The Holy Eucharist: Liturgy of the Word
3rd Sunday of Easter (Year B) April 18, 2021
Watch the Livestream at www.Facebook.com/StMattSav/Live/
Sunday, April 18, at 9:30 a.m. (or anytime afterward)
Preface
We at St. Matthew's Church in Savannah are unable to gather together in person due to the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic. Under the guidance of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, the Vestry has decided to keep our church building closed for all in-person gatherings.
At 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, I will broadcast the following worship service using Facebook Live at www.Facebook.com/StMattSav. After the service concludes, you can re-watch it at any time.
This worship service is designed for for use at home while watching the live stream or reading the prayers when you cannot physically attend worship. Lay people may read the entirety of this service.
In 2021, we have made some technological and liturgical changes to our live stream, in accordance with the latest COVID-19 Safety Guidelines from the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. All these changes are intended to simplify the production process of these worship videos and comply with those guidelines.
This liturgy will be performed live on Sunday morning as you watch from home, rather than pre-filmed and edited together. In other words, you are looking at a live feed of what we are doing in the church. This means there will be fewer flourishes on the video, but it will look like actually attending church again.
Due to the "live" nature of this video, there will be 3-4 people in the church on Sunday morning (Ms. Dandy, 1-2 lay readers, and myself). In compliance with the Diocese of Georgia's COVID-19 indoor worship guidelines, we will engage in social distancing, wear masks at all times, and aim to keep the liturgy under 40 minutes.
Therefore, most hymns will be shortened (typically to 3 or fewer verses) and some portions of the liturgy that may be sung will be spoken.
May God protect you from this virus and protect the most vulnerable among us. May we be God’s hands and feet of compassion and service to all in need during this time. Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
The Holy Eucharist: Rite II
The Word of God
Hymn #178: Alleluia! Alleluia! Give Thanks to the Risen Lord
[Verses 1-3]
REFRAIN:
Alleluia! Alleluia! Give thanks to the Risen Lord!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Give praise to His Name!
1 Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
He is the King of creation. [Refrain]
2 Spread the Good News o'er all the earth:
Jesus has died and has risen. [Refrain]
3 We have been crucified with Christ.
Now we shall live forever. [Refrain]
Words: Donald Fishel © 1973 The Word of God.
Music: Alleluia No. 1, Donald Fishel, © 1973 The Word of God; arr. Betty Pulkingham, Charles Mallory, and George Mims © 1979 Celebration.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #70406. All rights reserved.
Opening Sentences
[BCP, p. 355]
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The Collect for Purity
[BCP, p. 355]
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.
Christ Our Passover (Pascha Nostrum)
[BCP, p. 83; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8; Romans 6:9-11; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22]
Alleluia. Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; * therefore let us keep the feast, Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, * but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; * death no longer has dominion over him. The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; * but the life he lives, he lives to God. So also consider yourselves dead to sin, * and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.
Christ has been raised from the dead, * the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by a man came death, * by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, * so in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.
The Collect of the Day
[BCP, p. 357, 224]
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of Acts (3:12-19)
Peter addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Psalm 4
[BCP, p. 587]
Read responsively by half-verse (at the asterisk).
1 Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; * you set me free when I am hard-pressed; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 "You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; * how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?"
3 Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful; * when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
4 Tremble, then, and do not sin; * speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
5 Offer the appointed sacrifices * and put your trust in the Lord.
6 Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see better times!" * Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.
7 You have put gladness in my heart, * more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; * for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.
A Reading from the First Letter of St. John (3:1-7)
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Luke (24:36b-48)
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
“Children of God” by Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are” (1 John 3:1).
You are children of God.
You probably already know this. You have heard it before. But I need you to stop whatever else you’re doing and listen to it one more time: You are all children of God. We are all children of God. You, specifically, are a child of God.
