Easter 3

Please stand.

Processional Hymn: Holy, Holy, Holy (Hymnal 362)

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,

casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

who wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,

though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,

only thou art holy; there is none beside thee

perfect in pow'r, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea.

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

The Word of God

(Stand)

Celebrant: Alleluia, Christ is risen.

People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The Collect for Purity

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.

The Summary of the Law

Jesus said: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 22:37-40

Lord, have mercy

Christ, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

Gloria

(Spoken)

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

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People: And with your spirit.

Celebrant: Let us pray.

Almighty God, you gave your only Son to be for us both a sacrifice for sin and an example of godly living: Give us grace thankfully to receive his inestimable benefits, and daily to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lessons of the Day

A reading from Isaiah 43:1-12

¹ But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. ³ For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. ⁴ Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. ⁵ Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. ⁶ I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, ⁷ everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” ⁸ Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! ⁹ All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, it is true. ¹⁰ “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. ¹¹ I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. ¹² I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm 116:11-16

¹¹ What shall I give unto the Lord *

for all the benefits that he has done unto me?

¹² I will lift up the cup of salvation *

and call upon the Name of the Lord.

¹³ I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the presence of all his people; *

dear in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.

¹⁴ O Lord, I am your servant; *

I am your servant, and the child of your handmaid; you have broken my bonds asunder.

¹⁵ I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *

and will call upon the Name of the Lord.

¹⁶ I will pay my vows unto the Lord in the sight of all his people, *

in the courts of the Lord’s house, even in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.

A reading from 1 Peter 1:13-25

¹³ Therefore, preparing your minds for action,^[ and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. ²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Sequence Hymn: Seek Ye First (Hymnal 711)

Seek ye first the Kingdom of God

And His righteousness

And all these things shall be added unto you

Allelu Alleluia!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia,

Allelu, Alleluia

Ask and it shall be given unto you

Seek and ye shall find

Knock and the door shall be opened unto you

Allelu Alleluia!

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia,

Allelu, Alleluia

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Luke 24:13-35

¹³ That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴ and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. ¹⁶ But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸ Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰ and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. ²¹ But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. ²² Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, ²³ and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. ²⁸ So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, ²⁹ but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. ³² They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” ³³ And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, ³⁴ saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread. ³⁶ As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”

Reader: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon The Rev. Ronald J. Baillie, Rector

The Nicene Creed

All stand to recite the Nicene Creed, the Celebrant first saying:

Let us confess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed:

(Celebrant and People)

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only-begotten 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:

was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and 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,

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

who 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 (Please stand or kneel)

Let us pray for the Church and for the world, saying, “hear our prayer.”

For the peace of the whole world, and for the well-being and unity of the people of God.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For the Primates of the Worldwide Anglican Communion; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby and Caroline; Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, Foley Beach and Allison; our Bishop, James Hobby and Shari; for all clergy and other ministers, especially our Rector, Father Ron and Sue; our Associate Rector, Father Chris and Katherine; our assisting clergy, Fr. Terry and Mary Anne; all missionaries, especially The Rev. Alison Barfoot, in Uganda; Church of the Redeemer, Nashville, TN; Four Winds Anglican Mission, Columbia, TN; The Anglican Province of Bangladesh; Advance Community Church; and for all the clergy and people of our Diocese and Congregation.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For all those who proclaim the Gospel at home and abroad; for all who teach and disciple others; and for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For all the men and women in our Armed Forces at home and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; and give them courage to face the perils that beset them; and help them to know that nothing can separate them from your love.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For our nation, for those in authority, and for all in public service especially, our Congress, Supreme Court and our President, Donald Trump.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For all affected by the coronavirus. For those suffering with symptoms, whether hospitalized or at home; for those who have died, provide rest for their souls and comfort for their families as they grieve. Protect and secure all health care workers and those who provide essential services, as well as those who have lost jobs and those discouraged and depressed from isolation and loneliness. Help and guide those seeking to discover a vaccine. Heal us.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For all those who are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity especially…

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For all those who have departed this life in the certain hope of the resurrection, especially...

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

We thank you for all the blessings of this life…

(The people are invited to share their thanksgivings aloud)

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

That the negotiations with the Episcopal Diocese regarding this property be fruitful and that your will be done.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For our vestry, especially our wardens, Dave and Jeremy, that as your appointed leaders they may faithfully serve you and this church.

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

For the special needs and concerns of this congregation, especially…

(The people may share their petitions silently or aloud)

Reader: Risen Lord,

People: hear our prayer.

The Celebrant concludes with this or some other appropriate Collect.

Heavenly Father, grant these our prayers for the sake of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Peace

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People: And with your spirit.

Send your greetings of peace to

peace@SaintThomasAnglican.org

Spiritual Communion

The Celebrant continues

Hear what St. Paul says: For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we can ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

The Lord's Prayer

The Celebrant then says:

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

Celebrant and People together pray

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 Agnus Dei

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;

grant us your peace.

The Act of Spiritual Communion

The Celebrant may say the following invitation

The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart, because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:8-9

Prayer for Spiritual Communion

Let us pray.

The family prays together, or, if possible, each individual prays silently in their heart.

Dear Jesus,

I believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things, and I desire to possess you within my soul,

and since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,

I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart.

I unite myself to you, together with all your faithful people,

gathered around every altar of your Church,

and I embrace you with all the affections of my soul.

Never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.

Silence is kept. Each member of the family may silently read and reflect on this prayer or otherwise meditate on Christ’s spiritual presence.

The Anima Christi

Let us pray.

Celebrant and People together say or sing the following,

Soul of Christ, be my salvation,

Body of Christ, my consecration;

Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;

Water from Christ’s side, wash my stains;

Passion of Christ, my comfort be;

O good Jesus, listen to me;

Within your wounds I long to hide,

Ne’er to be parted from your side.

O guard me when the foe assails me,

Guide me when my feet shall fail me;

Bid me come to you above,

With all your saints to sing your love,

Now and forever. Amen.

The Blessing

A Kenyan Blessing: the people accompany the first three responses with a sweep of the arm towards the cross behind the Holy Table, and their final response with a sweep towards heaven.

Celebrant: All our problems,

People: We send to the cross of Christ.

Celebrant: All our difficulties,

People: We send to the cross of Christ.

Celebrant: All the devil's works,

People: We send to the cross of Christ.

Celebrant: All our hopes.

People: We set on the risen Christ.

Celebrant: Christ the Sun of Righteousness Shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path: And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you, always. Amen.

Recessional Hymn: The Day of Resurrection (Hymnal 210)

Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name;

I have called you by name; you are mine.

When you pass through the waters I will be with you,

and through rivers, they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire you will not be burned;

the flames will not consume you.

Chorus

Because you are precious and I love you;

you whom I formed for my glory,

you whom I called by my Name

I will gather together.

Chorus

You are my witnesses: I have chosen you

that you may know and believe me;

You are my servants for the world to see.

I am the Lord. I’m among you.

Chorus

The Dismissal

Celebrant: ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! Let us go forth in to the world, rejoicing in the power of the risen Christ.

People: Thanks be to God. ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA