Easter-3 (Yr A) Apr 26, 2020

 

* * * SERVICE CANCELLED * * *

Due to coronavirus threat, service is cancelled this morning.

See our Home Page for online service options.

 

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The Service begins on page 77 of the Book of Common Prayer.

 

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  (Philippians 1:2)

 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.  (Psalm 19:14)

  

 

The Confession of Sin

 

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.

 

 

 

The Invitatory and Psalter

 

Leader Lord, open our lips.

People And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

 

All

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.  Alleluia.

 

 

 

The Venite (Psalm 95:1-7)

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; *

   let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *

   and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God, *

   and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the caverns of the  earth, *

   and the heights of the hills are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, *

   and his hands have molded the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the  knee, *

   and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7 For he is our God, and we are the people

   of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *

    Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

 

The Psalms Appointed

 

Psalm 146

(The Book of Common Prayer, page 803)

 

At the end of the Psalm:

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.

 

Psalm 147

(The Book of Common Prayer, page 804)

 

At the end of the Psalm:

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever.  Amen.

 

The Lessons

 

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (2:14a, 36-41)

 

[Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:]

“Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

 

The Word of the Lord.

People   Thanks be to God.

 

Canticle 13: A Song of Praise p.90

 

A Reading from the First Letter of Peter (1:17-23)

 

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

 

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

 

The Word of the Lord.

People   Thanks be to God.

 

Canticle 17: The Song of Simeon p.93

  

A Reading from the Gospel according to Luke (24:13-35)

 

Now on that same day two of [the disciples] were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

 

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

 

The Word of the Lord.

People   Thanks be to God

 

The Sermon 

Fr. John’s Message

 

Encounter with Christ

A sermon preached by the Rev. Dr. John Agbaje

April 26, 2020

 

Though the two disciples in this Gospel were walking away from the other eleven disciples, they did, in fact, have faith in Jesus. They were talking about him. The Lord, therefore, appeared to them but did not show them a face they could recognize. Two of Jesus’ followers were walking along the road to Emmaus in a deep, solemn, and serious discussion when Jesus met them. They could not recognize Jesus; they believed that the person who appeared to them was a stranger. In Homilies on the Gospels (Hom. 23), Saint Gregory the Great says:

Jesus let them tell about their anxieties and pains; he let them grieve and mourn as he expressed the root causes of Jesus trial, death and the rumor of resurrection. Jesus emphatically listened to them. Jesus listened to their crises and doubts. Then He used what was written in the Torah to help them to better understand His own arrest, trial, sentencing, death on the cross and His own resurrection. Jesus helped to give them hope and to look to better days in their mission to do or continue God’s work on earth. 

 

When loved ones die, we are reminded through this story that Jesus is always there to help us understand though we may be lost in our sorrows, cries, and anxieties. When times are tough, like the times we are in now, I say to you Jesus is walking with us! He has compassion on us even when we do not know. We are never alone.

 

As they approached Emmaus, Jesus acted as if he were going further, but they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So, he went in to stay with them. When it was time to eat, Jesus said the prayer and broke the bread. Miraculously their eyes were opened that the Person they thought was a stranger was their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who rose from the dead! As soon as they recognized this, the two disciples quickly left Emmaus and went back to tell the other disciples their mysterious experience.

 

What else can we make of this story? This Gospel reminds us to be present with one another.  When we sit to eat with loved ones or with a group in the Church the stories we share are more essential than the food that we eat together. 

 

Many of us may say we are always present with others, but this Gospel story challenges us to reach out to those people who we seldom talk to in the Church, at work and in the neighborhood. This story teaches us  to welcome strangers, talk to them and listen rather than cast judgment. When we are present with new people it may surprise us the comfort we are able to give and receive from our being present with one another. As the scripture says by welcoming strangers many have entertain angels.

 

This story also calls us to study Scripture so that when the time comes to share the story of Christ’s life, ministry, arrest, crucifixion we will be well-informed.

 

As we all look forward and anticipate coming together after the coronavirus shelter in place is lifted let us continue to reach out to one another and share the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

 

As those two disciples’ eyes were opened,  I pray that Christ will open our eyes to behold Him and to understand the divine and spiritual meaning of Christ’s death, resurrection and the hope of His second coming.

 

When this enlightenment happens our call is to evangelize! Share the joy of what God has done for us. Just like Phillip called Nathaniel to come and see, we can reach out to our friends and family who we know do not belong to any church to come and see and experience Christ. How wonderful would it be when they too come to encounter Jesus and He opens their eyes to the glory and salvation.  Amen

 

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The Apostles’ Creed  p. 96

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

   He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit

           and born of the Virgin Mary.

    He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

  was crucified, died, and was  buried.

    He descended to the dead.

    On the third day he rose again.

     He ascended into heaven,

   and is seated at the right hand of       the Father.

     He will come again to judge the living    and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

     the holy catholic Church,

     the communion of saints,

     the forgiveness of sins,

     the resurrection of the body,

     and the life everlasting.

 

 

The Prayers

 

  Our Father in heaven,

       hallowed be your Name,

       your kingdom come,

       your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins,

      as we forgive those

who sin against us.

Save us from the time of trial,

      and deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power

       and the glory are yours,

       now and for ever.  Amen.

                1. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
                2. And grant us your salvation.
                3. Clothe your ministers with

     righteousness;

                1. Let your people sing with joy.
                2. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
                3. For only in you can we live in

     safety.

                1. Lord, keep this nation under your

    care;

                1. And guide us in the way of

     justice and truth.

                1. Let your way be known upon earth;
                2. Your saving health among

     all nations.

                1. Let not the needy, O Lord,

     be forgotten;

                1. Nor the hope of the poor

     be taken away.

                1. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
                2. And sustain us with

     your Holy Spirit.

  

 

The Collect of the Day

 

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

  

A Collect for Sundays

 

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

  

A Collect for Mission

 

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

The General Thanksgiving

 

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,

we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks

for all your goodness and loving-kindness

to us and to all whom you have made.

We bless you for our creation,  preservation,

and all the blessings of this life;

but above all for your immeasurable love

in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;

for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an

 awareness of your mercies,

that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,

not only with our lips, but in our lives,

by giving up our selves to your service,

and by walking before you

in holiness and righteousness all our days;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,

be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

 

The Peace

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

 

 

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