The Holy Eucharist: Liturgy of the Word
7th Sunday of Easter: Sunday After the Ascension (Year B) May 16, 2021
Watch the Livestream at www.Facebook.com/StMattSav/Live/
Sunday, May 16, 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 10 or fewer 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 60 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 #214: Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise
[Verses 1-4]
1. Hail the day that sees him rise, Alleluia!
glorious to his native skies; Alleluia!
Christ, awhile to mortals given, Alleluia!
enters now the highest heaven! Alleluia!
2. There the glorious triumph waits; Alleluia!
lift your heads, eternal gates! Alleluia!
Wide unfold the radiant scene; Alleluia!
take the King of glory in! Alleluia!
3. See! he lifts his hands above; Alleluia!
See! he shows the prints of love: Alleluia!
Hark! his gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!
blessings on his Church below. Alleluia!
4. Lord beyond our mortal sight, Alleluia!
raise our hearts to reach thy height, Alleluia!
there thy face unclouded see, Alleluia!
find our heaven of heavens in thee. Alleluia!
Words: Charles Wesley, alt., Public Domain.
Music: Llanfair, Robert Williams, Public Domain.
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #85945. 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, 225]
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of Acts (1:15-17, 21-26)
In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus-- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God
Psalm 1
[BCP, p. 585]
Read responsively by half-verse (at the asterisk).
1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, * nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!
2 Their delight is in the law of the Lord, * and they meditate on his law day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; * everything they do shall prosper.
4 It is not so with the wicked; * they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, * nor the sinner in the council of the righteous.
6 For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, * but the way of the wicked is doomed.
A Reading from the First Letter of St. John (5:9-13)
If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to St. John (15:9-17)
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus prayed for his disciples, “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
"Jesus Prays For Us” by Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
The Seventh Sunday of Easter represents a liminal space in the Christian year. It’s the last Sunday of the Easter Season but it stands out from the rest. On Thursday, we celebrated Ascension Day, when Jesus Christ ascended (went up) into heaven and said goodbye to his disciples. His physical body was gone and it would never return. Luke tells us that Jesus ascended forty days after his resurrection. For the first forty days, the disciples regularly saw Jesus and there are several stories at the end of the Gospels about that. But then he goes up to heaven. He’s gone. And the famous Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples like tongues of fire, did not occur until fifty days after the resurrection. We will celebrate Pentecost together next Sunday.
But in the meantime, we are caught in between. For these ten days, the disciples did not have Jesus with them to lead them. And they were not aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence with them until a few days later. Much like Holy Saturday (between the Cross and the Empty Grave), these days felt strange to the disciples because they felt that Jesus was gone, that God had in some ways left them or maybe even abandoned them.
That’s a feeling we all might be able to relate to. When life gets tough, when we face our most difficult times and painful moments, it often feels like we are alone, like God has abandoned us.
We might be waiting (impatiently) for God to show up and do something to fix it. And if God doesn’t come (or doesn’t come in the way we want or expect), we feel crushed. On top of the pain of the situation, we feel upset or angry at God. Sometimes the best we can muster is to cry, scream, and yell at God for how bad it hurts.
Even if we’re not mad at God for how things turn out, we still just might feel sad. We might be disoriented and unsure about what to do or where to go. We’re going through grief, experiencing the loss of whatever we’re facing. In this instance, the disciples grieve the loss of Jesus as a physical human friend, teacher, and mentor. They will transition, whether they like it or not, to leading the church, continuing the Jesus movement, while Jesus’ presence is spread through the Holy Spirit.
Thankfully, Jesus understands our grief, frustration, and anger. Jesus sees it coming before we do, and he left us words of comfort to carry us through these times. Jesus promises never to leave us or forsake us, never to abandon us, no matter how bad things get or how alone we feel.
Here, in today’s reading from the Gospel of John, Jesus prays to the Father in the presence of the disciples, so “you” is God the Father and “they” are Jesus’ disciples, including all of us future disciples. Jesus is praying for you and me and every other Jesus-follower who has ever lived or will ever live. And these promises are trustworthy. Listen to them again:
“And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. … But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.”
There are a few astonishing things about this prayer. First, Jesus the Son of God asks God the Father to protect us. This reveals God’s heart, God’s truest desire. Within the Trinity, as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speak with one another, they are concerned about us. They want us to be protected. They want our safety and well-being. In and of itself, that is very powerful. Knowing what God wants gives us comfort because when things happen that God doesn’t want (like happens all the time), we trust that God will set them right. God will get what God wants, even if the journey there is hard.
