Worship Bulletin Sunday, July 18, 2021 9:00 am

(Officiant 1) - Invitation to a moment of silence as we prepare for our conversation with God

Tolling of Bell

Prelude
Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us arr. Scott Sturtevant

(Officiant 1) – Welcome to Hybrid Worship

(Officiant 1) - Opening Hymn 525
The Church’s One Foundation, vs. 1, 2, and 5

Opening Acclamation
(Officiant 1) – Blessed be God: Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

Opening Collect
(Officiant 1) – The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

(Officiant 1) – Let us pray:
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Hebrew Testament John Gettings
2 Samuel 7:1-14a
When the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 89:20-37 (please read together the bolded lines)

I have found David my servant;
with my holy oil have I anointed him.

My hand will hold him fast
and my arm will make him strong.

No enemy shall deceive him,
nor any wicked man bring him down.

I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.

My faithfulness and love shall be with him,
and he shall be victorious through my Name.

I shall make his dominion extend
from the Great Sea to the River.

He will say to me, 'You are my Father,
my God, and the rock of my salvation.'

I will make him my firstborn
and higher than the kings of the earth.

I will keep my love for him for ever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.

I will establish his line for ever
and his throne as the days of heaven."

"If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my judgments;

If they break my statutes
and do not keep my commandments;

I will punish their transgressions with a rod
and their iniquities with the lash;

But I will not take my love from him,
nor let my faithfulness prove false.

I will not break my covenant,
nor change what has gone out of my lips.

Once for all I have sworn by my holiness:
'I will not lie to David.

His line shall endure for ever
and his throne as the sun before me;

It shall stand fast for evermore like the moon,
the abiding witness in the sky.' "

A Reading from the Greek Testament Erika Bianchi
Ephesians 2:11-22
Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” — a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands — remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.

Sequence Hymn
Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands

(Deacon) - The Gospel                                                                         Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sequence Hymn 488
Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands
(see p. 5)

Homily                         Ginna Coulson

Prayers of the People             Kathy Johnson
O God, draw us near to You with holy reverence and confidence, as children of God, as we pray for others, knowing You are able and ready to help us as we pray for the needs of our world.

Spirit of life, your breath of life fills the whole world, and holds all things together. If you withdraw your breath, everything turns to dust.
Breathe on me breath of God.

The sending of your spirit is the revelation of God's indestructible affirmation of life and marvelous joy in life. Today, we offer prayers for our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, and for all bishops, priests, seminarians and deacons, including Alan, Gayle, Marya, Brett and Jim. In our Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for the Parishes of the Mystic Valley Deanery: St. Paul’s Church, Lynnfield; St. Paul’s Church, Malden; Grace Church, Medford; Trinity Parish, Melrose; and Deputies and Alternate Deputies to General Convention. In our Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for Eglise Anglicane du Rwanda.
Fill me with life anew.

Jesus, where you are there is life, where you are sick people are healed, sad people are comforted, marginalized people are accepted and the demons of death are driven out. Give to the sick your healing, and to the suffering your hope, especially Carol and Ken Bouffard, Julie, Tim, Kristin Blake and Lee LeBeau, Joe Maher, Alex, Stacy Williams, Rose, Sandy, Jennifer and Greg Hanson, Hunter, Ginny Johnson, Ann Gentry and Rabbi Shlomo Noginski. We offer prayers for the grieving families of those found, and waiting to be found, after the collapse of the condos in Surfside, Florida. Are there others?
Breathe on me breath of God.

Where your holy spirit is present, there is life; the powers and energies of eternal life are experienced. Spirit of the new creation, break into the here and now, bringing foretastes of the age to come, when all things are made new, and creation is set free from the powers of death. We pray for all who have died, especially those 97 people found dead in the Florida condo collapse. We also pray for Janet Rooney, mother of Allen Rooney, who died one year ago this month. Are there souls whose names you would like to offer in prayer?
Fill me with life anew.

Spirit of God, renew the face of the earth. Today we give thanks for the blessings of this life. We pray for those who celebrate birthdays this week, especially James Kibunja. Are there other blessings you would like to offer?
Breathe on me breath of God.

Give us hearts of flesh for hearts of stone, that we may love as you would love, and do what you would do. Amen

Confession
(Deacon) – Let us confess our sings against God and our neighbor.
How many times, O Lord, do we live in unbelief?
Our doubts surround us and we find it hard to know what is true and what is real.

Help us, gracious Savior, to know what is the right way to live
according to God’s Holy Word.

