Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
- Jul 23, 2023
- 15 min read

Sunday Worship on July 23, 2023

The Liturgy of the Word

(No Communion)

8th Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 11A)

July 23, 2023 at 9:30 AM

Presider and Preacher: The Rev. Ella Roundtree-Davis, Deacon

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

Hymn 365 – Come, Thou Almighty King

1 Come, thou almighty King, help us thy Name to sing, help us to praise. Father whose love unknown all things created own, build in our hearts thy throne, Ancient of Days. 2 Come, thou incarnate Word, by heaven and earth adored; our prayer attend: come, and thy people bless; come, give thy word success; stablish thy righteousness, Savior and friend. 3 Come, holy Comforter, thy sacred witness bear in this glad hour: thou, who almighty art, now rule in every heart, and ne'er from us depart, Spirit of power. 4 To Thee, great One in Three, the highest praises be, hence evermore; thy sovereign majesty may we in glory see, and to eternity love and adore.

The Opening Acclamation

[BCP, p. 355]

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

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

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 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.

A 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 S280: 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, 231]

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Book of Genesis 28:10-19a

Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”

So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 139: 1-11, 22-23

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

1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; * you know my sitting down and my rising up; you discern my thoughts from afar.

2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places * and are acquainted with all my ways.

3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, * but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4 You press upon me behind and before * and lay your hand upon me.

5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; * it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? * where can I flee from your presence?

7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; * if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.

8 If I take the wings of the morning * and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

9 Even there your hand will lead me * and your right hand hold me fast.

10 If I say, "Surely the darkness will cover me, * and the light around me turn to night,"

11 Darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day; * darkness and light to you are both alike.

22 Search me out, O God, and know my heart; * try me and know my restless thoughts.

23 Look well whether there be any wickedness in me * and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

A Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 8:12-25

Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ-- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn #372 – Praise to the Living God (Verses 1-3)

1 Praise to the living God! All praised be his Name who was, and is, and is to be, for ay the same. The one eternal God ere aught that now appears: the first, the last, beyond all thought his timeless years! 2 Formless, all lovely forms declare his loveliness; holy, no holiness of earth can his express. Lo, he is Lord of all. Creation speaks his praise, and everywhere above, below, his will obeys. 3 His Spirit floweth free, high surging where it will: in prophet's word he spake of old: he speaketh still. Established is his law, and changeless it shall stand, deep writ upon the human heart, on sea, on land. [Words: Medieval Jewish liturgy; tr. Max Landsberg and Newton M Mann. Music: Leoni, Hebrew melody; harm. Hymns Ancient and Modern, alt. All rights reserved.]

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

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Hymn #372 – Praise to the Living God (Verse 4)

4 Eternal life hath he implanted in the soul; his love shall be our strength and stay while ages roll. Praise to the living God! All praised be his Name who was, and is, and is to be, for ay the same.

The Sermon

by Ella Roundtree-Davis, Deacon

The Nicene Creed

[BCP, p. 358]

All standing as they are able, the People pray:

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

[Adapted from BCP, p. 392]

In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.

Silence

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; Chester, the chair of our County Commission; 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 Michael our Presiding Bishop, Frank our Bishop, Guillermo our Priest, 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: Mary Bonaparte, Jacqueline Bryant, Lazola Cope, Aaron Duplechien, Jr., Delois Groover, Marva Harris, David Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Sada Maxwell, Jeannette Outing, 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, especially: Ahsareia Moon (7/23) and Dena Pippen (7/25); for all anniversaries this week, and for those thanksgivings we offer now… [Silence. The People may add their own petitions.]

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, especially Alice Marie Dailey, Joseph Brown, and Delois Grover 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

[BCP, p. 360]

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

“Backpack Blessing” & Give-Away on 7/30: Savannah-Chatham Public Schools begin class on August 3, so on Sunday, July 30, we are celebrating and blessing all students and educators. We will also be giving away backpacks with school supplies that were generously donated by the City of Savannah. Please come and invite all the students in your life to attend!

Couple in need of assistance

There is a couple that is unhoused and expecting; the baby is due in August. Diapers and clothing have been collected, but they will need assistance getting housing, specific baby items, a baby bed, and some type of carrier, possibly a wrap carrier because she walks often. Please get in touch with Deacon Davis if you can help.

Join RJGA for July book discussion: On Thursday evenings in July, Racial Justice Georgia will be hosting a Zoom-based discussion series of Melissa Fay Greene's Praying for Sheetrock--a gripping account of the struggle for civil rights in McIntosh County, Georgia.

