Sunday, April 18, 2021
Easter III

Prelude
Opening Hymn
Welcome and Opening Salutation

Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ is risen.
People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Collect for Purity

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.

The Collect

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Epistle 1 John 3:1-7
Read By: Catherine Barnett

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm 4
Cum invocarem

1 Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *
you set me free when I am hard-pressed;
have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
2 "You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; *
how long will you worship dumb idols
and run after false gods?"
3 Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful; *
when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.
4 Tremble, then, and do not sin; *
speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
5 Offer the appointed sacrifices *
and put your trust in the Lord.
6 Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see better times!" *
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.
7 You have put gladness in my heart, *
more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

MUSICAL SELECTION

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
According to Luke: Read by: The Rev. Anthony Lamourt+

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Luke 24:36b-48

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Celebrant: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

HOMILY: THE REV. ANTHONY LAMOURT +

MUSICAL SELECTION

Nicene 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:
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. Amen.

The Prayers of the People                       
Form III

The Leader and People pray responsively

Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church;
That we all may be one.

Grant that every member of the Church may truly and
humbly serve you;
That your Name may be glorified by all people.

We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons;
That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and Sacraments.

We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world;
That there may be justice and peace on the earth.

Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake;
That our works may find favor in your sight.

Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble;
That they may be delivered from their distress.

Give to the departed eternal rest.
Let light perpetual shine upon them.

We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy;
May we also come to share in your heavenly kingdom.

Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.

Silence
The Peace

Celebrant:The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:And also with you.

Please remain in your seats as you greet one another in the name of the Lord.

The Lord’s Prayer
Closing Prayer
Announcements
Final Hymn
Dismissal
Celebrant: Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
People: Thanks be to God. Alleluia.

POSTLUDE      

From the Rector's Desk

Easter Greetings!

We have all been through what could be considered one of the most tumultuous years in modern history. This has caused us as a church family to vacate our sacred space of worship for more than a year. This Easter, we return resilient and deepened in our faith, knowing that God has seen us through. Easter, this year, will be different as we re-inhabit our sacred space. My prayer is that as we regather, the power of Jesus' resurrection will lift us to new possibilities in ministry.

Please see the Lenten/Easter Program Schedule and take every opportunity to love Him more dearly and follow Him more nearly. Amen!

LETTER about RE-OPENING and IN-PERSON WORSHIP

Dear Saints of God:

Greetings to you in the name of our Lord and Christ.
It has been one (1) year plus since we have gathered in our sacred space. I am painfully aware how much this long period of not being able to be in-person has created some level of disconnect for some even though we made every effort to stay in contact with everyone.

In light of the recent letter from the Bishop, which I shared in our weekly update 03/14/2021, and my subsequent meetings with our re-opening committee as well as the Liturgy and Worship Committee, we are making every effort to get us back to some measure of in-person worship. Please be aware, that what must be done to facilitate this will make our space look different and that things which we would normally do, we may not be able to do as we adjust to this new normal.

Here are some of the things that will be different:

1. We will be creating a hybrid service environment to continue to serve those across diocesan boundaries who have faithfully been part of our worship experience every week. This means Zoom and in-person.
2. Mask wearing will become mandatory at ALL gatherings.
3. Initially, much of our music will be through electronic files. That means choral music will be absent for yet a while longer.
4. While it is possible to offer the Eucharist, some aspects of our Liturgy will be shortened to account for the length of worship.
5. There will be controls as to bathroom usage as the need for constant cleaning is one of the mandates from CDC.
6. Seating will be as designated by our spacing requirements and will be strictly enforced by the ushers.
7. Everyone entering the sanctuary will be required to sign-in. This will ensure we are able to contact trace if needed.
8. No in-person Christian Formation classes. All classes will be done via zoom until further notice.
9. As we implement additional technology in our worship and because our space is being adapted to facilitate this need, wiring and other equipment will initially be very conspicuous in the space.
10. All electronic devices must be silenced/muted on entering the sanctuary. This will ensure unnecessary audio feedback and disruptive distortions in the recording of the service.
11. The seating capacity will be limited to 70 persons. All Families will be seated together as one unit.

In an effort to keep this letter brief, I hope the above instructions will help you and your family to have a better sense of the protocols as we will reopen with in-person worship on Easter Day, Sunday, April 04, 2021 at 10:00 am. If you intend to worship in-person, please make every effort to be early so that you can be seated by 10:00 am.

We will begin with one service at 10:00 am with plans to resume both services in the fall.

Fr. Trevor+
Rector