Prelude: ‘O Man, Bewail thy Grevious Fall’, J. S. Bach
Processional: Love Divine, Bulletin, Page 20-21
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 neighbour as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbour.
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 neighbours 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, for ever and ever.
Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
The First Lesson: Genesis 15:1-12,17-18
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.
Then he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two, laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness descended upon him.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 27: Dominus illuminatio
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then /shall I /fear? * the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom /then shall /I be a-/fraid?
2 When evildoers came upon me to /eat up my /flesh, * it was they, my foes and my /adversaries, who/ stumbled and /fell.
3 Though an army should en-/camp a-/gainst me, * yet my /heart shall /not be a-/fraid;
4 And though war should rise /up a-/gainst me, * yet will I /put my /trust in /him.
5 One thing have I asked of the Lord; /one thing I /seek; * that I may dwell in the house of the Lord /all the /days of my/ life;
6 To behold the fair /beauty of the /Lord * and to /seek him /in his /temple.
7 For in the day of trouble he shall keep me /safe in his /shelter; * he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling and set me /high up-/on a /rock.
8 Even now he /lifts up my /head * above my /ene-mies /round a-/bout me.
9 Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation with /sounds of great /gladness; * I will sing and make /music /to the /Lord.
10 Hearken to my voice, O /Lord, when I /call; * have /mercy on /me and /answer me.
11 You speak in my heart and say,/ "Seek my /face." * Your /face, Lord, /will I /seek.
12 Hide not your /face from /me, * nor turn away your /servant /in dis-/pleasure.
13 You have been my helper; /cast me not a-/way; * do not forsake me, O /God of /my sal-/vation.
14 Though my father and my /mother for-/sake me, * --/the Lord /will sus-/tain me.
15 Show me your /way, O /Lord; * lead me on a level /path, be-/cause of my /enemies.
16 Deliver me not into the /hand of my /adversaries, * for false witnesses have risen up against me, and /also /those who speak /malice.
17 What if I had not believed that I should see the /goodness of the /Lord * --/in the /land of the /living!
18 O tarry and await the Lord's pleasure; be strong, and he shall /comfort your /heart; * wait /patient-/ly for the Lord.
The Second Lesson: Philippians 3:17-4:1
Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sequence Hymn: Down at the Cross, Bulletin, p. 22
The Gospel: Luke 13:31-35
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke
Glory to you, Lord Christ
Some Pharisees came and said to Jesus, "Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox for me, 'Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.' Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
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, Andrew, 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 Houng (Gladys) Adams, Trevor Chase, Carole Cramer, George Cramer, William Feeney, Brunilda Iglesias, Henrietta Gowac, Dice Grigg, and Walter Robert Shields. 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, especially Angelica Caminos 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 Welcome and the Announcements
Offertory Anthem: As the Deer
The Offertory Hymn: O Love of God, How Strong and True, Bulletin, Page 23
The Great Thanksgiving
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every where to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other occasions as appointed.
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:
The Sanctus & Benedictus: S-130
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 for ever.
The Great Amen
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to sing,
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-164
The Invitation
The gifts of God for the people of God.
The Communion
Note: As mandated by The Bishop, only the Celebrant will administer Communion (Bread Only). The Clergy’s hands have been properly washed and sanitized.
Please wait to be directed.
Communion Hymn: I, The Lord of Sea and Sky, Bulletin, Page 24
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. Keep this your family, Lord, with your never-failing mercy, that relying solely on the help of your heavenly grace, they may be upheld by your divine protection; through Christ our Lord. Amen
The Recessional Hymn: 529, Lift High the Cross, Bulletin, p. 27
The Dismissal
The Mass is ended. Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
The Postlude