The Holy Eucharist Rite II: August 28
Readers: Lisa Overley, Chuck Knill
Usher: Jeanne Wyatt
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
Prelude
Processional Hymn- Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, 390 Hymnal 1982
1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation:
join the great throng,
psaltery, organ, and song,
sounding in glad adoration.
2 Praise to the Lord; over all things he gloriously reigneth:
borne as on eagle-wings, safely his saints he sustaineth.
Hast thou not seen
how all thou needest hath been
granted in what he ordaineth?
3 Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy way and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee;
ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
who with his love doth befriend thee.
4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him!
Let the amen
sound from his people again;
gladly for ever adore him.
The Opening Acclamation
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
The Collect for Purity
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you 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 Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Hymn of Praise
Holy Spirit, living Breath of God, breathe new life into my willing soul
Bring the presence of the Risen Lord, to renew my heart and make me whole.
Cause Your Word to come alive in me; give me faith for what I cannot see.
Give me passion for Your purity; Holy Spirit breathe new life in me.
The Collect
The Lord be with you.
And also with you
Let us pray.
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Lesson—Sirach 10:12-18
The Book of Sirach is a book of wisdom writings, probably written around 200BC during a period of time that Christians refer to as the “Intertestamental period”–meaning that the Old Testament books had been written, but the New Testament books had yet to be written. Catholics, Anglicans, Lutherans, and Orthodox Christians include Sirach as a “Deuterocanonical” book—meaning that it has a “second (deutero) class” status to the regular books of the Bible. While there is much discussion as to whether these writings are inspired in the same way as the other Bibilical books, there is no doubt that Christians have read these books for almost 2,000 years. Sirach is very similar to the Book of Proverbs.
A reading from the Book of Sirach:
The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord;
the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.
For the beginning of pride is sin,
and the one who clings to it pours out abominations.
Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities,
and destroys them completely.
The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers,
and enthrones the lowly in their place.
The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations,
and plants the humble in their place.
The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations,
and destroys them to the foundations of the earth.
He removes some of them and destroys them,
and erases the memory of them from the earth.
Pride was not created for human beings,
or violent anger for those born of women.
After the lesson, Here ends the reading
Your word is a lantern to our feet.
And a light upon our path.
The Psalm—112
The one-hundred and twelfth psalm is a hymn to the faithful of God’s kingdom. It shows what faithfulness looks like.
Together, let us pray the 112th Psalm, responsively, after the asterisk:
1 Hallelujah!
Happy are they who fear the Lord *
and have great delight in his commandments!
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; *
the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches will be in their house, *
and their righteousness will last for ever.
4 Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
5 It is good for them to be generous in lending *
and to manage their affairs with justice.
6 For they will never be shaken; *
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
7 They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; *
their heart is right;
they put their trust in the Lord.
8 Their heart is established and will not shrink, *
until they see their desire upon their enemies.
9 They have given freely to the poor, *
and their righteousness stands fast for ever;
they will hold up their head with honor.
10 The wicked will see it and be angry;
they will gnash their teeth and pine away; *
the desires of the wicked will perish.
The Second Lesson—Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
The Book of Hebrews ends with an admonishment to live faithfully. Helpfully, it shows what faithfulness looks like: love each other, show hospitality to strangers, remember the prisoners, don’t live with love of money, etc.
A reading from the Book of Hebrews
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”
Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Your word is a lantern to our feet.
And a light upon our path.
Sequence Hymn-We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing, 433 Hymnal 1982
1 We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praises to his Name; he forgets not his own.
2 Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
thou, Lord, wast at our side: all glory be thine!
3 We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation:
thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!
The Gospel Lesson—Luke 14:1, 7-14
Jesus here talks about humility and not regarding yourself as better than anyone else.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, `Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, `Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
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
Celebrant
In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.
Silence
Intercessor
For all people in their daily life and work;
For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who
are alone.
For this community, the nation, and the world;
For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.
For the just and proper use of your creation;
For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.
For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;
For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy.
For the peace and unity of the Church of God;
For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.
For the holy churches of God, for bishops, presbyters and deacons, this holy gathering and all the holy people of God especially, Justin the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael our Presiding Bishop, Chip our Diocesan Bishop, our retired Bishops, Rick our Rector, and Chip our Deacon;
For all who serve God in his Church.
For the special needs and concerns of this congregation and for those who are sick, especially, those on our prayer list ____________________. Hear us, Lord;
For your mercy is great.
We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life and for those celebrating their birthday this week, especially Kevin Lazo, Phillip Moussally, Rebecca Moussally, Matt Lanese, Melissa Fletcher, Jeff Hooper, Elliot Les and Connie Rose and for the anniversaries of John & Theresa Wojnar and Rob & Nancy Brangaccio.
We will exalt you, O God our King;
And praise your Name for ever and ever.
We especially pray for those serving our country at home and abroad, especially Christopher, Richard, Stephen, Patrick, Esteban, Jeremy, Stewart, Wyatt, Maria, and Andrew.
We pray for all who have died, that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom.
Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them;
Who put their trust in you.
God, who created all things, we give you thanks for all you are and all you bring to us for our visit within your creation. In Jesus, you place the Gospel in the center of this sacred circle through which all of creation is related. You show us the way to live a generous and compassionate life. Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your spirit, for you are God, now and forever. Amen.
The Confession and Absolution
We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.
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 us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and keep us in everlasting life. Amen.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
The Welcome and Announcements
Curbing Hunger: Here’s the link to make an online contribution
To make a donation to St Mark’s: click here
Blessing of the Blanket
Stitchers: Gracious and ever living God, when you sent your Son into the world you sent him as a healer: for he made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the lame to walk. We give you thanks for this blanket, and for Jim who we made it for.
Priest: I lift up my eyes to the hills, from where is my help to come?
Congregation: Our help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
Priest: Pour out your Holy Spirit upon this prayer blanket, O God. Soak every stitch, every fiber with your presence, that when Joe wraps himself with it, he may know that he is wrapped in you, and in Your healing grace. We pray you to bless this blanket, as you bless Joe today and everyday: in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Offertory
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.
Holy Communion from the Reserved Sacrament
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say.
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.
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.
A minister will serve you the host (bread). Should you wish to intinct (dip the host in the wine), you may do so right away.
Communion Hymn- Take my life, and let it be, 707 Hymnal 1982
1 Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee;
take my moments and my days,
let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of thy love;
take my heart, it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne.
2 Take my voice, and let me sing
always, only, for my King;
take my intellect, and use
every power as thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee.
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 Closing Hymn-God is Love, let heaven adore him, 379 Hymnal 1982
1 God is Love, let heaven adore him;
God is Love, let earth rejoice;
let creation sing before him
and exalt him with one voice.
God who laid the earth’s foundation,
God who spread the heaven above,
God who breathes through all creation:
God is Love, eternal Love.
2 God is Love; and Love enfolds us,
all the world in one embrace:
with unfailing grasp God holds us,
every child of every race.
And when human hearts are breaking
under sorrow’s iron rod,
then we find that selfsame aching
deep within the heart of God.
3 God is Love; and though with blindness
sin afflicts all human life,
God’s eternal loving-kindness
guides us through our earthly strife.
Sin and death and hell shall never
o’er us final triumph gain;
God is Love, so Love for ever
o’er the universe must reign.
The Dismissal
Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.