The Second Sunday of Lent

16th March 2025

The Parish Eucharist

Welcome to Liverpool Parish Church. There has been Christian worship on this site since the 13th century and today we are still proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ in the centre of Liverpool.

All people are welcome in this place. At the Eucharist if you normally receive Holy Communion in your own church, you are welcome to do so here.

Babies and children are welcome in this church. If you feel they are unsettled, there is a small play area for them at the back of the north aisle. You would still be able to see, hear and participate in the service, but please rejoin the rest of the congregation when you are ready.

Sunday School Parents are welcome to stay with their children or to reclaim them at the end of the service.

Donations and Giving. We rely on generous individual giving for much of our income. If you are a UK taxpayer donations can be Gift Aided to provide additional benefit to the Church. If you worship here regularly then please consider joining the Planned Giving Scheme. There is also a contactless donation point in the Narthex.

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Calendar for the Week

Monday 17 March
09.00 Morning Prayer

Tuesday 18 March
09.00 Morning Prayer

Wednesday 19 March
09.00 Morning Prayer

Thursday 20 March
09.00 Morning Prayer

Friday 21 March
09.00 Morning Prayer
12.15 Eucharist
13.05 RC Mass
19.30 Bells

Saturday 22 March

Sunday 23 March
09.00 Morning Prayer
10.00 Parish Eucharist
11.45 Fire alarm test

Before the service

Organ: Aria – Ian Tracey (born 1955)

Opening Hymn

The bell rings and we stand, as we are able, and sing:

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Be all else but naught to me, save that thou art,
Be thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Both waking and sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word
Be thou ever with me, and I with thee, Lord,
Be thou my great Father, and I thy true son,
Be thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight,
Be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might,
Be thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my strong tower,
O raise thou me heavenward, great Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Be thou my ineritance now and always,
Be thou and thou only the first in my heart,
O Sovereign of heaven, my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me its joys after vict’ry is won,
Great Hear tof my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Irish, 8th Century Tran. Mary Byrne (1880-1931)
Versified by Eleanor Henrietta Hull (1860-1935)
Music: ‘Slane’ Trad. Irish Harmony Eric Routley (1917-82)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

When Sunday School is meeting, a prayer is said with our young people at this point before they leave for their session.

Confession

The Deacon invites us to confess our sins.

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin: Kyrie, kyrie eleison. Kyrie, kyrie eleison.
Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight: Christe, Christe eleison. Christe, Christe eleison.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me: Kyrie, kyrie eleison. Kyrie, kyrie eleison.

We receive an absolution, assuring us of God’s forgiveness.

The Collect

Almighty God, by the prayer and discipline of Lent may we enter into the mystery of Christ’s sufferings, and by following in his Way come to share in his glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Readings

(We sit)

First Reading (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18)

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Take up thy cross, the Saviour said,
If thou wouldst my disciple be;
Deny thyself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after me.

Take up thy cross; let not its weight
Fill thy weak spirit with alarm;
His strength shall bear thy spirit up,
And brace thy heart and nerve thine arm.

Take up thy cross, nor heed the shame,
Nor let thy foolish pride rebel;
The Lord for thee the Cross endured,
To save thy soul from death and hell.

Take up thy cross then in his strength,
And calmly every danger brave,
’Twill guide thee to a better home,
And lead to victory o’er the grave.

Take up thy cross, and follow Christ,
Nor think till death to lay it down;
For only he who bears the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown.

To thee, great Lord, the One in Three,
All praise for evermore ascend;
O grant us in our home to see
The heavenly life that knows no end.

Words: Charles Everest (1814-77)
Music: ‘Breslau’ Trad. German Harmonised William Henry Monk (1823-89)

Second reading (Philippians 3:17-4:1)

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

(We stand)

Praise to you O Christ, King of eternal glory. x2
Praise to you O Christ, king of eternal glory. x2
The Lord is a great God, O that today you would listen to his voice. Harden not your hearts
Praise to you O Christ, king of eternal glory. x2

Please turn to face the Gospel reading (Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-36)

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord

This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

Sermon

The Revd Michelle Montrose

The Creed

(We stand)

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.

