(Modified 2021-09-04: Added audio recordings)
THE ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
SEPTEMBER 4, 2022 – 10.30 o’clock
Organ Prelude: Meditation on Beach Spring from The Sacred Harp – Arranged by Hugh S. Livingston, Jr. (1945-2014)
THE HYMN: #560 God Whose Almighty Word
God, whose almighty word,
chaos and darkness heard,
and took their flight:
hear us, we humbly pray,
and where the gospel-day
sheds not its glorious ray,
let there be light.
Christ, who once came to bring
on your redeeming wing
healing and sight,
health to the sick in mind,
sight with illlusions blind:
now to all humankind
let there be light.
Spirit of truth and love,
life-giving, holy dove,
speed forth your flight;
move o’er the water’s face,
bearing the lamp of grace
and in earth’s darkest place
let there be light.
Holy and blessed Three,
glorious Trinity,
Wisdom, Love, Might,
boundless as ocean’s tide
rolling in fullest pride
through the earth, far and wide,
let there be light.
DEARLY beloved brethren, the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness; and that we should not dissemble nor cloke them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father; but confess them with an humble, lowly, penitent, and obedient heart; to the end that we may obtain forgiveness of the same, by his infinite goodness and mercy.
And although we ought at all times humbly to acknowledge our sins before God; yet ought we most chiefly so to do, when we assemble and meet together to render thanks for the great benefits that we have received at his hands, to set forth his most worthy praise, to hear his most holy Word, and to ask those things which are requisite and necessary, as well for the body as the soul.
Wherefore I pray and beseech you, as many as are here present, to accompany me with a pure heart and humble voice unto the throne of the heavenly grace.
A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation with the Minister, all kneeling.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have offended against thy holy laws, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
The Absolution, or Remission of sins, to be pronounced by the Priest alone, standing: the people still kneeling.
ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live, hath given power and commandment to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins.
He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel.
Wherefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Minister. O Lord, open thou our lips;
People. And our mouth shall show forth thy praise.
Minister. O God, make speed to save us;
People. O Lord, make haste to help us.
Here, all standing up, the Minister shall say:
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
People. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Minister. Praise ye the Lord;
People. The Lord’s Name be praised.
VENITE EXULTEMUS DOMINO. PSALM 95
O COME, let us sing unto the LORD: / let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, / and show ourselves glad in him with psalms.
For the LORD is a great God, / and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are all the corners of the earth: / and the strength of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: / and his hands prepared the dry land.
O COME, let us worship, and fall down, / and kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For he is the Lord our God; / and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.
GLORY be to the Father, and to the Son, / and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, / world without end. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Deuteronomy 30. 15-20
See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you this day, that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land which you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and length of days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.” R. / Thanks be to God.
PSALM 1
BLESSED is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, / and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD; / and in his law doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree planted by the water-side, / that bringeth forth his fruit in due season,
Whose leaf also doth not wither; / and look, whatsoever he doeth, it shall prosper.
As for the ungodly, it is not so with them; / but they are like the chaff, which the wind scattereth away from the face of the earth.
Therefore the ungodly shall not be able to stand in the judgement, / neither the sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous; / but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
EPISTLE: Philemon 1. 1-21
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Phile′mon our beloved fellow worker and Ap′phia our sister and Archip′pus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my child, Ones′imus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment. (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. I would have been glad to keep him with me, in order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might not be by compulsion but of your own free will.Perhaps this is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back for ever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand, I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
R./ Thanks be to God.
HYMN: # 447 Lord We Hear Your Word with Gladness
Lord, we hear your Word with gladness:
you have spoken–we rejoice:
words of love and life and freedom–
help us make their truth our choice!
Now in holy celebration
for your Word we worship you;
spoken, written, known in Jesus,
ours today to prove anew.
May we hear with understanding,
by your Spirit taught and led;
may the springs of all our being
by your Living Word be fed;
may our hearts accept with meekness
all the grace your light makes known;
may obedience mark our footsteps
till we make each word our own!
You have spoken–yours the fulness,
ours the wealth of this your Word:
debtors, then, as living letters
we must make your Gospel heard!
By your Spirit’s power transform us;
shed your saving Light abroad
till our lives by love in action
show our world the truth of God!
GOSPEL: LUKE 14. 25-33
R. / Glory be to Thee, O Lord.
Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.
R./ Praise be to thee, O Christ.
