|
February 26, 2023 – The Second Sunday in Lent
9:30 a.m. Hybrid Service
comolakeunitedchurch com news john-3-1-17
All Saints welcomes all people, without exception, to our church. We know that Christ is present in each person here, and we celebrate the diversity of the body of Christ. If this is your first visit, please introduce yourself today, and please visit again sometime. If you’ve been away, welcome back. If you are here every week, it’s always great to see you! We worship in the Anglican tradition, and are a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, which is part of the Episcopal Church USA. We honor individuals of every age, gender, ethnic heritage, sexual orientation, and religious background. We respect the dignity of every human being.
Land Acknowledgement
For thousands of years, First Nations people walked on this land in Danvers; their relationship with the land is at the center of their lives and spirituality. All Saints is gathered on the traditional territory of the Naumkeag, and we give thanks to them, and acknowledge their stewardship of this land throughout the ages. They followed the seasons, hunted, fished, raised families, grieved for their dead, nourished their living, shared the stories of their ancestors, and considered themselves the caretakers of this place.
Newcomers’ Welcome
If you’re new to All Saints, or just visiting, and we missed you at the door, please accept our warmest welcome. We hope you will experience the power of the Holy Spirit in our worship together. Please greet the clergy and ushers as you leave. We hope to see you again! A restroom is located on the left side of the front lobby.
|
|
|
Prelude
Suite in D Minor “Allemande” George Frederic Handel
Silent Procession
Opening Hymn 448
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High, vs. 2, 4, 6
Welcome, and an invitation to a moment of silence after the ringing of the bell.
Opening Acclamation
Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins
God’s mercy endures forever. Amen
The Decalogue
Hear the commandments of God to God’s people:
I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage.
You shall have no other gods but me.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not make for yourself any idol.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not invoke with malice the Name of the Lord your God.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Honor your father and your mother.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not commit murder.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not commit adultery.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not steal.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not be a false witness.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Jesus said, “the first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
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 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. Amen.
Trisagion
Collect for Purity
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.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
The Collect of the Day - Together
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Hebrew Testament Lesson Ginna Coulson
Genesis 12:1-4a
The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.
Pause to reflect on reading.
Psalm: The appointed Psalm for today is Psalm 121. Please join me in reading it responsively.
I lift up my eyes to the hills;
from where is my help to come?
My help comes from the Lord,
the maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
The Lord himself watches over you;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
So that the sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
it is he who shall keep you safe.
The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in,
from this time forth for evermore.
Greek Testament Lesson Sally Gamble
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
What then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness. For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation. For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.
Sequence Hymn 691
My Faith Looks Up To Thee, vs. 1-2
Gospel John 3:1-17
The Holy Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Sequence Hymn 147
My Faith Looks Up To Thee, vs. 3 (see above)
Homily Kathy Johnson
Nicene Creed
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.
The Prayers Bill Hooper
Listening God, as we turn to you in prayer, the greatness of Your love is beyond words to describe. By the power of Your Spirit, liberate us from all self-centeredness, that we may be free to love others as Christ loves us. Lord hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.
God of invitation and welcome, we pray for Your church around the world, that it would be a living demonstration of Your coming kingdom: offering hospitality to all, ready to help in times of need. We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons, including Alan, Gayle, Marya and Jim. In our Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for the Parishes of the Cape & Islands Deanery: Church of St. Mary of the Harbor, Provincetown; St. John’s Church, Sandwich; St. David’s Church, South Yarmouth; Grace Church, Vineyard Haven; and Ministries with the Aging. In our Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for Church of the Province of South East Asia. Lord hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.
Merciful God, make of us pilgrims throughout these forty days. Lead us through discipline to discipleship, through fasting to feasting, through privation to freedom. Free us from our own struggles, so that we may more fully serve one another. Today we pray for those whose names, or faces, or needs are resting upon our hearts, especially Jan Eschanauzier, Ina Jean Wagner, Sally Symmes, Phyllis Endicott, Grace Mallia, Theresa W., Malaki, Desiree, Sean, Becca, Jean Baptiste and family, Bob Schubert, Jamie and Andy, parents of Ava Harlow, Joe Maher, Bill Graves, Lindley Hanlon, Delores McSweeney, Christi Humphrey and Paula and Don Gates. Are there others? Lord hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.
We pray for all who come to the “halls” of All Saints seeking healing from addiction. Look with compassion on all who have lost their health and freedom. Restore the assurance of your unending love and unfailing mercy; remove the fears that disable; strengthen the work of recovery; and to those who care for those suffering from addiction, give patient understanding and persevering love. Lord hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.
Saving God, we pray for those who have died in the hope of eternal life. Are there any you would like to name? Lord hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.
Loving God, help us to listen and be joyful, humble and caring, merciful and loving. Anchor us in your life- giving word, and make us radiant for you – fitting ambassadors of your message of reconciliation. Today we give thanks for those celebrating birthdays, especially Sally Gamble, Tally Blowers, Danielle Hanscom and Jason Symmes. Are there others for whom we give joyful and humble thanks? Lord hear our prayer,
and in Your love, answer.
