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.

 

Gathering Hymn: “Every time I feel the spirit”                                                  from Lift Every Voice and Sing # 114, verse 1 

 

The Collect of the Day
Presider   The Lord be with you.

People       And also with you.

Presider   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.

 

The First Lesson: Exodus 3:1-15                                                 
A Reading from the Book of Exodus: 

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the Lord said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.”

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’“ God also said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations. The Word of the Lord.                                                      People   Thanks be to God.

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c (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.

23 Israel came into Egypt, *

     and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.

24 The Lord made his people exceedingly fruitful; *

      he made them stronger than their enemies;

25 Whose heart he turned, so that they hated his people, *

     and dealt unjustly with his servants.

26 He sent Moses his servant, *

     and Aaron whom he had chosen.

45 Hallelujah!

 

The Second Lesson:  Romans 12:9-21                                                             
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans:                             
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. 
The Word of the Lord.

People Thanks be to God.

 

Gospel Acclamation

The Holy Gospel    Matthew 16:13-20  

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

People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 

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     In peace, let us pray to God, saying, Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer. 

Intercessor     Arouse the leaders of your church to prophetic witness, especially Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Susan, Jennifer and Porter, our Bishops; Fran, Anne, Susan, Walter, Joy, Mary, and Nicole, our staff; in the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Wicomico Parish (Wicomico); for Ascension Church in Beraud, Haiti; and those whom you would name: [pause]. Merciful God, People      hear our prayer.

Intercessor     Uphold the leaders of governments, especially Donald, our President and Ralph, our Governor, and those leaders you would name [pause]. Give them sound judgment and merciful hearts, and lead them to do what is right in upholding the common good. Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer. 

 

Intercessor     Let Earth be a gentle home for us. Subdue the violence of storms and earthquakes, and heal the destruction of flood and drought, that life may flourish, and every creature rejoice in the goodness of creation. [pause] Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer. 

 

Intercessor     Bless children and those who care for them, especially in this time of COVID-19. Defend them; enable them to thrive in mind and body and grow in wisdom and strength. Give them parents and guardians who are faithful in their duty to provide for their needs and guard them from danger. [pause] Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     Heal those who are sick in body, mind, or spirit, and uphold those who are able to support them in their need. We pray especially for Andrei, Anne, Bishop Susan, Bruce, Caroline, Cheryl, Chris, David, David, Dick, Donna, Ethan, George, Jane, Johnny, Julie, Kait, Thomas, those suffering from COVID 19, and those you would name [pause]. Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For those who have died, especially Mitzi Wilson, whose ashes were buried in the Memorial Garden last week, for those who will die today, and those beloved whom you would name [pause]. Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     We give thanks today for Roozbeh Hagnazar, Cliff Mastrangelo, Lisa Ross, Mahshid Beitollahisefidi, MacKenzie Ross, Tricia Meyer, Dorene Ryder, and Susan Allen, celebrating their birthdays next week, for those celebrating wedding anniversaries next week, and for those thanksgivings you would name, either silently or aloud [pause]. Merciful God, 

People      hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     These prayers we offer through Christ by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Today’s Prayers of the People are adapted from Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2:Trinity Sunday through Reign of Christ (pp. 144-145). 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!

 

Offertory Hymn                          “Dona Nobis Pacem”             

 

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.

Closing Hymn “Christ is made the sure foundation”                                                                                           From the Blue Hymnal, 518, v. 1   

 
The Dismissal

Presider Let us go forth in the name of Christ.

People Thanks be to God.