Readers: Bonnie Kelly, Nancy Opremcak
Usher: Greg Marshall
Processional Hymn- Holy Spirit, ever living, 511 Hymnal 1982
1 Holy Spirit, ever living
as the Church’s very life;
Holy Spirit, ever striving
through her in a ceaseless strife;
Holy Spirit, ever forming
in the Church the mind of Christ;
thee we praise with endless worship
for thy fruits and gifts unpriced.
2 Holy Spirit, ever working
through the Church’s ministry;
quickening, strengthening, and absolving,
setting captive sinners free;
Holy Spirit, ever binding
age to age, and soul to soul,
in a fellowship unending
thee we worship and extol.
The Penitential Entrance Rite
Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
His mercy endures for ever.
Psalm 103:3 & Psalm 136
Jesus said, “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
Song of Mercy: Hymn 469
There’s a wideness in God’s mercy,
like the wideness of the sea.
There’s a kindness in God’s justice,
which is more than liberty.
There is welcome for the sinner,
and more graces for the good.
There is mercy with the Savior,
there is healing in his blood.
The Collect
The Lord be with you.
And also with you
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The First Lesson—Ezekiel 37:1-14
A reading from the Book of Ezekiel:
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.
Your word is a lantern to our feet.
And a light upon our path.
The Psalm—130
Psalm 130 is a deep prayer, where the psalmist tells of their longing for God, their waiting for God, and the hope that we have in God’s redemption.
Together, let us pray the 130th Psalm, responsively, after the asterisk:
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
The Second Lesson—Romans 8:6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law– indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Your word is a lantern to our feet.
And a light upon our path.
Sequence Hymn- Breathe on me, Breath of God, 508 Hymnal 1982
1 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
2 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do or to endure.
3 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine,
till all this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.
4 Breathe on me, Breath of God,
so shall I never die;
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
The Gospel Lesson—John 11:1-45
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
The Nicene Creed
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:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from 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.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He 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 Prayers of the People
Officiant
Have mercy on us, O God, according to your loving kindness; in your great compassion, hear our prayers.
Intercessor
We pray for the whole church, all leaders and ministers, and all the holy people of God.
Wash us through and through,
And cleanse us from our sin.
We pray for our nation, for all the nations of the earth, and for all who govern and judge.
Purge us from our sin,
And we shall be pure.
We pray for those who hunger, those who thirst, those who cry out for justice, those who live under the threat of terror, and those without a place to lay their head.
Make them hear of joy and gladness,
that those who are broken may rejoice.
We pray for those who are on our prayer list, those who are ill, those in pain, those under stress, and those who are lonely. Especially…
Give them the joy of your saving help,
and sustain them with your bountiful Spirit.
In this season of Lent we pray that we all might be given the grace and strength to repent and grow closer to you, O God.
Create in us a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within us.
We pray for those who have died and who have entered into the land of eternal Light and your abiding peace,
Cast them not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from them.
We especially pray for those serving our country at home and abroad, especially Christopher, Richard, Stephen, Patrick, Esteban, Jeremy, Stewart, Wyatt, Maria, Keenan, and Andrew.
We pray for those celebrating birthdays this week, especially, Greg Heiner, James Heiner, Carol DeCoste, Martin Kendall, Ann Millan, Marilyn Lyga, Christina Iantosca, Hannah Solon and Bryan Cenolanza.
Officiant
Lord Jesus, when the woman at the well asked for a drink, you offered her living water; hear the earnest prayers of your people and give us each a spring of water gushing up to life eternal. Amen.
These prayers were written by Fr. Rick and are based on Psalm 51
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
The Welcome and Announcements
Join in on Praying the Scriptures: Using an Anglican Rosary. Sign up for the daily Lenten email here.
Mondays at 10AM on Zoom we will have Morning Prayer. The link is on the front page of the website.
On Wednesdays, there is a service of Holy Eucharist at 9AM in the church. You are welcome to come in-person, or to watch online.
The Forum, The Exodus, will be Wednesday evening via Zoom and on Sundays at 9am. Zoom Link is on the front page of the website.
To make a donation: click here
The Offertory – Wounded Lamb, by Gregg Sewell
Wounded lamb, nailed up on the cruel tree,
Wounded lamb, suffering there on Calvary,
Your hands that blessed the children by piercing nails are torn;
Your head now bowed and bleeding is crowned by sharpest thorn!
Wounded lamb, bearing all the taunts and jeers,
Wounded lamb, saddened by your mother’s tears,
Amid your pain and anguish, hear you pray “forgive”.
Your love is so amazing: you died that I might live!
The Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host:
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Eucharistic Prayer
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 God thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Through the faithfulness of blessed Mary, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the obedience of blessed Joseph, you gave us your Son Emmanuel, God with us, so that we might have the perfect example of how to live and love.
Therefore, with angels and archangels, with all the company of heaven, we worship you in spirit and in truth; and we join together to proclaim your praise, as we 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.
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.
He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, 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. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.
Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him.
Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as 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,
forever and ever. Amen.
The Fraction S161
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, give us peace.
The gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
We will be offering communion with both Christ’s Body and Blood. The consensus of public health studies to date show that there is no documentable risk of COVID19 transmission through the common cup. We understand individuals may have different comfort levels as to how they receive communion. Following the teaching of our Episcopal tradition, all persons may, but no person must, receive communion in both kinds to receive the full spiritual benefits of communion. You may choose to receive only the host at this time.
Communion Hymn- I am the bread of life, 335 Hymnal 1982
1 I am the bread of life;
they who come to me shall not hunger;
they who believe in me shall not thirst.
No one can come to me
unless the Father draw them.
And I will raise them up,
and I will raise them up on the
last day.
2 The Bread that I will give
is my Flesh for the life of the world,
and they who eat of this bread,
they shall live for ever.
Refrain
3 Unless you eat
of the Flesh of the Son of Man
and drink of his Blood,
you shall not have life within you.
Refrain
4 I am the resurrection,
I am the life.
They who believe in me,
even if they die,
they shall live for ever.
Refrain
5 Yes, Lord, we believe
that you are the Christ,
the Son of God
who has come into the world.
Refrain
The Post-Communion Prayer
Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Blessing
The Recessional Hymn- Hail, thou once despised Jesus, 495 Hymnal 1982
1 Hail, thou once despisèd Jesus!
Hail, thou Galilean King!
Thou didst suffer to release us;
thou didst free salvation bring.
Hail, thou universal Savior,
bearer of our sin and shame!
By thy merit we find favor:
life is given through thy Name
2 Paschal Lamb, by God appointed,
all our sins on thee were laid:
by almighty love anointed,
thou hast full atonement made.
All thy people are forgiven
through the virtue of thy blood:
opened is the gate of heaven,
reconciled are we with God.
3 Jesus, hail! enthroned in glory,
there for ever to abide;
all the heavenly hosts adore thee,
seated at thy Father’s side.
There for sinners thou art pleading:
there thou dost our place prepare;
ever for us interceding,
till in glory we appear.
4 Worship, honor, power, and blessing
thou art worthy to receive;
highest praises, without ceasing,
right it is for us to give.
Help, ye bright angelic spirits,
all your noblest anthems raise;
help to sing our Savior’s merits,
help to chant Emmanuel’s praise!
The Dismissal
Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.