The Holy Eucharist
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost B ~ Proper 17
September 1, 2024 at 9:30 AM
Preacher: Rev. Gay
Deacon: The Rev. Ella Roundtree-Davis
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The Holy Eucharist: Rite II
Hymn 426: Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise
The Opening Acclamation
Blessed by God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
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.
Hymn S-280: Glory to God
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.
[Music: Robert Powell © 1985, Church Publishing, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #28331. All rights reserved.]
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; 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 Deuteronomy (4:1-2, 6-9)
Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.
You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?
But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 15
1 Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the Lord.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.
A Reading from the Letter of St. James 1:17-27
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing.
If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn 660: O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee (Stanza 1-3)
The People stand, as they are able, for the reading of the Gospel.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark (7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23)
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Hymn 660: O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee (Stanza 4)
The Sermon
By: Rev. Gay
The Nicene Creed
The People stand, as they are able, to recite the 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 those celebrating a birthday, Caroline Banks (9/3), Kathy Robinson (9/6), and Liam Clemons (9/7) and those on their wedding anniversary; Fr. DeWayne & Keisha Cope (09/02) and General & Lazola Cope (09/06), 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: Teresa Blue-Clemons, Betty Bryant (Mother of Patrece Grant), Lazola Cope, Enrique’ Davis, Heather Hobbs, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Marilyn Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Denise Larken, Jessica Mathis, Marion Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Gordon Moore, Keshia Robinson, Wayne Robinson, Frieda McDew Shorter, Edward Vaughn and Jewel Wheeler, and those we remember now … Silence. The people may add their own petitions. Hear us Lord;
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died, especially those we remember now … 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.
Confession of Sin
The Deacon or Presider says
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 Priest stands and says:
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Parish Announcements
Commemoration of the Feast of St. Anna Alexander: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church will celebrate their 130th Anniversary and Saint Anna Alexander on September 21st at 2:30 pm. All are welcome to join them at 780 Pennick Road, Brunswick, GA 31525.
Celebrate the Presiding Bishop Investiture with a Watch Party: The Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe installation will take place on November 2nd at 11:00 am at the Church Center located in New York City. Watch party details will be forth coming.
Living Hope Strategic Plan: The Diocese will have in person and online sessions for participation in the Strategic Planning process. The next in person session will be held September 7th from 9-11 am at Christ Church, Valdosta and the next online session will be held September 10th from 6-8 pm. Please visit the Diocese website for registration.
Honey Creek Events: Staff Applications and Registration is now open for fall youth events. New Beginnings #62 will be held October 18th - 20th and Happening #110 will be held November 22nd - 24th. Applications and Registration can be found on the Diocese website.
RJGA: In September, RJGA will be in Brunswick for the unveiling of the first RJGA memorial to victims of lynching. The dedication ceremony is Friday, September 20 at 1pm, at the former Risley High School (1800 Albany St, Brunswick 31520), with a reception afterwards at St. Athanasius Episcopal Church. Later that afternoon, the 4th annual St. Anna Alexander Pilgrimage begins at Good Shepherd, Pennick at 4:30 and continues through Saturday. For more information about the dedication ceremony or the pilgrimage, contact RJGA at RacialJusticeGA@gaepiscopal.org.
Glow and Grow gear still available: The Capital Building Campaign is still selling tee-shirts, mugs, etc. If you are interested in purchasing, please email the church office office@st.mattsav.org.
T/W/Th Evening Prayer on Zoom Only: St. Matthew’s gathers for virtual Evening Prayer services on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 5:00 PM, but we no longer post these videos to our Facebook page. You can pray with us on Zoom using the same link as before, as found in the e-Newsletter or in the St. Matthew’s Linktree (QR Code above).
The Offertory
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.
The Presider begins the Offertory with a sentence on BCP, p. 376, or some other sentence of Scripture.
Give online at: https://onrealm.org/StMattSav/-/give/now
Hymn 482: Lord of All Hopefulness
The Doxology
Praise God, Praise God, Praise God!
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.
[Words: Thomas Ken, Public Domain. Music: Old 100th, attributed to Louis Bourgeois, Public Domain. All rights reserved.]
