A SERVICE TO MARK THE 75th ANNIVERSARY OF V.E. DAY

[Please click on the links where indicated]

The Greeting and Introduction
https://youtu.be/n4X0Ay8cPKc

Heaviness may endure for a night:
But joy comes in the morning.

God has been our refuge and our strength:
A present help in time of trouble.

Dear friends, we have come together on this day to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe, when the sounds of war fell silent on this continent.

We come together conscious of our need for God’s forgiveness for the sin and the desire to dominate others that leads to conflict between people, and war between nations.

And as we remember the many soldiers, sailors, and airmen who gave their lives restraining evil and opposing tyranny, so we also come in thanksgiving for the years of peace that the nations of Europe have enjoyed since the Second World War. We gather joyfully today, as those who gathered on that first Victory day, glad of each other’s company, and grateful for the laughter and love that follows times of sadness and loss.

But above all things, let us pray that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven, as we join our voices together and say:

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father…

Hymn: Hymns Old And New (HON) 422
Praise,my soul, the King of heaven
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx1eMwlDFb8

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
to his feet thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore his praises sing:
Praise him, praise him! Praise him, praise him!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favor
to our fathers in distress;
praise him still the same for ever,
slow to chide and swift to bless:
Praise him, praise him! Praise him, praise him!
Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like, he tends and spares us;
well our feeble frame he knows;
in his hand he gently bears us,
rescues us from all our foes.
Praise him, praise him! Praise him, praise him!
Widely yet his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
ye behold him face to face;
sun and moon, bow down before him,
dwellers all in time and space.
Praise him, praise him! Praise him, praise him!
Praise with us the God of grace.

Old Testament Reading (read by Jean Boothby)
Micah 4.1–4 God’s promised time of peace
https://youtu.be/ac3lVdIOOyg

Hymn: HON 310
Lord, for the years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkTrFQLy6js
(text on screen)

New Testament Reading (read by Mike Kershaw)
Luke 15.18–24 The welcoming joy of God
https://youtu.be/_mjuxMye36c

Responsory
https://youtu.be/IP9WZwN0k4w
Your salvation is near to those who fear you,
All that glory may dwell in our land.

Mercy and truth have met together;
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
All that glory may dwell in our land.

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
All Your salvation is near to those who fear you,
that glory may dwell in our land.
c.f. Psalms 84, 89

Hymn: HON 354
Now thank we all our God.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s99dNPKYtHk
(text on screen)

Prayers
https://youtu.be/fnlN1K1gToA
An Act of Commitment
Let us pledge ourselves anew to the service of God and our fellow men and women:
that we may help, encourage and comfort others,
and support those working for the relief of the needy and for the peace and welfare of the nations.

Lord God our Father,
we pledge ourselves to serve you and all humankind,
in the cause of peace,
for the relief of want and suffering,
and for the praise of your name.
Guide us by your Spirit;
give us wisdom;
give us courage;
give us hope;
and keep us faithful now and always.
Amen.

O Lord our God,
as we remember, teach us the ways of peace.
As we treasure memories, teach us to hope.
As we give thanks for the sacrifices of the past,
help us to make your future in this world,
until your kingdom come.
Amen.

Collect for Peace
Almighty God,
from whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed:
kindle in the hearts of all people the true love of peace;
and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom
those who take counsel for the nations of the earth;
that in tranquillity your kingdom may go forward,
till the earth is filled with the knowledge of thy love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

A prayer for the Sovereign
Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,
bless our Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth,
and all who are in authority under her;
that they may order all things
in wisdom and equity, righteousness and peace,
to the honour of your name,
and the good of your Church and people;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The National Anthem HON 177
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3dR7u7TPNo

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save The Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save The Queen!

Thy choicest gifts in store
On her be pleased to pour;
Long may she reign;
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause
To sing with heart and voice,
God save The Queen!

The Blessing
https://youtu.be/2AsD-LSYP30
God grant to the living, grace; to the departed, rest;
to the Church, the Queen, the Commonwealth,
and all people, peace and concord;
and to us and all his servants, life everlasting;
and the blessing of God almighty,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
come down upon you and remain with you always.
Amen.