SERMON – Revd. Canon Claude Schroeder
THE ORDER OF SERVICE OF HOLY BAPTISM OF CHILDREN
DEARLY beloved in Christ, seeing that God willeth all men to be saved from the fault and corruption of the nature which they inherit, as well as from the actual sins which they commit, and that our Saviour Christ saith, None can enter into the kingdom of God, except he be born anew of Water and of the Holy Spirit, I beseech you to call upon God the Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that he will grant to these children that which by nature they cannot have; that they may be baptized with Water and the Holy Spirit, and received into Christ’s holy Church, and be made a living member of the same.
Then he shall say the following Prayer:
ALMIGHTY and immortal God, the aid of all that need, the helper of all that flee to thee for succour: We call upon thee for these children, that thry, coming to thy holy Baptism, may receive remission of sin by spiritual regeneration. Receive them, O Lord, as thou hast promised by thy well-beloved Son, saying, Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: So give now unto us that ask; let us that seek find; open the gate unto us that knock; that these children may enjoy the everlasting benediction of thy heavenly washing, and may come to the eternal kingdom which thou hast promised by him who is the Resurrection and the Life, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE PROMISES
Then shall the Priest say to the Sponsors:
DEARLY beloved, you have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ may be pleased to receive, cleanse, and sanctify these children and grant unto them the blessing of eternal life, which things Christ, for his part, will most surely perform. And now these children, on their part, must through you, his Sponsors, promise and vow that she will renounce the devil and all his works, believe in Christ, and obediently keep God’s commandments.
I demand therefore:
DO you, in the name of these children, renounce the devil and all his works, the vainpomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that you will not follow nor be led by them?
Answer. I do.
Priest. Let us recite the Articles of our Belief.
Then shall be said by the Priest and the Godparents, and the whole Congregation, the Apostles’ Creed.
I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholic Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.
Then shall the Priest say to the Sponsors:
DO you, in the name of these children, profess this faith?
Answer. I do.
DO you, in the name of these children, seek Baptism into this faith?
Answer. I do.
DO you, in the name of these children, acknowledge the duty to keep God’s holy will and commandments, walking stedfastly in the Way of Christ?
Answer. I do.
WILL you pray for these children, and take care that she may learn and do all these things?
Answer. I will.
Then shall the Priest make the following supplications, and after each of them the Congregation shall answer Amen.
O MERCIFUL God, grant that all sinful desires may die in these children, and that all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in him. Amen.
GRANT that the may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph against the devil, the world, and the flesh. Amen.
GRANT that whosoever here shall begin to be of thy flock may evermore continue in the same. Amen.
GRANT that whosoever is here dedicated to thee by our office and ministry may also be endued with heavenly virtues, and everlastingly rewarded, through thy mercy, O blessed Lord God, who dost live, and govern all things, world without end. Amen.
The Hymn: # 35 Wash O God our Sons and Daughters
Wash O God, our sons and daughters,
where your cleansing waters flow.
Number them among your people;
bless as Christ blessed long ago.
Weave them garments bright and sparkling;
compass them with love and light.
Fill, anoint them; send your Spirit,
holy dove and heart’s delight.
We who bring them long for nurture;
by your milk may we be fed.
Let us join your feast, partaking
cup of blessing, living bread.
God, renew us, guide our footsteps;
free from sin and all its snares,
one with Christ in living, dying,
by your Spirit, children, heirs.
Oh, how deep your holy wisdom!
Unimagined, all your ways!
To your name be glory, honor!
With our lives we worship, praise!
We your people stand before you,
waterwashed and Spirit-born.
By your grace, our lives we offer,
Recreate us, God transform.
THE BAPTISM
Priest.
THE Lord be with you;
People. And with thy spirit.
Priest. Lift up your hearts;
People. We lift them up unto the Lord.
Priest. Let us give thanks unto our Lord God;
People. It is meet and right so to do.
Then shall the Priest say:
IT is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, for that thy most dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ upon the Cross, for the forgiveness of our sins, did shed out of his most precious side both water and blood; and after his glorious Resurrection gave commandment to his disciples, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
REGARD, we beseech thee, the prayers of thy Church. Sanctify this Water to the mystical washing away of sin; and grant that these children, now to be baptized therein, may receive the fulness of thy grace and ever remain in the number of thy faithful and elect children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The Priest, taking the Child by the right hand, shall say to the Sponsors:
Name this Child.