Eucharistic Prayer B
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. … [The Presider inserts a proper preface.] … Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Hymn S-130:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might
Heaven and earth are full, full of your glory
Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord, of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna in the highest!
[Music: Franz Peter Schubert from Deutsche Messe; arr. Richard Proulx, Copyright © 1985, 1989 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #00210. All rights reserved.]
The people stand or kneel.
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."
Therefore, according to his command, O Father,
LEV #260:
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory!
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory!
[Music: Hezekiah Brinson, Jr., Copyright © 1990 Hezekiah Brinson, Jr. All Rights Reserved.]
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with [Blessed Matthew our Patron, _____, and] all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.
By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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 Breaking of the Bread & Presentation of the Gifts
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread. A period of silence is kept.
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us!
Therefore let us keep the feast! Alleluia!
Hymn S-164:
Jesus, Lamb of God: have mercy on us
Jesus, Bearer of our Sins: have mercy on us
Jesus, Redeemer, Redeemer of the World:
Give us your peace, give us your peace!
[Words: Traditional. Music: Franz Peter Schubert from Deutsche Messe; arr. Richard Proulx, Copyright © 1985, 1989 G.I.A. Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission under ONE LICENSE #00614. All rights reserved.]
The Gifts of God for the people of God.
The Distribution of Holy Communion
All baptized Christians of any denomination are invited to come forward to participate fully in Communion. Baptized children may receive at the discretion of their parents.
You may receive Communion kneeling or standing. Please extend your hands forward to receive the Body of Christ (bread). If you would like to receive the Blood of Christ (wine), the minister will take the bread from your hand and dip (intinct) it in the wine for you, then place it in your mouth. If you would only like to receive the bread, you may consume it and return to your seat.
If you need gluten-free bread for Communion, please raise your hand when you are at the altar rail.
If you would not like to receive Communion for any reason, please cross your arms over your chest, and the Priest will say a blessing over you.
If you are worshipping online, you may pray to receive spiritual communion using the following prayer:
In union, O Lord, with your faithful people at every altar of your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, I desire to offer to you praise and thanksgiving. I remember your death, Lord Christ; I proclaim your resurrection; I await your coming in glory. Since I cannot receive you today in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, I beseech you to come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
LEV 107: There’s Something About That Name
LEV 95: O How I Love Jesusl
The Post-Communion Prayer
Let us pray.
For In-Person Worshippers:
Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
For Online Worshippers and Those Receiving Spiritual Communion:
Faithful God, in the wonder of your wisdom and love you fed your people in the wilderness with the bread of angels, and you sent Jesus to be the bread of life. Though we cannot consume now these gifts of bread and wine, we thank you that we have received the sacrament of Christ’s presence, the forgiveness of sins, and all other benefits of Christ’s passion. By the power of the Holy Spirit, may we embody your desire and be renewed for your service through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Blessing of the People
Hymn 556: Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart
The Dismissal
[BCP, p. 366]
Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]
Thanks be to God! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]
The Parish Prayer List
PRAYER LIST: Teresa Blue-Clemons, Betty Bryant (Mother of Patrece Grant), Lazola Cope, Enrique’ Davis, Heather Hobbs, Charles Gordon, Marva Harris, David Jones, Donald Jones, Marilyn Jones, Sheila Jones, Beverly Kemp, Whitney Kennedy, Denise Larken, Jessica Mathis, Marion Mathis, Sada Maxwell, John “Butch” Mitchell, Gordon Moore, Keshia Robinson, Wayne Robinson, Frieda McDew Shorter, Edward Vaughn and Jewel Wheeler
BIRTHDAYS: Caroline Banks (9/3), Kathy Robinson (9/6), and Liam Clemons (9/7)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES: Fr. DeWayne & Keisha Cope (09/02) and General & Lazola Cope (09/06)
RECENT DEATHS:
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), The Hymnal 1982 (Hymn), Lift Every Voice and Sing II: An African American Hymnal (LEV), Enriching Our Worship 1 (EOW1), The Book of Occasional Services 2022 (BOS22), and other sources cited. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible.
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