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March 26, 2023 – The Fifth Sunday in Lent
9:30 a.m. Hybrid Service
www stephenmfearing com/sermons-2/tag/John+11
A Warm Welcome to All Saints Episcopal Church of the North Shore
All Saints welcomes all people, without exception, to our Eucharistic Table. 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 accept our warmest welcome and introduce yourself to the Priest. You are invited to complete a visitor’s card, found on the table in the lobby and give it to the Priest. If you’ve been away, welcome back. We worship in the Anglican tradition, as a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, which is part of the Episcopal Church USA. We respect the dignity of every human being.
If you are gluten intolerant and wish to take communion, please inform one of the ushers prior to the start of the service so that the priest can make gluten-free bread or wafers available. A restroom is located on the left side of the front lobby. We hope to see you again!
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.
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Prelude
Harmonized Chorales J.S. Bach
Silent Procession
Opening Hymn 495
Hail, Thou Once Despised Jesus, vs. 1, 4
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 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.
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
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command, and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Hebrew Testament Lesson Mary Gordon
Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.” So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude. Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.
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 130. Please join me in reading it responsively.
Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice;
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss,
O Lord, who could stand?
For there is forgiveness with you;
therefore you shall be feared.
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him;
in his word is my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning,
more than watchmen for the morning.
O Israel, wait for the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy;
With him there is plenteous redemption,
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
Greek Testament Lesson Bill Hooper
Romans 8:6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people. Thanks be to God.
Sequence Hymn 508
Breathe On Me, Breath of God, vs. 1-2
Gospel John 11:1-7, 17-27, 31-45
The Holy Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Sequence Hymn 508
Breathe on Me, Breath of God, vs. 3-4 (see above)
Homily Ginna Coulson
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 Sue Spencer
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, Carol, Marya and Jim. In our Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for the Parishes of the Charles River Deanery: Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill (Newton); Boston College Campus Ministry, Chestnut Hill; St. Dunstan’s Church, Dover; Christ Church, Needham; and the Church Periodical Club. In our Anglican cycle of prayer, we pray for The Anglican Church of South America. 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, Bob and Elaine Schubert, Jamie and Andy, parents of Ava Harlow, Joe Maher, Bill Graves, Delores McSweeney, Christi Humphrey, Paula and Don Gates, Cheryl, Jonathan, Marsha, Florence, Cynthia Kolhonen., Jeffrey Hill, Carrie, Derek, Christi, Lilly, Catherine, Linda, Susan and Jeff. 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 Lawrence Crowley, Melinda Harris, Bradley Kirshen, Gordon Thomson, Hadley Beaulieu, Sally Symmes and Ashley Blake. 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 www rockies net
Are there any prayer requests from the Zoom pews?
Compassionate God, hear our supplications, whether spoken or silent, as we express our gratitude for the many blessings You bestow on us. Amen.
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
When Jesus Wept, the Falling Tear 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, and in loving memory of Harold and Mollie Spencer, given by Shirley and Dick Cloutman.
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.
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
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 during our love feast.)
Communion Instrumental
French Suite Sarabande J.S. Bach
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 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 665
All My Hope on God is Founded
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, taking turns that lead to life, while pausing to accompany others on the way. May we journey with God through Lent, and long for the horizon and dawn. Amen
Postlude
Come, Holy Ghost Louis Lambillotte
(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: Ginna Coulson
Musician: Michael Mazurkiewicz
Soloist: Allen Hill
Greeter/Usher: Linda Marsh
Zoom Prayer Host: Fran Weil
Hybrid Hosts: Melissa West
Lisa Palmer
Gail Arnold
Liturgical Assistant: Sue Spencer
1st Lesson and Psalm: Mary Gordon
2nd Lesson: Bill Hooper
Counters: Gail Arnold
Bruce Manning
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