169th Parish Anniversary
The Holy Eucharist
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost B ~ Proper 20
September 22, 2024 at 9:30 AM
Preacher: Canon Joshua Varner
St. Matthew's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/stmattsav
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The Holy Eucharist: Rite II
Hymn 637: How Firm a Foundation
The Opening Acclamation
Blessed by God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
A Litany of Thanksgiving for a Church
Let us thank God whom we worship here in the beauty of holiness.
Eternal God, the heaven of heavens cannot contain you, much less the walls of temples made with hands. Graciously receive our thanks for this place, and accept the work of our hands, offered to your honor and glory.
For the Church universal, of which these visible buildings are the symbol,
We thank you, Lord.
For your presence whenever two or three have gathered together in your Name,
We thank you, Lord.
For this place where we may be still and know that you are God,
We thank you, Lord.
For making us your children by adoption and grace, and for refreshing us day by day with the bread of life.
We thank you, Lord.
For the knowledge of your will and the grace to perform it,
We thank you, Lord.
For the fulfilling of our desires and petitions as you see best for us,
We thank you, Lord.
For the pardon of our sins, which restores us to the company of your faithful people, We thank you, Lord.
For the blessing of our vows and the crowning of our years with your goodness,
We thank you, Lord.
For the faith of those who have gone before us and for our encouragement by their perseverance,
We thank you, Lord.
For the fellowship of Blessed Matthew, our patron, Blessed Stephen and Blessed Augustine, our former patrons, and of all your Saints,
We thank you, Lord.
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 over all. Amen.
Let us pray:
Almighty God, to whose glory we celebrate the founding of this house of prayer: We give you thanks for the fellowship of those who have worshiped in this place, and we pray that all who seek you here may find you, and be filled with your joy and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Hymn S-280: Glory to God
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.
[Music: Robert Powell © 1985, Church Publishing, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #28331. All rights reserved.]
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
A Reading from the Book of Wisdom of Solomon (1:16-2:1, 12-22)
The ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death; considering him a friend, they pined away and made a covenant with him, because they are fit to belong to his company.
For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves, “Short and sorrowful is our life, and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end, and no one has been known to return from Hades. Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training. He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord. He became to us a reproof of our thoughts; the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange. We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father. Let us see if his words are true, and let us test what will happen at the end of his life; for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him, and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries. Let us test him with insult and torture, so that we may find out how gentle he is, and make trial of his forbearance. Let us condemn him to a shameful death, for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”
Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray, for their wickedness blinded them, and they did not know the secret purposes of God, nor hoped for the wages of holiness, nor discerned the prize for blameless souls.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 54
Read responsively by half-verse (after the asterisk)
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might, defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life,*
those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
A Reading from the Letter of St. James (3:13-4:3, -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.
LEV 189: Great is Thy Faithfulness (Verse 1-2)
The People stand, as they are able, for the reading of the Gospel.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark
Glory to you, Lord 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, Lord Christ.
LEV 189: Great is Thy Faithfulness (Verse 3)
The Sermon
By: Canon Joshua Varner
The Nicene Creed
The People stand, as they are able, to recite the 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 (Form IV)
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. [Silence]
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. [Silence]
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory. [Silence]
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, especially those celebrating a birthday, Edward Vaughn (9/22), Kevin Harris, Donald Jones (9/25), and Alex Jenkins (9/27) and those on their wedding anniversary; Donald & Marilyn Jones (09/25), and grant that we may serve Christ in them and love one another as he loves us. [Silence]
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit especially the people on our Parish Prayer List: Teresa Blue-Clemons, Betty Bryant (Mother of Patrece Grant), Lazola Cope, Enrique’ Davis, Heather Hobbs, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Marilyn Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Denise Larken, Jessica Mathis, Marion Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Gordon Moore, Keshia Robinson, Wayne Robinson, Frieda McDew Shorter, Kurt Smith (SSU), Edward Vaughn and Jewel Wheeler, and those we remember now … Silence. The people may add their own petitions. Hear us Lord;
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, especially those we remember now … that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom. [Silence]
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
The Celebrant concludes with the following or some other suitable Collect:
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. Amen.
Confession of Sin
The Deacon or Presider says
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept. All pray together, kneeling, as they are able,
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 Priest stands and says:
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 Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Parish Announcements
Voter Registration: St. Matthew's along with RevUp will host a voter registration drive Saturday, September 28th from 10:00 - 3:00 pm. Please spread the word.
Celebrate the Presiding Bishop Investiture with a Watch Party: The Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe installation will take place on November 2nd at 11:00 am at the Church Center located in New York City. Watch party details will be forth coming.
EYCS Scholarship: The ECW will be taking donations for the EYCS scholarship starting October 1st. All donations will need to be in by November 15th.
Honey Creek Events: Registration is now open for fall youth events. New Beginnings #62 will be held October 18th - 20th and Happening #110 will be held November 22nd - 24th. You may register on the Diocese website.
Documentary: “A Case for Love,” a feature-length documentary inspired by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s message of love, will be released Oct. 1 on all cable, satellite, and digital platforms where films can be rented or purchased.
Diocesan Convention: The Diocesan Convention will be held November 8-9th in Tifton, GA. Please visit the Diocese website to register.
Thanksgiving Baskets: The ECW will begin taking donations for our Annual Thanksgiving giveaway next week. All donations will have to be in by November 23rd. The ECW goal this year is 10 baskets.