This is a central teaching of the Chrisitian faith. It is a simple but foundational belief we can circle back to in good times and in bad. It is much more powerful than it seems on the surface. To be a child of God is to be worthy of dignity, honor, respect, and love. To see others as children of God is to give them dignity, honor, respect, and love.
“You are children of God” is a declaration of God’s love for everyone, and that makes it both a statement of belief and a Christian commitment. We believe that all people are God’s children, and therefore we must act like it. We must treat one another like it’s true.
So much of what goes wrong in the world comes from our failure to see one another as children of God, or even to see ourselves as children of God. Because we human beings usually organize ourselves in hierarchies. We judge some people to be more important than others, and we treat each other that way. People with more powerful or privileged voices in society can portray some as worthy of our affections and others are unworthy, as somehow less deserving of our love.
But what John’s letter reminds us is that all of that ranking is wrong. God the Father has loved us enough to call us children of God. God the Son died and rose again for us to make us children of God. God the Holy Spirit dwells within us as the children of God, uniting us to our Heavenly Parent.
And even as we believe that we are children of God and try to treat others that way, we are bombarded with messages to the contrary. This drives us to despair and depression, to self-destructive behaviors, and even to violence against others.
Last week, the hip hop community lost one of its greatest and most influential artists, Earl Simmons, better known as “DMX,” at the age of 50. He reportedly died of complications from cardiac arrest related to a drug overdose. We don’t know all the circumstances around DMX’s death (his family has not confirmed many details and asked the public to respect their privacy), but here’s what we do know.
For a long time, drug use and abuse has been stigmatized and demonized. People in our society have treated drug addicts as though they are bad, immoral, or weak people. We have blamed addicts for their addictions while also denying them the medical and mental health care they deserve. We sometimes treat drug addicts like they are not children of God, unworthy of the love of God and our love.
Thankfully, society has begun to change and become a bit more compassionate. And, thankfully, later in his life, DMX was very open and transparent about his struggles with drug addiction. He chose the path of honesty, truth, and vulnerability, and my prayer is that he found some healing along the way. Last fall, DMX shared in an interview that he became addicted to crack cocaine as a teenager when an older mentor tricked him into using the drug. He never intended to use the drug, and spent the next 36 years dealing with the repercussions of someone else’s treachery. In these mature reflections, DMX explained, “Drugs were never a problem, drugs were a symptom of a bigger problem. There were things I went through in my childhood where I just blocked it out. You never know when the things you stored away are going to come out and just fall all over the place” (Rivera).
While some might have written him off as a drug addict or a criminal, the real story was more complicated and deeper than that. Like most everyone else, DMX dealt with trauma and looked for ways to cope. In the spirals of depression and addiction, Simmons needed to be reminded that he was indeed a child of God. But throughout his life, tragically, some folks denied him that truth. But no matter how one copes, whether one suffers from drug addiction, depression, or any number of other afflictions, no one ever stops being a child of God. Even when people turn their pain and trauma into pain and trauma for others, when they begin to harm and victimize others, even then they don’t stop being children of God.
Our society is so often built upon ranking and judging others. We categorize people into “worthy” and “unworthy” boxes. We discard some people for the things they have done or the things we think they have done. For example, incarceration is a form of punishment and torture that we subject millions of people to in the USA. These people are labeled “unworthy”, considered criminals, and therefore denied basic human and civil rights. We don’t treat them like children of God.
Similarly, we’re having another national conversation this week about the police killing an unarmed Black man. (I wrote this reflection before the news broke that the police killed a 13-year-old Latino child named Adam Toledo in Chicago; what follows applies in his case too.) This time we mourn the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, MN. There is body camera footage of the officer who fatally shot Mr. Wright. (The officer claims that she shot him accidentally.) And once again, the national conversation will turn to whether or not Wright “deserved” to be killed. People will ask if he did something to justify the officer’s actions. It feels like we’re going around in circles.
