4th October 2026 - The Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity
9.00am Sung Eucharist
Gathering
The celebrant welcomes the people.
All STAND to sing the INTROIT HYMN, during which the clergy process in.
Introit Hymn (REH 269, T. 270)
1. Blessèd city, heavenly Salem,
Vision dear of peace and love,
Who, of living stones upbuilded,
Art the joy of heaven above,
And, with angel cohorts circled,
As a bride dost earth dost move!
2. From celestial realms descending,
Bridal glory round her shed,
To his presence, decked with jewels,
By her Lord shall she be led:
All her streets, and all her bulwarks,
Of pure gold are fashionèd.
3. Bright with pearls her portals glitter,
They are open evermore;
And, by virtue of his merits,
Thither faithful souls may soar,
Who for Christ’s dear name in this world
Pain and tribulation bore.
4. Many a blow and biting sculpture
Fashioned well those stones elect,
In their places now compacted
By the heavenly architect,
Who therewith hath willed for ever
That his palace should be decked.
5. Laud and honour to the Father;
Laud and honour to the Son;
Laud and honour to the Spirit;
Ever three, and ever one:
Consubstantial, co-eternal
While unending ages run. Amen.
Tune: WESTMINSTER ABBEY Adapted by Ernest Hawkins 1802-68
From Henry Purcell 1659-95 O God, Thou art my God
Words: Latin 6th or 7th cent; tr. John Mason Neale 1818-66
The celebrant then greets the people
In the name of the ✠ Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
All Amen.
Greeting
The Lord be with you
All and also with you.
(or)
Grace, mercy and peace
from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ
be with you
All and also with you.
The celebrant then greets the people All REMAIN STANDING and say
Collect for Purity
All Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Confession
The celebrant invites the people to KNEEL and confess their sins. All KNEEL or SIT.
All Almighty God, our heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you
and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault.
We are truly sorry
and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
who died for us,
forgive us all that is past
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name.
Amen.
Kyrie eleison
Lord, have mercy.
All Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
All Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
All Lord, have mercy.
Absolution
Almighty God,
who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy upon you,
pardon ✠ and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in life eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All Amen.
All STAND.
Gloria in Excelsis
All Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.
Collect
Let us pray:
All REMAIN STANDING. Silence is kept.
Almighty and everlasting God,
increase in us your gift of faith
that, forsaking what lies behind
and reaching out to that which is before,
we may run the way of your commandments
and win the crown of everlasting joy;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
All Amen.
Liturgy of the Word
All SIT.
First Reading
Isaiah 5. 1-7 (NRSV)
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Let me sing for my beloved, my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watch-tower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!
This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
The Choir sings
Psalm
Psalm 80. 9-17 (Coverdale)
9 Thou madest room for it : and when it had taken root it filled the land. / 10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it : and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees. / 11 She stretched out her branches unto the sea : and her boughs unto the river. / 12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedge : that all they that go by pluck off her grapes? / 13 The wild boar out of the wood doth root it up : and the wild beasts of the field devour it. / 14 Turn thee again, thou God of hosts, look down from heaven : behold, and visit this vine; / 15 And the place of the vineyard that thy right hand hath planted : and the branch that thou madest so strong for thyself. / 16 It is burnt with fire, and cut down : and they shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance. / 17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand : and upon the son of man, whom thou madest so strong for thine own self. / Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.
Second Reading
Phil. 3. 4b-14 (NRSV)
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians.
If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
All STAND.
During the Gradual Hymn, the Gospel book is carried to the nave. All turn to face the Gospel.
Gradual Hymn (REH 448)
1. Christ be the Lord of all our days,
The swiftly passing years:
Lord of our unremembered birth,
Heirs to the brightness of the earth;
Lord of our griefs and fears.
2. Christ be the source of all our deeds,
The life our living shares;
The fount which flows from worlds above
To never-failing springs of love;
The ground of all our prayers.
3. Christ be the goal of all our hopes,
The end to whom we come;
Guide of each pilgrim Christian soul
Which seeks, as compass seeks the pole,
Our many-mansioned home.
4. Christ be the vision of our lives,
Of all we think and are;
To shine upon our spirits’ sight
As Light of everlasting Light,
The bright and morning star.
Tune: CLOTH FAIR John Scott 1956-2015
Words: Timothy Dudley Smith 1926-2024
©Hope Publishing Company Printed by permission. CCLI Licence #377878.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 21. 33-end (NRSV)
The acclamation heralding the Gospel reading is proclaimed. The congregation responds
All Alleluia.
