Pentecost-12 (Yr A) Aug 23, 2020

 

The Word of God

(BCP p. 355)

 

Celebrant         Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

People             And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever.

                        Amen.

 

Celebrant         Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid.  Cleanse the thoughts of our hears by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy Name through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

  

 

Hymn of Praise

(BCP p.356)

 

Lord have mercy.

Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

 

 

Collect of the Day

 

Celebrant The Lord be with you.

People And also with you

Celebrant Let us pray.

 

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

 

 

A Reading from the Book of Exodus 1:8-2:10

 

 

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. Joseph was already in Egypt. Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation.  But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.

 

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”  Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

 

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”

 

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

 

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child.  He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said.  Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

 

The Word of the Lord.

People   Thanks be to God

 

  

 

 

Psalm 124

(The Lector and the Congregation

pray responsively)

 

1  If the Lord had not been on our side, *

    let Israel now say;

2 If the Lord had not been on our side, *

    when enemies rose up against us;

3  Then would they have swallowed us up alive *

    in their fierce anger toward us;

4  Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *

    and the torrent gone over us;

5  Then would the raging waters *

    have gone right over us.

6  Blessed be the Lord! *

    he has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

7  We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *

    the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

8  Our help is in the Name of the Lord, *

    the maker of heaven and earth.

 

 

 

 

A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans 12:1-8

 

 

 

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

 

The Word of the Lord.

People   Thanks be to God.

 

 

 

 

Celebrant    The Holy Gospel of Our  Lord Jesus Christ

                        according to Matthew 16:13-20

 

People        Glory to you,  Lord Christ.

 

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

People      Praise to you,  Lord  Christ.

 

 

 

The Sermon

The Rev. Dr. John Agbaje

 

 

Who is Jesus to you?

Doesn’t this feel like a very direct question to you? It may sound confrontational to others.

This is also an age-old question.

 

Many people probably asked this question when Jesus was born in Nazareth. Even now many are still digging to see if they can just find something, anything, that shows who Jesus is. Theologians are still dialoguing and writing to find out who Jesus is. 

 

The question, “who is Jesus” sounds like a personal question or even an intrusive question. 

However, this is what Jesus asked His disciples.

 

Before I begin to preach about who is Jesus to you, allow me to talk about who Jesus is to me.

I see Jesus as the One who makes God known to us and who has given us the blessed assurance of eternal life. Remember, Jesus once told His disciples in the gospel of John chapter 14 verses 1-6, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. I go and prepare a place for you so that where I am, there you will be also.”

 

Jesus is a compassionate and sympathetic person who once said, “Come to me all who are weary and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  

 

Jesus is the One who has gone to prepare a place for us so that we will not perish and our loved ones who have died will have a place in God’s kingdom.

 

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” Jesus therefore is the One who enlightens us about the love of God.

 

Jesus is a Reconciler. The Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the kingdom of God. This means Jesus is a reconciler. Through Him we are saved.

 

Now who is Jesus to you? 

 

Who do we think Jesus is?  

 

Jesus is a Healer 

 

Jesus therefore is the One who enlightens us about the love of God. One thing is certain; Jesus is One Person who will always be with us. How can we forget when He said: “Behold I am with you always till the end of the ages?”

Jesus is the one who loves us.  The love that he shows enables us to know that He will not leave us comfortless. The Bible also says, “Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus is the only one who laid down his life for the atonement of our sins.

 

Jesus also makes us closer to God. 

 

Jesus is a humble person. He humbled Himself even to the Cross. He became an atonement for the sins of all who believe in Him.

 

Jesus is the Word of God. He is the Second Adam.

 

He is the one who inspires us to be closer to God. Like that song says, Jesus has given us the Spirit to walk closer to God; when we cannot help ourselves Jesus is the one who carries us and gives us the Holy Spirit power that we need when times are tough. When all hopes are gone Jesus is the one who reminds us to hope. Through the power of Jesus, we are empowered to stand on the promises of Christ the King. 

 

He will always be with us. 

 

Remember, we are to be humble like Jesus who humbled himself unto the Cross. Jesus is a caring and selfless Person.

 

My brothers and sisters in Christ, whoever Jesus is to you let His light shine to other people so they can see their sins and repent and come to the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What a joy this will be.

 

 

 

The Nicene Creed

(BCP p. 358)

 

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

worshipped 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.

 

 

 

 

Prayers of the People

 

In the Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for the Church of the Province of Southeast Asia.

 

In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for Ascension/Holy Trinity in Wyoming, Christ Church in Xenia, and Simon of Cyrene in Cincinnati.

 

In our Parish cycle of prayer, we pray for Dave and Janet Reuter; Rob, Eva, Madeline, and Elizabeth Reuter; and Tony, Kendall, and Justin Rubino.

 

 

 

 

Form V

(BCP p. 389)

 

In peace, let us pray to the Lord.

 

For the holy Church of God, that it may be filled with truth and love, and be found without fault at the day of your coming, we pray to you, O Lord.

 

For Michael, our Presiding Bishop, for Thomas, our own Bishop, for all bishops and other ministers, and for all the holy people of God, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For all who fear God and believe in you, Lord Christ, that our divisions may cease, and that all may be one as you and the Father are one, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For the mission of the Church, that in faithful witness it may preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For the peace of the world, that a spirit of respect and forbearance may grow among nations and peoples, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For those in positions of public trust [especially _________ ], that they may serve justice, and promote the dignity and freedom of every person, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For the sick, especially those on our Parish Prayer List (N); for the poor, the persecuted, the sick, and all who suffer; for refugees, prisoners, and all who are in danger; that they may be relieved and protected, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

For this congregation [for those who are present, and for those who are absent], that we may be delivered from hardness of heart, and show forth your glory in all that we do, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For all who have commended themselves to our prayers; for our families, friends, and neighbors; that being freed from anxiety, they may live in joy, peace, and health, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

For all who have died in the communion of your Church, and those whose faith is known to you alone, that, with all the saints, they may have rest in that place where there is no pain or grief, but life eternal, we pray to you, O Lord.

Lord, have mercy.

 

Rejoicing in the fellowship of blessed St Mark and  all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life to Christ our God.

To you, O Lord our God.

 

 

Silence

 

The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect,

or the following Doxology

 

For yours is the majesty, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and for ever.   Amen.

 

 

 

 

The Lord’s Prayer

 

Celebrant As our Savior Christ has taught us, we now pray,

 

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.

 

 

Blessing

 

 

The Peace

 

Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People And also with you.

 

  

 

St. Mark’s Vestry

 

Senior Warden: Gary Welch

Junior Warden: Katherine Wagner

Treasurer: Don Nancarrow

Secretary: Dave Reuter

 

Vestry Members:

Carol Nancarrow, Tracey Swartz

Jen Bonifas, Susan Kendall

Kendall Rubino, Jenna Walch

 

St. Mark’s Staff

Transitional Priest in Charge The Rev. Dr. John Agbaje

Parish Administrator Katherine Wagner

Music Director Donna Larsen

Sexton Douglas Plummer

 

 

 

Look for us…

 

On the web:  www.StMarksDayton.org

Facebook:  St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Dayton, Ohio

Instagram:  stmarksdayton

 

 

 

 

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