Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
- Feb 20, 2022
- 23 min read

Sunday Worship for February 20, 2022

Updated: Apr 4, 2022

The Holy Eucharist

7th Sunday After Epiphany (Year C)

February 20, 2022

Watch the Livestream at www.Facebook.com/StMattSav/Live/

Sunday, February 20, at 9:30 a.m. (or anytime afterward)

The Holy Eucharist: Rite II

The Word of God

Hymn #390: Praise to the Lord the Almighty

[Verses 1-4]

1 Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation;

O my soul, praise Him, for he is thy health and salvation:

Join the great throng, psaltery, organ, and song,

Sounding in glad adoration.

2 Praise to the Lord; over all things he gloriously reigneth:

Borne as on eagle-wings, safely his saints he sustaineth.

Hast thou not seen how all thou needest hath been

Granted in what he ordaineth?

3 Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy way and defend thee;

Surely his goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee;

Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,

Who with his love doth befriend thee.

4 Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!

All that hath life and breath come now with praises before him!

Let the "Amen" sound from his people again

Gladly forever adore him.

Words: Joachim Neander, tr. Hymnal 1940, alt., Public Domain. Music: Lobe den Herren, harm. The Chorale Book for England, Public Domain. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #84031. All rights reserved.

The Opening Sentence

[BCP, p. 355]

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

And blessed be God's kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

A 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.

Hymn S-280: Glory to God

[See also BCP, p. 356]

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.

The Collect of the Day

[BCP, p. 357, 216]

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray:

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Book of Genesis (45:3-11, 15)

Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?" But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come closer to me." And they came closer. He said, "I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, 'Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children's children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there--since there are five more years of famine to come--so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'"

And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42

[BCP, p. 633, 636]

Read responsively by half-verse (at the asterisk).

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; * do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, * and like the green grass fade away.

3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good; * dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4 Take delight in the Lord, * and he shall give you your heart's desire.

5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, * and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light * and your just dealing as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord * and wait patiently for him.

8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, * the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; * do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

10 For evildoers shall be cut off, * but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; * you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

12 But the lowly shall possess the land; * they will delight in abundance of peace.

41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; * he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

42 The Lord will help them and rescue them; * he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them, because they seek refuge in him.

A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (15:35-38, 42-50)

Someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. ...

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The People stand for the reading of the Gospel.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. Luke (6:27-38)

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, "I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon

"Love Your Enemies" by The Rev. Guillermo A. Arboleda

We gather together today to reflect again on perhaps the most radical and most unique Christian teaching. Almost every world religion includes some command to the effect of “love your neighbor.” We’re all supposed to love the people around us, or at least treat them decently. But I think Christianity is unique in that Jesus Christ teaches us to love our enemies. To be fair, we Christians are pretty terrible at following that teaching. Christian people haven’t been any less violent, oppressive, or warlike than people of any other religion. But the fact remains that Jesus has been trying to call us to a different path, wayward though we are. So today, we have to wrestle again with this most challenging word from our Savior.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches us to “love your enemies” (6:27) right after teaching us this, which we heard last week: “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man … for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets” (6:22-23). The enemies Jesus is talking about loving includes people who hate us “on account of” our following Jesus. It also includes people who hate me because I can be a jerk, because I did them wrong in some way. But first and foremost, Jesus calls us to love our enemies who hate us because we’re trying to do the right thing, the Christlike thing, and that is uncomfortable.

Jesus may have attracted large crowds to hear him speak, but he didn’t exactly win popularity contests. He certainly wasn’t popular with the most powerful people in his society: the Jewish religious authorities and the Roman political, economic, and military authorities. Those people hated Jesus and his message. They hated him enough to arrest him, abuse him, and execute him in the most publicly humiliating way possible: crucifixion.

Ironically, Jesus’ message of enemy love was part of what created his enemies. When you pronounce blessings on the poor and the hungry and woes (curses) on the rich and full, you’re bound to rile up the masses and anger those rich folks. When you pronounce that God loves everyone and that everyone is worthy of equal dignity and respect, that points the finger at those who profit off of putting others down and keeping them marginalized. A lot of Jesus’ ministry was about pointing out obvious inequality and injustice, and just letting sensible, moral people think about it and reckon with it. Is it fair for all these people who work hard to survive to remain poor and hungry, while others have way more than enough? Jesus’ mother Mary prophesied about this part of her son’s ministry when she sang, “[God] has brought down the powerful from their thrones and lifted up the lowly; [God] has filled the hungry with good things and send the rich away empty” (Luke 1:52-53).

