Gather.
Ringing of the bell.
Welcome.
Opening Hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness, Share Screen
Opening sentences
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.
Faithful God, your love stands firm from generation to generation. Your mercy is always abundant. Give us open and understanding hearts, that having heard your word, we may seek Christ’s presence in all we meet. Amen.
A Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, Chapter 28, Verses 5-9.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord; and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the Lord do so; may the Lord fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the Lord, and all the exiles. But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; *
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 ‘I will establish your line for ever, *
and preserve your throne for all generations.'”
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O Lord, in the light of your presence.
16 They rejoice daily in your Name; *
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength, *
and by your favor our might is exalted.
18 Truly, the Lord is our ruler; *
the Holy One of Israel is our King.
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 6, verses 12-23
Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
A Reading from the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 10, Verses 40-42.
Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple– truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Sermon and Brief Discussion
Affirmation
We are not alone; we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to love with respect in creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
The Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
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.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
Announcements
Birthday Blessings—Ben Hicks and Ken Pogue
Watch over your children, Ben and Ken, O Lord, as their days increase. Bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and in their hearts may your peace abide all the days of their lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Thank you to all who have sent me photos of your gardens. You’ll find them in the July issue of the Parish Post, which will be coming out this week.
The surveys are almost complete. Thank you for speaking with your Vestry representative. Most of you have indicated that you would like to resume in person worship. More details will be available soon, but I hope that we can begin in person outdoor worship sometime in July. ZoomChurch will continue for those who cannot come to in person worship.
The Prayers
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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
God of mercy and healing, you hear the cries of those in need. Receive our petitions, that all who are troubled, may know peace, comfort, and courage.
We pray for the Church, that all disciples may go out into the world, carrying your Good News of the Kingdom to those with ears to hear. Help us to be faithful, willing to serve, constant in grace, and receptive to newness. Bless us and give us patience as we prepare to meet in person again.
(Silence)
We pray for this nation, so torn by division, so consumed with doubts, so puzzled by differing versions of the truth. In seeking your Kingdom of Love on this earth, may we be eager to welcome, diligent in prayer and generous in all that we do. We pray for our leaders, that they may actively work toward freedom and justice for all people. May our leaders strive for unity and encourage all of us to work together for the common good.
We pray for the earth, and for the life it brings forth and sustains. Help us to remember that we are intertwined with your whole creation, and may we care for it and protect it as your precious gift of love.
We give thanks for the healing of Elaine Stafford, sister of Steven Fox, who is recovering from COVID. As he continues to heal from extensive surgery, we pray for John Whitfield, son of Laura Carey, for all of those on our prayer list and in for those for whom we now pray in silence or aloud.
(Silence) We pray for all who are suffering from the virus. May they know the strength of your healing presence with each of them.
We pray for all refugees, immigrants, and for those who have no home. We pray for those who are lonely and depressed. Open their hearts to your comfort and your love for each of them.
We pray for those who serve in the armed forces of our nation, that they may work for justice and peace and defend us in danger, especially those on our prayer list, Cheyenne, Cliff, Alexis, Scott, Steven, Michael, George and Greg; that in war you would inspire them to serve our country well; in peace hold them ready and alert. In their lives may they bring honor to our country’s name. Bring them safely home when their work is done.
We pray for those who have died, especially Jeanie Dodd, sister-in-law of Nancy Long. May they have a place in your eternal kingdom and rest there in your almighty and everlasting love.
Life giving God, heal our lives, that we may acknowledge your wonderful deeds and offer you thanks from generation to generation. May we carry the Good News of your grace and love out into the world, so that all may come to know the glory of your Name.
Amen.
Learn the ways of God, for they are the ways of life.
Trust in Jesus Christ the Son, for he is the way to God.
Live by the power of the Holy Spirit, who will show you the love of Jesus.
Hymn Where cross the crowded ways of life
Blessing
Go forth now in the name of Christ:
Go to the city and the country;
Go to distant lands and nearby places;
Go where his name is well known and
where it has never been heard.
Go to the strong and the weak;
remember the weak.
Go to the rich and the poor;
remember the poor.
Go to those who welcome you and those
who reject you;
pray for your enemies.
Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Thanks be to God.