And then, naming him after them, he shall dip him in the Water saying:
I BAPTIZE thee In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Then shall the Priest say:
WE receive this Child into the Congregation of Christ’s flock, and do sign him/her with the sign of the Cross, in token that hereafter he/she shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and manfully to fight under his banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his/her life’s end. Amen.
THE GIVING OF THE GIFTS
Receive the light of Christ to show that you have passed from darkness to light.
Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Receive the robe of righteousness to show that you have put on Christ.
Be clothed in his love that you may stand without shame or fear on the day of his appearing.
THE HYMN: # 36 Now There is No Male or Female
Now there is no male or female;
now there is no free or slave;
now there is no Jew or Gentile
in the earth Christ died to save.
Christ has set us free for freedom:
we no more sing slavery’s creed;
old submissions cannot claim us;
Christ has set us free indeed.
Crucified with Christ the Savior,
baptized in his holy death,
and as Christ was raised to glory
we have new life on this earth.
Power of water and God’s naming,
turning us from dark to light,
joins us to those who, before us,
ran the race and fought the fight.
Death has no dominion o’er him,
so for us death holds no power;
life’s own waters now have marked us,
born to God this very hour.
From this moment and forever
dead to sin, alive in Christ,
born of water and the Spirit,
now in Christ we find our life
Then shall the Priest say:
SEEING now, dearly beloved brethren, that these children are regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that these children may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.
Then shall be said by all: 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 them that trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Then shall the Priest say:
WE yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate these children with thy Holy Spirit, to receive them for thine own children by adoption, and to make them of thy holy Church. Grant, O Lord, that being baptized into the death of Christ, they also be made partaker of his resurrection, so that serving thee here in newness of life, they may finally, with all thy holy Church, inherit thine everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE DUTIES
The Priest shall say to the Sponsors and Parents:
DEARLY beloved, forasmuch as you have brought these children to be baptized into the family of Christ’s Church, and have promised that they shall renounce the devil and all his works, and shall believe in God, and serve him: you must remember that it is your part and duty to see that they be taught what a solemn vow, promise and profession they have here made by you, and be instructed in all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to their soul’s health.
USE all diligence therefore to see that they be virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life; and to that end you should teach them to pray, and bring them to take her part in public worship.
TAKE care that they be taught the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer, and be further instructed in the Church Catechism; and then that they be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him; so that they may be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and may come to receive the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and go forth into the world to serve God faithfully in the fellowship of his Church.
REMEMBER always that Baptism represents unto us our profession; which is, to follow our Saviour Christ, and to be made like unto him; that as he died and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness, continually mortifying all evil desires, and daily increasing in all virtue and godliness of living.
WILL you be faithful in the fulfilment of these duties?
Answer. I will, the Lord being my helper.
Then the Priest may say one or both of the following prayers:
ALMIGHTY God, our heavenly Father, whose beloved Son did share in Nazareth the life of an earthly home: Bless, we beseech thee, the home of these children, and grant wisdom and understanding to all who shall have the care of them, that they may grow up in stedfast love and reverence of thy holy Name; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
GRANT, O Lord, that these children may by thy mercy grow in health of body and mind, and serve thee faithfully according to thy will all the days of her life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE HYMN: #11 Blessed be the God of Israel.
Blessed be the God of Israel
who comes to set us free
and raises up new hope for us:
a Branch from David’s tree.
So have the prophets long declared
that with a mighty arm
God would turn back our enemies
and all who wish us harm.
With promised mercy will God still
the covenant recall,
the oath once sworn to Abraham,
from foes to save us all;
that we might worship without fear
and offer lives of praise,
in holiness and righteousness
to serve God all our days.
My child, as prophet of the Lord,
you will prepare the way,
to tell God’s people they are saved
from sin’s eternal sway.
Then shall God’s mercy from on high
shine forth and never cease
to drive away the gloom of death
and lead us into peace.
THE PRAYERS
Announcements
Hymn: # 624 O Thou Who Camest from Above
Thou who camest from above,
the pure celestial fire to impart,
kindle a flame of sacred love
upon the mean altar of my heart.
There let it for Thy glory burn
with inextinguishable blaze,
and trembling to its source return,
in humble prayer and fervent praise.
Jesus, confirm my heart’s desire
to work and speak and think for Thee;
still let me guard the holy fire,
and still stir up Thy gift in me.
Ready for all Thy perfect will,
my acts of faith and love repeat,
till death Thy endless mercies seal,
and make my sacrifice complete.
Dismissal
Organ Postlude: Prelude in C Major Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)