By David Peterson
Nehemiah 8-9 describes an important series of events in the life of the Jewish community, immediately after the Babylonian exile. When the people had gathered before the Water Gate in Jerusalem, they told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out ‘the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel’ (8:1). So, standing on a high wooden platform, Ezra read it aloud from daybreak till noon, and all the people listened attentively (8:2-4).
Please give us feedback as you use these resources.
New services for Easter are now available.
Click here for…
Good Friday Reflections on the Death of Jesus (first order)
Good Friday Reflections on the Death of Jesus (second order)
At an Induction Service the other night, the acting rector made a comment that struck me “For us Anglicans, the reading of the Bible aloud in church is a very special moment”.
It got me thinking of a lecture given by Oliver O’Donovan in April this year, “The Reading Church: Scriptural Authority in Practice” which was a reflection on the clause in the Jerusalem Declaration that said
We believe that the holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God written and to contain all thinking necessary for salvation. The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense with respect for the church’s historical and consensual reading.
Those who lead services need guidance and training and so one of the aims of this site is to provide a tool to do this. However while this site is a helpful resource there are many aspects of developing service leaders that cannot be addressed online! If you are training service leaders this website should be used in conjunction with your own ongoing guidance so that they continue to develop prayerfully and thoughtfully for their important role.
You are in the best position to train those preparing and leading services in your local context and so you will need to provide continuing feedback at various stages of the process. Before the service you can assist with the ordering and selection of various components to ensure that the service is theologically and culturally appropriate. After the service you can review practical aspects such as presentation, delivery and mood of the service.
We are currently working on a downloadable template for providing helpful feedback for service leaders.
This website contains a lot of material which may be overwhelming for those beginning to lead services. Over time it would be helpful to work through all the resources, however, in the short term we have provided some ‘ways in’ to help you find what you are looking for.
Depending on your needs and preferences, you may like to begin with practical aspects of service leading or begin with a Biblical and historic perspective. Below are some suggested reading orders to help steer you around the site.
BEGINNING WITH THE PRACTICAL:
for contemporary services…
for formal, occasional and seasonal services…
Biblical teaching about the gathering of the church
Click here to see what the Bible teaches about our gathering together as God’s people. Such reflection is an essential step in the process of evaluating what we do in our congregations, so that we might glorify God and edify his church more effectively.
Click here to see what we can learn from the Prayer Book’s biblical and Reformed approach to liturgy, and appreciate some of the richness of the material available to us. Reflecting on this heritage should help us do church better, pursuing what is excellent rather than what is familiar and convenient.
For further reflection on the theology of the Christian gathering, you can download . . .
A Theology of Christian Assembly (A report from the Sydney Diocesan Doctrine Commission)
Click here for hints about planning services with different structures and building blocks. This section also contains reflections on the role of service leaders.
Click here for advice about specific roles in service leading, including music, prayer and Bible reading. You will also find sample outlines to help you construct engaging and meaningful services.
Click here for hints about using Service Builder and for resources useful for occasional services (baptisms, weddings, funerals, confirmations) and seasonal services.
Click here for the full text of regular services in The Book of Common Prayer, An Australian Prayer Book, and the Sydney-based Sunday Services. You will also find liturgies appropriate for occasional services and seasonal services.
Click here for guidance about training service leaders at the theological and practical level, to facilitate better gatherings in your church.
1. The minister welcomes those who have come for baptism. The minister addresses the congregation
When our Lord Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, he commanded his disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and to baptise those who believe. They obeyed his command and we read of the apostle Peter preaching in these words, ‘Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
Jesus taught that no-one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh’, he said, ‘but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’ So let us pray to God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ that he will grant to these people that which by nature they cannot have, that they may be baptised with water and the Holy Spirit and be made living members of Christ’s Church.
The congregation joins the minister in praying
Heavenly Father,
we thank you that in your great love
you have called us to know you
and to trust you.
Increase this knowledge and strengthen our faith.
Give your Holy Spirit to these people
that they may be born again,
cleansed from all sin,
and inherit your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. The minister invites those who are to be baptized to stand and says to them
Those who are to be baptized must declare their allegiance to Christ and their rejection of all that is evil: the Devil and all his works, the empty display and false values of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh. Therefore I ask
Do you turn away from your sins, from the Devil and all evil?
I turn away from them all.
Do you turn to Christ?
I turn to Christ.
