The Liturgy of the Word

Processional Hymn #518: Christ is Made the Sure Foundation

1 Christ is made the sure foundation, 

Christ the head and cornerstone, 

chosen of the Lord, and precious, 

binding all the Church in one; 

holy Zion's help for ever, 

and her confidence alone. 

2 All that dedicated city, 

dearly loved of God on high, 

in exultant jubilation 

pours perpetual melody; 

God the One in Three adoring 

in glad hymns eternally. 

3 To this temple, where we call thee, 

come, O Lord of Hosts, today; 

with thy wonted lovingkindness 

hear thy servants as they pray, 

and thy fullest benediction 

shed within its walls alway. 

4 Here vouchsafe to all thy servants 

what they ask of thee to gain; 

what they gain from thee, for ever 

with the blessèd to retain, 

and hereafter in thy glory 

evermore with thee to reign.

[Words: Latin, ca. 7th cent.; HymnsAncient and Modern, after John Mason Neale, alt. Music: Urbs beata Jersulem, plainsong, Mode 2, Never MS. Descant by permission of Church Society, London. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #123287. All rights reserved.]

The Opening Acclamation

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

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

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)

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.

LEV #243: Glory To God

The Collect of the Day                                 

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray. 

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; 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 First Book of Kings

The Lord said to Elijah, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place."So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?" He returned from following him, took the yoke of oxen, and slaughtered them; using the equipment from the oxen, he boiled their flesh, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out and followed Elijah, and became his servant.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The Psalm

1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *

I have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, my good above all other."

2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, * 

upon those who are noble among the people.

3 But those who run after other gods * 

shall have their troubles multiplied.

4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, * 

nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.

 

5 O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; * 

it is you who uphold my lot.

 

6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; * 

indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

 

7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; * 

my heart teaches me, night after night.

 

8 I have set the Lord always before me; * 

because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.

9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; * 

my body also shall rest in hope.

 

10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, * 

nor let your holy one see the Pit.

 

11 You will show me the path of life; * 

in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

A Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Sequence: LEV #72 Just a Closer Walk with Thee (Verse 1-2)

1 I am weak but thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to thee.

Refrain:

Just a closer walk with thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

2 Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but thee, dear Lord, none but thee. [Refrain]

[Public Domain. Words: Anonymous. Music: American Folk Song. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #95172. All rights reserved.]

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to St. Luke 

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?" But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sequence: LEV #72 Just a Closer Walk with Thee (Final Verse)

3 When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to thy shore. (refrain)

 Refrain:

Just a closer walk with thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

[Public Domain. Words: Anonymous. Music: American Folk Song. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #95172. All rights reserved.]

 

The Nicene 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 IV

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, especially _____ on their birthdays and _____ on their anniversaries; and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially the people on our Parish Prayer List: _____; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

We commend to your mercy all who have died, [especially _____,]  that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

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 the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Parish Announcements

The Offertory

Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts.

Offertory:LEV #106 Take My Hand, Precious Lord

The Doxology

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.

The Lord’s Prayer

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

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.

The Recessional Hymn #359 God of the Prophets

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]

Thanks be to God! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]