The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost July 26, 2020 Our Liturgy may be found in the Book of Common Prayer beginning on page 355.
HOLY EUCHARIST Prelude If thou but trust in God to guide thee
Bach
Please stand.
Hymn 302 Father, we thank thee who hast planted
Ross Keiser
Celebrant Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. People And blessed be His kingdom, now and for ever. Collect
BCP 355
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 Gloria 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. Collect of the Day Priest: The Lord Be With You Response: And Also With You O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things
temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
THE WORD OF GOD Please be seated. Genesis 29:15-28 Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God.
Psalm 119:129-136 I Mirabilia 129 Your decrees are wonderful; *therefore I obey them with all my heart. 130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *it gives understanding to the simple. 131 I open my mouth and pant; *I long for your commandments. 132 Turn to me in mercy, *as you always do to those who love your Name. 133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *let no iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *and I will keep your commandments. 135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *and teach me your statutes. 136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *because people do not keep your law. Please stand.
The Epistle
Romans 8:26-39
The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Gospel according to Matthew 13:31-33,44-52 Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.” “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. “Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You Lord Christ. Please be seated.
The Sermon The Rev. Dr. Chip Graves Please stand.
The Nicene Creed BCP 358 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. The Prayers of the People With thanksgiving for the gift of new life, and in hope that our risen Savior may fill us with complete joy of his glorious and life-giving resurrection. Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for the gift of the Good News, and in hope that the church may find new life in the joyful mystery of the resurrection, especially through the leadership of our Presiding Bishop Michael, our Bishops Andrew, Allen, and Mary, our priests Fr. Chip and Fr. Adolfo and the lay leaders of this congregation, Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior With thanksgiving for the gift of new life, and in hope that our risen Savior may fill us with the joy of his glorious and life-giving resurrection. Let us pray to our Creator in Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for this community of Grace La Gracia, in hope that God may continue to renew us in his love and guide us, Let us pray to our Creator in Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for the abundance, we enjoy with our families and friends, and in hope that he may provide for those who lack food, work, or shelter, Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior
In thanksgiving for the freedoms, we enjoy, and in hope that by his power, war and famine may cease through all the world, Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for our health and in hope that he may reveal the light of his presence to comfort and strengthen those who are weak in body and soul, especially those we name silently or aloud, Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life, and in hope that he may enfold in his joyful presence those who have died and those we now name, silently or aloud, Pause Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for the gift of faith, and in hope that God may send the fire of the Holy Spirit upon his people, so that we may bear faithful witness to his resurrection, Let us pray to our Creator In Christ our Risen Savior Priest: O God, worker of wonders, you made this season for joy and gladness. Let the risen Lord abide with us always, set our hearts on fire, and open our eyes, so that we may see him at this table, the Christ now entered into glory, firstborn from the dead. Amen. The Peace Please be seated.
Announcements The Offertory Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
THE HOLY COMMUNION Eucharistic Prayer A BCP 361 Sanctus and Benedictus
Barrie Cabena
The Lord’s Prayer
BCP 364
The Breaking of the Bread BCP 364 Alleluia, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore, let us keep the feast, Alleluia The presider invites the following prayer to be said by all. My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving as I proclaim your resurrection. I love you above all things, and long for you in my soul. Since I cannot receive you in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.
The Holy Communion Post Communion Prayer BCP 365 Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Final Blessing God of peace we thank you for protecting us during this season of pandemic. We recognize you as our Lord and Savior. We ask that you continue to bless Grace Episcopal Church loving us, blessing us, and watching over us in this great time of need. Amen Hymn 594
God of grace and God of glory
Ross Keiser
Dismissal Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Prelude and fugue in F
Bach
Celebrant & Preacher The Rev. Dr. Chip Graves Organist & Choir Director Peter Roberts – Ross Keiser - Soloist If you are visiting with us for the first time, we welcome you to Grace Church! Our liturgy is found in the Book of Common Prayer. Our communion is open to all baptized Christians. Please take the time to fill out one of our visitor cards which the ushers have available. Your presence is a blessing to us may our worship together be a blessing to you.
