The Holy Eucharist
PRELUDE
THE PROCESSIONAL: O GOD OF ABRAHAM PRAISE
THE SALUTATION
Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
His mercy endures forever.
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.
THE CONFESSION
Jesus said,
The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
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.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen
THE KYRIE
THE COLLECT OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
THE FIRST LESSON: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.
God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 22:22-30
Deus, Deus meus
22 Praise the LORD, you that fear him; * stand in awe of him, O offspring of Israel; all you of Jacob's line, give glory.
23 For he does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither does he hide his face from them; * but when they cry to him he hears them.
24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: * "May your heart live for ever!"
26 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, * and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.
27 For kingship belongs to the LORD; * he rules over the nations.
28 To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; * all who go down to the dust fall before him.
29 My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; * they shall be known as the LORD'S for ever.
30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn * the saving deeds that he has done.
THE SECOND LESSON: Romans 4:13-25
For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) —in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to
what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith “was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now the words, “it was reckoned to him,” were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
SEQUENCE HYMN: O LOVE OF GOD, HOW STRONG AND TRUE
THE GOSPEL: MARK 8:31-38
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus began to teach his disciples 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, Lord Christ.
THE SERMON: The Rev’d Hank Tuell
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
In this holy season of Lent, we are called to a journey of self-examination, repentance, and prayer following the example of Jesus our Savior. Let us in our prayers offer to God the yearnings of our hearts.
We pray for the whole church, all leaders and ministers, and all the holy people of God; especially Justin the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael our Presiding Bishop, Matt, Allen and Mary our Bishops, Hank and all members of the Clergy.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
We pray for our nation, for all the nations of the earth, and for all who govern and judge; especially Joseph our President, Kathy our Governor, Eric our Mayor, and all Leaders in the nations of the world.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
We pray for those who put themselves in harm's way and places of danger; those who willingly risk their lives; particularly for those serving in the armed services.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
We pray for those who hunger, those who thirst, those who cry out for justice, those who live under the threat of terror, and those without a place to lay their head; especially those in Ukraine.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
We pray for those who are ill, those in pain, those under stress, and those
who are lonely; especially those on our parish prayer list, including Dr. John,
Generosa, Jim, Harold, Lauren, Matthew, Gweneth, Trevor, Juli,
Ondeene, Carole, George, Paul, Michael, Francine, Arthur, Anthony, Robert,
Dillon, Henrietta, Phillip, Dice, Christopher, Dan, Teresa, Chris, Frances,
David, Robert, and all those on our prayer list.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and our strength.
We pray for your Church throughout the world, thanking you for all who
Serve Christ and his kingdom. Today we especially remember
our Eucharistic Ministers and Acolytes. By your Spirit strengthen your
people for their work and witness in the world. Unite us in your truth and
love, that we who confess your name may also reflect your glory.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
We pray in this season of Lent for those who prepare for baptism, confirmation and renewal, and we pray that we all might be given the grace and strength to repent and grow closer to you, O God.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
We pray for those who have died and all who have entered into the land of eternal Light and your abiding peace.
We lift our eyes to the hills, O God.
In you is our help and strength.
CONCLUDING COLLECT
Hear these and all the longings of our hearts O God, whose reign is not distant but breaking in among us: give us time and space to find a new identity, to let go of control and walk the pilgrim way; through Jesus Christ, the good news of salvation. Amen.
THE PEACE
The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace.
THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE OFFERTORY HYMN: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE
THE GREAT THANKSGIVING - 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 him 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.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with
all the company of heaven, who forever 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. Hosanna in the highest
Blessed is He who come in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the highest. 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 forever.
THE GREAT AMEN
THE LORD'S PRAYER
THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Therefore, let us keep the feast.
THE FRACTION ANTHEM S-165
THE COMMUNION
COMMUNION HYMN: ICAN HEAR MY SAVIOR CALLING
THE POST COMMUNION PRAYER
Let us pray.
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.
SOLEMN PRAYER
Bow down before the Lord.
Grant, Almighty God, that your people may recognize their weakness and put their whole trust in your strength, so that they may rejoice forever in the protection of your loving providence; through Christ our Lord. Amen
THE RECESSIONAL: BLESSED ASSURANCE
THE DISMISSAL
The Mass is ended. Our service now begins. Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
THE POSTLUDE