Empty Bowl Fundraiser: The Emmaus House invites you all to the Empty Bowl Fundraiser on Sunday, November 3rd from 12-3 pm in Reynolds Square. Tickets can purchased now. The QR code is located on the bulletin board in the Toomer Walker Hall and on our website.
Glow and Grow gear still available: The Capital Building Campaign is still selling tee-shirts, mugs, etc. If you are interested in purchasing, please email the church office office@st.mattsav.org.
T/W/Th Evening Prayer on Zoom Only: St. Matthew’s gathers for virtual Evening Prayer services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 5:00 PM, but we no longer post these videos to our Facebook page. You can pray with us on Zoom using the same link as before, as found in the e-Newsletter or in the St. Matthew’s Linktree (QR Code above).
The Offertory
Giving to St. Matthew's:
Mail us a check or money order at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1401 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd, Savannah, GA 31415; OR
Make a secure online gift to St. Matthew’s and/or automate future gifts at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now; OR
Text “stmattsav” to 73256 to make a secure online donation through your phone.
NOTE: Donations made online (#2 or #3) through Realm incur a processing fee of about 2.5%. Please consider adding an additional 2.5% to your online gift to cover these costs.
The Presider begins the Offertory with a sentence on BCP, p. 376, or some other sentence of Scripture.
Give online at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now
The Offertory Hymn(s)
The Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!
Praise him all creatures here below!
Praise him above ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Amen.
[Words: Thomas Ken, Public Domain. Music: Old 100th, attributed to Louis Bourgeois, Public Domain. All rights reserved.]
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 our 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. … [The Presider inserts a proper preface.] … 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:
Hymn S-130:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full, full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest!
[Music: Franz Peter Schubert from Deutsche Messe; arr. Richard Proulx, Copyright © 1985, 1989 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #00210. All rights reserved.]
The people stand or kneel.
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,
LEV #260:
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory!
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory!
[Music: Hezekiah Brinson, Jr., Copyright © 1990 Hezekiah Brinson, Jr. All Rights Reserved.]
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 [Blessed Matthew our Patron, _____, 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 forever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Our Father, which 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread & Presentation of the Gifts
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread. A period of silence is kept.
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us!
Therefore let us keep the feast! Alleluia!
Hymn S-164:
Jesus, Lamb of God: have mercy on us
Jesus, Bearer of our Sins: have mercy on us
Jesus, Redeemer, Redeemer of the World:
Give us your peace, give us your peace!
[Words: Traditional. Music: Franz Peter Schubert from Deutsche Messe; arr. Richard Proulx, Copyright © 1985, 1989 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #00614. All rights reserved.]
The Gifts of God for the people of God.
The Distribution of Holy Communion
All baptized Christians of any denomination are invited to come forward to participate fully in Communion. Baptized children may receive at the discretion of their parents.
You may receive Communion kneeling or standing. Please extend your hands forward to receive the Body of Christ (bread). If you would like to receive the Blood of Christ (wine), the minister will take the bread from your hand and dip (intinct) it in the wine for you, then place it in your mouth. If you would only like to receive the bread, you may consume it and return to your seat.
If you need gluten-free bread for Communion, please raise your hand when you are at the altar rail.
If you would not like to receive Communion for any reason, please cross your arms over your chest, and the Priest will say a blessing over you.
If you are worshipping online, you may pray to receive spiritual communion using the following prayer:
In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
LEV 70: I Want Jesus to Walk With Me
LEV 149: In Remembrance of Me
LEV 232: Thank you Lord
The Post-Communion Prayer
Let us pray.
For In-Person Worshippers:
Almighty and everliving God, 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.
For Online Worshippers and Those Receiving Spiritual Communion:
Faithful God, in the wonder of your wisdom and love you fed your people in the wilderness with the bread of angels, and you sent Jesus to be the bread of life. Though we cannot consume now these gifts of bread and wine, we thank you that we have received the sacrament of Christ’s presence, the forgiveness of sins, and all other benefits of Christ’s passion. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we embody your desire and be renewed for your service through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Blessing of the People
LEV 12: We're Marching to Zion
The Dismissal
[BCP, p. 366]
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]
Thanks be to God! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]
The Parish Prayer List
PRAYER LIST: Teresa Blue-Clemons, Betty Bryant (Mother of Patrece Grant), Lazola Cope, Enrique’ Davis, Heather Hobbs, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Marilyn Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Denise Larken, Jessica Mathis, Marion Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Gordon Moore, Keshia Robinson, Wayne Robinson, Frieda McDew Shorter, Kurt Smith (SSU), Edward Vaughn and Jewel Wheeler
BIRTHDAYS: Edward Vaughn (9/22), Kevin Harris, Donald Jones (9/25), and Alex Jenkins (9/27)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Donald & Marilyn Jones (09/25)
RECENT DEATHS: N/A
May the souls of all the departed rest in peace; and may light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.
Permissions and Credits: This service is reproduced from The Book of Common Prayer 1979 (BCP), The Hymnal 1982 (Hymn), Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal (LEV), Enriching Our Worship 1 (EOW1), The Book of Occasional Services 2022 (BOS22), and other sources cited. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Cover Image: Digital watercolor based on a photograph, both created by the Right Rev. Frank S. Logue, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. Reproduced with permission.
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