A.M.E CHURCH Liturgy

Minister: I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord, our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. 

People: For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. 

Minister: Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good. 

People: Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. 

Minister: Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. Lord, I have loved thy habitation, the place where thy honour dwelleth.

 People: For the Lord is in His holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before Him. 

Minister: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. 

People: O sing unto the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous thing. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth, and sing praises 

INTROIT (sung)

From all that dwell below the skies Le the Creator's praise arise.  Let  the Redeemer's name be sung, Through every land by every tongue. 

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

Minister: And God spake all these words, saying: I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the House of bondage. Thou shall have no other Gods before me.

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above. or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in waters under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou , nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the seventh day and hallowed it.

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
Hymn: 

My soul be on they guard

Ten thousand foes arise:

And hosts of sin are pressing hard,

To draw thee from the skies. 

 
THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Honor they father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not kill.

People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not commit adultery

People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

 
THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not steal.

People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

Minister: Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house; Thou shalt not cover thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's

 
People: Lord have mercy upon us, and write these laws upon our hearts.

 
Hymn

Nearer my God to thee!

Nearer to thee, Even though it be a cross

That raiseth me:

Still all my song shall be,

Nearer my God to thee

Nearer my God to thee

Nearer to thee. 

.

Minister: Hear what Christ our Savior saith, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets.

 
GLORIA PATRI (sung by all): 

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, Amen. 

 The Solicitation 

 You that do truly and earnestly repent of your sins, and are in love and charity with your neighbor, and intend to lead a new life, following the commandments of God, and walking from henceforth in His holy ways, draw near with faith and take this holy sacrament to your comfort; and make your humble confession to Almighty God, meekly bowing or kneeling (as able). 

The General Confession 

 Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Maker of all things, Judge of all men, we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness which we from time to time most grievously have committed by thought, word and deed against Your divine Majesty, provoking most justly Your wrath and indignation against us. We do earnestly repent and are heartily sorry for these our misdoings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father for Your Son our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake; forgive us all that is past and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please You in newness of life, to the honor and glory of Your name, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. 

The First Collect

 Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who of your great mercy has promised forgiveness of sins to all them that with hearty repentance and true faith turn unto you, have mercy upon us; pardon and deliver us from all our sins; confirm and strengthen us in all goodness; and bring us to everlasting life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen 

The Second Collect 

 Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, 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 Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.  

 The Prayer of Adoration 

 It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty that we shall at all times, and in all places give thanks unto You, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God. (Together we say) Therefore, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify Your Holy Name, evermore praising You and saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts; heaven and earth are full of Your glory. Glory be to You, O Lord, most high.” Amen. 

The Prayer of Humiliation 

 We do not presume to come to this Your table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Your manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather crumbs under Your table. But You are the same Lord, whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of Your dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink His blood that our sinful souls and bodies may be made clean by His death and washed through His blood, and that we may evermore dwell in Him and He in us. Amen. 

The Prayer of Consecration  

Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who of Your tender mercy did give Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, who made thereby His oblation of Himself, once offered, a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world; and did institute and in His holy gospel command us to continue a perpetual memory of that His precious death until His coming again; hear us, O merciful Father, we most humbly beseech You, and grant that we, receiving these Your creatures of bread and wine, according to Your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of His death and passion, may be partakers of His most blessed body and blood; Who in the same night that He was betrayed took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, Take, eat, this is My body which is broken for you. This do in remembrance of Me. Likewise after supper He took the cup, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them saying, Drink all of it, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins; do this, as often as you shall drink it, in remembrance of me. Amen.