Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9
We confess our sins against God and others.
Silence may be kept.
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.
May 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.
A Hymn of Praise
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
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.
Old Testament Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17 Domine, refugium
1 Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to another.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the land and the earth were born, *
from age to age you are God.
3 You turn us back to the dust and say, *
"Go back, O child of earth."
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *
and like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep us away like a dream; *
we fade away suddenly like the grass.
6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; *
in the evening it is dried up and withered.
13 Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry? *
be gracious to your servants.
14 Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15 Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
16 Show your servants your works *
and your splendor to their children.
17 May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.
The Epistle Romans 3:21-28
But now, apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.
Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
The Gospel John 8:31-36
Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
Since I live alone, I frequently have the TV on as “background noise.” This morning a voice that has become familiar to me – Rabbi Johnathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi Emeritus of Britain – stopped me in my tracks. Can you imagine a wonderful heavy British accent from the mouth of a rabbi? But, that’s not what I’m thinking about today. It reminded me of something I have noticed about Rabbis in general. As they are talking, they frequently lapse into Hebrew. Just a sentence or two but making a point with deeply meaningful words. Words engrained in mind and heart. And then it occurred to me – I do much the same thing. Let me explain. I’m a Lutheran. So much of the expressions of the Lutheran reformation flow from the native language of Martin Luther – German. I can be working on a sermon, talking with a fellow clergy person, or just thinking and I lapse into those German expressions. And worse. As a theologian in the Western tradition, I also lapse into Latin. The language of Western scholarship.
I’m rambling on. The point of all this is that I have become aware of how deeply language digs into our minds and hearts. I begin wondering. What language, words, etc. impact you as an Episcopalian? Does the Book of Common Prayer work that way for you? The American Lutheran liturgical tradition is heavily formed by that book. We “borrowed” almost everything. Every now and then there is a word, our turn of phrase, that is different between the traditions and it trips me up every time. In the confessional order, the Book of Common Prayer ends “to the glory of your Name.” The Lutheran version says: “to the glory of your holy name.” That one little word trips me up every time, even after more than 5 years of leading worship in Episcopal parishes.
So, what does this all mean? I think it means that traditions matter. They shape us into who we are and help us stay connected to that history. There are times when we need that to keep us grounded and help us navigate the rocky shores of life. I think it means that gathering to say the old familiar words and do the old familiar actions matters. Without it, we are set adrift and are easily shipwrecked. Without grounding, life falls apart at the first rough spot.
What worries me most about modern society is the trend to divorce ourselves from historic foundations. We are becoming people without a past who therefore do not know who we are and have no resources to hang on to.
Well. This has been a long way to go to remind you of how important it is to let the vocabulary (words, actions, feels, smells, etc,) of faith seep into us. Once again, this week, let me leave you with some homework. Spend some time each day looking around your life for those anchors that might need to be strengthened: A piece of art that should be in a more prominent place, a prayer that you were taught as a child that might need to be repeated every day or more often, a time of day to do something because people that matter to you do that, a long forgotten practice that needs to be revived…..
But, most of all, we need to engage in the central act of the faith community – The Eucharist. If we can’t participate in person, these print versions are a modest substitute to at least keep us connected with the language of the community, especially the Bible passages. We need all this urgently because our grounding in the faith is a fragile thing. So easily we forget. Notice the Gospel lesson with what I call the greatest example forgetfulness in human history. “…we have never been in bondage to anyone…” Are you kidding? Have you so easily forgotten all those years in Egypt – slaves to Pharaoh?”
Don’t kid yourself. You need all the ways to keep grounded. Don’t put it off. Get working hard, TODAY.
Have a great week.
Amen.
THE 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
Having confidence in God’s love showered on us who live by faith, having access to the Father in Jesus, let us turn our hearts to God in prayer on behalf of ourselves, the Church and all people according to their needs.
Brief silence
O almighty God, You have shown Your faithfulness by raising up those in every generation who call Your Church to repentance and renewal. Continue to raise up voices in our day who herald the truth of Your Word and proclaim the faith in word and deed. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Everlasting Father, You do not desire the death of the sinner but want all to come to faith and life in Christ. Raise up faithful servants of the Gospel. We pray especially for Michael and DeDe, our Bishops, Nelson, our Rector, and all who serve the church as bishops, priests and deacons. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful Lord, Your Word has been the light and salvation throughout the ages. Help us to bring Your grace to those in darkness and grant them freedom through the forgiveness of sins. Bless the missionaries serving far and near and the new congregations they establish in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of power and might, You have established governments and the order of law for the protection of all people and to preserve the freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth. Grant to our president; our governor; the Congress of these United States; and the legislature of our state wisdom, humility and integrity, that all may enjoy true justice. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy and gracious God, Your power is revealed chiefly in showing mercy to those in need. Give to the sick healing, to the troubled peace, to the grieving comfort and to the dying peace. Hear us first on behalf of those we name in our hearts before You. According to Your gracious promise, grant patience to those in tribulation and trial. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, You have given great gifts to us, Your people, and provided resources to provide for their own needs and for the poor. Bless the programs of our parish by which we give aid and support to those in need. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of life eternal and renewal. We praise you for all who have gone before us in the faith and all who have labored for the renewal and reform of the Church. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
Almighty God and Father, we pray You to grant us all good things that will benefit us in body and soul and to prevent anything harmful to us or to our salvation. Teach us to live in contentment with Your will and purpose and in the freedom You alone supply to serve You with all our heart, mind, body and soul; all these things we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by the 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,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Closing Blessing
May God almighty bless and keep us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen.
ALL SAINTS SUNDAY
Sunday, November 1st, is All Saints Sunday. In keeping with St. Mark’s tradition, we will be remembering “ALL” of the Saints in our lives. The great and Biblical ones and those closer to us, especially those who have died recently. Please email or call the office with the name of your loved one(s) by Tuesday, October 27.