Sept. 19, 2021 | 17th Sunday after Pentecost 9:15 a.m.

The Word of God

Opening Hymn     Morning has broken

1 Morning has broken like the first morning, blackbird has spoken like the first bird.
Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!  Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!

2 Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in completeness where his feet pass.

3 Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning, born of the one light Eden saw play!
Praise with elation, praise every morning, God’s re-creation, of the new day!

Opening Acclamation

Blessed be God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever.  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. 

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.

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The First Reading     James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.  Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 54 (in unison)

Save me, O God, by your Name; * in your might, defend my cause. Hear my prayer, O God; * give ear to the words of my mouth. For the arrogant have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life, * those who have no regard for God. Behold, God is my helper; * it is the Lord who sustains my life. Render evil to those who spy on me; * in your faithfulness, destroy them. I will offer you a freewill sacrifice * and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good. For you have rescued me from every trouble, * and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.

The Gospel Acclamation     In the Lord I’ll be every 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 8:27-38

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.  Glory to you, O Christ.

Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.     Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.  Praise to you, O Christ.

The Sermon                       The Rev. Lisa Green 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

As we welcome the children of God in the name of Jesus, let us offer prayers for all in every danger and need.

For this holy gathering, and for the people of God in every place. Lord, have mercy. For all peoples and their leaders, and for justice, mercy, and peace in the world. Lord, have mercy. For all who work for daily wages, and for their employers and managers.  Lord, have mercy. For abundant fruits of the earth, and for safety from violent storms.  Lord, have mercy. For the sick and the suffering, travelers and the victims of war, prisoners and refugees. For an end to the pandemic. 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. 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 Joan, Katherine, Gwen, Carol, Kelly and John, and for the children of St. Vincent’s School, Haiti.  We pray for the dying and those who have died, especially Dave Thiboutot, and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.  Lord, have mercy. Lifting our voices with all creation, with Blessed Martin, 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 of mercy, hear the prayers we offer this day and send on us your wisdom from above, that our lives may be full of gentleness and understanding; 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.

The Absolution

The Peace and Announcements

The peace of the Lord be always with you.  And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Anthem     Eagle’s Wings

1 You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord, who abide in this shadow for life,
say to the Lord: “My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!”

Refrain:  “And I will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to  shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of my hand.”

2 Snares of the fowler will never capture you, and famine will bring you no fear;
Under God’s wings your refuge with faithfulness your shield.   Refrain

The Offering of Gifts     Take, O take

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 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     One bread, one body

Refrain:    One bread, one body, one Lord of all, one cup of blessing which we bless.
And we, though many, throughout the earth, we are one body in this one Lord.

1 Gentile or Jew, servant or free, woman or man no more.   Refrain

2 Many the gifts, many the works, one in the Lord of all.   Refrain

3 Grain for the fields, scattered and grown, gathered to one for all.   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     Lord of all hopefulness

1 Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy, whose trust, ever childlike, no cares can destroy,
be there at our waking, and give us, we pray, your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

2 Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith, whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
be there at our labors, and give us, we pray, your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

3 Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace, your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
be there at our homing, and give us, we pray, your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

4 Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm, whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray, your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

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.

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