The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany
Burnet, Texas
Fifth Sunday in Lent: March 29, 2020
The Liturgy of the Word
Burnet, Texas
Fifth Sunday in Lent: March 29, 2020
The Liturgy of the Word
Prelude
A Penitential Order
Celebrant Bless the Lord who forgiveth all our sins;
People His mercy endureth for ever.
The Celebrant reads the following sentence
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40
Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.
Silence may be kept.
Minister and People
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved thee with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in thy will, and walk in thy ways, to the glory of thy Name. Amen.
The Priest says
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
The Celebrant says to the people
The Lord be with you.
People And with thy spirit.
Celebrant Let us pray.
O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. (37:1-14)
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Psalm 130 De profundis Read by all
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Church at Rome. (8:6-11)
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Then Priest reads the Gospel, first saying
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John. (11:1-45)
People Glory be to thee, O Lord.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
After the Gospel, the Reader says
The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise be to thee, O Christ.
The Sermon
On Sundays and other Major Feasts there follows
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
The Deacon or other person appointed says
Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church and the world.
After each paragraph of this prayer, the People respond, as follows
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
As we are worshiping online, the Leader will read both the Leader’s and People’s parts in this response, as the rest of us pray silently
Almighty and everliving God, who in thy holy Word hast
taught us to make prayers, and supplications, and to give
thanks for all men: Receive these our prayers which we offer
unto thy divine Majesty, beseeching thee to inspire
continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth,
unity, and concord; and grant that all those who do confess
thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy Word, and
live in unity and godly love.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all bishops and other
ministers especially Michael, our Presiding Bishop, and
Andy, Jeff, Hector, and Kai, our bishops, Michael, our priest,
and Jeannie our missionary, that they may, both by their life
and doctrine, set forth thy true and lively Word, and rightly and
duly administer thy holy Sacraments.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace, and especially to
this congregation here present; that, with meek heart and due
reverence, they may hear and receive thy holy Word, truly
serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
We beseech thee also so to rule the hearts of those who bear the
authority of government in this and every land especially Donald,
our President, that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions
for the welfare and peace of the world.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
Open, O Lord, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious
hand in all thy works, that, rejoicing in thy whole creation,
they may honor thee with their substance, and be faithful
stewards of thy bounty.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord,
to comfort and succor all those who, in this transitory life, are
in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.
We pray especially for
John Jayden Melissa Ann Allan Kenyon
Barry James Nathan Marcel Sarah Teresa
Sheila Lloyd Sharon Morgan Ginny Kristy
Ann Mark Victoria Sheila Dee Ginger
Clay Barbara Miranda Lee Ellie Matt
Kaye Janice Bob Jackie David Lynne
Tyler Sharon Richard Dale Merle Patty
Shellie Leslie June Scott Sherrill Mark
Curtis Lottie Karen Allison Ashley John
Bonnie & Ed Linda Katelyn Shereese
Bailey family Degeyter family Martha & Larry
Women in the Hutto facility
With all who serve in the military, especially
James Eric Kevin Brian Jonathan Bryan
Jarrod Trever Chris And all in harm’s way
With all who are traveling this week.
And with all who mourn, especially the family of Tom Tinker.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
We pray in thanksgiving with those celebrating birthdays this week, especially
Jim Weathers (3/31) Kathleen Broad (4/3)
Margaret Thomas (4/3) Nancy Petty (4/4)
And with Victoria & Justin Bailey (4/3) who celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants
departed this life in thy faith and fear, especially Tom Tinker,
beseeching thee to grant them continual growth in thy love
and service; and to grant us grace so to follow the good
examples of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all thy saints,
that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom.
Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake,
our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
The Celebrant offers these additional prayers in our time of crisis
Prayer in Time of Isolation
Almighty God: Our times are in your hand. We call upon you in this hour of our need, when we are lonely and must stand apart. Be our strength, O Sovereign Lord, our calm in the midst of raging seas, our refuge and our dwelling place. Sanctify to us this time drawn away from others, even as your Son, O Father, drew away to a lonely place for prayer. Deepen our need of you, O Lord, that every breath may be a whisper of the Spirit’s prompting, a renewed searching of the deep things of God. Stir up in us the great act of intercession, that we may spend our time apart in prayer for the world you created and sustain. Bless us in our turning toward you, and make us a blessing to those who stand in need of you, the whole fragile earth. All this we ask in the name of great Physician, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer in Time of Pandemic
This hour we turn to you, O Lord, in full knowledge of our frailty, our vulnerability, and our great need as your mortal creatures. We cry to you, as one human family, unsure of the path ahead, unequal to the unseen forces around us, frightened by the sickness and death that seem all too real to us now. Stir up your strength and visit us, O Lord; be our shield and rock and hiding place! Guide our leaders, our scientists, our nurses and doctors. Give them wisdom and fill their hearts with courage and determination. Make even this hour, O Lord, a season of blessing for us, that in fear we find you mighty to save, and in illness or death, we find the cross to be none other than the way of life. All this we ask in the name of the One who bore all our infirmities, even Jesus Christ our Risen and Victorious Lord. Amen.
Celebrant
And now, as our Savior Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say,
People and Celebrant
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 Peace
The Celebrant says to the people
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And with thy spirit.
