The First Sunday of Lent

Join us as we celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the First Sunday of Lent. The service will be live via Zoom and live streamed to YouTube. It will be available to watch on demand on the event page and YouTube at the end of the service. Please look out for the Zoom link and the order of service in the Sunday Bulletin.

Prelude  “Jordan” from “The Sacred Harp, 1844″  arr. David N. Johnson

Opening Hymn  “Eternal Lord of Love”   Hymnal 149 vs. 1-3

1 Eternal Lord of love, behold your Church

walking once more the pilgrim way of Lent,

led by your cloud by day, by night your fire,

moved by your love and toward your presence bent:

far off yet here the goal of all desire.

2 So daily dying to the way of self,

so daily living to your way of love,

we walk the road, Lord Jesus, that you trod,

knowing ourselves baptized into your death:

so we are dead and live with you in God.

3 If dead in you, so in you we arise,

you the firstborn of all the faithful dead;

and as through stony ground the green shoots break,

glorious in springtime dress of leaf and flower,

so in the Father’s glory shall we wake.

Opening Sentences

Celebrant:  Bless the Lord who forgiveth all our sins.

People:  His mercy endureth for ever.

Decalogue   

Cantors: B. Snyder & S. Bowlby

God spake these words, and said:

I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of

Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none

other gods but me.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the

likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth

beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow

down to them, nor worship them.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Honor thy father and thy mother.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt do no murder.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt not steal.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.

Thou shalt not covet.

Lord have mercy upon us,
and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee.

Celebrant:

Hear what our Lord Jesus saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with

all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great

commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt

love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments

hang all the Law and the Prophets. 

Confession

Deacon: 

Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.

All: 

Almighty and most merciful father,

we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,

we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts,

we have offended against thy holy laws,

we have left undone those things which we ought to have done,

and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.

But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us,

spare thou those who confess their faults,

restore thou those who are penitent,

according to thy promises declared unto mankind

in Christ Jesus our Lord;

and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,

that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life,

to the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.

Kyrie

Lord have mercy upon us.

Christ have mercy upon us.

Lord have mercy upon us.

Collect of the Day

Celebrant: The Lord be with You.

People: And with thy Spirit

Celebrant: Let us pray.

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-17                                                                   Reader: M. Quinn

God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Psalm 25:1-9

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

my God, I put my trust in you; *

let me not be humiliated,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2 Let none who look to you be put to shame; *

let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

3 Show me your ways, O Lord, *

and teach me your paths.

4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, *

for you are the God of my salvation;

in you have I trusted all the day long.

5 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, *

for they are from everlasting.

6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *

remember me according to your love

and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

7 Gracious and upright is the Lord; *

therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8 He guides the humble in doing right *

and teaches his way to the lowly.

9 All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness *

to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22                                                              Reader: M. Quinn

Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you– not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Sequence Hymn       “O, Love of God” Hymnal 455 vs. 1 & 4

1 O Love of God, how strong and true, 

eternal and yet ever new;

uncomprehended and unbought, 

beyond all knowledge and all thought.

4 We read thy power to bless and save

e’en in the darkness of the grave;

still ore in resurrection light

we read the fullness of thy might.

The Gospel: Mark 1:9-15                                                        The Rev. Deacon Kay Drebert

Deacon: The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Mark.

People: Glory be to thee O Lord.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise be to thee, O Christ.

Homily                                                                                          The Rev. Elizabeth Ewing

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.

Prayers of the People

Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church and the world.

Almighty and everliving God, who in thy holy Word hast taught us to make prayers, and supplications, and to give thanks for all men: Receive these our prayers which we offer unto thy divine Majesty, beseeching thee to inspire continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord; and grant that all those who do confess thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy Word, and live in unity and godly love.

Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all bishops and other ministers especially Justin, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael, Presiding Bishop, DeDe our Bishop, Elizabeth, our Rector, Jim, our Priest, Kay, our Deacon, and all who are baptized in Christ, that they may, both by their life and doctrine, set forth thy true and lively Word, and rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments. And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace, and especially to this congregation here present; that, with meek heart and due reverence, they may hear and receive thy holy Word, truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life.

We beseech thee also so to rule the hearts of those who bear the authority of government in this and every land especially  Joe, our President, Andrew, our Governor, Jason, our County Executive, Rich, our Mayor and all our elected officials, that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions for the welfare and peace of the world. Open, O Lord, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works, that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, they may honor thee with their substance, and be faithful stewards of thy bounty.

And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succor Connor, Connie, Gabriella, George, Joan, Joell, Millie, Rose, the Schubert Family, the Trevarthan Family, the Pescatore Family and all those who in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.

And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear, especially Anne Lawrence and Alberico Pescatore, beseeching thee to grant them continual growth in thy love and service; and to grant us grace so to follow the good examples of all thy saints, that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom.

Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake,

our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

The Offertory   “Turn Thee to me”   from Biblical Songs Op. 99 – Antoín  Dvořák

                                      Soloist: Wm. C. Snyder

Turn Thee to me and have mercy, 

for I am desolate and sore distressed.

Great, great are the sorrows of my heart: 

bring me out of my distress,

O be merciful, look on my sorrow, 

see mine affliction, and forgive me all my wickedness!

O keep my soul in safety, and deliver me! 

Let me never be confounded, for my hope is in Thee.

The Peace

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

People: And with thy Spirit.

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, and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever. Amen.

The Communion Prayer 

In union, O Lord, with the faithful at every altar of your Church where the Holy Eucharist is and has been celebrated, we desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving. We present to you our souls and bodies with the earnest wish that we may always be united to you, and since we cannot now receive you sacramentally in the Bread and the Wine, we ask you to come spiritually into our hearts. We unite ourselves with you, and embrace you with all the love of our souls. Let nothing ever separate you from us. May we live in you, and may you live in us, both in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

The Blessing

Closing Hymn    “The glory of these forty days”    Hymnal 143 vs. 1 & 4

1 The glory of these forty days 

we celebrate with songs of praise;

for Christ, through whom all things were made, 

himself has fasted and has prayed.

4 Then grant us, Lord, like them to be

full oft in fast and prayer with thee;

our spirits strengthen with thy grace, 

and give us joy to see thy face.

Dismissal