None of this conversation makes any theological sense. Since when does this country kill people for expired auto registrations? Even if someone is resisting arrest or trying to run away from the police, why should it be acceptable to shoot them? Is human life worth so little? Is that how we treat children of God? Why do we even need gun-wielding officers to enforce traffic laws? Why even risk someone’s life when the stakes are typically so low? Is that the way God would have us treat one another?
All of us have been taught to treat criminals and other classes of people as less than human. We instinctively react to them as if they are not children of God. These lessons are deeply ingrained within us, from before we can even remember learning them. But they can be unlearned. We can work together to honor the dignity of every human being. Otherwise, we are bound to keep repeating these tragedies.
You are children of God. We are children of God. Everyone I know is a child of God. Everyone I meet and see is a child of God. For the love of God, let’s treat them like the children of God that they are. Only this kind of love can change the world. Amen.
Bibliography
Rivera, Dane. “DMX Tells the Story of Getting Tricked Into Smoking Crack At 14 By His Rap Mentor.” Uproxx.com. Published 5 November 2020. Accessed 15 April 2021. https://uproxx.com/peoplesparty/dmx-addiction-interview-peoples-party/.
The New York Times Staff. “What To Know About the Death of Daunte Wright.” Revised 15 April 2021. Accessed 15 April 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/article/daunte-wright-death-minnesota.html.
Nickeas, Peter, Dakin Andone, and Emma Tucker. "Chicago police say bodycam footage shows less than a second passes from when 13-year-old is seen holding a handgun and is shot by officer." CNN. Published 16 April 2021. Accessed 18 April 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/15/us/adam-toledo-police-shooting-body-camera/index.html
LEV #41: Christ Has Arisen
[Repeated 2-3 times]
Christ has arisen, Alleluia!
Rejoice and praise Him, Alleluia!
For our Redeemer burst from the tomb,
Even from death dispelling its gloom.
Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy.
Death's fearful sting He has come to destroy,
Our sin forgiving, Alleluia!
Jesus is living, Alleluia!
Words: Swahili Text, tr. Howard Olson © 1974 Augsburg Publishing House.
Music: Haya Tune, Tumshandilie Mungu, Makumira, Tanzania © 1974 Augsburg Publishing House; harm. Carl Haywood © 1992.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #84150. All rights reserved.
The Nicene Creed
[BCP, p. 358]
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
[Adapted from http://www.stlukesewing.org/prayers-of-the-people-easter]
Rejoicing in the mighty acts of God who has delivered the people of God from sin and death through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, let us lift our voices and pray,
Risen Lord,
Hear our Prayer.
Let us give thanks to God for the multitude of blessings that God showers upon us: For our lives and for those whom we love; For the beauty of this home God has created for us; For our families and our friendships; For Lazola Cope (4/19) on her birthday and James & Monica Gray Williams (4/21) on their wedding anniversary; Let us give thanks to the God of Life.
Risen Lord,
Hear our Prayer.
Let us pray for the Church, that it may carry forward the redemptive works of God: For Guillermo our priest, Frank our Bishop, Michael our Presiding Bishop, and all clergy and bishops; For the many lay people who serve the church and serve the world through the church; For those gathered here in worship and prayer.
Risen Lord,
Hear our Prayer.
Let us pray for the newly baptized, that the joy of Easter may ever grow within them, and that the Spirit may guide them in lives of active faith.
Risen Lord,
Hear our Prayer.
Let us pray for the nations and peoples of the world and for the leaders of our country, state, county, and city, that the powers that oppress and destroy may decline, and that justice, peace, and prosperity be lifted up. We pray especially for Joseph our President, Brian our Governor, Van our Mayor, Chester the Chair of our County Commission, and Ann the Superintendent of our Public Schools.
Risen Lord,
Hear our Prayer.
