The Service begins on page 80 of the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come!
Revelation 4:8
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2
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.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. 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.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
one God: Come let us adore him.
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 8
1 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
2 Out of the mouths of infants and children *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.
3 You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,
5 What is man that you should be mindful of him? *
the son of man that you should seek him out?
6 You have made him but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn him with glory and honor;
7 You give him mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under his feet:
8 All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,
9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.
10 O Lord our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!
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 Book of Genesis 1:1-2:4a
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
A Reading from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 13:11-13
Canticle 8: The Song of Moses BPC p. 85
Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
A Reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 28:16-20
Canticle 15: The Song of Mary BPC p. 85
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God
Trinity: God in Three Persons
Today is really not a day to preach a long sermon. Even, today’s first reading is almost longer than some of the sermons that I have preached.
The Doctrine of Trinity is a mystery.
No matter how prepared many preachers are to speak about Trinity, we end up realizing that our explanation of the Doctrine of Trinity is beyond any of us. The theological meaning of Trinity is our belief that there is one God who exists in three Persons, as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The Doctrine of Trinity teaches us about the being of God. Each of the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is called a God Head. Each of the God Heads, theologically, have the same essence, substance and nature. The three God Heads are united. This unity of the Triune God reminds us to be united at home, at work and at play.
In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 3 vs. 21-22 we read, “When the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized and praying, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him like a Dove and a voice from heaven says: This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
In the above quotation we heard the interaction between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
If any of us find it difficult to understand the doctrine of Trinity, we are to remember that the core expression, the big thing, is that God loves us and God’s love is everlasting. It is because of this love that God sent us His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life. And this Jesus whom God sent to us fulfilled the promise to send another Advocate, the Holy Spirit, so through whom we, like the disciples, are not left comfortless. This Holy Spirit continues to guide us in all our ways.
A physical example of Trinity for me is seen in water. When water is in a glass it contains two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of water. When the water is boiled the steam or the vapor contains two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen. If this water is frozen, the ice still contains 2 atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.
God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as far as Trinity is concerned, each has the same essence, the same nature and the same substance as the other. Thank God we experience Trinity through God’s love, joy and mercy.
We thank God also that through the authority which Jesus gave His disciples they were able to reach the world with the Good News. We too have been given that authority, the Holy Spirit, by God to reach our world with the Good News that Christ has died, Christ is risen, and that Christ will come again for our salvation.
Let me end this sermon by saying something – as every preacher probably will – about the gruesome death of Mr. George Floyd who died as a police officer knelt on his neck (someone who was already handcuffed) for nearly 9 minutes! And Mr. Floyd was calling for his mother!! It was so aggravating that the two officers next to the officer kneeling on Mr. Floyd’s neck were also holding him down. This reminds me of when I used to teach about anti-racism in Minneapolis, MN. This is part of the systemic racism that I taught about at that time. What happened to Mr. Floyd could happen to any black person regardless of your nation of origin. My prayer is that Mr. Floyd’s soul will rest in peace, and that one day we will not have to talk about racism again. Amen.
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. Amen.
The Prayers
BCP p. 97
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
BCP p. 176
Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
A Collect for Guidance
BCP p. 100
Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer for Mission
BCP p.100
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.
Prayers of the People
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.
For the peace of the whole world, for the welfare of the Holy Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For Thomas, our bishop, for the leaders of our sister Churches, and for all clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the leaders of the nations and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this community, for every city, town and village, and for all the people who live within them, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For good weather, and for abundant harvests for all to share, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For those who travel by land, air, or water, for the sick and the suffering, especially those on our Parish Prayer List, for prisoners and captives, and for their safety, health and salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For our deliverance from all affliction, strife and need, and for the absolution of our sins and offences, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Remembering all who have gone before us in faith, and in communion with St. Mark and all the saints, we commit ourselves, one another, and our whole life to Christ our God;
to you, O Lord.
(adapted from Common Worship, The C of E)
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
BCP p.102
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.
Blessing
May God the Holy Trinity make us strong in faith and love, defend us on every side, and guide us in truth and peace; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, and remain with us always. Amen.
(The Book of Occasional Services)
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
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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