Second, Jesus acknowledges how difficult it will be for us to be faithful. The world hates Jesus-followers because we “do not belong to the world”, which means that we stand up for love, life, and liberation. We do our best not to conform to the ways of hate, violence, and oppression. We are a people driven by the radical love of God, meaning we care about justice and mercy. We care that people are treated fairly and we want accountability for those who hurt and abuse others. But we want even abusers and criminals to be treated with dignity. That’s a fast way to make a lot of people angry, because crowds usually don’t like that kind of nuance. Some will say we’re too hard or judgmental; others will say we’re too soft abd forgiving. But to follow Jesus is to live in that difficult tension, loving everyone, even when it hurts to show that love and stand up for what we believe is right.
Finally, Jesus does not ask for us to be removed from the world, but for us to be protected from evil. We Christians aren’t trying to fly away to some far off place where God will protect us and everything will be okay. Instead, God wants to transform this world into a place filled with love, without evil. God wants to protect us right where we are, to bring about love, justice, and mercy in this place, in Savannah, or wherever you are worshipping from this morning. God is concerned that we love one another here and now, not just in heaven some day.
So we need protection. When our love frustrates the crowds or angers those in power, we need God to carry us through, to give us the persistence and resilience we need to stay the course. The way of love isn’t easy, but it is the way to life. And Jesus promises that we’ll never walk this way alone. God’s protection is there even on our most difficult days. God will protect and God will be present. We are not abandoned. We are never alone. By God’s grace, we have the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the way of love. And by God’s grace, we have each other to walk that way together. Amen.
Bibliography
Curry, Michael B., and Sara Grace. Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times. New York; Avery / Penguin Random House, 2020.
LEV #96: He is King of Kings
[Verses 1-2]
REFRAIN:
He is King of kings,
He is Lord of Lords;
Jesus Christ, the first and last
no man works like Him.
1 He built his throne up in the air
no man works like Him;
And called the saints from ev’erwhere
no man works like Him. [REFRAIN]
2 I was but young when I begun
no man works like Him;
But now my race is almost won
no man works like Him. [REFRAIN]
Words: Traditional, Public Domain.
Music: Negro Spiritual, Public Domain; arr. Horace Clarence Boyer © 1992, Church Publishing, Inc (Horace Clarence Boyer).
Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #89814. 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 Zariyah Cope (5/17), Farah Taylor (5/17), Marilyn Jones (5/20), Altheria Maynard (5/20), and Milburn Lewis (5/22) on their birthdays; For Donald & Marilyn Jones (5/20) and Timothy & Cheryl Rhett (5/20) on their wedding anniversaries; 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 Baynes, Ronald Baynes, 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, Anne Hudson, 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, Willie Stephens, Ed Vista, 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, especially [those whom we remember now...]; 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. Vestry Approves In-Person Worship Beginning 6/6: In consultation with the Diocese of Georgia, the Vestry of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church has approved a plan for holding in-person worship services that are open to the public beginning on Sunday, June 6. Click here to read the Vestry's COVID-19 Safety Guidelines in their entirety.
In the meantime, Fr. Arboleda and the Vestry will reach out to all those who volunteered to serve as ushers in the Lent COVID-19 Re-Gathering Survey and hold a training session on Saturday, May 22 at 10:00 AM. If you are interested in serving as an usher but cannot attend that meeting, please contact Fr. Arboleda to schedule a more convenient time. Over the next few Sundays, we will begin "practicing" the safety guidelines with a slightly larger group of people during our Sunday live-streams.
For now, we will maintain the current worship schedule: one Sunday service at 9:30 AM. We will reevaluate and consider the congregation's feedback in the late summer or early fall, once we have tried this out for a few months. Note that even if you do not feel comfortable attending, in person, we will continue to live-stream services to Facebook permanently.
B. Bishop Curry Live Q&A on 5/18 at 6:00 PM: 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). 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.
On Tuesday, May 18, at 6:00 PM, Bishop Logue will moderate a Zoom session with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry where we will discuss his book Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times. We will also have time for questions live from those in attendance and will put a video of the event online after for those who can not attend. Please register for this meeting here: "Love is the Way" Zoom Session with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.
Note that we will not hold a discussion on Wednesday, May 19, at 5:30. We will continue our parish's book study group on May 26, discussing chapters 9-11.
