Celtic Evening Prayer and Communion Saints Sunday November 4, 2018, at Half-Past Five o clock in the Evening Welcome. We are aware that many who attend this service come from other churches and faith traditions, and we are delighted to have many who consider Saint Paul s to be their second church home. The mixture of faith traditions represented at this service makes up a community we especially cherish. We are glad you are here. Prelude In order to prepare for worship and allow for private prayer, we ask that silence be observed upon entering and that you turn off cell phones. At the sound of the bell, all stand. Opening Sabbath VII 1982, by Wendell Berry The clearing rests in song and shade. It is a creature made By old light held in soil and leaf, By human joy and grief, By human work, Fidelity of sight and stroke, By rain, by water on The parent stone. We join our work to Heaven s gift, Our hope to what is left, That field and woods at last agree In an economy Of widest worth. High Heaven s Kingdom come on earth. Imagine Paradise. O dust, arise!
Prayer for the Evening Let us learn of you in the depths of our souls, O Christ, and journey through death to birth. Let us learn of you in our souls through this night and the journey of letting go. Amen. Please be seated. A period of silence is observed. The Holy Gospel John 11:32-44 Reader A reading from the Gospel according to John. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, Where have you laid him? They said to him, Lord, come and see. Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, See how he loved him! But some of them said, Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying? Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, Take away the stone. Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days. Jesus said to her, Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God? So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me. When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, Unbind him, and let him go. Reader Hear what the Spirit is saying to God s people. Thanks be to God. A period of silence is observed after the reading. Reflection The Reverend John Jenkins A period of silence is observed. Music for Meditation Prayers for Ourselves, Others, and the World Please stand. Let us pray for ourselves and all of God s people. Loving God, enliven the Church for its mission; That we may be salt of the earth and light to the world. Breathe fresh life into your people. Give us power to reveal Christ in word and action.
Creator of all, lead us and every people into the ways of justice and peace; That we may respect one another in freedom and truth. Awaken in us a sense of wonder for the earth and all that is in it. Teach us to care creatively for its resources. God of truth, inspire with your wisdom those whose decisions affect the lives of others; That all may act with integrity and courage. Give grace to all those whose lives are linked with ours. May we serve Christ in one another, and love as he loves us. Let us now name before God those for whom we offer our personal prayers. Add your intercessions silently or aloud. Lord, you have called us to serve you. Grant that we may walk in your presence: your love in our hearts, your truth in our minds, your strength in our wills, until, at the end of our journey, we know the joy of our homecoming and the welcome of your embrace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. The Healing Service Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. are invited to come forward to receive the laying on of hands and anointing with oil in prayer for healing for yourself, for others, for our world. Additional Prayers of Intercession and Thanksgiving Please sit. During the instrumental music and anytime hereafter, you may come forward to light votives as a symbol of your prayers. After lighting a votive, please fully extinguish the lit taper and return it to the holder. Music for Meditation The Grace See that ye be at peace among yourselves, and love one another. Follow the example of good men and women of old and God will comfort you and help you, both in this world and in the world which is to come. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Peace Christ, the Good Shepherd, bind us with a bond of love that cannot be broken. My sisters and brothers, the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. And also with you. greet one another in the name of the Lord. Welcome and Announcements The Reverend John Jenkins The Holy Communion The alms basin is not passed at this service, but stands in front of the Baptismal Font. The Offertory Music Eucharistic Prayer stand. 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 God thanks and praise. O God of mystery and promise, you invite us to discover you in the intimate places of ourselves and our lives. You invite us to discover you within the complexities of our humanity, in passionate and tender loving, in struggle and pain, in confusion and unknowing, in flashes of insight and wisdom. You also call us beyond ourselves to places of imagination, beyond the silent stars, in the deep rhythms of the ocean, in the unending cycles of day and night, seasons of life and death. With saints and ancestors, with the seas and earth and sky, with animals and birds, with our friends and those unknown to us, with all creation we join in the song of your unending glory: 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 praise you that in Jesus you make known to us the wonder and richness of our humanity. We give thanks for his life-giving love, for his healing touch, for his vulnerability and for his gentleness. Before he gave up his life, he shared his humanity, his flesh and blood with his friends. He took bread, gave thanks for it, broke it and gave it to them saying: This is my own body given for you. Do this to remember me.
