Lysa Rodriguez
- Apr 28
- 14 min read

Sunday Worship on April 28, 2024

Sunday Worship without Communion

5th Sunday of Easter B

April 28, 2024 at 9:30 AM

Presider: The Rev. Ella Roundtree-Davis, Deacon

St. Matthew's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/stmattsav

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

INSERT COVER IMAGE BASED ON SCRIPTURE

The Liturgy of the Word: Rite II

Hymn #47: On This Day, The First of Days

1 On this day, the first of days,

God the Father's Name we praise,

who, creation's Lord and spring,

did the world from darkness bring.

2 On this day the eternal Son

over death his triumph won;

on this day the Spirit came

with his gifts of living flame.

3 Maker, who didst fashion me

image of thyself to be,

fill me with thy love divine,

let my every thought be thine.

4 Holy Jesus, may I be

dead and buried here with thee;

and, by love inflamed, arise

unto thee a sacrifice.

5 Thou, who dost all gifts impart,

shine, blest Spirit, in my heart;

best of gifts, thyself bestow;

make me burn thy love to know.

6 God, the blessed Three in One,

dwell within my heart alone;

thou dost give thyself to me:

may I give myself to thee.

[Words: LUEBECK (GOTT SEI DANK) Arranged by Lois Fyfe © Copyright (words) 1981 The Church Pension Fund. Music: 1974, 1993 H.T. FitzSimons Co. (administered worldwide by the Fred Bock Publishing Group) All rights reserved. Used by Permission. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #FBC-A005652. All rights reserved.]

The Opening Acclamation - CHANGES ON MAY 26

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

The Confession of Sin

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16)

The Deacon or Lay Celebrant says:

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept. All pray together, kneeling, as they are able,

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Deacon or Lay Celebrant says:

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

Hymn S-280: Glory to God

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,

almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High,

Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Collect of the Day

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (8:26-40)

An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 22:24-30

24 My praise is of him in the great assembly; *

I will perform my vows

in the presence of those who worship him.

25 The poor shall eat and be satisfied,

and those who seek the Lord shall praise him: *

"May your heart live for ever!"

26 All the ends of the earth

shall remember and turn to the Lord, *

and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

27 For kingship belongs to the Lord; *

he rules over the nations.

28 To him alone all who sleep

in the earth bow down in worship; *

all who go down to the dust fall before him.

29 My soul shall live for him;

my descendants shall serve him; *

they shall be known as the Lord's for ever.

30 They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *

the saving deeds that he has done.

A Reading from the First Letter of St. John (4:7-21)

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn #512: Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove (Verses 1-3)

1 Come, gracious Spirit, heavenly Dove,

with light and comfort from above;

be thou our guardian, thou our guide

o'er every thought and step preside.

2 The light of truth to us display,

and make us know and choose thy way;

plant holy fear in every heart,

that we from thee may ne'er depart.

3 Lead us to Christ, the living way,

nor let us from his precepts stray;

lead us to holiness, the road

that we must take to dwell with God.

The People stand, as they are able, for the reading of the Gospel.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to John (15:1-8)

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Hymn #512: Come, Gracious Spirit, Heavenly Dove (Verse 4)

4 Lead us to heaven, that we may share

fullness of joy for ever there;

lead us to God, our final rest,

to be with him for ever blest.

The Sermon

by The Rev. Ella Roundtree-Davis, Deacon

The Nicene Creed

The People stand, as they are able, to recite the Creed.

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People (Form VI)

In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.

For all people in their daily life and work;

For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone.

For Joseph, our president; Brian, our governor; Van, our mayor; and all other civic officials; For this community, the nation, and the world;

For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.

For the just and proper use of your creation;

For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.

For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;

For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy.

For all the churches in Savannah, that we may be one as you are one with the Son, and the Holy Spirit; For the peace and unity of the Church of God;

For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.

For Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Frank, our Bishop; Ella our Deacon; and for all bishops and other ministers;

For all who serve God in his Church.

For the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially for our Day Care’s staff, students, and families, and for those on our Parish Prayer List: Glenda Allen, Lazola Cope, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Leonard Law Jr., Jessica Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Russell Nails, Terry Newton, Jeannette Outing, Lee Grant Pearson, Lysa Rodriguez, Frieda McDew Shorter, Edward Vaughn, and Jewel Wheeler; and those we remember now… Silence. The People may add their own petitions.

Hear us, Lord;

For your mercy is great.

