Call to Gather for Worship

 

Celebrant  ☩ Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People        And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever.

Amen.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden: 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.

 Celebrant            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 are no other commandments greater than these.”

 

The Collect of the Day

 Celebrant            The Lord be with you.

People                 And also with you.

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

A Reading from Isiah : Isaiah 43:1-7

Thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.

For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.

Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;

I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth–

everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

The Word of the Lord.

People       Thanks be to God.

 

The Psalm

Psalm 29: Afferte Domino

 1 Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the Lord is upon the mighty waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

8 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare.

9 And in the temple of the Lord *
all are crying, “Glory!”

10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.

11 The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

 

 

The New Testament
A Reading from Acts
Acts 8:14-17

When the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

The Word of the Lord.

People       Thanks be to God.

 

 

The Gospel of the Lord: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

 

The Gospel of the Lord

People       Praise be to you, Lord Christ

The Sermon, The Reverend Meredith KeFauver Olsen

 

The Nicene Creed

Celebrant and People together

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Prayers of the People

 Celebrant Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, by saying, “Lord, have mercy.”

Leader For the peace from above, for the loving-kindness of God, and for the salvation of our souls. For the welfare of the holy Church of God, and for the unity of all peoples, let us pray to the Lord.

People       Lord, have mercy.

Leader For our Bishops and church leaders; for congregations and their leaders and people. For our President, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord.

People      Lord, have mercy.

Leader For this city of Baltimore, for every city and community; on our mountains and farms; and for holy places—and for those who live in all these places. For the residents and staff of Springwell and their families. For the good earth that God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord.

 People       Lord, have mercy.

Leader For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the suffering. For Jackie, Joyce, John, Paul, Lynn, Carlton, Holly, Miles and Wanda; Arthur, Margie, Stuart, and all their families; for Sister Anne,  and for Neil and Stephen, and all others needing our prayers, Let us pray to the Lord.

People       Lord, have mercy.

Leader For the people and peace of the Holy Land in the Middle East, and all the people of various tribes and nations who live there. For Hawaii and Canada; for Ukraine, poignantly and in particular; for peacemakers and for their success; and for those for whom we have promised to pray; for all of them and their concerns, let us pray to the Lord.

  People       Lord, have mercy.

Leader For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, and for all those who remember them and care for them, let us pray to the Lord.

People       Lord, have mercy.

 Leader For all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the dearly departed, particularly, Georgia, Helen, Yvonne Murphy, Cynthia, Donald Actie, and all their families and loved ones. And, that we may end our lives in faith and hope, without suffering and without reproach, let us pray to the Lord.

People       Lord, have mercy.

 Celebrant  Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

People       Amen.

 

A Confession of Our Sins to God

 Celebrant  Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbors.

Silence will be kept.

 

Celebrant and People 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.

Celebrant 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.

 

Offertory Prayer

Celebrant  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. For everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, and you are exalted as head overall. Amen.

 

The Peace

Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People       And also with you.

Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the name of the Lord

 

THE GREAT THANKSGIVING

Celebrant            The Lord be with you.

People                 And also with you.

Celebrant            Lift up your hearts.

People                 We lift them to the Lord.

Celebrant            Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People                It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 Celebrant It is indeed right and holy that we should—in all times and in all places—give thanks to you, Almighty Father. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fulfillment of his true promise, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead them into all truth; uniting peoples of many tongues in the confession of one faith, and giving to your Church the power to serve you as a royal priesthood, and to preach the Gospel to all nations. Therefore, we praise your name and join angels and archangels by saying:

 All, spoken: Holy, holy, holy Lord; God of power and 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.

 Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself. 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 before his 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. Amen.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray:

 

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 forever and ever. Amen.

 

The Call to Communion

Celebrant   The gifts of God for the people of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

 the Celebrant will distribute communion to people in their chairs.

 

Post Communion Thanksgiving

Celebrant            Almighty and ever-living God,

  All    We thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen

 

The Blessing

Celebrant            Sisters and brothers, we go out into the world in peace. We live and walk as part of God’s beloved community. May God help us all to be of good courage, to hold on to what is good, and to return to no one an evil for an evil. Strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, aid the suffering; do justice, honor all people, and let our gentleness be known by everyone. May God, who raised our Lord Jesus from death, lift us up and restore us to wholeness. And may God bless us all, ☩ in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Dismissal

Celebrant            Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

People                 Thanks be to God.