THE WORD OF THE LORD
Opening Acclamation

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

People And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

 

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 Gloria (said in unison)   
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
Presider   The Lord be with you.

People       And also with you.

Presider   Let us pray.
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

The First Lesson: Exodus 16:2-15                                                 
A Reading from the Book of Exodus: 

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, ‘Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’“ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’“

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. The Word of the Lord.                                                      People   Thanks be to God.

 

Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45  (responsively, by half verse)                                     

1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.

3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

4 Search for the Lord and his strength; *
continually seek his face.

5 Remember the marvels he has done, *
his wonders and the judgments of his mouth,

6 O offspring of Abraham his servant, *
O children of Jacob his chosen.

37 He led out his people with silver and gold; *
in all their tribes there was not one that stumbled.

38 Egypt was glad of their going, *
because they were afraid of them.

39 He spread out a cloud for a covering *
and a fire to give light in the night season.

40 They asked, and quails appeared, *
and he satisfied them with bread from heaven.

41 He opened the rock, and water flowed, *
so the river ran in the dry places.

42. For God remembered his holy word*
          and Abraham his servant.

43 So he led forth his people with gladness, *
his chosen with shouts of joy.

44 He gave his people the lands of the nations, *
and they took the fruit of others’ toil,

45 That they might keep his statutes *
and observe his laws.
Hallelujah!

 

The Second Lesson:  Philippians 1:21-30                                                      
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians:                   

To me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well– since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.  

The Word of the Lord.

People Thanks be to God.

The Holy Gospel    Matthew 20:1-16

Gospeller The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

Gospeller The Gospel of the Lord.                        

People Praise to you, Lord Christ.

 

The Sermon                                                                   Rev. Anne

You can listen to Rev. Anne’s sermon here.

 

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                                                           

Intercessor     Let us pray for the needs of the world, saying, Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor      Holy God, who hears our cries and pities our groans, you are ever faithful. We come to you with our petitions for ourselves and our community.

 

Intercessor      For our church and its leaders, that we would have open minds and open hearts and be the church you have called us to be. We pray especially for Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Susan, Jennifer and Porter, our Bishops; Fran, Anne, Susan, Walter, Joy, Mary, and Nicole, our staff; for Stacy, our seminarian; for St. John’s, St. Paul’s—West Point, St. Stephen’s—Heathsville, St. Matthew’s—Sterling; for Ascension Church in Beraud, Haiti; and those whom you would name. [pause] Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor      For our country and global community, that all may be peaceful, fair, and respectful of all peoples no matter the religion, color, gender, or kind of government. [pause] Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor      For the needs of our local community. [pause] Lord in your mercy,

People             hear our prayer.

Intercessor      For those who are overlooked in our society, the poor, the young, the old, the bereaved, and the oppressed. Help us to see them and to be with them. [pause] Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For those in need in any way. We pray especially for Walter, Ethan, Bishop Susan, Dick, David, Chris, Andrei, Jane, Thomas, Kait, Johnny, Emma, Cheryl, Julie, Caroline, George, David, Anne, and Steve, and for those suffering from COVID 19, and those you would name [pause]. Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For those who have died, for those who will die today, and those beloved whom you would name [pause]. Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor      We give thanks today for Tess Jannery-Barney, and Cleta Raymond celebrating their birthdays this week, and for Margaret Sheeran & Tom Manteuffel, and Phyllis & Steve Wickman as they mark their wedding anniversary, and those thanksgivings you would name, either silently or aloud. [pause] Lord in your mercy,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor      Gracious and loving God, we know that you hear us and are always with us, and we thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2: Trinity Sunday through Reign of Christ (pp. 167-168). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

Intercessor:     Together let us pray for St Thomas Church.

All: Almighty God, by your Spirit the whole body of your Church is governed and sanctified, hear our prayer for St Thomas, build in us a renewed vision of your Church; shape our life according to your will; empower us with the gifts to make us one that together we may grow as a church in the spiritual strength of community and reach out to include all people in Christ’s love, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Confession of Sin

Presider   Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.  A time of silence.

All     God of all mercy, we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.

 

Absolution

Presider   Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

 

Offertory Sentence

Presider   Walk in love, as Christ loves us, and gave himself an offering and a sacrifice to God.

During this unprecedented time, giving is crucial to our health and viability. Please consider this a time of reflection and an opportunity to contribute to the ongoing ministries of St. Thomas Episcopal Church. Contributions can be mailed to the church office (8991 Brook Road, McLean, VA 22102 ) or given online here.  Thank you!

 

The Lord’s Prayer
Presider

The Lord be with you.

People And also with you.

Presider Let us pray.

Presider and People

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
Presider The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People And also with you.

 

The Blessing 
Be of good courage, never be afraid

Because God who created you, Is always with you

And loves you fiercely.

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Be upon you and remain with you always. AMEN.  

 

The Dismissal

Presider Let us go forth in the name of Christ.

People Thanks be to God.

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