May Almighty God deliver you from the powers of darkness and lead you in the light of Christ to his everlasting kingdom. Amen.
You have come here to be baptised. I ask you now to affirm as yours the faith of the Church.
Do you believe in God the Father almighty?
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in God the Son?
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The minister says to the candidates for baptism
Do you profess this faith?
I do.
Will you follow Jesus faithfully, and obey his commands throughout your life?
With his help, I intend to do so.
Do you ask for baptism in the faith you have professed?
I do.
4. The minister asks each person to come to the font and baptises them by dipping them in the water or pouring water on them, saying
N, I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The minister continues
God has called you into his church.
The congregation joins the minister in saying
We therefore receive and welcome you
as a fellow member of the body of Christ,
as a child of the same heavenly Father,
and as an inheritor with us of the kingdom of God.
5. The minister makes a sign of the cross on each candidate’s forehead and says
I sign you with the sign of the cross
to show that you are to be true to Christ crucified
and that you are not to be ashamed
to confess your faith in him.
The congregation joins the minister in saying
Fight bravely under his banner
against sin, the world and the Devil,
and continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant
to your life’s end.
6. The minister continues
We thank you, our heavenly Father, for giving your servants new birth with your Holy Spirit, adopting them as your own, and receiving them into the fellowship of your Church. Being buried with Christ in his baptism, may they die to sin, walk in newness of life, and be united with Christ in his resurrection. May they grow in the faith into which they have been baptised, and may all things belonging to the Spirit live and grow in them. Amen.
7. If it is not used elsewhere in the service, the Lord’s Prayer may be said together here
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.
8. The service concludes with these words
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
1. The minister welcomes those who have come for baptism. The minister addresses the congregation
When our Lord Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, he commanded his disciples to preach the gospel to all nations and to baptise those who believe. They obeyed his command and we read of the apostle Peter preaching in these words, ‘Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
Jesus taught that no-one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. ‘Flesh gives birth to flesh’, he said, ‘but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.’ So let us pray to God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ that he will grant to these people that which by nature they cannot have, that they may be baptised with water and the Holy Spirit and be made living members of Christ’s Church.
The congregation joins the minister in praying
Heavenly Father,
we thank you that in your great love
you have called us to know you
and to trust you.
Increase this knowledge and strengthen our faith.
Give your Holy Spirit to these people
that they may be born again,
cleansed from all sin,
and inherit your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. The minister invites those who are to be baptized to stand and says to them
Those who are to be baptized must declare their allegiance to Christ and their rejection of all that is evil: the Devil and all his works, the empty display and false values of the world, and the sinful desires of the flesh. Therefore I ask
Do you turn away from your sins, from the Devil and all evil?
I turn away from them all.
Do you turn to Christ?
I turn to Christ.
May Almighty God deliver you from the powers of darkness and lead you in the light of Christ to his everlasting kingdom. Amen.
You have come here to be baptised. I ask you now to affirm as yours the faith of the Church.
Do you believe in God the Father almighty?
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in God the Son?
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
3. The minister says to the candidates for baptism
Do you profess this faith?
I do.
Will you follow Jesus faithfully, and obey his commands throughout your life?
With his help, I intend to do so.
Do you ask for baptism in the faith you have professed?
I do.
4. The minister asks each person to come to the font and baptises them by dipping them in the water or pouring water on them, saying
N, I baptise you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The minister continues
God has called you into his church.
The congregation joins the minister in saying
We therefore receive and welcome you
as a fellow member of the body of Christ,
as a child of the same heavenly Father,
and as an inheritor with us of the kingdom of God.
5. The minister makes a sign of the cross on each candidate’s forehead and says
I sign you with the sign of the cross
to show that you are to be true to Christ crucified
and that you are not to be ashamed
to confess your faith in him.
The congregation joins the minister in saying
Fight bravely under his banner
against sin, the world and the Devil,
and continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant
to your life’s end.
6. The minister continues
We thank you, our heavenly Father, for giving your servants new birth with your Holy Spirit, adopting them as your own, and receiving them into the fellowship of your Church. Being buried with Christ in his baptism, may they die to sin, walk in newness of life, and be united with Christ in his resurrection. May they grow in the faith into which they have been baptised, and may all things belonging to the Spirit live and grow in them. Amen.
7. If it is not used elsewhere in the service, the Lord’s Prayer may be said together here
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.
8. The service concludes with these words
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.
