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    “I want to walk as a child of the light”   

 

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

People       And also with you.

Presider   Let us pray.
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning: Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

 

The First Lesson: Judges 4:1-7                                            

A Reading from the Book of Judges.

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.

At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’”

      

The Word of the Lord.                                         

People   Thanks be to God.

 

 

Psalm 123                         

1 To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.

2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, *
until he show us his mercy.

4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,

5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.

 

 

The Second Lesson1 Thessalonians 5:1-11                                           

A Reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians.                             

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

 

The Word of the Lord.

People Thanks be to God.

 

 

The Gospel Acclamation

 

 

The Holy Gospel     Matthew 25:14-30

Gospeller      The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
People           Glory to you, Lord Christ.

 

Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”

 

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,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.

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, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

 

The Prayers of the People                                                                               

Intercessor     Let us pray for the needs of the world, saying, God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     Holy God, you welcome us into your joy and entrust us with your gospel. In hope for the world to come and with love for the world you made, we offer our prayers for your church, your earth, and your people. God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For your church, in this community and around the world, that your good news may be proclaimed to all. We pray especially for Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Susan, Jennifer and Porter, our Bishops; Fran, Anne, Susan, Walter, Joy, Mary, and Nicole, our staff; Stacy, our seminarian; in our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Clergy and Lay Delegates and Alternates to Annual Convention and members of all Diocesan Committees; and Ascension Church in Beraud, Haiti. Pause for intercessions…  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

Intercessor     For those who govern, especially Donald, our President, Joe, our President-Elect, and Ralph, our Governor, grant them wisdom and a commitment to justice. Pause for intercessions.   Eternal God,   

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For oppressors, that they might know justice, and those oppressed, that they might know peace. Pause for intercessions…   God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For your creation, that we may be the caretakers you intend. Pause for intercessions…  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For those who fight the demons of addiction, that they might find relief. Pause for intercessions…  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For those who face an early death and those they leave behind, that they might be comforted. For those who have died and those who will die today. Pause for intercessions…  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For all those who care for the suffering and those in their charge, that they would be freed from pain and fear. We pray especially for those who have asked for our prayers: Walter, Ethan, Dick, David, Chris, Andrei, Jane, Thomas, Kait, Johnny, Emma, Cheryl, Julie, Caroline, George, David, Anne, Philippa, and Bob, those suffering from COVID 19. Pause for intercessions…  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For all of those about whom we worry and those whose troubles are known only to you. Pause for intercessions…  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     For all the blessings of this life and especially for Betsy Heilman, Gig Mikell,  Becky SuPrise, and Kathleen Leach celebrating their birthdays this week, for Dorene and Paul Ryder marking an anniversary, and those thanksgivings you would name. Pause for intercessions …  God of grace,

People     hear our prayer.

 

Intercessor     All this we pray with gratitude for your eternal love and extravagant grace; in the name of Jesus Christ.

People     Amen.

 

Kimberly Bracken Long. Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year A, Volume 2: Trinity Sunday through Reign of Christ (pp. 249-251). 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.

 

Blessings of the Pledges

 

Offertory Sentence

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

 

Offertory Hymn   “Where cross the crowded ways of life”

 

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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