Fr. Guillermo A. Arboleda
- Mar 12, 2023
- 17 min read

Sunday Worship on March 12, 2023

The Holy Eucharist

The Third Sunday in Lent (Year A)

March 12, 2023 at 9:30 AM

Deacon and Preacher: The Rev. Ella Roundtree-Davis

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

The Holy Eucharist: Liturgy of the Word

Hymn # 692: I Heard The Voice Of Jesus Say

1 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Come unto me and rest;

and in your weariness lay down

your head upon my breast."

I came to Jesus as I was,

so weary, worn, and sad;

I found in him a resting place,

and he has made me glad.

2 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"Behold, I freely give

the living water; thirsty one,

stoop down and drink, and live."

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in him.

3 I heard the voice of Jesus say,

"I am this dark world's light;

look unto me, your morn shall rise,

and all your day be bright."

I looked to Jesus, and I found

in him my Star, my Sun;

and in that light of life I'll walk

till pilgrim days are done.

[Words: Horatious Bonar, atl. Music: The Third Tune, Thomas Tallis; ed. John Wilson, by permission of . Copyright © 1872-1958 Oxford University Press. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #592e04d31a0aa. All rights reserved.]

The Penitential Order

[BCP, p. 351]

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.

His mercy endures for ever.

The Decalogue (Ten Commandments)

[BCP, p. 350]

Hear the commandments of God to his people:

I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage. You shall have no other gods but me. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not make for yourself any idol. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not invoke with malice the Name of the Lord your God. Amen. Lord have mercy.

Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Amen. Lord have mercy.

Honor your father and your mother. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not commit murder. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not commit adultery. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not steal. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not be a false witness. Amen. Lord have mercy.

You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. Amen. Lord have mercy.

The Comfortable Words

[BCP, p. 351]

The Celebrant reads one of the following sentences.

Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9

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

Confession of Sin

[BCP, p. 352]

The Deacon says

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Deacon and People

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 stands and 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.

LEV #235: Lord, Have Mercy

[See also BCP, p. 356]

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy,

Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Christ, have mercy,

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy,

The Collect of the Day

[BCP, p. 357, 218]

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Book of Exodus 17:1-7

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 95

[BCP, p. 724-725]

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

1 Come, let us sing to the Lord; * let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving * and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God, * and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the caverns of the earth, * and the heights of the hills are his also.

5 The sea is his, for he made it, * and his hands have molded the dry land.

6 Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, * and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. * Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice!

8 Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness, * at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me.

9 They put me to the test, * though they had seen my works.

10 Forty years long I detested that generation and said, * "This people are wayward in their hearts; they do not know my ways."

11 So I swore in my wrath, * "They shall not enter into my rest."

A Reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 5:1-11

Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person-- though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Hymn #455: Oh Love Of God, How Strong And True (Verses 1-3)

1 O Love of God, how strong and true,

eternal and yet ever new;

uncomprehended and unbought,

beyond all knowledge and all thought.

2 O wide-embracing, wondrous Love,

we read thee in the sky above;

we read thee in the earth below,

in seas that swell and streams that flow.

3 We read thee best in him who came

to bear for us the cross of shame,

sent by the Father from on high,

our life to live, our death to die.

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

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ According to John 4:5-42

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him.

Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Hymn #455: Oh Love Of God, How Strong And True (Verse 4)

4 We read thy power to bless and save

e'en in the darkness of the grave;

still more in resurrection light

we read the fullness of thy might.

The Sermon

by the Rev. 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.

Hymn S106: The Prayers of the People, Form I

[See also BCP, p. 383]

With all our heart and with all our mind, let us pray to the Lord, saying "Lord, have mercy."

For the peace from above, for the loving-kindness of God, and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For the peace of the world, for the welfare of the Holy Church of God, and for the unity of all peoples, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For our Frank our Bishop, and for all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For Joseph our President, for the leaders of the nations, and for all in authority, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For the City of Savannah, for every city and community, and for those who live in them, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For the good earth which God has given us, and for the wisdom and will to conserve it, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For those who travel on land, on water, in the air, or through outer space, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For the aged and infirm, for the widowed and orphans, and for the sick and the suffering, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For our Parish Prayer List: Martha Avery, Mary Bonaparte, Jacqueline Bryant, Lazola Cope, Aaron Duplechien, Jr., Marva Harris, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Sada Maxwell, Jeannette Outing, and Jewel Wheeler; for Reginald Robinson (3/12), Prentiss McMullen (3/15), Jameel Newton (3/15), Sandra Mitchell (3/17), and Paul Berksteiner (3/18) on their birthdays; let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For the poor and the oppressed, for the unemployed and the destitute, for prisoners and captives, and for all who remember and care for them, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For all who have died in the hope of the resurrection, and for all the departed, especially Loretta Harmond, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

For deliverance from all danger, violence, oppression, and degradation, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

That we may end our lives in faith and hope, without suffering and without reproach, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, have mercy.

Defend us, deliver us, and in your compassion protect us, O Lord, by your grace. Lord, have mercy.

In the communion of Blessed Matthew and of all the saints, let us commend ourselves, and one another, and all our life, to Christ our God. To you, O Lord our God.

The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.

O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 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

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

Confirmation & Episcopal Refresher Class #4 on 3/19: This spring, Fr. Arboleda will teach an eight-session course to prepare people for Confirmation, Reception, or Renewal of Baptismal Vows. This course is also open to anyone in the church who wants a "refresher" on fundamental Episcopal beliefs and practices. This is a space for learning and growth. In these classes, we will listen carefully to one another and honor each other as siblings, even if we disagree. We will not shame anyone for asking questions, not knowing something, or sharing their honest beliefs.