C. JUST Nehemiah Action Report: 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 held a community-wide "Nehemiah Action." 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 gathered to demand action from public officials.
We asked Mayor Van Johnson and the Savannah City to invest $10 million from its American Rescue Plan Act grants into the Affordable Housing Fund over the next 2 years. Then, we asked District Attorney Shalena Cook Jones to end cash bail in Chatham County. So far, we have not received commitments from either official, but JUST representatives will continue to meet with them over the next few weeks and report back on their progress.
Stay up to date and learn more by liking JUST's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thejustorganization.
D. Emmaus House Paper Goods Drive: Emmaus House provides hot meals, showers, and laundry to the community five days per week in downtown Savannah. Last week, they asked the community to donate paper goods to support their work. Members like Sandra Mitchell have already answered the latest call by giving this month (photos here).
Emmaus House seeks:
Bottled water
Takeout boxes
Cutlery packets
Grocery bags
Aluminum foil
Paper towels
Laundry detergent
Dish detergent
Bleach
Latex gloves
Bring any and all donations directly to Emmaus House at 18 Abercorn St, Savannah, GA 31401 between 7:00 AM - 1:00 PM Mondays to Fridays.
Or, bring donations to St. Matthew's and we will deliver them to Emmaus House on your behalf.
E. EYCS Scholarship Deadline 5/31: Attention college-bound students! If you are ages 17-22 and headed for college in the fall, you are encouraged to apply for a needs-based EYCS scholarship for the 2021-2022 school year.
Visit eycs.georgiaepiscopal.org and click on 'Education Scholarships.' Applications are due by May 31, 2021.
F. Memory Garden Planting Day - 5/22: St. Matthew's extends its heartfelt thanks to all who helped clean up St. Matthew's Memory Garden on Saturday, May 1, including General Cope, Avis Glover, Idella Jones, Dr. Esther McAlpine, Sandra Mitchell, Evadne Roberts, and Kathy Robinson's landscaping business.
Now that everything is weeded and clear, we are ready to hold a Memory Garden Planting Day on Saturday, May 22 (rain date: June 5) at 7:00 a.m. to beautify the garden for the summer and beyond. Click here for photos of the garden and work crew.
G. Virtual Coffee Hour 5/23: We will hold a virtual "Coffee Hour" fellowship hour over Zoom on Sunday, May 23 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: May 9, 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
H. 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
I. “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 in late June in time for Independence Day (July 4).
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 #494: Crown Him with Many Crowns
[Verses 1-5]
1 Crown him with many crowns,
the Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
all music but its own;
awake, my soul, and sing of him
who died for thee,
and hail him as thy matchless King
through all eternity.
2 Crown him the Son of God
before the worlds began,
and ye, who tread where he hath trod,
crown him the Son of man;
who every grief hath known
that wrings the human breast,
and takes and bears them for his own,
that all in him may rest.
3 Crown him the Lord of life,
who triumphed over the grave,
and rose victorious in the strife
for those he came to save;
his glories now we sing,
who died, and rose on high,
who died, eternal life to bring,
and lives that death may die.
4 Crown him of lords the Lord,
who over all doth reign,
who once on earth, the incarnate Word,
for ransomed sinners slain,
now lives in realms of light,
where saints with angels sing
their songs before him day and night,
their God, Redeemer, King.
5 Crown him the Lord of heaven,
enthroned in worlds above;
crown him the King,to whom is given,
the wondrous name of Love.
Crown him with many crowns,
as thrones before him fall,
crown him, ye kings, with many crowns,
for he is King of all.
Words: Matthew Bridges, Public Domain.
Music: Diademata, George Job Elvey, Public Domain; desc. Richard Proulx © 1970 Augsburg Publishing House.
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 Baynes, Ronald Baynes, 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, Anne Hudson, 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, Willie Stephens, Ed Vista, Lori Ward, Gertrude Washington, and Noel Wheeler
Birthdays: Zariyah Cope (5/17), Farah Taylor (5/17), Marilyn Jones (5/20), Altheria Maynard (5/20), and Milburn Lewis (5/22)
Wedding Anniversaries: Donald & Marilyn Jones (5/20) and Timothy & Cheryl Rhett (5/20)
Recent Deaths: Raleigh Bryant (12/18/20)
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), African American Heritage Hymnal (AAHH) and other sources cited. The Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.