Grace Church Prayer List: We hold the following people in prayer: Sarah Addo-Yobo, Lee Aldrich, Bernice Burton,Oscar Bunche, The Family of Charles Wiggins, Cynthia Cole, Family of Karen Odom, Family of William J. Davis, Kimberly Corelli, Inez Dale, Carol DiGilio, Bill Dunphy, Cathy Dunphy, Sandra Esannason, Cindy Etheridge, Laura Fields, Laurie Noone, Sid Fromm, Leigh Burton, Lydia Green, Sylvia Howard, Linda Heusser, Jackie Jansky, Evgeniy Kaufman, Nellie King, Peshotan Kotval, Manoris Long, Donna Louis, Paxton Louis, Dorothy Lynch, Janice Moore, Laurie Noone, Selena Perry,Gladstone Reid, Leroy Reid, Renee Reid, Uriel Reid, Charlotte Roberson, Al Sargent, Esteban Silvera, Sonia P. Smith, Norman Stanton, Susan Stanton, Dominick Vita, Natasha Vodyanitskaya, Ray Williams Cedar Manor, Ossining: Robert Auld Serving in the Armed Forces: Kenny Duffy, Denny J. Edmondson, Christopher P. Halstead, David Packer, Sgt. Christopher Vigliotti, Gunnery Sgt. Les Yearwood Birthdays July 22nd Clyde I. Hicks
Weddings July 23rd Gloria & Raymond Chang
Readers Walter Simon - 1st Reading & Psalm Sylvia Simon – 2nd Reading Prayers of the People
How to Pledge to Grace/La Gracia 2020 The church will remain flexible in ways to receive your generosity during this difficult period. Blessings. Option 1: The standard way of staying current with your pledge still works. Feel free to put your pledge envelope in the mail (check only) and send it to the Grace Church office (to the attention of the Office Administrator). Bundling for a few weeks is fine. Grace Episcopal Church/La Gracia 33 Church Street - 2nd Floor White Plains, New York 10601 Option 2: Please note that we will be constructing a secure drop box on the red front door of the church. The box will be checked regularly for pledge envelopes (which will be recorded) and gifts of cash. Option 3: The electronic way to pledge or donate to the church is honestly not very complicated and completely secure. www.gracewhiteplains.org is the link to the Grace/La Gracia website. You'll see a tab across the top for pledging. Click to bring you to the Pledging/Giving page. The "donate" button will take you to the location for electronic giving. The church uses PayPal, the 2019 Fortune 500 payment company (#204 in last year's survey). This service can be used for one time or scheduled payments. One can use credit cards or send funds from a PayPal account (www.paypal.com). Michael Heffner is available to help explain or set up your account -
[email protected]. Please note that a fee is charged to the church for these transactions (which is why a check in the drop box or sent by mail is always preferred). DOWNTOWN MUSIC AT GRACE Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic Downtown Music is canceling all concerts until September. We believe the decision to cancel is the correct one to safeguard our community and everyone involved in the performance from any potential exposure, we understand that it is also disappointing. We thank all our supporters for their patience and understanding as we look forward to performing for you soon. Please consult our website: DTMusic.org for future announcements and updates.
The Right Reverend Andrew ML. Dietsche, Bishop The Right Reverend Allen Kunho Shin, Bishop Suffragan The Right Reverend Mary Glasspool, Assistant Bishop The Reverend Dr. Chip Graves, Rector The Reverend Adolfo Moronta, Associate Priest Peter Roberts, Director of Music of Grace Church Juan Carlos Abreu, Director of Music of La Gracia Donna Louis, Youth Ministry Coordinator Suzan Ortega-Collado, Administrator Taurino Juárez, Sexton
The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost July 26, 2020 33 Church Street White Plains, New York 10601 914-949-2874 www.gracewhiteplains.org VESTRY MEMBERS Michael Heffner Senior. Warden Daisy Calderon, Junior Warden Hillary Fleming, Treasurer Irene Alves, Clerk Class of 2020: Hillary Fleming, Michael Heffner, Daisy Calderon Class of 2021: Irene Alves, Sorraya Sampson Elliott, Eileen McClean Class of 2022 Mary Baker, Daniel Corsanego, Edythe Horne, Charlotte Roberson Grace Church is a diverse congregation committed to a common life sustained by worship. We bear witness to God’s love in Christ through our life together and our service to the wider community.