The Lord be with you
All and also with you.
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
All Glory to you, O Lord.
Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes”? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.
All SIT.
Sermon
Following the sermon, all STAND.
Creed
All We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
Prayers of Intercession
The celebrant introduces the prayers.
All KNEEL or SIT. The intercessor continues.
The celebrant concludes the prayers with a Collect.
Liturgy of the Sacrament
Peace
All STAND and the celebrant introduces the Peace, and then the following is said:
The peace of the Lord be always with you
All and also with you.
The celebrant may say
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
All may exchange a sign of peace.
The Offertory
Taking of the Bread and Wine
All REMAIN STANDING as the collection is taken. The gifts of the people are gathered and presented. The altar is prepared and bread and wine are placed upon it.
Offertory Hymn (REH 359)
1. All creatures of our God and King,
Lift up your voice and with us sing
Alleluya, alleluya!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
Thou silver moon with softer gleam:
(Refrain)
O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluya, alleluya, allelluya!
2. Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along,
O praise him, Alleluya!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice;
Ye lights of evening, find a voice: (Refrain)
3. Thou flowing water, pure and clear,
Make music for thy Lord to hear,
Alleluya, alleluya!
Thou fire so masterful and bright
That givest man both warmth and light: (Refrain)
4. Dear mother earth, who day by day
Unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise him, Alleluya!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
Let them his glory also show: (Refrain)
5. All ye that are of tender heart,
Forgiving others, take your part,
O sing ye, alleluya!
Ye who long pain and sorrow bear,
Praise God and on him cast your care:
6. And thou, most kind and gentle death,
Waiting to hush our latest breath,
O praise him, alleluya!
Thou leadest home the child of God,
And Christ our Lord the way hath trod:
7. Let all things their Creator bless,
And worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, Alleluya!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, three in One: (Refrain)
Tune: LASST UNS ERFREUEN Melody from an Easter hymn
in Geistliche Kirchengesäng, Cologne 1623
Words: William Henry Draper 1855-1933; based on St Francis of Assisi 1182-1226
The celebrant says the prayer at the preparation of the altar. All responds
All Amen.
(or)
All Blessed be God for ever.
All REMAIN STANDING.
Eucharistic Prayer G
The Lord be with you
All and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
All We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All It is right to give thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, Lord God,
Our light and our salvation;
to you be glory and praise for ever.
From the beginning you have created all things
and all your works echo the silent music of your praise.
In the fullness of time you made us in your image,
the crown of all creation.
You give us breath and speech, that with angels and archangels
and all the powers of heaven
we may find a voice to sing your praise:
All Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
How wonderful the work of your hands, O Lord.
As a mother tenderly gathers her children,
you embraced a people as your own.
When they turned away and rebelled
your loved remained steadfast.
From them you raised up Jesus our Saviour, born of Mary,
to be the living bread,
in whom all our hungers are satisfied.
He offered his life for sinners,
amd with a love stronger than death
he opened wide his arms on the cross.
On the night before he died,
he came to supper with his friends
and, taking bread, he gave you thanks.
He broke the bread, gave it to them and said:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
After the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,
he gave you thanks, and said:
Drink this, all of you;
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me.
Great is the mystery of faith:
All Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
Father, we plead with confidence
his sacrifice made once for all upon the cross;
we remember his dying and rising in glory,
and we rejoice that he intercedes for us at your right hand.
Pour out your Holy Spirit as we bring before you
these gifts of your creation;
may they be for us the body and blooded of your dear Son.
As we eat and drink these holy things in your presence,
from us in the likemess for Christ.
and build us into a living temple to your glory.
Remember, Lord your Church in ever land.
Reveal her unity, guard her faith,
and preserve her in peace,
Bring us at the last with the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St john the Evangelist, St Stephen, and all the saints
to the vision of that eternal splendour
for wich you have created us;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
by whom, with whom, and in whom,
we worship you, Father almightly, in songs of everlasting praise.
All Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever for ever. Amen.
All KNEEL or SIT.
Lord’s Prayer
The congregation is invited to say the Lord’s Prayer in the language of their choice.
As our Saviour taught us, so we pray
All 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.
