Sixth Sunday after Epiphany 17 February 2019 ST. MARK S LUTHERAN CHURCH 1900 ST. PAUL STREET BALTIMORE, MD 21218 Phone: 410.752.5804 On the web at: stmarksbaltimore.org Follow us on Facebook A Reconciling in Christ Congregation Staff Pastor Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Donnella II Administrator Stephen E. Kohler Cantor James Harp Deacons Clifford Andersson, Connie Lisch, Sexton Jeffry Spangler Sue Romanic MISSION STATEMENT The Mission of St. Mark s Church is to embrace diversity, practice hospitality, and make known Christ s presence in Word and Deed. All worshipers are invited and welcomed to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. You may receive the wine from the common cup (gold )or by intinction (silver). Communion will be distributed at the head of the center aisle. PARTICIPATING IN THIS LITURGY: Presider Assisting Minister Chalicist Crucifer Lector Prayer Petitioner Greeters Tellers Rev. Dr. Joseph A. Donnella, II Deacon Sue Romanic Teri Bennett Emanuel Nixon Rebecca McClellan Jane Parker Joan Hoyle, Emanuel Nixon Louis Flake, Joan Hoyle œ œ œ Copies of our Prayer List may be found on the table in the narthex. Please take a copy and remember those persons listed in your prayers throughout the coming week.
17 February 2019 Sixth Sunday after Epiphany / Lectionary 6 THE HYMN VOLUNTARY Prelude from A Child is Born Garth Edmondson ANNOUNCEMENTS -The Assembly will please stand- CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS P. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. C. Amen. P. Gathered in God s presence, let us confess our sin. Mighty and loving God: C. we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We seek our own way. We divide the body of Christ. In your mercy, cleanse us and heal us. Let the words of our mouths, the thoughts of our hearts, and everything that we do be filled with faith, hope, and love. Amen. P. Hear the voice of Jesus: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to proclaim release to the captives. In the name of Jesus Christ, I proclaim to you that your sins are forgiven and you are released. The joy of the Lord is your strength, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are yours forever. C. Amen. GREETING P. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. C. And also with you.
CANTICLE OF PRAISE PRAYER OF THE DAY P. The Lord be with you. C. And also with you. P. Let us pray: Living God, in Christ you make all things new. Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. C. Amen. -The Assembly will please sit- FIRST READING: Jeremiah 17:5-10 5 Thus says the LORD: Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the LORD. 6 They shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when relief comes. They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 7 Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. 8 They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit. 9 The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse who can understand it? 10 I the LORD test the mind and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings. Lector: Assembly: The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. Lector: Assembly: The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. PSALM: Psalm 1 -The Assembly will please stand- GOSPEL ACCLAMATION CHOIR Alleluia. Rejoice, and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven. Alleluia. (Luke 6:23) 1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! 2 Their delight is in the law of the LORD, and they meditate on God s teaching day and night. 3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; everything they do shall prosper. 4 It is not so with the wicked; they are like chaff which the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, nor the sinner in the council of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall be destroyed. SECOND READING: 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and your faith has been in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified of God that he raised Christ whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. 17 If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have died in Christ have perished. 19 If for this life only we have GOSPEL: Luke 6:17-26 The holy gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord. 17 Jesus came down with [the twelve] and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. 18 They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19 And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. 20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. 24 But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ. SERMON -The Assembly will please sit- THE HYMN -The Assembly will please stand-
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 and the Son, 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. 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. PEACE OFFERING SENTENCE ANTHEM THE HYMN -The Assembly will please sit- The Beatitudes for text please refer to this morning s Gospel. Arvo Pärt PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION Petition response: Hear our prayer.
PREFACE HOLY, HOLY, HOLY OFFERING PRAYER A. Let us pray: C. God of all creation, all you have made is good, and your love endures forever. You bring forth bread from the earth and fruit from the vine. Nourish us with these gifts, that we might be for the world signs of your gracious presence in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. -The Assembly may kneel, or stand, or sit- THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE DIALOGUE MYSTERY OF FAITH CONCLUSION OF THE THANKSGIVING
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, forever and ever. Amen. INVITATION TO COMMUNION P. These are the gifts of God for the people of God. C. Holy things for a holy people. DISTRIBUTION OF COMMUNION DISTRIBUTION MOTET The Sacrament will be distributed at the Communion Rail. Bread of the World Garth Edmondson Bread of the world in mercy broken, wine of the soul in mercy shed, by whom the words of life were spoken, and in whose death our sins are dead. Look on the heart by sorrow broken, look on the tears by sinners shed; and be thy feast to us the token that by thy grace our souls are fed. NUNC DIMITTIS -The Assembly will please stand- LAMB OF GOD -The Assembly will please sit-
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION A. Let us pray: We thank you, O God, that you have fed us at your banqueting table with bread and wine beyond compare, the very life of Christ for us. Send your Spirit with us now, that we may set the captive free, use your gifts to build one another up, and in everything reflect your glory revealed in Jesus Christ, our Lord. C. Amen. BLESSING P. Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. C. Amen. THE HYMN Please refer to the following page.
