shall I send” free us from fear that we may answer “Here am I; send me!” AMEN

Reflection

Trinity

invites

us

to

live

in

the

awareness

of

the

presence

of

the

Triune

God

within us: The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

The

mystery

of

the

Holy

Trinity,

a

doctrine

enunciated

by

the

ecumenical

councils

of

Nicaea

and

Constantinople,

is

one

of

the

fundamental

doctrines

of

Christianity

and

the

greatest

mystery

of

our

Faith,

namely,

that

there

are

Three Divine Persons, sharing the same Divine nature in one God.

“There

is

one

God,

who

has

three

Persons,

Father,

Son

and

Holy

Spirit.

Each

Person is God, yet there is still only one God”.

We

have

Father

-

who

is

the

Creator

…

the

Son

-

who

is

the

Redeemer

…

and

the Holy Spirit - who is the Sanctifier and the Counsellor.

The

doctrine

of

Three

Persons

in

one

God,

equal

in

Divinity

yet

distinct

in

Person,

is

not

explicitly

spelt

out

in

the

Bible.

Even

the

very

word

“Trinity”

is

not

found

in

the

Bible.

But

the

doctrine

of

the

Trinity

underlies

all

major

Christian

feasts,

including

Christmas,

the

Epiphany,

Good

Friday,

Easter,

the

Ascension

and

Pentecost.

All

the

official

prayers

of

the

Church,

including

the

Holy

Mass

and

the

Sacraments,

begin

with

an

address

to

the

Holy

Trinity:

“In

the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

We

are

baptized,

absolved

of

our

sins

and

anointed

in

the

name

of

the

Blessed Trinity.

Throughout

the

world,

where

church

bells

ring

three

times

a

day

they

invite

Christians

to

pray

to

God

the

Father

(the

Provider);

God

the

Son

(the

Saviour); and God the Holy Spirit (the Sanctifier).

We

bless

ourselves

with

the

Sign

of

the

Cross

invoking

the

Name

of

the

Father,

Son

and

Holy

Spirit

and

we

conclude

our

prayers

glorifying

the

Holy

Trinity, saying

“Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.”

Trinity

conveys

the

fundamental

mystery

that

the

Triune

God

reaches

out

to

people in love, seeking the deepest communion with them.

Worship Song

“ Praise the Lord ” (feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore)

Prayer

Christ has no body now but ours. No hands, no feet on earth but ours. Ours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Ours are the feet with which he walks about to do good. Ours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, ours are the eyes, We are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but ours.

Blessing

God the Holy Trinity make me strong in faith and love. May He defend me on every side. May He guide me in truth and peace. Amen.