The Intercessions

(please kneel or sit)

Any of the following may be used:

Lord of compassion In your mercy hear us
Lord, meet us in the silence. give us strength and hear our prayer.

At the end:
either: … raise us up by your unfailing mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
or: … Lord, meet us in the silence, give us strength and hear our prayer, here and in eternity. Amen.

The Peace

(We stand)

The Peace is introduced, followed by:

The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

Offertory Hymn

Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim,
And publish abroad his wonderful name:
The name all-victorious of Jesus extol:
His kingdom is glorious, and rules over all.

God ruleth on high, almighty to save;
And still he is nigh, his presence we have:
The great congregation his triumph shall sing,
Ascribing salvation to Jesus our King.

Salvation to God who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud, and honour the Son:
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
Fall down on their faces, and worship the Lamb.

Then let us adore, and give him his right:
All glory and power, all wisdom and might,
All honour and blessing, with angels above,
And thanks never-ceasing, and infinite love.

Words: Charles Wesley (1707-88)
Music: ‘Paderborn’ German folk melody included in Gesangbuch,1765 arranged by Sydney Hugo Nicholson (1875-1947)

The Eucharistic Prayer

A prayer is said over the gifts on the altar, to which we respond Amen.

The Lord be with you
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 thanks and praise.

The seasonal part of the prayer follows and at the end the Cantors sing:

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.

(Modal Communion Service – Martin Shaw (1875-1958))

We pray for the Holy Spirit to transform us and the gifts, and then the words of Jesus at the Last Supper are recalled:

The following acclamation is then used:

Christ is the bread of life:
When we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim your death Lord Jesus, until you come in glory.

The prayer continues with oblation and intercession, ending:

…we worship you, Father almighty, in songs of everlasting praise:
Blessing and honour and glory and power be yours for ever and ever. Amen.

Trusting in the compassion of God, let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us:

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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

The cantors sing:

O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace.

Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Blessed are those who are called to his supper.
Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.

If you normally receive Communion in your own church then you are welcome to do so here, or you may prefer the priest to pray for God’s blessing on you. There are two standing stations for Communion in the centre but if you would prefer to kneel to receive Communion then please use the rail in the south aisle on the congregation’s left side.

Please indicate if you would rather receive a blessing. Gluten-free hosts are available.

During Communion

Turn thy face from my sins, and put out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.

Words: Psalm 51.9-11
Music: Thomas Attwood (1765-1838)

Post-Communion Prayers

(We stand at ‘Let us pray’)

After the post-communion prayer we say together

Faithful God, in baptism you have adopted us as your children, made us members of the body of Christ and chosen us as inheritors of your kingdom: we thank you that in this Eucharist you renew your promises within us, empower us by your Spirit to witness and to serve, and send us out as disciples of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Notices (please sit)

Please join us for refreshments after the service.

A collection is taken during the final hymn. Those preferring to donate online are invited to use the Donate button above, or our contactless donation point.

Final Hymn

O God beyond all praising, we worship you today
And sing the love amazing that songs cannot repay;
For we can only wonder at every gift you send,
At blessings without number and mercies without end:
We lift our hearts before you and wait upon your word,
We honour and adore you, our great and mighty Lord.

Then hear, O gracious Saviour, accept the love we bring,
That we who know your favour may serve you as our king;
And whether our tomorrows be filled with good or ill,
We’ll triumph through our sorrows and rise to bless you still:
To marvel at your beauty and glory in your ways,
And make a joyful duty our sacrifice of praise.

Words: Michael Perry (1942-96)
Music: ‘Thaxted’ - Gustav Holst (1874-1934)

Blessing and Dismissal

(please stand)

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

…and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
In the name of Christ. Amen.

Organ: ‘Short’ Prelude and Fugue in A minor BWV 559 – J. S. Bach (1685-1750).

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000. Hymns and other texts are reproduced under CCL licence number 556443 or One License licence number A-632593.