Forgive us for the ways in which we live
according to what is right in our own eyes.

Help us, merciful God,
to look beyond knowing Jesus only as a good teacher, a righteous and holy person.

Forgive us when we fail to understand and accept Your guiding Holy Spirit,
to open our hearts to be led and taught in the ways of the kingdom of God.

Forgive us when we seek to please others
more than we seek to love and please God.

Help us, O Holy One, to turn our hearts, to offer our prayers
and to accept the forgiveness you offer to all who come to You.

Absolution
Go forth in the power of the almighty, who forgives you and loves you. Amen.~ Joanna Harader

The Passing of the Peace
(Officiant 2) Christ is here right now making peace among us!
The peace of the Lord be always with you,
And also with you.

Offertory Sentences
(Deacon) – Let us pray. On my own, what I have to give doesn't amount to much, in the light of all you have given to me, and in the face of so much need. Put together as a congregation, what we offer you here in love becomes more, not simply added together, but somehow multiplied in its usefulness. We ask you to bless our gifts, and with the addition of your blessing, just as it was with the loaves and fishes, there is enough for all. Amen. ~ from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand

Offertory Anthem
The King of Love My Shepherd Is

Please use this time for reflection about how to give gifts of love to your neighbors and your community.

(Deacon) - The Sanctuary Lamp burns in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, and in celebration of the birthday of Heather Bouffard Slack, given by Carol and Ken Bouffard; and in loving memory of Frank Gordon, given by the Gordon family. The altar flowers are given to the glory of God, and in loving memory of Frank Gordon, given by the Gordon family.

Agape Meal Prayer
(Agape is the Greek word for love, and it was a love feast of the early Christians. This meal is another way of living out Jesus’ commandment, to love one another. We give thanks for the invitation to be at our tables, for here we are shown our lives.)

(Deacon) - Be with us, Spirit of God;
   nothing can separate us from your love.
Breathe on us, breath of God;
   fill us with your saving power.
Speak in us, wisdom of God;
   bring strength, healing, and peace.
Let us bless God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
   may His mercy endure forever.

(Officiant 2) - We have gathered together to celebrate new life in Christ. We are ready to be fed. We take the food and drink of our love feast, the constant presence of the Spirit of Life, mindful of a relationship of love and trust between ourselves and God. Open our graves, unbind our eyes, and name us here; touch and heal all that has been buried in us; that we need not cling to our pain, but may go forth with power to release resurrection in the world. May it nourish our bodies and give us strength to carry out Your plan for peace in our lives. Compassionate God, You have compassion enough for all. You invite us to come away with you to a place of rest and quiet. Teach us to follow you, to trust you, to love you and to love as you love. Teach us to have compassion for others as you do. Help us to show compassion in action the way you did.

(Officiant 2) - And now, let us imagine sitting on the hillside with Jesus, filled with love, as He teaches us to pray:

The Lord’s Prayer
Translated from Jesus’ original language (Aramaic)
Officiant 1 will read the unbolded lines; Voice of the People will read the bolded.

Our Father who art in heaven:
O Birther of the Cosmos, you create all that moves in light.

Hallowed be thy name
Focus your light within us — make it useful: as the rays of a beacon show the way.
Thy kingdom come
Unite our “I can” to yours, so that we walk as kings and queens with every creature.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Create in me a divine cooperation — from many selves, one voice, one action.

Give us this day our daily bread
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
Forgive our hidden past, the secret shames, as we consistently forgive what others hide.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Deceived neither by the outer nor the inner — free us to walk your path with joy.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
From you is born all ruling will, the power and life to do, the song that beautifies all from age to age it renews. Amen.

(Officiant 2) - Let us share the feast with each other! Experience the grace of God!

Agape Meal Voluntary
Taste and See

Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Officiant 2) God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all grace:

We thank you for the gift of life: for the breath that sustains life, for the food of this earth that nurtures life, for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation: for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold filling the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities: for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day: for life and one more day to love, for opportunity and one more day to work for justice and peace, for neighbors and one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise: to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation. For these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, eternal, loving God, through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Announcements

Final Blessing
Go forth into the world in faithfulness. Join all those who have danced with the Lord throughout the generations. Take the song and rhythm of God’s Word into the world, and invite others to celebrate the joy with you. And may the Blessing of God: Eternal Majesty, Living Word and Abiding Spirit, be with you now and forever more! AMEN

(Officiant 2) - Closing Hymn 657
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling (verse 1 only)