Let us pray for those who are sick, those who suffer, those who struggle, especially Martha Avery, Donald Bayness, Ronald Bayness, Zavier Bradley, Myrtle Brow-Hollis, Jacquelyn Bryant, Christine Brown, Genella Chamberlain, Taylor Blue Clemons, Annie Colbert, Ana Columna, Lazola Cope, Alice Dailey, Beryl Dandy, Mark Dashiell, Brittany Dawson, Roland Dixon, Eduardo Espinosa, Imani Ferguson, Ruby Fernandez, Harry Frazier, Colin Gentle, Yvonne Gentle, Charles Gordon, Amanda Green, Jocelyn Bryant Harden, Loretta Harmond, Marva Harris, Enoch Henderson, Charles E. Hines, Kenneth Howard, Terri Howard, Dale Hundley, Jared Hundley, Tracy Hundley, Janice C. Jackson, Milinda James, Alvin Jenkins, Dana Jenkins, David Jones, Frances T. Jones, Lori Jones, Robert L. Jones, Sr., Whitney Kennedy, Leonard Law, Jr., Ralph Lovett, Ryan Lovett, Tammie Lovett, Marcus Marzen, Joan Maty, Craig Maxwell, Sada Maxwell, Altheria Maynard, Carmelita Maynard, Barbara McCary, Bette Milledge, Hollie Moultrie, Patricia Murry, Russell Nails, Dorothy Neal, Jabbaar Newton, Jameel Newton, Glenzy Payne, Robert Payne, Willie Mae Robinson, Paul Rockwell, Helen Scroggins, Dison Washington Slaughter, James Small, Gwendolyn Smith, Courtney Watts Vista, Ed Vista, Willie Stephens, Lori Ward, Gertrude Washington, and Noel Wheeler: That the hope born of Easter may give them peace, acceptance and renewal, and that through their struggles they may come into closer communion with the God who redeems and restores.
Special intentions are offered silently or aloud.
Risen Lord,
Hear our Prayer.
Let us pray for those who have died in the peace of Christ, and those whose faith is known to you alone; bring them by your resurrecting power into the place of eternal joy and light
Special intentions are offered silently or aloud.
Risen Lord, Hear our Prayer.
The Celebrant adds a concluding collect:
O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Peace
[BCP, p. 360]
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Parish Announcements
A. Bishop Curry Book Study on Wednesdays 4/14 - 5/19: In Easter Season, St. Matthew's will join with churches across the Diocese of Georgia to read Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times (co-authored by Sara Grace). While you may enjoy reading the book yourself, the audio book version read by Bishop Curry is an enjoyable way to hear experiences from his life to challenging us to make the ethic of love a guiding principle for our lives.
Buy the book now at Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Love-Way-Holding-Troubling-Times/dp/0525543031) or Penguin Random House (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/605848/love-is-the-way-by-bishop-michael-curry-with-sara-grace/). The book discussion guide for the Diocese of Georgia's 1Book1Diocese read of Love is the Way is now online here: Discussion Guide PDF.
The discussion group will meet over Zoom on Wednesdays after Evening Prayer, from about 5:30 - 6:30 PM from April 14 to May 19, 2021. Check the e-Newsletter for Zoom information. Please read the Introduction - Chapter 3 by April 21.
B. Diocese of Georgia ECW Conference on Zoom 4/24 @ 11 AM - 4 PM: Please join us in your Pearls & Pyjamas: A Celebration of Women's Ministries. We will be meeting virtually via Zoom on April 24th. The Order of the Daughters of the King will have a meeting using the link at 10:00 AM. There will also be a craft card session at 11:00 AM.
At Noon we will have an hour of social time. Bishop Logue will join us at 1:30 PM for remarks and worship. Officers will be commissioned for both Diocesan Boards; Episcopal Church Women and The Order of the Daughters of the King.
Our keynote speaker, the Reverend Kelly Steele, Priest in Charge of St. Peter's, Savannah, will join us at 2:00, followed by a brief business meeting at 3:00. The event will end with prayer at 4:30.