God of Grace, as we work together with Christ, help us to remember your gift of salvation, and to call upon you and serve you as you desire. Lord hear our prayer...
and in Your love, answer.
—adapted from prayers by Rev. Richard J. Fairchild, and posted on http://www,rockies,net/
The Passing of the Peace
Christ is here right now making peace among us. The peace of the Lord be always with you!
And also with you.
Offertory Sentences
Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to give to you all that we have and all that we are. Put together as one congregation in three locations, bless our gifts!
Musical Offering
Peace Like a River Allen Hill
The offertory plate is now brought forward.
Doxology: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Christ, all people here below;
Praise Holy Spirit evermore;
Praise Triune God, whom we adore. Amen.
The Sanctuary Lamp burns in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, in loving memory of Karin and Thayne Symmes, given by the Symmes Family, in loving memory of Zarb Pettus, given by Elizabeth Losa, and in gratitude for yesterday’s beautiful wedding of Morgan Hooper to Andrew Puig, given by Bill Hooper.
Eucharistic Prayer
Celebrant: God be with you!
People: And also with you!
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts!
People: We lift them up to God!
Celebrant: Then let us give thanks.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right and a good and joyful thing to give thanks to you always, Creator God, because you have made the world in all its complexity. You have given humanity abundant good things. Yet you have also given us the capacity for dark choices and anxiety. You have provided us with paths leading to wisdom through deprivation and suffering. And you have shown us, through the incarnation of your love in Jesus Christ, the way of reconciliation through letting go of self and material concerns, seeking first the compassionate realm of God. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels, with all the company of the heavens, and with all the creatures of the earth, who forever sing their hymns 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.
Ever Living God, you have created the world out of nothingness. You are present in both the darkness and the light. You have created humanity from the dust of the earth, and have given us the ability to choose between good and evil. You have called your prophets and champions from among the lowly. You have formed your people through wanderings in the desert and through exile in foreign lands. In your creative thirst to be known to us, you have entered into our struggles, coming among us in the human person of Jesus, the Christ. He was conceived amid scandal, born in want, raised in obscurity. With us he embraces hunger and thirst, temptation, rejection, doubt, grief, suffering and death. On the night before he died, he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples saying, “Take, eat: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in 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 all people for the forgiveness of sin. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.” Therefore we proclaim this mystery of faith
Christ has died with us. Christ lives in us. Christ comes into the world again.
Now in this sacred rite of thanksgiving and praise we celebrate the saving work of Jesus. For in him the cross, the instrument of torture and death, has been transformed into the sign of reconciliation and abundant life. Recalling his life, his teaching, his death and resurrection, we offer these gifts of bread and wine. Spirit of Compassion, breathe upon them now, making them for us the very body and blood of your incarnate love, the Christ. And breathe your Spirit into us so that, having partaken of this sacramental meal in faith, we may serve you in unity, constancy and peace, and may dwell forever in the joy of communion with you. All this we ask through the Christ, who is the human and cosmic incarnation of your Love. By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of your Holy Spirit all honor and glory are yours, Creator God, now and forever. AMEN.
—from A Eucharistic Prayer for Lent, Progressivechristianity.org
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
This is the table not of the church, but of the Lord. It is to be made ready for those who love God and want to love God more. So come if you have followed, come if you have stumbled, come if you have been here often, or if you have never been here before. Come because it is God who invites you. It is one of God’s purposes, that those who want to find God, will find God here.—Adapted from the Iona Community.
(Now each person is invited to take a portion of food and drink, joining with the entire congregation on three platforms in our love feast.)
Communion Instrumental
CONSOLATION No. 3 Franz Liszt
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Let us pray: Eternal God, 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.
Announcements and Alleluia Prayers for Birthdays, Anniversaries and Travel
Final Blessing
Whatever wilderness the Spirit has brought you to: walk in boldness, as a beloved child of God; walk in peace, under the shelter of the Most High; walk in faith, knowing Christ walks with you. Amen.
Recessional Hymn 343
Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless
Benediction
God be with you till we meet again;
By his counsels guide uphold you;
With his sheep securely fold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Dismissal
Go now into the world with assurance, hope and promise that the Breath of Life will help strengthen and sustain you. AMEN
Postlude
SONATA No. 483 Domenico Scarlatti
(Usage of music images is authorized through Church Publishing, Inc., for The Riteseries Online. Reprinted/podcast/streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE A-726450. All rights reserved.)
Special thanks to our worship assistants this morning:
Celebrant: The Rev. Marya DeCarlen
Homilist: Kathy Johnson
Musician: Michael Mazurkiewicz
Soloist: Allen Hill
Greeter/Usher: Jim Gordon
Zoom Prayer Host: Fran Weil
Hybrid Hosts: Fran Weil
Dave Benman
Carol Bouffard
Liturgical Assistant: Bill Hooper
1st Lesson and Psalm: Ginna Coulson
2nd Lesson: Sally Gamble
|
|
|
|
|
