St. John s Anglican Church Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Transcription

1 23rd Sunday after Pentecost November 12, 2017 St. John s Anglican Church Lunenburg, Nova Scotia Rector: Reverend Michael H. Mitchell To all who mourn or need comfort, To all who are weary and need rest, To all who seek friendship, To all who desire to grow in relationship with God To all who yearn to pray, To all who need a Saviour, And to all whoever will worship, This Church of St. John s opens wide its doors and in the name of Christ our Lord, says - W ELCOME. Father Alvin s Message Welcome to the Church of Saint John Near the beginning of the Sermon on The Mount, Jesus taught His disciples: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Therefore, every follower of Jesus is meant to be a lamp-carrier; a bearer of the light of Christ to a dark world. Like the five foolish bridesmaids, in the Holy Gospel story for today, we allow the precious light of Jesus to grow dim, or even to go out altogether. The story of the ten virgins urges us to stay awake because we do not know the time of Jesus return. Paul and the early Christian community expected the coming of Jesus to happen in their day. It has been over two thousand years since Jesus death, passion, resurrection, and ascension; therefore we can become lazy like the five foolish virgins. The parable story reminds us that we must be prepared and to be prepared means we are to be a doer of the word, rather than a hearer of the word. As a beacon guides a ship into port, so, our light should act as a guide for others to find and see Jesus. Father Alvin+ LAY MINISTERS TODAY Lay Readers: 8:30 am Barbara Eisenhauer 10:30 am Susan MacMillan, Kevin Skinner Lectors: 8:30 am Laura Roblee, Duncan Crowdis 10:30am Ann Perry, Margaret Shirley; Server: 10:30 am Aisling Curtin Sidespersons: Lynn Burton, Sam Burton NEXT SUNDAY NOVEMBER 19TH Lay Readers: 8:30 am Barbara Eisenhauer 10:30 am Robert MacMillan, Heather Hyson Lectors: 8:30 am Carolyn Hogg, Maureen Moffatt 10:30am Hazel Oliver, Sharon Green; Server: 10:30 am Aisling Curtin Sidespersons: Patricia Perkins, Alfred Saunders Flowers placed in church today are In Loving Memory of Fred Oliver from wife, Hazel 2

2 The Holy Eucharist Communion Setting Missa Nova in C - Tilley Prelude: Traditional folk tunes for solo violin Cara Lauzon, guest violinist The Gathering of the Community Please stand for Processional Hymn Hymn #434 The Love of Jesus Calls Us Celebrant The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. All And also with you. All Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. 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. Glory To God Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly king, 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, in the glory of God the Father. Amen (4x) The Collect of the Day God of the living, we believe that you are a God of love that is stronger than death. Your Son Jesus Christ, born as one of us, destroyed death for ever. Let all the faithful departed live in the security of your love. Let them enjoy your everlasting peace, and give to us the courage to face life and to live it in close union with your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 3 A READING FROM THE BOOK OF JOSHUA Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many. Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God." But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good." And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord!" Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel." The people said to Joshua, "The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey." So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem. JOSHUA 24:1-3A, The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. PSALM 78:1-7 REFRAIN Forget not the deeds of God, but keep his commandments. Hear my teaching, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth in a parable; I will declare the mysteries of ancient times. That which we have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us, we will not hide from their children. We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, and the wonderful works he has done. R He gave his decrees to Jacob and established a law for Israel, which he commanded them to teach their children; That the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; that they in their turn might tell it to their children; So that they might put their trust in God, and not forget the deeds of God, but keep his commandments. R 4

3 A READING FROM THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE THESSALONIANS We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. 1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18 Gospel Procession #528 O God Our Help The Gospel Reader The Lord be with you. People And also with you. THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO MATTHEW People Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." The Gospel of Christ. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 25:1-13 Service of Remembering Departed Loved Ones and Lighting of Memorial Candles The Creed Let us profess our faith in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: 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. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped 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 Please kneel or sit for the prayers. Response: Lord, hear our prayer. Anglican Cycle of Prayer: Pray for Ughelli - (Bendel, Nigeria) The Rt Revd Cyril Odutemu. Diocesan Cycle of Prayer: Pray for the Parish of Shelburne, Rev Ed Trevors and Naniya; Parish of South Queens, Rev Michelle Cockell, Priest-in-Charge, Rev Judy Cross, Associate Parish Priest, and Glenn. Local Ministerial: The congregation of Central United Church and Rev. Grace Caines-Corkum and Barry. Please continue to keep Rev. Michael Mitchell and Holly in your prayers. Fisheries: Adams & Knickle - Maude Adams; Clearwater - Fundy Leader; Tall Ship - Bluenose II. Confession and Absolution Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; he welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God s forgiveness. 5 6

