Prelude: Scottish Legend, by Amy Beach (1867 – 1944)
Opening Sentence of Scripture BCP page 77
Officiant: Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ
Opening Hymn: 516 Come down, O Love divine Confession and Assurance of Absolution: BCP page 79
Officiant: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor
People: Most merciful God, 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 neighbors 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. Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you an all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life.
Amen. The Invitatory and Psalter Opening dialogue: BCP page 80
Officiant: Lord, open our lips,
People: And our mouth shall proclaim your praise All: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia. Invitatory:
Venite Psalm 95:1-7 (spoken in unison, leader: officiant) Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
and raise a loud shout to him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, *
and a great King above all gods.
In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
and the heights of the hills are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it, *
and his hands have molded the dry land. Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
and kneel before the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand. *
Oh, that today you would hearken to his voice! Psalm 1 (said in unison) Leader: Katharine Thompson
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 his law 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 is doomed.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. The Lessons First Lesson: Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18 reader: Lauri Fernald
A Reading from Leviticus
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord. You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
Here ends the reading.
Second Lesson: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 reader: Gail Leland
A reading from the book of Thessalonians
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
Here ends the reading.
Hymn: SSB44 My Jesus, I love Thee Gospel Reading: Matthew 22:34-46 reader: The Rev. William Hague
A reading from the Gospel of Matthew
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
'The Lord said to my Lord,
"Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet"'?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Here ends the reading.
Homily - The Rev. William Hague The Apostles' Creed (spoken in unison) BCP page 96
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. The Prayers The Lord's Prayer (spoken in unison) BCP page 97
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
The Suffrages, A BCP page 97
officiant leads V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R
. And grant us your salvation. V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R.
Let your people sing with joy. V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R.
For only in you can we live in safety. V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R.
And guide us in the way of justice and truth. V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R
. Your saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R.
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away. V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R.
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit. Collect of the Day: officiant Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen. Other Collects Prayers of the People leaders: Dave and Pat Buccello
The Leader and People pray responsively God of Love, in your mercy hear the prayers of your children who come before you. For all who seek to follow God's way of love in the world For the Church in every land For Michael, our Presiding Bishop For Thomas, our Bishop And for the parishes of Mt Desert Island, God of Love, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For peace on earth, For an end to violence, war, and oppression, For the leaders of the nations, And for all who are called to govern and serve your people, God of Love, in your mercy,
hear our prayer. For those who work to overcome racism For refugees and their children For those serving in the armed forces and law enforcement, and for all first responders God of Love, in your mercy,
hear our prayer. For a blessing on the earth, For those facing wildfires and hurricanes, For the poor, the hungry, and the homeless for the unemployed, the uninsured, and the desperate And for the addicted, the abandoned, and the abused, God of Love, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
For those we find it hardest to love, For those who have hurt us in the past, And for all those the Church has injured or offended, God of Love, in your mercy,
hear our prayer. We ask your healing mercies upon all who are sick and suffering, For the hospitalized and the homebound, And for those in assisted living; We now remember all those we love and care for who are in any need or trouble; I invite you to offer your own prayer concerns, either silently or aloud…. (a period of silence, then say)… God of Love, in your mercy…
hear our prayer. For all who have died. We give thanks for the life of Brian Reed, cousin of Linda Foster, who died this past week. Please hold Brian's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. We remember especially those who have died in the pandemic; And we pray for all who grieve and mourn; God of Love, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We give you thanks this day for the children of the world, for our family members, friends, and neighbors, and for our many blessings, God of Love, in your mercy…
hear our prayer. Silence The People may add their own petitions. The General Thanksgiving (spoken in unison) BCP page 836
officiant leads Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us. We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone. Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom. Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen. The Prayer of St. Chrysostom (spoken in unison) BCP page 102
officiant leads
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen. The Dismissal
Closing Hymn: 657 Love divine, all loves excelling Closing Sentence Postlude: Prelude in A major, from Well-tempered Clavier book II, by J.S. Bach (1685 - 1750)
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Ministers of the Service
Officiant The Rev. William Hague
Musicians: Daniel Pyle and Stephen Sampson
Vocalist: Marsha Lyons
First Lesson: Lauri Fernald
Second Lesson: Gail Leland
Psalm: Katharine Thompson
Gospel Reader: The Rev. William Hague
Prayer Leaders: Dave and Pat Buccello
Service Facilitator: Jayne Ashworth