So too after they had eaten, he took wine, gave thanks for it and gave it to them saying: This is my blood, poured out in love for you. Do this to remember me. So we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Come now, Spirit of God, and as we eat and drink these bodily things, make us one body, food for the world, one blood to be poured out for the life of all. Touch us with your gentle creativity and fire us with longing for the new age of justice and peace. We ask this through Jesus who gave his body that we might be one and his blood that we might find new life. With him, and through him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be to you, O God, all honor and glory forever. Amen. Because you are one with us, O Christ, make us one with you as we pray the prayer you taught us. The Lord s Prayer 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 Breaking of the Bread A period of silence is observed when the bread is broken. The Invitation to the Lord s Table This is the table, not of the Church, but of the Lord. It is made ready for those who love him and for those who want to love him more. So, come, you who have much faith and you who have little, you who have been here often and you who have not been here long, you who have tried to follow and you who have failed. Come, because it is the Lord who invites you. It is his will that those who want him should meet him here. You are welcome to be seated until you come forward to receive. When you receive the consecrated bread, you may consume it and then move to one of the cups of consecrated wine. Music during Communion
After Communion Please stand or kneel. Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, you have put your life into our hands; now we put our lives into yours. Take us, renew us and remake us. What we have been is past; what we shall be, through you, still awaits us. Lead us on. Take us with you. Amen. The Blessing May joy and nothing less find you on the way. May you be blessed and a blessing. And may light guide you, and countless others, all the way home. Amen. The Dismissal Go out into the world in peace, have courage, hold on to what is good, return no one evil for evil, strengthen the faint-hearted, support the weak, help the suffering, honor everyone, love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Thanks be to God. Music for Meditation Please feel free to sit or depart, as you wish, during the closing music.
Parish Announcements The Saint Paul s Choir sings Evensong Sunday, November 11, at 5:30 pm instead of the Celtic service, and will include music composed by the Reverend Dr. William Dolen including the Preces and Responses, the Magnificat and Nune Dimittis, and the anthem, I heard the voice of Jesus say. A reception in Tyler Hall follows Evensong and childcare will be available beginning at 5 pm. Coats for Kids at Hornsby Elementary and Middle School continues. PLEASE help keep our young friends warm this winter! We can use heavy coats, lightweight jackets, fleece jackets, and sweatshirt jackets, plus boys and girls gloves, mittens, and hats. sizes are needed: children s sizes 6-16 and adult sizes S, M, L, & XL. New and gently used are accepted. Cash donations are happily accepted, too. Donation boxes will be located in the Narthex and in Tyler Hall. For questions, please contact Kathy Enicks at kge1726@aol.com. More information about these announcements and other events is available in Friday s Weekly Postings, including registration and contact information. A copy is available on our website or join our email list by signing up on the website, scaning the QR on the back of this bulletin, or contacting the parish administrator, Elisabeth Price at mailbox@saintpauls.org.
Welcome To Saint Paul s Church We are glad you are here. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, and no matter where you are on the journey of life you are welcome in this church. We invite you to participate in our worship service, or simply observe, as you wish. We hope you will find Saint Paul s to be a place of refreshment and renewal, where you experience the presence of the risen Christ. We have been serving Christ in this location for over two hundred sixty years. The monuments in our church and the graves in our churchyard reflect the conflicts and complexities of our nation s and our city s history. While our building is old and beautiful, our mission is contemporary and forward moving. Here you will find a people very much connected with the questions and struggles of modern life and faith and of following the way of Jesus. We invite you to share your contact information on a visitor s card, located in each pew. Hand it to one of our clergy, an usher, or place it in the offering plate. Vestry & Officers Billy Badger, Sr. Warden Leslie Lambert, Jr. Warden Ann Ewell, Treasurer Brett Montroy, Chancellor Vestry Term Expires 2019 Vestry Term Expires 2020 Vestry Term Expires 2021 Catherine Boardman Nancy Cercy Carol Cook Charlie Enicks Barbara Coleman Christine Flanagan John Robertson Pamela Uros Donald Horton Committee Chairs Altar Guild Catherine Stuckey Acolytes Todd Shafer Birthday Sundays Peggy Baker & Nancy Trefz Buildings and Grounds Dick Manning Children, Youth, and Families Todd Shafer Creation Care Bryan Haltermann Endowment & Finance Monty Osteen Evangelism Barbara Coleman Facebook Stacy Nuessle & Lillian Huber Flower Guild Pamela Dorminey-Uros & Clint Carroll History Susan Yarborough Hospitality Bill Ford Interior Oversight Minta Nixon Linen Guild Minta Nixon Lectors & Eucharistic Ministers Carolyn Dolen Nursery Guild Laura Robertson Outreach Anita Tanner & Marilyn Grau Parish Life Christine Flanagan & Claudia Figueroa Ushers Rex Teeslink Clergy and Staff The Reverend George Muir, Clergy ext. 211 gmuir@saintpauls.org The Reverend John Jenkins, Clergy ext. 205 jjenkins@saintpauls.org Keith Shafer, Music ext. 215 kshafer@saintpauls.org Mary Jackson, Facilities ext. 203 steward@saintpauls.org Meredith Beach, Accounting ext. 204 mbeach@saintpauls.org Elisabeth Price, Parish Office ext. 225 mailbox@saintpauls.org Victoria Hammond and Nikki Wickware, St. Nicholas Choir songbird95@hotmail.com Sarah Pritchard, Music Associate Emerita Hillary Bryant, Greg Maxie, James Wheeler, Sextons Wright Montgomery, Audio Visual Visit our website Saint Paul's Church is a member of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. The Church is open for prayer daily 9 am 3 pm, Monday - Thursday, & 9 am 12 pm, Friday. The Church Office and Parish House are closed Saturdays as well as Sunday afternoons. www.saintpauls.org Tel: 706-724-2485 Join Our E-mail List