4 Silence is kept. Most merciful God, All 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 neighbours 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. Celebrant Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon + and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Peace All stand, and the celebrant addresses the people. The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you. We greet one another in the name of the Lord. The Celebration of the Eucharist The Preparation of the Gifts Offertory Hymn #275 O What Their Joy and Their Glory Must Be Representatives of the parish present the gifts of bread and wine for the Eucharist. Each one as they are able, makes an offering to the Lord for the needs and responsibilities of the Church to be placed on the altar. The Prayer Over The Gifts Lord our God, we entrust into your hands our life and our death. Give us your life-giving bread and the wine of loyalty to your covenant, that by their power we may overcome death and live for life, and may we join those who have gone before us in faith, through Jesus Christ, your Son and our risen Lord forever. Amen. The Great Thanksgiving - Eucharistic Prayer 3 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. 7 Blessed are you, gracious God, creator of heaven and earth; we give you thanks and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, whose victorious rising from the dead has given to us the hope of resurrection and the promise of eternal life. Therefore with angels and archangels and all who have served you in every age, we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name. Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. We give thanks to you, Lord our God, for the goodness and love you have made known to us in creation; in calling 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 Saviour 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 he was handed over to suffering and death, a death he freely accepted, 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. Let us proclaim the mystery of faith. (Sung) Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. We offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, 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, made acceptable in him, may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, reconcile all things in Christ, and make them new, and bring us to that city of light where you dwell with all 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 whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and forever. Amen. 8

5 The Lord s Prayer United in one body, let us pray to God our Father the prayer of Jesus our Lord. 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, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Breaking of the Bread The celebrant breaks the consecrated bread for distribution, and says: Celebrant We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. All We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one bread. The celebrant invites the people to share in communion and may say, The gifts of God for the People of God. People Thanks be to God. The Communion Jesus Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Jesus Lamb of God you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Jesus Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. The celebrant and people receive communion. The sacrament is given with the following words. The body of Christ (given for you). The blood of Christ (shed for you). The communicant responds each time, Amen. This community of faith, welcomes to the Lord s table all who are baptized and who wish to be nourished with the Body and Blood of Christ. Communion Hymns #285 The Eternal Gifts of Christ the King ; #66 And Now, O Father, Mindful of the Love Prayer After Communion God our Father, we thank you for calling all of us to live forever in your friendship and for the unending happiness of the saints who live in your joy. Accept our thanks through your risen Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever. Amen. 9 Doxology Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen. Blessing & Dismissal Christ, who has nourished us with himself the living bread, make you one in praise and love, and raise you up at the last day; and may the blessing of God the Father + Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you now and remain with you always. Amen. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Recessional Hymn We Shall Go Out With Hope of Resurrection (Londonderry Air) 1. We shall go out with hope of resurrection; we shall go out, from strength to strength go on; we shall go out and tell our stories boldly; tales of a love that will not let us go. We ll sing our songs of wrongs that can be righted; we ll dream our dreams of hurts that can be healed; we ll weave a cloth of all the world united within the vision of new life in Christ. 2. We ll give a voice to those who have not spoken; we ll find the words for those whose lips are sealed; we ll make the tunes for those who sing no longer, expressive love alive in every heart. We ll share our joy with those who still are weeping, raise hymns of strength for hearts that break in grief, we ll leap and dance the resurrection story, including all in circles of our love. Postlude: St. Anne - Willan ADVENT / CHRISTMAS NEWSLETTER Please pass in your submissions to Brian Kenefick for our upcoming Advent/Christmas Newsletter no later than November 20 th. We ask that all Committee Heads prepare an article on your particular Ministry. TOUR GUIDE WRAP UP MEETING A meeting will be held Tuesday, November14th at the Parish Hall. We especially would like to see all Tour Guide volunteers in attendance, but everyone is welcome to attend. 10