Hymn: HON 288
King of glory, King of peace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKVXTMEXbaw

King of glory, King of peace,
I will love Thee;
and that love may never cease,
I will move Thee.
Thou hast granted my request,
Thou hast heard me;
Thou didst note my working breast,
Thou hast spared me.

Wherefore with my utmost art
I will sing Thee,
and the cream of all my heart
I will bring Thee.
Though my sins against me cried,
Thou didst clear me;
and alone, when they replied,
Thou didst hear me.

Sev’n whole days, not one in sev’n,
I will praise Thee;
in my heart, though not in heav’n,
I can raise Thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort
to enroll Thee:
e’en eternity’s too short
to extol Thee.

Postlude:
Sigfrid Karg-Elert – “Nun Danket Alle Gott” – Marche Triomphale, Op. 65, No. 59
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FuurDGPec

APPENDIX– FURTHER PRAYERS

For those who served and died in World War II
O God of truth and justice,
we hold before you those men and women
who have died in active service,
particularly in the Second World War,
whose sacrifice brought Victory in Europe.
As we honour their courage and cherish their memory,
may we put our faith in your future;
for youare the source of life and hope,
now and for ever.
Amen.

For those who serve today
O Lord God of Hosts,
stretch forth, we pray, your almighty arm
to strengthen and protect our service men and women.
Support them in times of conflict,
and in theirrest and training keep them safe from all evil;
endue them with courage and loyalty;
and grant that in all things they may serve without reproach;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

For the peace of the world
O God, who would fold both heaven and earth
in a single peace;
that the design of your great love lighten
upon the waste of our wraths and sorrows
and give peace to your church, peace among nations,
peace in our dwellings and peace in our hearts;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Sir Francis Drake’s prayer
O Lord,
when thou givest to thy servants to endeavour in any great matter,
Grant us also to know that it is not the beginning
but the continuing of the same until it be thoroughly finished
that yieldeth the true glory,
through him for the finishing of thy work laid down his life,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer of Saint Ignatius
Teach us, good Lord, to serve thee as thou deservest,
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward;
except that of knowing that we do thy will.
Amen.

The Naval Prayer
O Eternal Lord God,
who alone spreadest out the heavens and rulest the raging of the sea;
who has compassed the waters with bounds
until day and night come to an end;
be pleased to receive into Thy almighty and most gracious protection
the persons of us Thy servants,
and the Fleet in which we serve.
Preserve us from the dangers of the sea and of the air,
and from the violence of the enemy;
that we may be a safeguard
unto our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth,
and her Dominions,
and a security for such as pass upon the seas upon their lawful occasions;
that the inhabitants of our islands and Commonwealth
may in peace and quietness
serve Thee our God;
and that we may return in safety
to enjoy the blessings of the land,
with the fruits of our labours,
and with a thankful remembrance of Thy mercies
to praise and glorify Thy Holy Name;
Amen.

An Army Collect
Almighty God, whose command is overall and whose love never fails,
let us be aware of your presence and obedient to your will.
Help us to accept our share of responsibility with strong heart and cheerful mind.
Make us considerate of those with whom we live and serve,
and faithful to the duties our country has entrusted to us.
Let our uniform remind us daily of the traditions of the Army in which we serve.
When we are tempted to sin, let us resist.
When we fail, give us courage to try again.
Guide us with the light of your truth,
and keep before us the example of Jesus
in whose name we pray and in whom we trust.
Amen.

Royal Air Force Collect
Almighty God, who has promised that they who wait upon thee
shall renew their strength and mount up with wings, as eagles,
we commend to thy fatherly protection
all who serve in the Royal Air Force.
Uplift and support us in our endeavour,
that we may be a safeguard unto our most gracious Sovereign Lady Queen Elizabeth
and a sure defence to our homeland.
Help us to fulfil our several duties with honour, goodwill and integrity,
and grant that we may prove to be worthy successors of those
who by their valour and sacrifice did nobly save their day and generation;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.