Confirmations and Renewals of Baptismal Vows will take place on Sunday, May 28, 2023, the Day of Pentecost, when Bishop Frank Logue will conduct his annual visitation to St. Matthew's. Each session of the class will take place after Sunday worship from about 11:15-12:15.

Confirmation & Episcopal Refresher Class Schedule

March 19: The Bible and You
April 2: Other Sacraments (Marriage, Confession, Anointing, & Burial)
April 23: Using The Book of Common Prayer
May 7: Faith In Action - Outside the Church
May 21: Faith In Action - Inside The Episcopal Church

Wellness Wednesdays in Lent: Every Wednesday in Lent, beginning on March 1, will be Wellness Wednesday! We will gather for worship, food, and discussion about finding wellness in our community. Using tools from Kaleidoscope Institute, such as Holy Currencies, we will reflect on Bible passages relating Wellness to Time & Place, Relationships, Gracious Leadership, Truth, and Money. March 29 will be our second Strategic Planning Congregational Meeting in place of the usual programming. Below is the weekly schedule. Even if you miss worship, you can still come!

5:00 - 5:30 Evening Prayer
5:30 - 6:00 Dinner
6:00 - 7:00 Wellness Bible Reflections

There is a sign-up sheet in the parish hall for individuals or groups who want to prepare a simple meal for each of the Wednesdays.

Vegan Supper Club on 3/12: St. Matthew's newest renter is A.M. Diverse Cooking L.L.C. Their "Diverse Supper Club" provides delicious made-from-scratch vegan/plant-based food in a friendly ambiance. The next supper, called "Vegan Madness," and will be held on Sunday, March 12, at 6:00 PM at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church's Toomer-Walker Hall. Tickets for tonight are sold out, but save the date for the next Supper Club on April 23.

Strategic Planning Congregational Meeting #2 on 3/29: St. Matthew's Strategic Planning Team invites YOU to attend the second Strategic Planning Congregational Meeting, called "St. Matthew's Present: Understanding Who We Are Now." This meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 29 in Toomer-Walker Hall from 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM. It will begin with a catered meal and feature engaging presentations and activities led by our Strategic Planning Team and Fr. Bill Cruse from the Kaleidoscope Institute.

Mark your calendars for the 3rd meeting on Saturday, 4/29/23, from 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM (with a barbecue to follow).

Pastoral Installation of Reverend Stephen Robertson 3/19: You are invited to attend the installation of Reverend Stephen Robertson on Sunday, 3/19 at 3:00 P.M. at Butler Memorial Presbyterian Church, 603 W. Victory Dr. Savannah. There will be a reception immediately following the service.

Sermon Book Committee Meeting on 3/19: The committee compiling a book of Rev. Guillermo Arboleda's sermons is looking for additional members to read the sermons from 2019-2023. If you are interested, please see Karsten Tyson or Idella Jones. The Committee's next meeting is on Sunday, March 19 at 11:00 AM.

SCAD Honey Bees Concert at St. Matthew's on 3/26 at 11 AM: Savannah College of Art and Design provides complimentary performances in local churches to showcase their students and alumni's talent while connecting with the community. One of SCAD's ensembles, called the Honey Bees, will perform at St. Matthew's on Sunday, March 26, at 11:00 AM. Stick around for the free concert and invite your friends to come!

New Doxology for Strategic Planning: At the end of the offertory, we will begin singing different lyrics to the “Doxology” hymn. This is the hymn we sing while the people’s offerings are brought forward to the altar. These lyrics were written by the Rev. Dr. Eric Hung Fat Law, the founder of Kaleidoscope Institute, with whom we are consulting for our strategic planning process.

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.

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.

“I appeal to you, sisters and brothers, by the mercies of God, to present yourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” [Romans 12:1]

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

LEV #76: Jesus In The Morning

1 Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning

Jesus in the noontime;

Jesus, Jesus,

Jesus when the sun goes down!

2 Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him in the morning

Praise Him in the noontime;

Praise Him, Praise Him,

Praise Him when the sun goes down!

3 Love Him, Love Him, Love Him in the morning

Love Him in the noontime;

Love Him, Love Him,

Love Him when the sun goes down!

4 Serve Him, Serve Him, Serve Him, in the morning

Serve Him in the noontime;

Serve Him, Serve Him,

Serve Him when the sun goes down!

5 Jesus, Jesus, Jesus in the morning

Jesus in the noontime;

Jesus, Jesus,

Jesus when the sun goes down!

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.

LEV #264: The Lord’s Prayer

[BCP, p. 364]

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 Solemn Prayer over the People

[Adapted from The Book of Occasional Services 2018, pp. 10-11]

The Deacon says

Let us bow down before the Lord.

The Deacon prays

Look mercifully on this your family, Almighty God, that by your great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hymn #690: Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah,

pilgrim through this barren land;

I am weak, but thou art mighty;

hold me with thy powerful hand;

bread of heaven, bread of heaven,

feed me now and evermore,

feed me now and evermore.

2 Open now the crystal fountain,

whence the healing stream doth flow;

let the fire and cloudy pillar

lead me all my journey through;

strong deliverer, strong deliverer.

be thou still my strength and shield,

be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan,

bid my anxious fears subside;

death of death, and hell's destruction,

land me safe on Canaan's side;

songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to thee,

I will ever give to thee.

The Dismissal

[BCP, p. 366]

Let us bless the Lord!

Thanks be to God!

The Parish Prayer List

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

BIRTHDAYS: Reginald Robinson (3/12), Prentiss McMullen (3/15), Jameel Newton (3/15), Sandra Mitchell (3/17), and Paul Berksteiner (3/18)

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: N/A

RECENT DEATHS: Loretta Harmond (2/15)

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://i.pinimg.com/originals/a3/cc/ab/a3ccabfccab024f2694aa44ee218cdfc.jpg