Many surprises are in the works, so we hope you can join us! For more information, contact Margaret Jordan at fayrelight@aol.com.
ECW Pearls & Pyjamas: A Celebration of Women's Ministries
Saturday, April 24 beginning at 10:00 AM, with activities until 5:00 PM
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87027129253?pwd=TVIRd0xPeSsvbjQwci9qbGhsbEcxUT09
Meeting ID: 870 2712 9253
Password: godislove
C. Memory Garden Cleanup Day 5/1: Saturday, May 1, 2021, we are scheduling a Memory Garden Cleanup Day to beautify the garden for the summer season. We will be starting around 7:00 a.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day. If you have a couple of hours or just one hour, your help will be greatly appreciated! Please bring your own rake and garden gloves. Trash bags will be provided. We hope to see you there! (Rain Date: May 8, 2021)
D. Save The Date - JUST Nehemiah Assembly 5/3 at 7 PM: Justice Unites Savannah Together (JUST) has been hard at work since December doing research into the organization's first two problem areas: Affordable Housing and Poverty. On May 3, we hold a community-wide "Nehemiah Assembly." Just as Nehemiah called the whole city together in front of Jerusalem's public officials to solve an economic crisis (Nehemiah 5:1-13), we will gather to present the findings of our research to local politicians and others in authority. To get results and start solving the housing and poverty crises, we need the support of your "people power." We ask every regular worshipper at St. Matthew's to attend this meeting and invite 2-3 other Chatham County residents to attend (even if they are not members of this church).
More details are coming about who we are meeting with and what proposed solutions we will bring. Zoom information is also forthcoming.
E. Virtual Coffee Hour 4/25: We will hold a virtual "Coffee Hour" over Zoom on Sunday, April 25 at 10:30 AM.
For security purposes, below is the Meeting ID only; please check your St. Matthew's e-Newsletter for the password (or email FrGAA@StMattSav.org to request it).
Topic: St. Matthew's Coffee Hour
Time: April 25, 2021 10:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 825 7251 1175
Passcode: SEE e-NEWSLETTER
Dial by your location: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 825 7251 1175
Passcode: SEE e-NEWSLETTER
F. T/W/Th Evening Prayer via Zoom: On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, Fr. Arboleda invites you to pray Evening Prayer with him over Zoom. The video will continue to stream to Facebook Live at 5:00 PM. Please join the Zoom call by 4:50 PM. Otherwise, watch the prayer service as you have been on Facebook Live.
During Easter, we will continue to use the Evening Prayer liturgy from Enriching Our Worship 1, an Episcopal worship resource that includes new prayers from more parts of the Bible, an emphasis on non-gendered language for God, and featuring more feminine perspectives both ancient and modern.
For security purposes, below is the Meeting ID only; please check your St. Matthew's e-Newsletter for the password (or email FrGAA@StMattSav.org to request it).
Topic: Zoom Evening Prayer
Time: 05:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday
Join Zoom Meeting: See e-Newsletter
Meeting ID: 991 8577 8541
Passcode: See e-Newsletter
Dial by your location: +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
Meeting ID: 991 8577 8541
Passcode: See e-Newsletter
G. “Trip Around the World” Quilt Raffle: The Quilter's Guild, through St. Matthew's ECW, is raffling a "Trip Around the World" Quilt to benefit St. Matthew's Building Renovation Fund. This fund supports major extra-budgetary building improvement projects, such as painting, replacing the sound system, replacing the oven in Toomer-Walker Hall, etc.
This beautiful, jewel-toned quilt measures 103"x90" and will fit a queen-sized bed. This machine-stitched quilt in tones of deep violet amethyst, blue sapphire, green emerald, blue topaz, and green peridot will enhance any bedroom.
The winner will be announced on September 30, 2021. Winners do not need to be present to win. In addition to the grand prize of the "Trip Around the World '' quilt, there will be interim raffles of seasonal quilt-type projects for no additional ticket purchase. Interim winners will still be eligible for the grand prize.