All 我們在天上的父，
願你的名被尊為聖，
願你的國降臨，
願你的旨意行在地上，
如同行在天上。
我們日用的飲食，今天賜給我們。
饒恕我們的罪，
如同我們饒恕得罪我們的人。
不叫我們遇見試探，
拯救我們脫離凶惡。
因為國度、權柄、榮耀，都是你的，
從現在直到永遠。阿們。
All Ama namin sa langit,
sambahin ang Ngalan Mo,
sumapit nawa ang kaharian Mo,
sundin ang loob Mo,
dito sa lupa gaya rin sa langit.
Bigyan Mo kami ngayon
ng aming kakanin sa araw-araw.
Patawarin Mo kami sa aming mga kasalanan
gaya rin ng pagpapatawad namin sa mga nagkakasala sa amin.
Huwag mo kaming itulot sa pagsubok
kundi i-adya mo kami sa masama.
Sapagkat sa Iyo ang kaharian
ang kapangyarihan,
at ang kaluwalhatian,
ngayon at magpakailanman.
ya Nawa.
Breaking of the Bread
The celebrant breaks the consecrated bread.
We break this bread
to share in the body of Christ.
All Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Agnus Dei
All Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world,
grant us peace.
(or)
All Jesus, Lamb of God,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins,
have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world,
grant us peace.
Giving of Communion
The celebrant says the invitation to communion.
Draw near with faith.
Receive the body of our Lord Jesus Christ
which he gave for you,
and his blood which he shed for you.
Eat and drink
in remembrance that he died for you,
and feed on him in your hearts
by faith with thanksgiving.
(or)
Jesus is the Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world.
Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
All Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,
but only say the word, and I shall be healed.
The celebrant and people receive communion If you are baptized in any Christian tradition you are very welcome to receive Holy Communion at our altar.
Words of the distribution are said and the communicant replies
Amen.
Those who are not baptized are welcome to come to the altar for a blessing. Please keep your arms crossed upon your breast as an indication.
During the distribution, the Choir sings
Communion Anthem
Communion Antiphon
Prayer after Communion
The celebrant says
Let us pray:
All KNEEL or SIT. Silence is kept.
We praise and thank you, O Christ, for this sacred feast:
for here we receive you,
here the memory of your passion is renewed,
here our minds are filled with grace,
and here a pledge of future glory is given,
when we shall feast at that table where you reign
with all your saints for ever.
All Amen.
One of these prayers of thanksgiving may then be said.
All Almighty God,
we thank you for feeding us
with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ.
Through him we offer you our souls and bodies
to be a living sacrifice.
Send us out
in the power of your Spirit
to live and work
to your praise and glory.
Amen.
(or)
All Father of all,
we give you thanks and praise,
that when we were still far off
you met us in your Son and brought us home.
Dying and living, he declared your love,
gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory.
May we who share Christ's body live his risen life;
we who drink his cup bring life to others;
we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world.
Keep us firm in the hope you have set before us,
so we and all your children shall be free,
and the whole earth live to praise your name;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
All SIT.
Notices
Blessing
The congregation STANDS. The Celebrant introduces the blessing by saying
The Lord be with you
All and also with you.
The choirs then sing An Irish Blessing (James E. Moore).
The Celebrant then gives the blessing.
And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, ✠ the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be among you and remain with you always.
All Amen.
Dismissal
After which, the deacon says
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All In the name of Christ. Amen.
The ministers and people depart.
All REMAIN STANDING to sing the Recessional Hymn.
Recessional Hymn (REH 485)
1. I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
And I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth.
At Bethlehem I had my birth.
(Refrain) Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
2. I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
But they would not dance and they wouldn’t follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John,
They came with me and the Dance went on.
(Refrain) Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he.
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.
3. I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
The holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high;
And they left me there on a cross to die. (Refrain)
4. I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black,
It’s hard to dance with the Devil on your back.
They buried my body and they thought I’d gone,
But I am the Dance and I still go on. (Refrain)
5. They cut me down and I leapt up high,
I am the life that’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you’ll live in me,
I am the Lord of the Dance said he. (Refrain)
Tune: LORD OF THE DANCES American Shaker tune; adapted by Sydney Carter 1915-2004
Words: Sydney Carter 1915-2004
© Stainer & Bell Ltd. Printed by permission. CCLI Licence #377878
Organ Voluntary
Copyright acknowledgement:
This order of service has been prepared by the Cathedral of St John the Evangelist, Hong Kong from Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000; and from Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2006.