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.
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; 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 33:12-23                                                
A Reading from the Book of Exodus: 

Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”

The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” The Word of the Lord.                 The Word of the Lord.                                         
People   Thanks be to God.

 

Psalm 99  (responsively, by half verse)                                     

1 The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.

2 The Lord is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.

3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.

4 “O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.

6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.

8 O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.

9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

 

The Second Lesson:  1 Thessalonians 1:1-10                                                   
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Thessalonians:              Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace.

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead– Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

The Word of the Lord.

People Thanks be to God.

 

The Gospel Acclamation

 

The Holy Gospel    Matthew 22:15-22

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

People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

The Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Gospeller The Gospel of the Lord.                        

People Praise to you, Lord Christ.

 

The Sermon                                                           Rev. Fran

You can listen to Fran’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     Lord God, with gratitude for all your goodness, we come to you in prayer for our family and friends, our sisters and brothers in faith, and the world of nations you have made. We give you thanks for all the blessings of this life and especially for Colin Regan, Becky Ventorini, Bruce Berlage, David Forbes, Katie Ryder, Fred Young, and Glen Letham celebrating their birthdays this week; for Rita & Bruce Allan, Nellis & Jeff Crigler, Cindy & Brad Hargroves, Cleta & Ray Raymond, marking their wedding anniversaries, and those thanksgivings you would name. Pause for intercessions.

 

Intercessor     Remember those who are dear to us, especially Walter, Ethan, Dick, David, Chris, Andrei, Jane, Thomas, Kait, Johnny, Emma, Cheryl, Julie, Caroline, George, David, and Anne, those suffering from COVID 19. Wrap your steadfast love around them, sustain them in times of trouble, and keep them always in your care. Pause for intercessions.

 

Intercessor     Remember the church of Jesus Christ, especially Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Susan, Jennifer and Porter, our Bishops; Fran, Anne, Susan, Walter, Joy, Mary, and Nicole, our staff; Stacy, our seminarian; Our Redeemer—Aldie, Emmanuel—Harrisonburg,  St. Luke’s—Remington; and Ascension Church in Beraud, Haiti. Empower us to proclaim the gospel, strengthen us in our conviction, and make us imitators of the Lord. Pause for intercessions.

 

Intercessor     Remember the family of nations. Send out your Spirit to renew the earth, welcome all people into your house, and let your love be known in all the world. Pause for intercessions.

 

Intercessor     Remember those who have died, and those who will die today. May they rest in peace and rise in glory. Pause for intercessions.

 

Intercessor     To you, O God, Maker of heaven and earth, through the power of the Holy Spirit, in the grace and peace of Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Adapted from Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2: Trinity Sunday through Reign of Christ (pp. 212-213). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

 

Intercessor     We pray for our upcoming election: Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(from The Book of Common Prayer, page 822)

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.