The Celebrant concludes with this solemn prayer
Look with compassion, O Lord, upon this your people; that, rightly observing this holy season, they may learn to know you more fully, and to serve you with a more perfect will; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Postlude
A Penitential Order
Celebrant Bless the Lord who forgiveth all our sins;
People His mercy endureth for ever.
The Celebrant reads the following sentence
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40
Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.
Silence may be kept.
Minister and People
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against thee in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved thee with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in thy will, and walk in thy ways, to the glory of thy Name. Amen.
The Priest says
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
The Celebrant says to the people
The Lord be with you.
People And with thy spirit.
Celebrant Let us pray.
O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
A Reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. (37:1-14)
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the Lord.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Psalm 130 De profundis Read by all
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
A Reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Church at Rome. (8:6-11)
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Then Priest reads the Gospel, first saying
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint John. (11:1-45)
People Glory be to thee, O Lord.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
After the Gospel, the Reader says
The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise be to thee, O Christ.
The Sermon
On Sundays and other Major Feasts there follows
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
The Deacon or other person appointed says
Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church and the world.
After each paragraph of this prayer, the People respond, as follows
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
As we are worshiping online, the Leader will read both the Leader’s and People’s parts in this response, as the rest of us pray silently
Almighty and everliving God, who in thy holy Word hast
taught us to make prayers, and supplications, and to give
thanks for all men: Receive these our prayers which we offer
unto thy divine Majesty, beseeching thee to inspire
continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth,
unity, and concord; and grant that all those who do confess
thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy Word, and
live in unity and godly love.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all bishops and other
ministers especially Michael, our Presiding Bishop, and
Andy, Jeff, Hector, and Kai, our bishops, Michael, our priest,
and Jeannie our missionary, that they may, both by their life
and doctrine, set forth thy true and lively Word, and rightly and
duly administer thy holy Sacraments.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace, and especially to
this congregation here present; that, with meek heart and due
reverence, they may hear and receive thy holy Word, truly
serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
We beseech thee also so to rule the hearts of those who bear the
authority of government in this and every land especially Donald,
our President, that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions
for the welfare and peace of the world.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
Open, O Lord, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious
hand in all thy works, that, rejoicing in thy whole creation,
they may honor thee with their substance, and be faithful
stewards of thy bounty.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord,
to comfort and succor all those who, in this transitory life, are
in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.
We pray especially for
John Jayden Melissa Ann Allan Kenyon
Barry James Nathan Marcel Sarah Teresa
Sheila Lloyd Sharon Morgan Ginny Kristy
Ann Mark Victoria Sheila Dee Ginger
Clay Barbara Miranda Lee Ellie Matt
Kaye Janice Bob Jackie David Lynne
Tyler Sharon Richard Dale Merle Patty
Shellie Leslie June Scott Sherrill Mark
Curtis Lottie Karen Allison Ashley John
Bonnie & Ed Linda Katelyn Shereese
Bailey family Degeyter family Martha & Larry
Women in the Hutto facility
With all who serve in the military, especially
James Eric Kevin Brian Jonathan Bryan
Jarrod Trever Chris And all in harm’s way
With all who are traveling this week.
And with all who mourn, especially the family of Tom Tinker.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
We pray in thanksgiving with those celebrating birthdays this week, especially
Jim Weathers (3/31) Kathleen Broad (4/3)
Margaret Thomas (4/3) Nancy Petty (4/4)
And with Victoria & Justin Bailey (4/3) who celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Leader Lord, in your mercy
People Hear our prayer.
And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants
departed this life in thy faith and fear, especially Tom Tinker,
beseeching thee to grant them continual growth in thy love
and service; and to grant us grace so to follow the good
examples of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all thy saints,
that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom.
Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake,
our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
The Celebrant offers these additional prayers in our time of crisis
Prayer in Time of Isolation
Almighty God: Our times are in your hand. We call upon you in this hour of our need, when we are lonely and must stand apart. Be our strength, O Sovereign Lord, our calm in the midst of raging seas, our refuge and our dwelling place. Sanctify to us this time drawn away from others, even as your Son, O Father, drew away to a lonely place for prayer. Deepen our need of you, O Lord, that every breath may be a whisper of the Spirit’s prompting, a renewed searching of the deep things of God. Stir up in us the great act of intercession, that we may spend our time apart in prayer for the world you created and sustain. Bless us in our turning toward you, and make us a blessing to those who stand in need of you, the whole fragile earth. All this we ask in the name of great Physician, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
A Prayer in Time of Pandemic
This hour we turn to you, O Lord, in full knowledge of our frailty, our vulnerability, and our great need as your mortal creatures. We cry to you, as one human family, unsure of the path ahead, unequal to the unseen forces around us, frightened by the sickness and death that seem all too real to us now. Stir up your strength and visit us, O Lord; be our shield and rock and hiding place! Guide our leaders, our scientists, our nurses and doctors. Give them wisdom and fill their hearts with courage and determination. Make even this hour, O Lord, a season of blessing for us, that in fear we find you mighty to save, and in illness or death, we find the cross to be none other than the way of life. All this we ask in the name of the One who bore all our infirmities, even Jesus Christ our Risen and Victorious Lord. Amen.
Celebrant
And now, as our Savior Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say,
People and Celebrant
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 Peace
The Celebrant says to the people
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And with thy spirit.
The Celebrant concludes with this solemn prayer
Look with compassion, O Lord, upon this your people; that, rightly observing this holy season, they may learn to know you more fully, and to serve you with a more perfect will; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Postlude