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.
THE COLLECT
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT GENESIS 32:22-31
The same night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.
PSALM 17:1-7,16
1 Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord;
give heed to my cry; *
listen to my prayer, which does not come from lying lips.
2 Let my vindication come forth from your presence; *
let your eyes be fixed on justice.
3 Weigh my heart, summon me by night, *
melt me down; you will find no impurity in me.
4 I give no offense with my mouth as others do; *
I have heeded the words of your lips.
5 My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law; *
in your paths my feet shall not stumble.
6 I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me; *
incline your ear to me and hear my words.
7 Show me your marvelous loving-kindness, *
O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand
from those who rise up against them.
16 But at my vindication I shall see your face; *
when I awake, I shall be satisfied, beholding
your likeness.
The Epistle Romans 9:1-5
I am speaking the truth in Christ-- I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit-- I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
THE GOSPEL MATTHEW 14:13-21
Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
THE SERMON FR. NELSON GAETZ
What a picnic dinner. In today’s Gospel, Jesus feeds thousands. With plenty left over. Sound familiar? At the wedding at Cana there was so much wine – wine to overflowing. It would appear that anywhere Jesus is, there is abundance beyond human comprehension. That’s still true, you know.
God answers prayer. Often not in ways that we understand but God does answer. I hear people saying “God has a plan for my life.” I guess that’s true but not in the way you might be thinking. It’s not that God has a Rand McNally road map page for each of us, but that God has a grand plan for all His creation. Having “rolled that out” at the very foundation of creation, He then enters into constant conversation with people seeking to draw us into harmony with that plan. We pray not so much to get God to change His mind, but to help God change our minds or rather – to change our hearts.
The most powerful prayer, of course, is the Eucharist. When we celebrate that ancient prayer, we are drawn most effectively into “communion” with God’s plan for us and the whole world. We bring to mind the sacrificial love of Christ that is greater than any of our problems, fears, needs, etc. And, we are invited to place our needs not only in that context but in the context of the needs and concerns of all God’s people. That’s especially important in this time of COVID-19 isolation. I/you may not be able to actually be at a celebration of the Eucharist but all round the world millions of others are. We can be strengthened by knowing that ALL of them, indeed all of the people who have ever celebrated Eucharist down through the ages, surround us, showering us with God’s love, which brings me to the greatest overflowing generosity of all:
We believe that in the Resurrection of Christ, God has drawn back the curtain on our eternal destiny. As St. Paul says, we see now only a foretaste of the feast to come. The feast that will last forever. The Resurrection of Christ promises that this life is but a small taste of God’s generosity that will enfold us forever.
Thanks be to God for God’s amazing generosity.
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
Lord, You have bidden us to come to you to receive grace beyond price. Hear us as we heed Your call and turn to You in prayer, confident of Your promise to hear and answer us.
Brief silence
Father, we give You thanks that You have blessed us beyond what we deserve and given to us Your Church. Guard her life by Your Spirit and strengthen her witness before the nations. Bless Michael and DeDe, our Bishops, Nelson, our Rector, and all the clergy working in their service to us in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, we too quickly focus on what we lack and not upon Your unlimited grace. Bless all relief agencies and services of Your Church on behalf of the hungry, the homeless, the hurting and those who have lost hope. Bless those visited by disaster and tragedy and open our hearts to help them recover from their loss. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, we are daily blessed to know abundance and freedom. Bless those who defend us from our enemies, who serve us in government and who protect us in our communities. Be with our president, the Congress, our governor, and our judges and magistrates, that they may discern the right path and lead us with honor and integrity. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, we suffer with all manner of ills and afflictions. Hear us and grant to us healing according to Your will, strength in time of trial and peace at the last and those named in our hearts. Good Lord, deliver us and teach us to depend upon Your grace in all things. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, we are daily and richly surrounded with Your love and care. Grant us eyes to see Your mercies new every morning and grateful hearts, that what we have received we may share with those in need and generously support the work of Your Church. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, we remember the saints who lived by Your mercy and died in Christ, especially those we name before you. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We long for that day when all divisions will end and the Church in heaven and earth shall be one in Your presence, singing Your praise in Your kingdom without end. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Father, we ask You to grant us all things needful and to keep from us all things harmful to us as we trust your love.
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.