February 20, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. | The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Martin’s Episcopal Church | Williamsburg VA
The Word of God
Opening Hymn We Are Called
1 Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!
We are called to be light for the kingdom, to live in the freedom of the city of God.
Refrain: We are called to act with justice; we are called to love tenderly;
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.
2 Sing! Sing a new song! Sing of that great day when all will be one!
God will reign, and we’ll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love.
Refrain
Opening Acclamation
Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
The Collect for Purity (together)
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.
Song of Praise Hymnal S-280
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father, Amen.
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.
O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The First Reading Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'” And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42 (Responsively, by half-verse)
Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; * do not be jealous of those who do wrong. For they shall soon wither like the grass, * and like the green grass fade away. Put your trust in the Lord and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches. Take delight in the Lord, * and he shall give you your heart’s desire. Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, * and he will bring it to pass. He will make your righteousness as clear as the light * and your just dealing as the noonday. Be still before the Lord * and wait patiently for him. Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, * the one who succeeds in evil schemes. Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; * do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil. For evildoers shall be cut off, * but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land. In a little while the wicked shall be no more; * you shall search out their place, but they will not be there. But the lowly shall possess the land; * they will delight in abundance of peace. But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; * he is their stronghold in time of trouble. The Lord will help them and rescue them; * he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them, because they seek refuge in him.
The Second Reading 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50
Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Gospel Acclamation
The Gospel Luke 6:27-38
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon Ms. Laura Hill
A period of silence follows the sermon.
The 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 worshiped 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 of the People
Prayer Leader: To God who is merciful and kind to all, let us pray for all those in need.
For the church of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Lord, have mercy.
For those alienated from the church, and for our witness to Christ in every community. Lord, have mercy.
For those in charge of peoples and nations, and for their exercise of mercy and justice.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who suffer from oppressive rulers and regimes, and for the victims of abuse and violence.
Lord, have mercy.
For all who are sick and troubled. Lord, have mercy.
For ourselves, our families, and all those we love. Lord, have mercy.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as Christ loves us. We pray for Sakura, Peggy, Sadie, Douglas, Holly, Brett and baby Layla, Ruth, Johnny, for St. Vincent’s School, Haiti, and for an end to the pandemic. We pray for the dying and those who have died, and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom. Lord, have mercy. Please add your own intentions, silently or aloud.
Remembering our most glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, blessed Martin, and all the saints, let us offer ourselves and one another to the living God through Christ. To you, O Lord.
Celebrant: God the lover of every man and woman, hear the prayers we offer you this day and grant
that we may bless those who curse and do good to those who do evil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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.
Absolution
The Peace & Announcements
The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
The Holy Communion
The Offertory Anthem Something Tamed, Something Wild (Mary Chapin Carpenter) Cathy Boyd
The Great Thanksgiving Eucharistic Prayer A
The Lord be with you. And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, because in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of your glory in the face of your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn 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.
Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world. On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the 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 many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.” Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling
his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom. All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
The Breaking of the Bread
Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
Communion Hymn Peace Prayer
1 Lord, make me a means of your peace. Where there’s hatred grown, let me sow your love.
Where there’s injury, Lord, let forgiveness be my sword. Lord, make me a means of your peace.
2 Lord make me a means of your peace. When there’s sadness here, let me sow your joy.
When the darkness nears, may your light dispel our fears. Lord, make me a means of your peace.
3 Lord grant me to seek and to share. Less to be consoled than to help console.
Less be understood than to understand your good. Lord make me a means of your peace.
The Post-Communion Prayer
Eternal God, heavenly Father, 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.
The Blessing
Closing Hymn God is Love, let heaven adore him Hymnal 379
The Dismissal
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Thanks be to God.
“Alleluia, alleluia” is only said during the Easter season
The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Bob Cope by Peggy Donohue-Cope.