The next interim drawing will be announced at Virtual Coffee Hour at 10:30 AM on April 25.
Tickets are $15 each. Please make donations in $15 increments. Tickets may be purchased by:
Mailing a check to St. Matthew's with "Quilt Raffle" in the memo line; OR
Expect your raffle tickets to be returned to you by mail or email within 5-7 business days of receipt. Direct any questions to office@stmattsav.org.
The Offertory
[BCP, p. 377]
Giving to St. Matthew's: We know that many people are feeling the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. The church is feeling it too. We still need your support to pay our staff, pay our bills, and provide for these online live streams. There are several ways to give, but the simplest are these:
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.
“O Lord our God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power; because you have created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”
[Revelation 4:11; see BCP, p. 377]
Give online at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now
Hymn #193: That Easter Day With Joy Was Bright
[Verses 1-4]
1 That Easter day with joy was bright:
the sun shone out with fairer light
when to their longing eyes restored,
th'apostles saw their risen Lord.
2 His risen flesh with radiance glowed,
his wounded hands and feet he showed;
those scars their solemn witness gave
that Christ was risen from the grave.
3 O Jesus, king of gentleness,
do thou thyself our hearts possess,
that we may give thee all our days
the willing tribute of our praise.
4 O Lord of all, with us abide
in this, our joyful Eastertide;
from ev'ry weapon death can wield
thine own redeemed for ever shield.
Words: Latin, 5th cent., tr. John Mason Neale, ver. Hymnal 1940, Public Domain.
Music: Puer nobis, 15th cent., adapt. Michael Praetorious, Public Domain.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #05186. All rights reserved.
The Lord’s Prayer
[BCP, p. 364]
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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 Easter Blessing
[The Book of Occasional Services 2018, p. 13]
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.
The Dismissal
[BCP, p. 366]
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thanks be to God! Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Parish Prayer List
Prayer List: Martha Avery, Donald Bayness, Ronald Bayness, Zavier Bradley, Myrtle Brow-Hollis, Jacquelyn Bryant, Christine Brown, Genella Chamberlain, Taylor Blue Clemons, Annie Colbert, Ana Columna, Lazola Cope, Alice Dailey, Beryl Dandy, Mark Dashiell, Brittany Dawson, Roland Dixon, Eduardo Espinosa, Imani Ferguson, Ruby Fernandez, Harry Frazier, Colin Gentle, Yvonne Gentle, Charles Gordon, Amanda Green, Jocelyn Bryant Harden, Loretta Harmond, Marva Harris, Enoch Henderson, Charles E. Hines, Kenneth Howard, Terri Howard, Dale Hundley, Jared Hundley, Tracy Hundley, Janice C. Jackson, Milinda James, Alvin Jenkins, Dana Jenkins, David Jones, Frances T. Jones, Lori Jones, Robert L. Jones, Sr., Whitney Kennedy, Leonard Law, Jr., Ralph Lovett, Ryan Lovett, Tammie Lovett, Marcus Marzen, Joan Maty, Craig Maxwell, Sada Maxwell, Altheria Maynard, Carmelita Maynard, Barbara McCary, Bette Milledge, Hollie Moultrie, Patricia Murry, Russell Nails, Dorothy Neal, Jabbaar Newton, Jameel Newton, Glenzy Payne, Robert Payne, Willie Mae Robinson, Paul Rockwell, Helen Scroggins, Dison Washington Slaughter, James Small, Gwendolyn Smith, Courtney Watts Vista, Ed Vista, Willie Stephens, Lori Ward, Gertrude Washington, and Noel Wheeler
Birthdays: Lazola Cope (4/19)
Wedding Anniversaries: James & Monica Gray Williams (4/21)
Recent Deaths: Raleigh Bryant (12/18)
May the souls of all the departed rest in peace; and may light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.
Note: 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), and other sources cited. The Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.