We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life, especially for all visitors to this parish, all those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries this week: _____; and those thanksgivings we offer now… Silence. The People may add their own thanksgivings.

We will exalt you, O God our King;

And praise your Name for ever and ever.

We pray for all who have died, that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom, and those we remember now… Silence. The People may add their own petitions.

Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them;

Who put their trust in you.

The Celebrant concludes with the following or some other suitable Collect:

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

The Peace

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Parish Announcements

Sign up for our e-Newsletter at https://tinyurl.com/StMattSavNews

Mrs. Dandy to Retire on April 28; Caroline Banks to be Interim: Mrs. Beryl C. Dandy, who has served St. Matthew’s as Music Director for nearly ten years in two separate stints, will retire from her position at the end of April. Her final Sunday with us will be April 28, 2024. Caroline Banks will begin serving as Interim Music Director on May 1.

T/W/Th Evening Prayer on Zoom Only: St. Matthew’s gathers for virtual Evening Prayer services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 5:00 PM, but we no longer post these videos to our Facebook page. You can pray with us on Zoom using the same link as before, as found in the e-Newsletter or in the St. Matthew’s Linktree (QR Code above).

The Offertory

Giving to St. Matthew's:

Mail us a check or money order at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 1401 Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd, Savannah, GA 31415; OR
Make a secure online gift to St. Matthew’s and/or automate future gifts at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now; OR
Text “stmattsav” to 73256 to make a secure online donation through your phone.

NOTE: Donations made online (#2 or #3) through Realm incur a processing fee of about 2.5%. Please consider adding an additional 2.5% to your online gift to cover these costs.

The Presider begins the Offertory with a sentence on BCP, p. 376, or some other sentence of Scripture.

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

LEV #12: We’re Marching to Zion

1 Come, we that love the Lord,

And let our joys be known;

Join in a song with sweet accord,

And thus surround the throne,

And thus surround the throne.

Refrain:

We’re marching to Zion,

Beautiful, beautiful Zion;

We’re marching upward to Zion,

The beautiful city of God.

2 Let those refuse to sing

Who never knew our God;

But children of the heav’nly King,

May speak their joys abroad,

May speak their joys abroad. (refrain)

3 The hill of Zion yields

A thousand sacred sweets

Before we reach the heav’nly fields,

Or walk the golden streets,

Or walk the golden streets. (refrain)

4 Then let our songs abound,

And ev’ry tear be dry;

We’re marching through Immanuel’s ground,

We’re marching thro’ Immanuel’s ground,

To fairer worlds on high,

To fairer worlds on high. (refrain)

[Words: Isaac Watts. Music by Robert Lowry, arranged by Benjamin Harlan © Copyright 2016 Fred Bock Music Company (administered worldwide by the Fred Bock Publishing Group) All rights reserved. Used by Permission. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #FBC-A017216. All rights reserved.]

The Doxology

Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

Praise him all creatures here below!

Praise him above ye heavenly hosts!

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

Amen.

LEV #264: The Lord’s Prayer

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

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name,

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

The Grace

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.

Hymn #344: Lord, Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing

1 Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing;

fill our hearts with joy and peace;

let us each, thy love possessing,

triumph in redeeming grace:

O refresh us, O refresh us,

traveling through this wilderness.

2 Thanks we give and adoration

for thy Gospel's joyful sound:

may the fruits of thy salvation

in our hearts and lives abound:

ever faithful, ever faithful

to thy truth may we be found;

3 so that when thy love shall call us,

Savior, from the world away,

fear of death shall not appall us,

glad thy summons to obey.

May we ever, may we ever

reign with thee in endless day.

[Words: Attr. John Fawcett. Music: Sicilian Mariners, Sicilian melody; first published The European Magazine and London Review. 1792. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #98002. All rights reserved.]

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: Glenda Allen, Lazola Cope, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Leonard Law Jr., Jessica Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Russell Nails, Terry Newton, Jeannette Outing, Lee Grant Pearson, Lysa Rodriguez, Frieda McDew Shorter, Edward Vaughn, and Jewel Wheeler

BIRTHDAYS:

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: N/A

RECENT DEATHS: N/A

May the souls of all the departed rest in peace; and may light perpetual shine upon them. Amen.

Permissions and Credits: This service is reproduced from The Book of Common Prayer 1979 (BCP), The Hymnal 1982 (Hymn), Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal (LEV), Enriching Our Worship 1 (EOW1), The Book of Occasional Services 2022 (BOS22), and other sources cited. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.