The book can be ordered through Amazon, Indiebound, and Barnes & Noble. Reading schedule and Zoom link will be in future editions in News From The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, From the Field.

NAACP Meeting

The NAACP will meet at St. Matthew’s church on July 23rd from 4 – 6 pm.

Iconography workshop to be offered at St. Augustine of Canterbury: St. Augustine of Canterbury in Augusta is offering an iconography workshop August 17-19 with renowned iconographer Peter Pearson.

St. Matthew's Anniversary Dinner Cruise

Celebrate St. Matthew's anniversary aboard the Savannah Riverboat Cruise on Friday, September 22, 2023. This evening dinner cruise will be set to sail at 6:00 pm from River Street in Downtown Savannah. Attire is casual. Contact Paulette Sanders or Evadne Roberts at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church to purchase tickets. The cost per ticket is $120.

St. Anna Alexander Pilgrimage September 22-24

Racial Justice Georgia, the diocesan racial justice and healing ministry, invites you to attend this year’s St. Anna Alexander pilgrimage on the weekend of September 22-24. The lone Black deaconess in the Episcopal Church, the only person from the diocese recognized as a saint, St. Anna selflessly pursued a ministry of teaching, preaching, and community work for decades in the early 20th century, despite the confinements of Jim Crow. Centered in the Brunswick area, the pilgrimage immerses you in her world and concludes with a special service at Good Shepherd, Pennick, the church she established and faithfully served. This year we’re excited to have St. Timothy’s choristers from the Diocese of Atlanta, performing music they have created for the pilgrimage. The pilgrimage begins Friday evening and concludes Sunday afternoon.

To register or for more information please contact RacialJusticeGA@gaepiscopal.org

Registration open for Cursillo #127

Registration for both team and participants for Cursillo #127 is now open!

Cursillo (pronounced ‘kur-see-yo’) is a Spanish word meaning ‘little’ or ‘short course’. This is the name given to the Short Course in Christianity which first developed after World War II with Roman Catholic men. The short course has now been given to men and women around the world and in the process has assisted generations of Christians to more faithfully follow Jesus in their daily lives. There is no real secret here, just the basics of the faith with an emphasis on how would you like to live it out in your life.

Cursillo begins on a Thursday evening and ends the following Sunday evening. During those three days the participants engage in listening to talks given by priests and lay people, and small table discussions, while worshiping and playing together.

T/W/Th Evening Prayer on Zoom Only: During Fr. Guillermo's sabbatical, weekday Evening Prayer services will be available on Zoom only (no Facebook live-stream) and entirely lay-led. You can access the Zoom call using the same link we normally use in the e-Newsletter.

The Offertory

[BCP, p. 376]

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.

Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself to us, an offering and sacrifice to God. [Ephesians 5:2]

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

LEV #220 – We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder

1 We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, We are climbing Jacob’s ladder, Soldiers of the cross.

2 Ev’ry round goes higher, higher Ev’ry round goes higher, higher Ev’ry round goes higher, higher Soldiers of the cross.

3 Sinner do you love your Jesus? Sinner do you love your Jesus? Sinner do you love your Jesus? Soldiers of the cross.

4 If you love Him why not serve Him, If you love Him why not serve Him, If you love Him why not serve Him, Soldiers of the cross.

[Words: Traditional. Music: Negro Spiritual; arr. Horace Clarence Boyer. Copyright © 1993 Church Publishing Inc. Arr. Copyright © 1992 Horace Clarence Boyer. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #86296. All rights reserved.]

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Circling through earth so all may grow

Vanquishing fear so all may give

Widening grace so all may live

Amen.

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 Grace

[BCP, p. 102]

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: Att. John Fawcett. Music: Sicilian Mariners, Sicilian melody; first published The European Magazine and London Review, alt. Copyright © 1985, G,I.A. Publishing, Inc. Public Domain. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #90882. All rights reserved.]

The Dismissal

[BCP, p. 366]

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

Thanks be to God!

The Parish Prayer List

PRAYER LIST: Mary Bonaparte, Jacqueline Bryant, Lazola Cope, Aaron Duplechien, Jr., Delois Groover, Marva Harris, David Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Sada Maxwell, Jeannette Outing, and Jewel Wheeler.

BIRTHDAYS: Ahsareia Moon (7/23) and Dena Pippen (7/25)

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: N/A

RECENT DEATHS: Alice Marie Dailey (7/6), Joseph Brown (7/9), and Delois Grover (7/11)

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), Enriching Our Worship 1 (EOW1), The Hymnal 1982 (Hymn), Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal (LEV), and other sources cited. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.

Image Credits: https://chronic-joy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Lord-in-this-place.jpg