DISMISSAL A. Go in peace. Serve the Lord. C. Thanks be to God. VOLUNTARY Improvisation on LOBE DEN HERREN œ œ œ Notes on last week s Offertory Anthem: David McK. Williams (1887-1978) In the Year King Uzziah Died is one of the iconic anthems in the church music repertoire. It was written in 1935 for the 30 voice professional choir and 80 rank Aeolian-Skinner organ at St. Bartholomew s Episcopal Church in New York City where he served from 1920 to 1947. It is a difficult anthem and requires significant choral and organ resources, both of which we are blessed to have at St. Mark s. Certainly many of our biblical stories are operatic in nature, and the King Uzziah portion of Isaiah is full of typical operatic drama, with fire and brimstone, seraphim, burning tongs, and a temple that shakes. You may have noticed the church floor shaking a bit at that point in the anthem; this is done by a technique that still impresses us. Mr. Williams indicates that the organist should pull the lowest 32 stops on the pedal division and play the two lowest notes simultaneously with one foot; the resulting vibrations do make the floor shake! Mr. Williams was born in Wales but his family soon moved to Denver, Colorado where he received his early musical training. After study in France he moved to New York City where he lived for the rest of his life. Besides his appointment at St. Bartholomew s he was the head of the organ department at the Juilliard School. It is fortunate that he had that appointment because of the circumstances of his termination at St. Bartholomew s: it was discovered that he was a gay man and was fired. Thankfully times have changed and St. Bartholomew s, like St. Mark s, is open, welcoming and celebratory of the LGBT community.
THIS WEEK AT ST. MARK S: Today 17 February Sixth Sunday after Epiphany 9:30 AM Choir Rehearsal 10:00 AM Adult Class 11:00 AM Holy Eucharist 12:15 PM Fellowship Hour: Gene Miller, Don Zimmerman 12:45 PM Parish Life Meeting (all invited) 2:00 PM Estonian Service and Independence Celebration Wednesday 20 February 10:00 AM Urban Clergy Pericope Study 7:00 PM Finance Committee Mtg. Saturday 23 February 10 AM Concert Opera Rehearsal Choir Room Sunday 24 February Seventh Sunday after Epiphany 9:30 AM Choir Rehearsal 10:00 AM Adult Class 11:00 AM Holy Eucharist 12:15 PM Fellowship Hour: Andrew Colletta 2:00 PM Concert Opera Rehearsal Choir Room ANNOUNCEMENTS: We welcome our visitors this morning we are glad to have you worship with us. Please fill out a Visitor s Slip (in the pew) and return it in the offering plate. We d like to stay in touch with you. If you have some time today, please join us for Fellowship Hour in Lehr Hall. For everyone, if you would like to keep up with us, you may visit our website at stmarksbaltimore.org and we have a presence on Facebook. The Parish Life Committee works to foster the community of our congregation as well as connect us to the greater Baltimore community and community needs around us. Join us for a committee meeting today, February 17 th, at 12:45 to discuss ideas for Spring & Summer. All are welcome! Shut Ins We have a number of folks who, through illness or infirmity are no longer able to worship with us regularly. Most of these people have been connected with St. Mark s either as members or as friends for many years. If you have a moment, why not take time to give them a call or send a note? Your contact may be the brightest moment in someone s day! Those we ve identified are: David Bahr, Phil & Marilyn Bernache, Waetina Coles, Geroge Eyler, Markye & Carl Greenawald, Elva Moser, Joyce Moser, Cathy Walker, Dorothy White. Contact information for these folks maybe found in the Parish Directory. Thank you! œ œ œ from Sunday, 10 February: Altar Flowers are given to the glory of God and in memory of Gilbert S. Jenkins by Charles L. Smith. Attendance: 42 Offering: $2132.31