God sees the way we human beings make our societies and wants to flip it all upside down. God wants fairness and justice, and whether we’re talking about the 1st century or the 21st century, we don’t have it. And the reason we don’t have justice is because we don’t have love. Love is the driving force behind all of God’s work in the world. St. John even tells us that God is love (1 John 4:8). Our Collect of the Day today reminds us that “without love whatever we do is worth nothing” (BCP, p. 216). So if we’re going to make the world a better place, a fairer place, a more just place, it begins with love. And because we already behave unfairly and unjustly toward one another, it begins with loving one another, especially people we consider enemies. It’s easy to love people who treat us right. But it’s hard not to retaliate when someone hurts us or threatens to hurt us. But that kind of love really can change the world.

“Love your enemies” -- this passage from the Gospel of Luke -- is also the appointed text for Martin Luther King Jr.'s feast day in The Episcopal Church’s calendar (April 4 or January 15). He was hated, reviled, and defamed by ordinary white supremacists and even by the FBI. He was ultimately killed for being a modern prophet. And yet he taught throughout his ministry the importance of loving your enemies, of blessing those who curse you, and praying for those who abuse you. As you may know, before planned protests and acts of civil disobedience, Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) trained participants. Before staging a direct action, they taught people to resist the urge to seek violent revenge. He and they knew that Black people were justified in their anger against White American authorities and peoples. In the 1960s and today, there are plenty of American power structures that hate, exclude, revile, and defame Black people and other people of color. But, following Jesus, Dr. King knew that the path toward healing and wholeness was nonviolent. There is transformative power in resisting curses with blessings and refusing to stoop to the hatred others pour out on you. In the famous words of Michelle Obama, “when they go low, we go high” (Bruner).

Loving our enemies is hard. Anger, resentment, revenge, and retaliation, can feel really satisfying. But that pleasure is temporary and fleeting. True joy comes from turning an enemy into an ally, from finding a way where there was no way. True joy comes from love. And when we work collectively to name our enemies and the wrongs they have done, but to love them anyway, we are living the Gospel -- not just preaching the Gospel, but living it and living into the very power and presence of God. With that power, nothing is impossible. Amen.

Bibliography

Bruner, Raisa. “Michelle Obama Explains What ‘Going High’ Really Means.” Time. Published 18 November 2018. Accessed 17 February 2022. https://time.com/5459984/michelle-obama-go-high/.

Hymn #577: God is Love, and Where True Love Is

[Verses 1-3]

REFRAIN:

God is love, and where true love is

God himself is there

1 Here in Christ we gather, love of Christ our calling

Christ, our love, is with us, gladness be his greeting

Let us fear and love him, holy God eternal

Loving him, let each love Christ in one another

2 When we Christians gather, members of one Body

Let there be in us no discord but one spirit

Banished now be anger, strife and every quarrel

Christ our God, be always present here among us

3 Grant us love's fulfillment, joy with all the blessed

When we see your face, O Savior in its glory

Shine on us, O purest Light of all creation

Be our bliss while endless ages sing your praises

Words: Latin, tr. James Quinn © 1969, 1988, James Quinn, SJ; published by OCP. Music: Ubi caritas (Murray), A. Gregory Murray © The Trustees of Downside Abbey. Reprinted with permission under ONELICENSE #30137650. 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.rickmorley.com/archives/1355]

Let us pray to God, who is made manifest in Jesus Christ.

As the prophet Isaiah rang out, “Arise, shine; for your light has come”; empower your Church, O God, to ring out the Good News of the Light of your son Jesus, which pierces even the deepest darkness.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

As a star rose high into the nighttime sky to draw the nations to the Christ-child; send your blessing, O God, on this nation, and every nation, and draw the whole world to your peace and truth.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

As John the Baptist guided crowds of people to the edge of the wilderness and baptized Jesus in the River Jordan, we pray that you would guide our country and our leaders to the ways of justice and righteousness.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

Like the Magi who traveled from afar to bring gifts and celebrate the Savior’s birth; we pray for this community: for Bette Milledge (2/20), Blair Berksteiner (2/21), Charles Gordon (2/21), Monica Magoola (2/21), Christina Folsome (2/22), JoAnne Mitchell (2/23), Robert Day (2/24), and Rev. Kelly Steele (2/24) on their birthdays, and all those celebrating wedding anniversaries.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

As Jesus climbed the mountaintop, and proclaimed blessings on the people of the world; we pray for the sick and the distressed, the poor and the lame. We pray for those on our Parish Prayer List: Martha Avery, Mary Bonaparte, Christine Brown, Jacqueline Bryant, Lazola Cope, Aaron Duplechien Jr., Annie Bell Greer, Loretta Harmond, Marva Harris, Whitney Kennedy, Sada Maxwell, Craig Maxwell, Bette Milledge, Helen Scroggins, and Paulette Sibert.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

As Jesus called his disciples to leave their nets and boats, and follow him; we pray for the departed whom we love and have answered your call to follow Jesus to your Heavenly Kingdom... Give them your peace.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

The Celebrant prays:

Lord Jesus, Light of the World, hear our prayers, and make us reflections of your Light, that the places of darkness in our world would be pierced by your Light, and that all nations would be drawn to you and be overwhelmed with joy. Amen.

