* * * 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 (BCP).
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
The Lord is in hos holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
Habakkuk 2:20
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 BPC p. 80
Leader Lord, open our lips.
People And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
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.
Alleluia. The Lord is risen indeed: Come let us adore him. Alleluia.
Venite (Psalm 95:1-7) BCP p. 82
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 Psalm Appointed
Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
1 In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge;
let me never be put to shame; *
deliver me in your righteousness.
2 Incline your ear to me; *
make haste to deliver me.
3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe,
for you are my crag and my stronghold; *
for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.
4 Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me, *
for you are my tower of strength.
5 Into your hands I commend my spirit, *
for you have redeemed me, O Lord, O God of truth.
15 My times are in your hand; *
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
and in your loving-kindness save me.”
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 7:55-60
Canticle 13: A Song of Praise BPC p. 90
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
A Reading from the First Letter of Peter 2:2-10
Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
A Reading from the Gospel according to John 14:1-14
Canticle 14: A Song of Penitence BCP p. 90
[Jesus told his disciples,] “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.”
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God
The best way for me to start today’s sermon is to wish all mothers, both surrogate and natural mothers -Happy Mother’s Day.
A song writer once sang: Mothers are great, they are greater than the world.
When we are hungry, mothers would rather allow us to eat while they go hungry. When we are sick Mothers carry us on their backs or hold us and pray that God will make us well. When we cannot sleep, Mothers stay awake until we fall asleep. Mothers are remarkable in many ways. They love us unconditionally. We take time today to pray for many women who hope to be Mothers one day. We also pray that the souls of Mothers who have died will rest in peace.
Talking about death, in today’s Gospel, Jesus revealed to His disciples that He may not be with them for a little while and that where he was going, they could not come. His disciples probably got concerned or worried as they heard what Jesus said. Jesus said to them: “Let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God believe also in me. In my Fathers house are many mansions, I go and prepare a place for you so that where I am there you may be also.
This shows Jesus not only cared for those disciples on earth, but He cares and loves them so much that He would prepare a place where they would be with Him forever. What an unconditional love!
This story in the Gospel takes place during the Last Supper. That image also reminds me of when families gather around the dinner table. They catch up with each other about the events, joys, and concerns or challenges of the day. Jesus’ words to the disciples is a comfort the same way a parent might comfort a child after a tough day.
To better understand this Gospel, it is important to remember what led up to Jesus telling his disciples to let their hearts not be troubled. At the Last Supper with His disciples Jesus got up, wrapped a towel around Himself, poured water in a basin, and one by one He began to wash His disciples’ feet.
Then when He got to Peter, Peter tried to stop Jesus from washing his feet. Thank God Peter gave in and allowed Jesus to wash his feet after Peter’s “not my feet only” statement to Jesus. Thomas also told Jesus that the disciples did not know where Jesus was going and how can they know the way. Jesus answered Thomas with one of the famous lines in the Bible: “I am the way, the truth, and the life no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jesus’ response to Thomas was a promise and a statement of comfort to His disciples. It is also a message of support and comfort for all of us who are worrying about different things during this COVID crisis like our health, our jobs, or our finances.
Peter also told Jesus that he would lay down his life for Jesus and Jesus responded that before the cock crows Peter would deny Him three times. By now the disciples were probably anxious or sad that may be something may happen to Jesus sooner that they thought. This made Jesus to say to them: Let not your hearts be troubled believe in God, and to believe also in Him.
This Gospel relates to our present time in many ways. Many hearts are troubled because of this pandemic that is ravaging the whole world today. Many lives had been claimed by this coronavirus many are still sick in the hospital, many have lost their jobs. This is a time of uncertainty. This is also a humbling time for all of us, many that had never filed for unemployment are forced to file for unemployment, or line up for food and other items, this is very humbling. Therefore it is time to come to God and ask for mercy and ask Him to show us the way. My prayer this morning is that God will ease our pain and give us a calm heart at this challenging time. Jesus is calling us today to reach out and touch those whose hearts may be troubled and remind them of Jesus love for them. We are called to reach out to someone who is sick today or someone who is worried about where their next meal will come from or how they are going to pay their rent tell them in the words of Jesus “Let not your hearts be troubled” and help in whichever way you can.
As we continue our life’s journey, we are reminded to be faithful to God. We are to thank God that Jesus is believable. We are to share with others the Good News that Christ has died and Christ is risen and that Christ will come again. It may be our sharing this Good News that will bring others to Christ; and when life is challenging like our present time, they, along with us, will hear Jesus say to us, let not your heart be troubled. Amen
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Canticle 19: The Song of the Redeemed BPC p. 94
The Apostles’ Creed BCP 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 BCP p. 97
Leader The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Leader Let us 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.
V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with
righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in
safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your
care;
R. And guide us in the way of
justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your saving health among
all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord,
be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor
be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with
your Holy Spirit.
The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Collect for Sundays BCP p.98
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 the Renewal of Life BCP p.99
O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may,
when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Collect for Peace BCP p.99
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of 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.
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore. Amen.
2 Corinthians 13:14
The Peace
The peace of the Lord
be always with you.
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