The Word of God

Opening Hymn    Earth and all stars

1 Earth and all stars, loud rushing planets, sing to the Lord a new song! O victory, loud shouting army, sing to the Lord a new song!

Refrain: He has done marvelous things. I, too, will praise him with a new song!

2 Trumpet and pipes, loud clashing cymbals, sing to the Lord a new song! Harp, lute, and lyre, loud humming cellos, sing to the Lord a new song!    Refrain

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.

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; 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    Isaiah 50:4-9a

The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word. Morning by morning he wakens–wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult and spitting. The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who are my adversaries? Let them confront me. It is the Lord God who helps me; who will declare me guilty? The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 116:1-8 (in unison)

I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, * because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him. The cords of death entangled me; the grip of the grave took hold of me; * I came to grief and sorrow. Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: * “O Lord, I pray you, save my life.” Gracious is the Lord and righteous; * our God is full of compassion. The Lord watches over the innocent; * I was brought very low, and he helped me. Turn again to your rest, O my soul, * for the Lord has treated you well. For you have rescued my life from death, * my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. I will walk in the presence of the Lord * in the land of the living.

The Second Reading    James 3:1-12

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.    How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue– a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

The Gospel Acclamation    Celtic Alleluia

The Gospel    Mark 8:27-38

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

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.   Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

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

The Homily                                                                                                           The Rev. Cathy Boyd

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

With our tongues we bless the Lord and Father and beg for mercy on all in need.

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, peace, and justice among all peoples. 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 by land, by water, and by air, prisoners, captives, and their families, and all those in desperate need. 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 those who rest in Christ and for all the dead. 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, Gini, Sandy, Sharon, Mal, and for the children of St. Vincent’s School, Haiti. 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.

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 infinite mercy, hear the prayers we offer this day and save our lives through the good news of your Messiah; 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    You are my all in all

1    You are my strength when I am weak. You are the treasure that I seek. You are my all in all. Seeking You as a precious jewel, Lord, to give up I’d be a fool. You are my all in all.

Refrain: Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name. Jesus, Lamb of God, worthy is Your name

2 Taking my sin, my cross, my shame, rising again I bless Your name. You are my all in all. When I fall down You pick me up. When I am dry You fill my cup. You are my all in all. Refrain

The Great Thanksgiving    Eucharistic Prayer B

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. For you are the source of light and life, you made us in your image, and called us to new life in 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, 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.

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.

On the night before he died for us, 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, according to his command, O Father,

We remember his death, We proclaim his resurrection, We await his coming in glory;

And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant.

Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with Martin and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation. 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 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    This Alone

Refrain:       One thing I ask, this alone I seek, to dwell in the House of the Lord all my days. For one day within Your temple heals every day alone. O Lord, bring me to Your dwelling.

1. Hear, O Lord, the sound of my calling. Hear, O Lord, and show me Your way. Refrain
2. The Lord is my light and hope of salvation. The Lord is my refuge; whom should I fear? Refrain
3. Wait on the Lord and hope in His mercy. Wait on the Lord and live in His love. Refrain

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

The Closing Hymn    Lift high the cross

Refrain:   Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred Name.

1. Led on their way by this triumphant sign, the hosts of God in conquering ranks combine. Refrain
2. So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory. Refrain

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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