6 The Congregational Development Committee (CDC) is stepping out of the box again! Please join us for "congregational cocktails & conversation" on Thursday, November 23 at the Parish Hall. 5:00 for 5:30pm. Wine, cider & cheese - Parish updates - and conversation! See you there! If you require a drive, please leave a message at SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS Parents of Sunday School children are asked to come to the band stand for pickup after service on November 19th where the children will be decorating the Bandstand Christmas Tree. Saint John's Sunday School will be entering their float once again in the Santa Clause Parade on November 25. All families of the congregation are welcome to join us by coming to Blockhouse Hill at 2:00PM and a volunteer will direct you to our spot in the line up. We would like to encourage you to bring little tots in their own strollers as we have such a strong Nursery component, there will be room on the float for some of the older children and the oldest may easily walk with the adults to pass out treats and welcome notes from our Sunday School. The next Altar Training Program will be held on Nov. 26 during church service. We ask that all our Upper Class be in attendance that day. Our Sunday School is working on two Christmas Outreach Projects. We will make a "Family Ornament" from a photo that you can either submit to us or we can provide for you. Ask any of the Sunday School teachers for assistance. This can also be in memory of a loved one. These will then be used to decorate our "Family Christmas Tree" placed in the church during Advent. Please see the example at the back of the church for size example. Photos can be deposited in the basket with the family names listed. We are looking for donations of items for our Blessing Bag Campaign. A wish list is provided at the back of the church. Alternatively, a small monetary donation would be appreciated to cover the costs of any items that we do not receive. SENIOR SAFETY ACADEMY An educational series on "Safety For Seniors" will be held in the Parish Hall for five consecutive Tuesdays from 1:30 to 4pm, starting on 21 November through 19 December. The sessions, organized through the Lunenburg County Seniors Safety Program, features guest speakers who are experts in a range of topics from senior health, safety in the home, fraud prevention and much more. To register call Chris Acomb at Participants must be 55+. There is no cost. The 10 th Annual Lunenburg Community Christmas Dinner will be held 1:00 pm on December 25th at the Lunenburg Fire Hall. Turkey served with all the trimmings, plus entertainment for two hours of festivities. All are welcome. $10 a ticket. Seating strictly limited. Tickets available at Shop on the Corner after Nov 11 th. Bring a small donation of dried or canned goods for the Food Bank. For those needing transportation, please refer to the details on tickets. Additional information phone Debra Hofrichter Duty Schedule this week is: Nursery...Missy Romkey; Assistant... Alex Payne Grade I...Wayne Dodge/Brooke Nodding Grade II...Louise Holdbrook Upper Class...Emmi Fraser Have a blessed week and we look forward to welcoming you back next Sunday. Parish Contacts RECTOR: Rev. Michael H. Mitchell PRIEST-IN-CHARGE: Rev. Alvin Westgate SECRETARY: Mary Wagner PARISH OFFICE: stjohnslunenburg@bellaliant.com; WEB: HONORARY ASSOCIATES: Rev. Linda Macdonald , Rev. Oliver Osmond PARISH WARDENS Duncan Crowdis Blake Starratt Robert MacMillan CHAIR OF PARISH COUNCIL Brooke Nodding ORGANIST/CHOIR DIRECTOR Barbara Butler HAND BELLS Sharon Hill CHIMER Peter Allen TREASURER Dan Sargeant ALTAR GUILD Maureen Moffatt, Ann Grandy, Barbara Simonds PASTORAL VISITATION Vacant at this time PRAYER & HEALING MINISTRY Linda Macdonald SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT Vacant at this time HERITAGE Roger Demone MUSIC Jane Ritcey Moore PROPERTY Wayne Dodge LADIES GUILD Susan MacMillan ACW Barbara Nowe ACW CATERING Patty Tanner LAY READERS Roger Demone SERVERS Sheila Morris SUNDAY SCHOOL & NURSERY Rena Demone TOURS Peter Allen CONGREGATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Mary Meisner FOOD BANK Laura Roblee MEALS ON WHEELS Laura Roblee , Barbara Simonds PLANNED GIVING Jim Eisenhauer PWRDF David Penney REGIONAL COUNCIL Mary Meisner, Betty Lou Olivier SAFER CHURCH Duncan Crowdis SYNOD DELEGATES Duncan Crowdis, Robert MacMillan CUSTODIAN Joseph Carnevale SEXTON Joseph Carnevale NEWSLETTER Janice & Brian Kenefick WEBSITE Grant Dixon