Sign of the Cross

Greeting

Praise and glory to the Lord Jesus
who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
May his grace and peace be with you all.

Introduction and Litany of Praise

Option A
Today we rejoice in the Ascension of Christ our Savior.
It is the sign that his work is completed
and his Father is well pleased.
Now Jesus invites us to carry on his mission
and to be his presence where we live and work. (pause)

Lord Jesus, you sit at the right hand of the Father:
Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are above every authority and power:
Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are with us always…. to the end of time:
Lord, have mercy.

Option B
Christ, the God-Man, has ascended into heaven.
He has returned to his Father
and entered into his glory.
Our hope of everlasting glory is strengthened.
Let us call upon him now as we pray:

Lord Jesus, in your risen body you appeared to your disciples:
Lord have mercy.

You ascended on high to be seated at the right hand of your Father:
Christ, have mercy.

You will come again in your glory to judge the living and the dead:
Lord, have mercy.

 

Opening Prayer

Option A
God of majesty,
yours is the power that raised Christ from death,
yours is the glory that exalted him to your right hand.
Clothe us with power from on high
that we may proclaim the good news to the whole world,
confirming our message by the sign of our love for one another.

Grant this through Jesus Christ,
the first-born from the dead,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.

Option B
God of all creation,
whose mighty power raised Jesus from the dead,
be present to this community of disciples
who have been baptized into Christ's death and resurrection.

Strengthen us in the power of the Spirit
to go and make disciples of all nations,
to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us,
and to know that he is with us always
until the end of the age.

Grant this through Jesus Christ,
the first-born from the dead,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. AMEN.

Liturgy of the Word

Homily

Credo

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

P        With joy and hope in our hearts because of the victory of Christ,
let us pray in the power of his name for he now sits in glory at the right hand of the Father.

             With confidence we pray:

CM     And let our response be: Lord, draw us close to you.
           (Please repeat)

That we may not keep looking towards heaven for the answers to today's problems but commit ourselves to the common task of making this world a better, safer place for all humankind. We pray:

That we will renew our life-commitment to work for a new heaven and a new earth by caring for our planet - and for all life on our planet - God's gift to us here and now. We pray:

May all engaged in the media recognize that they are stewards of a privileged ministry that is intended to enlighten and enrich the human community. We pray:

For ourselves assembled here today: (pause)
that we may prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost by uniting ourselves in prayer with Mary and all the saints: We pray:

[The Presider may add a Petition that is local / relevant]

P     God, our Father, we ask that you listen to our prayers.
       We pray that,
       at the name of Jesus,
       every knee shall bend and every tongue confess
       that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory
        of God the Father. AMEN

Prayer over the Gifts

God of endless ages,
here in these signs of bread and wine
your Son Jesus keeps his promise
to be with us always, even to the end of time.
May he live and grow in us
so that, by the power of the Holy Spirit,
we can help him make disciples of all nations.
Grant this in the name of Christ our Lord. AMEN.

Note that there are two Prefaces for the Feast of the Ascension found in the Sacramentary.

Intro to the Lord's Prayer

[Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father
where he intercedes for us.]
Let us pray to the Father in the words he taught us,
knowing that he also prays with us:

Deliver us Lord  

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,
and grant us peace in our day.
Jesus has gone before us;
a 'cloud' hides him from our sight.
But he has told us that where he is
we shall one day be.
On the strength of that word
let us go forward in joyful hope
while we await the return of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ,
you said to your apostles:
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth."
Let us not stand looking at the heavens;
rather, let us be his witnesses to people on earth,
and grant us the peace of your kingdom
where you live for ever and ever. AMEN.

Sign of Peace
Let us acknowledge Christ's power in our midst
by offering each other a sign of his peace.

Optional Prayer to accompany the ‘Breaking of Bread’

P      In breaking this bread
        we meet Christ our Lord.
        In him, peoples of all nations will sit down at table
        as sisters and brothers in the kingdom of God.
        May this cup, shared in his memory,
        be a sign of the kingdom coming into our lives.
       
A     LAMB OF GOD.....

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus who said:
"Know that I am with you always
until the end of time."
Blessed are we who are called to receive him at this altar-table.

Lord, I am not worthy…

Prayer after Communion   

Heavenly Father,
you have entrusted to us the mission you gave to your Son;
we are to be his presence in the world,
his witnesses to the ends of the earth.

Christ has no body on earth but ours.
He has no hands but ours to raise up the fallen,
no feet but ours to seek out the lost.
He has no eyes but ours to see the silent tears of the suffering:
no ears but ours to listen to the lonely.
He has no tongue but ours to speak a word of comfort to the sad:
no heart but ours to love the unloved.

Father, send us the Holy Spirit
so that we can be the body of Jesus our Lord. AMEN

Solemn Blessing

May almighty God bless you on this day
when his only Son ascended into heaven
to prepare a place for you. AMEN.

After his resurrection, Christ was seen by his disciples.
When he appears as judge
may you be pleasing in his sight. AMEN.

You believe that Jesus has taken his seat in majesty
at the right hand of the Father.
May you have the joy of experiencing
that he is also with you to the end of time. AMEN.

Dismissal     

Jesus who ascended to heaven will return again.
Go and bear witness to his Gospel of Service.