February 6, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. | The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church | Williamsburg VA

Opening Sentence

 I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.   Isaiah 49:6b

Confession of Sin & Absolution

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter

O God, let our mouth proclaim your praise. And your glory all the day long.  Praise to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God:  as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.  

Christ has shown forth his glory:  O come let us worship.

Hymn of Praise    Halle, halle, hallelujah!

Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah!   (repeat)

Psalm 138 (in unison)

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; * before the gods I will sing your praise.  I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your Name, * because of your love and faithfulness; For you have glorified your Name * and your word above all things.  When I called, you answered me; * you increased my strength within me.  All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, * when they have heard the words of your mouth.  They will sing of the ways of the Lord, * that great is the glory of the Lord.  Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; * he perceives the haughty from afar.  Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; * you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.  The Lord will make good his purpose for me; * O Lord, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands.  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 Word of God

The First Lesson     Isaiah 6:1-13

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:  “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”  Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!”  

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

Hymn     I, the Lord of sea and sky

I, the Lord of sea and sky. I have heard my people cry. All who dwell in deepest sin My hand will save. I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright. Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?  Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart

The Second Lesson   1 Corinthians 15:1-11

I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you–unless you have come to believe in vain.  For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them–though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

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

Hymn     You have come down to the lakeshore

     You have come down to the lakeshore seeking neither the wise nor the wealthy,

      but only asking for me to follow.

      Refrain O Jesus, you have looked into my eyes; kindly smiling, you’ve called out my name.

      On the sand I have abandoned my small boat; now with you, I will seek other seas.

      You need my hands, my exhaustion, working love for the rest of the weary

      a love that’s willing to go on loving.   Refrain 

The Gospel     Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.  Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.  Thanks be to God.

The Sermon                                                                                                                 The Rev. Cathy Boyd

A period of silence follows the sermon.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, 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, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and 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

The Lord be with you.  And also with you.  Let us pray.

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.

Show us your mercy, O Lord; and grant us your salvation.

Clothe your ministers with righteousness; let your people sing with joy.

Give peace, O Lord, in all the world; for only in you can we live in safety.

Lord, keep this nation under your care; and guide us in the way of justice and truth.

Let your way be known upon earth; your saving health among all nations.

Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten; nor the hope of the poor be taken away.

Create in us clean hearts, O God; and sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

The Collects

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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.

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen

The Prayers of the People

Prayer Leader:  Holding firmly to the good news of salvation, let us pray for all those in desperate need.

For the holy catholic church throughout the world.  Lord, have mercy.

For Susan, our bishop, for Cathy and Lisa, our priests, for all who minister in Christ, and for all the holy people of God.  Lord, have mercy.

For this holy gathering and for all who enter with faith, reverence, and fear of God. 

Lord, have mercy.

For this country, for all nations and their leaders, and for our community.  Lord, have mercy.

For all those in danger and need: the sick and the suffering, prisoners, captives, and their families, the hungry, homeless, and oppressed.  Lord, have mercy.

For ourselves, our families, friends, and companions on the way 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 Johnny, Samantha, Deb, Mary, Jaci, Lois, Laurel, Carolyn, Scott, for St. Vincent’s School, Haiti, and for an end to the pandemic. We pray for the dying and those who have died, especially Betty, 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 the 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 of infinite glory, who cleanses our lips with the word of your Son, hear the prayers

we offer this day and sustain us with your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

The General Thanksgiving

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

Announcements

Prayer of St. Chrysostom

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.

Hymn Lift ev’re voice and sing

Lift every voice and sing / Till earth and heaven ring / Ring with the harmonies of liberty
Let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies / Let it resound loud as the rolling sea

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun / Let us march on till victory is won

God of our weary years / God of our silent tears / Thou who has brought us thus far on the way
Thou who has by Thy might led us into the light / Keep us forever in the path, we pray
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee
Shadowed beneath Thy hand may we forever stand / True to our God, true to our native land

Dismissal and Closing

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.