Pentecost-23 (Yr A) Nov 8, 2020

 

Prelude

“Contemplation”

H. Alexander Matthews

 

 

 

(Please stand)

 

 

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 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.

 

 

Gloria

(BCP p.356)

 

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.  Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.  Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

 

Collect of the Day

 

Celebrant The Lord be with you.

People And also with you

Celebrant Let us pray.

 

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

(Please be seated)

 

 

A Reading from the Book of Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25

 

Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors – Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor – lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods.

 

 “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

 

But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

 

The Word of the Lord.

 

People   Thanks be to God

 

 

Psalm 78:1-1

(The Lector and the Congregation pray responsively)

 

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *

   incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2  I will open my mouth in a parable; *

    I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

3  That which we have heard and known,

              and what our forefathers have told us, *

     we will not hide from their children.

4  We will recount to generations to come

the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *

     and the wonderful works he has done.

5  He gave his decrees to Jacob

    and established a law for Israel, *

     which he commanded them to teach their children;

6  That the generations to come might know,

and the children yet unborn; *

     that they in their turn might tell it to their children;

7  So that they might put their trust in God, *

and not forget the deeds of God,

    but keep his commandments;

 

 

 

 

 

A Reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 4:13-18

 

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and with the sound of God’s trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

 

 

The Word of the Lord.

 

People   Thanks be to God

 

 

(Please stand)

 

 

Celebrant    The Holy Gospel of Our  Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew 25:1-13

People        Glory to you,  Lord Christ.

 

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I do not know you.’ Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

 

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

People      Praise to you,  Lord  Christ.

 

 

(Please be seated)

 

 

The Sermon

The Rev. Dr. John Agbaje

 

 

(Please stand)

 

 

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 the West Indies.

 

In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for Church of the Advent in Cincinnati, St. George’s in Dayton, and  Trinity in McArthur.

 

In our Parish cycle of prayer, we pray for Hayward Jones; Matt, Justine, Scott, and Robert Kelly; and Susan Kendall.

 

 

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

 

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially those on our Parish Prayer List (N), give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

 

Celebrant    Lord, hear the prayers of your people; and what we have asked faithfully, grant that we may obtain effectually, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

The Confession of Sin

The Book of Common Prayer, page 360

 

Celebrant: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

 

Silence may be kept.

 

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.

 

Celebrant 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.

 

People   Amen.

 

 

 

The Peace

 

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People: And also with you.

 

(Please be seated)

 

 

Birthday and Anniversary Prayers

 

 

 

Holy Communion

 

The Offering is presented.

 

Offertory

 

“Adagio

Felix Mendelssohn

 

(Please stand as the offerings are brought up)

 

Celebrant All things come of thee O Lord and of thy own have we given thee

 

 

 

 

 

Eucharistic Prayer A

(The Book of Common Prayer, page 361)

 

Celebrant        The Lord be with you.

People             And also with you.

Celebrant        Lift up your hearts.

People             We lift them to the Lord.

Celebrant        Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People             It is right to give him thanks and praise.

 

Celebrant It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

 

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

 

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.

 

(Please stand or kneel)

 

Celebrant 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:

 

Celebrant and People

 

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

 

Celebrant 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.

All 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.

 

 

 

 

 

The Breaking of the Bread

 

The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.

A period of silence is kept.

 

Celebrant  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
People Therefore let us keep the feast.

 

Facing the people, the Celebrant says the following Invitation

 

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 welcome our visitors today, and we invite all baptized Christians to join us in receiving Communion.  Those not partaking are invited to come forward, cross your arms over your chest, and receive a blessing.

 

Please line up in the center aisle as directed by the ushers; at your turn walk up to Fr John and he will drop the Host into your hand.  Return to your seat via the side aisles to consume it, then please replace your mask.

 

 

(Please stand)

 

Prayer After Communion

 

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.

 

(Please be seated)

 

 

Announcements

 

 

  Blessing

 

 

 

Dismissal

 

The congregation is dismissed.

 

Celebrant Let us bless the Lord.

People Thanks be to God.

 

 

 

Please exit quietlyor remain quietly listening during the Postlude.

 

“Fugue From Sonata II”

                           Felix Mendelssohn

 

 

 

 

 

 

A prayer as I put on my mask:

 

Creator,
as I prepare to go into the world,
help me to see the sacrament in the wearing of this cloth –
let it be “an outward sign of an inward grace” –
a tangible and visible way of living love for my neighbours,
as I love myself.

 

Christ,
since my lips will be covered,
uncover my heart,
that people would see my smile in the crinkles around my eyes.
Since my voice may be muffled, help me to speak clearly,
not only with my words, but with my actions.

 

Holy Spirit,
As the elastic touches my ears,
remind me to listen carefully – and full of care –
to all those I meet.
May this simple piece of cloth be shield and banner,
and each breath that it holds, be filled with your love.

 

In your Name and in that love,
I pray.

May it be so.
May it be so.

 

           ~~Richard Bott

 

 

 

———–

 

 

For today’s announcements, click HERE.

 

To read a copy of the latest Vestry Minutes, click HERE

 

———–

 

St. Mark’s Vestry

 

Senior Warden: Gary Welch

Junior Warden: Katherine Wagner

Treasurer: Don Nancarrow

Secretary: Dave Reuter

 

Vestry Members:

Carol Nancarrow, Tracey Swartz

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

Webmaster Dave Reuter

 

 

Look for us…

 

On the web:  www.StMarksDayton.org

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

Instagram:  stmarksdayton

 

 

 

 

 

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