October 10, 2021 | 9:15 a.m. | 20th Sunday after Pentecost
The Word of God
Opening Hymn Send down the fire
Refrain: Send down the fire of your justice, send down the rains of your love;
Come, send down the Spirit, breathe life in your people, and we shall be people of God.
1 Call us to be your compassion, teach us the song of your love;
Give us hearts that sing, give us deeds that ring, make us ring with the song of your love. Refrain
2 Call us to learn of your mercy, teach us the way of your peace;
Give us hearts that feel, give us hands that heal, make us walk in the way of your peace. Refrain
Opening Acclamation
Blessed be the one, holy, and living God. Glory to God for ever and ever.
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.
Gloria
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.
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The First Reading Hebrews 4:12-16
The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 90:12-17 (in unison)
So teach us to number our days * that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.
Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry? * be gracious to your servants.
Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; * so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
Show your servants your works * and your splendor to their children.
May the graciousness of the LORD our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.
The Gospel Acclamation In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful
In the Lord I’ll be ever thankful, in the Lord I will rejoice! Look to God, do not be afraid;
Lift up your voices, the Lord is near; lift up your voices, the Lord is near.
The Gospel Mark 10:17-31
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. Glory to you, Lord Christ.
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” They were greatly astounded and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.” Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon Melinda Tremblay
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
Let us offer prayers to God who gathers the poor in the kingdom.
For Susan, our bishop; and Cathy and Lisa, our priests; for this holy gathering, and for the
people of God in every place. Lord, have mercy.
For mercy, justice, and peace among all peoples. Lord, have mercy.
For good weather, abundant fruits of the earth, and peaceful times. Lord, have mercy.
For our city and those who live in it and for our families, companions, and all those we love.
Lord, have mercy.
For all those in danger and need: the sick and the suffering, the poor and the oppressed, the
hungry and the homeless. Lord, have mercy.
For our deliverance from all affliction, strife, and need. 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 Carol, Diane, Lee, Ann Marie, Betsy, Bob, for the children of 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. God our Creator, hear our prayer.
Please add your own intentions, silently or aloud.
Lifting our voices with all creation, with Blessed Martin and the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints, let us offer ourselves and one another to the living God through Christ. To you, O Lord.
God whose Word is living and active, hear the prayers we offer this day and help all peoples in their weakness to approach the throne of grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession of Sin
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.
Absolution
The Peace and Announcements
The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
The Holy Communion
The Offertory
The Offering of Gifts
Take, O take me as I am; summon out what I shall be; set your seal upon my heart and live in me.
The Great Thanksgiving Enriching Our Worship, Prayer 3
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.
All thanks and praise are yours at all times and in all places, our true and loving God; through Jesus Christ, your eternal Word, the Wisdom from on high by whom you created all things. You laid the foundations of the world and enclosed the sea when it burst out from the womb; You brought forth all creatures of the earth and gave breath to humankind. Wondrous are you, Holy One of Blessing, all you create is a sign of hope for our journey; and so as the morning stars sing your praises we join the heavenly beings and all creation as we shout with joy:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power, God of 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. Hosanna in the highest.
Glory and honor are yours, Creator of all, your Word has never been silent; you called a people to yourself, as a light to the nations, you delivered them from bondage and led them to a land of promise. Of your grace, you gave Jesus to be human, to share our life, to proclaim the coming of your holy reign and give himself for us, a fragrant offering. Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, you have freed us from sin, brought us into your life, reconciled us to you, and restored us to the glory you intend for us.
We thank you that on the night before he died for us Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, gave it to his friends and said: “Take, eat, this is my Body, broken for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” After supper Jesus took the cup of wine, said the blessing, gave it to his friends and said: “Drink this, all of you: this cup is the new Covenant in my Blood, poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.” And so, remembering all that was done for us: the cross, the tomb, the resurrection and ascension, longing for Christ’s coming in glory, and presenting to you these gifts your earth has formed and human hands have made, we acclaim you, O Christ:
Dying, you destroyed our death. Rising, you restored our life. Christ Jesus, come in glory!
Send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts of bread and wine that they may be to us the Body and Blood of your Christ. Grant that we, burning with your Spirit’s power, may be a people of hope, justice and love. Giver of Life, draw us together in the Body of Christ, and in the fullness of time gather us with blessed Martin and all your people into the joy of our true eternal home. Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, we worship you our God and Creator in voices of unending praise. Blessed are you now and for ever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer (contemporary words)
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.
The Breaking of the Bread
Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
The Invitation
The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Communion Hymn Be not afraid
- You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.
Refrain: Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow me and I will give you rest.
2 If you pass through raging waters in the sea, you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the power of hell and death is at your side.
Know that I am with you through it all. Refrain
3 Blessed are your poor for the kingdom shall be theirs.
Blest are you that weep and mourn for one day you shall laugh.
And if wicked men insult and hate you all because of me, blessed, blessed are you. Refrain
The Post-Communion Prayer
Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image and nourishing us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Now send us forth a people, forgiven, healed, renewed; that we may proclaim your love to the world and continue in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Blessing
The Closing Hymn Guide me, O thou great Jehovah
1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but thou art mighty; hold me with thy powerful hand;
bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me now and evermore, feed me now and evermore.
2 Open now the crystal fountain, whence the healing stream doth flow;
let the fire and cloudy pillar lead me all my journey through;
strong deliverer, strong deliverer, be thou still my strength and shield,
be thou still my strength and shield.
3 When I tread the verge of Jordan, bid my anxious fears subside;
death of death, and hell’s destruction, land me safe on Canaan’s side;
songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to thee, I will ever give to thee.
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 Easter season.
The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God.
1333 Jamestown Rd | Williamsburg VA 23185 | 757.229.1111 | www.martinburg.org