The Confession of Sin

[BCP, p. 360]

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.

The Bishop, when present, or 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

[BCP, p. 360]

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Parish Announcements

A. CORR on 2/20 at Isle of Hope UMC (CORRECTION): Conversations on Relationships and Race (CORR) is a joint Christian Education course with St. Matthew’s, St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Isle of Hope United Methodist Church, and Asbury United Methodist Church. In February, we will continue to read How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi. You may purchase it from any major bookstore (such as Amazon).

Our next CORR meeting is scheduled to be in person on Sunday, February 20, 2022, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at Isle of Hope United Methodist Church (412 Parkersburg Rd, Savannah, GA 31406). Please read Chapters 3-5 of Kendi’s book before the meeting.

B. Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper 3/1/22 from 4-7 PM: St. Matthew's Episcopal Church Women (ECW) will again sponsor the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Shrove Tuesday is March 1, 2022. Dinners will cost $8.00 per plate and will be available for pick-up only between 4:00-7:00 PM that evening.

C. Ash Wednesday on 3/2/22 at 7 AM & 6 PM: Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of preparation for Easter. This year, Ash Wednesday will be on March 2, 2022.

We will hold an in-person worship service with ashes, music, and Holy Communion at 7:00 AM. This service will also be live-streamed to our Facebook page.

There will be a short second in-person service with no music, no Communion, and no live-stream at 6:00 PM for those who prefer to attend in the evening.

D. Lenten Book Study: This Band of Sisterhood: This Lent, we will gather together to read and discuss a new book called This Band of Sisterhood: Black Women Bishops on Race, Faith, and the Church, edited by Dr. Westina Matthews. These meetings will mostly take place on Wednesday evenings at 6:00 PM over Zoom, beginning on March 9 (we will meet Tuesday, March 22, instead of March 23).

You can order this book for $14.95 via Church Publishing or Amazon. We will publish a reading schedule and Zoom information closer to the start of the program. If you're interested in learning more about the book, watch this webinar with the author/editor and the five bishops: https://youtu.be/BBJMAxTXp6k.

E. Youth to Sponsor Ronald McDonald House Donation Drive in Lent: Become involved in supporting the Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), which provides housing and support for children and their families as they receive medical treatment at nearby hospitals. Our youth will be collecting donations to help cover these costs. Donations will be collected during Lent. They can be dropped off at the church on Wednesday between 10:00 am – 5:00 pm or Sunday before or after service. The RMHC of the Coastal Empire, based in Savannah, requests the following items for donation this spring:

Bleach
Disinfectant Wipes
Trash Bags (4, 13, and 33+ gallons)

F. JUST Rethinking Justice Workshop 3/12: Justice Unites Savannah Together invites you to join a Bible Study-themed workshop called "Rethinking Justice." The purpose of the workshop is to build relationships between diverse faith communities, reclaim the biblical mandate to “do justice,” and review a proven model for that mandate. This is a great opportunity to get involved in St. Matthew's Justice Ministry Team if you have been interested!

The Rethinking Justice Workshop will take place on Saturday, March 12, from 1:30-4:00 PM at Connexion United Methodist Church, 5411 Skidaway Rd, Savannah, GA 31409, where the Rev. Michael Culbreath is Senior Pastor.

G. 2021 Giving Statements Available Now: The Bookkeeper, Rector, and Parish Administrator worked this week to compile 2021 Giving Statements for all donors to St. Matthew's in the year 2021. Following IRS guidelines, we are providing statements only to individuals or families whose gifts totaled at least $250.00, so some donors may not have a statement.

Your statements were mailed out on February 9. If you did not receive yours, let us know. If you prefer to receive your statement by email, please contact Fr. Arboleda at FrGAA@StMattSav.org or contact the Parish Administrator at Office@StMattSav.org.

If you notice a discrepancy between your giving statement and your own giving records, please contact our Bookkeeper, Pat Lanchester, at Bookkeeper@StMattSav.org.

H. T/W/Th Evening Prayer: On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, St. Matthew's invites you to pray Evening Prayer over Zoom. The video will continue to stream to Facebook Live at 5:00 PM. Please join the Zoom call by 4:55 PM. Otherwise, watch the prayer service as you have been on Facebook Live.

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

I. Revised COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for In-Person Worship: On June 21, the Vestry authorized revised COVID-19 Safety Guidelines for in-person worship at St. Matthew's. At the October Vestry meeting, they reaffirmed the use of these guidelines and the maintenance of this temporary Sunday worship schedule.

All people in attendance are still required to wear masks that cover the nose and mouth at all times and maintain social distancing in their assigned seating areas. Click here to read the Vestry's June 2021 COVID-19 Safety Guidelines in their entirety.

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.

“From the rising of the sun to its setting my Name shall be great among the nations, and in every place incense shall be offered to my Name, and a pure offering: for my Name shall be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.” [Malachi 1:11]

Give online at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now