Evening Prayer: Rite Two Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Opening Sentence (BCP 116) Officiant: Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Confession of Sin (BCP 116) Officiant: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor. Silence may be kept. All: 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. Priest: 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. All: Amen.

The Invitatory and Psalter (BCP 117) Officiant: O God, make speed to save us. People: O Lord, make haste to help us. All: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

O Gracious Light Phos hilaron (BCP 118) All: O gracious Light, pure brightness of the everliving Father in heaven, O Jesus Christ, holy and blessed! Now as we come to the setting of the sun, and our eyes behold the vesper light, we sing your praises, O God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. You are worthy at all times to be praised by happy voices, O Son of God, O Giver of life, and to be glorified through all the worlds.

The Psalm Appointed (Psalm 33:1-5, 20-22, BCP 626) 1 Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; * it is good for the just to sing praises. 2 Praise the Lord with the harp; * play to him upon the psaltery and lyre. 3 Sing for him a new song; * sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet. 4 For the word of the Lord is right, * and all his works are sure. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; * the loving-kindness of the Lord fills the whole earth. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; * he is our help and our shield. 21 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, * for in his holy Name we put our trust. 22 Let your loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, * as we have put our trust in you.

The Lesson Reader: A reading from Romans (12:9-13) Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Reader: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.

The Song of Mary Magnificat (BCP 119) All: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; * for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: * the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him * in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, * he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, * and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, * and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, * for he has remembered his promise of mercy, The promise he made to our fathers, * to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

The Gospel Reader: A reading from the Gospel according to Luke (10:38-42) Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

Homily ...... The Rev. Dr. Mark W. Frazier

The Apostles’ Creed (BCP 120) All: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth; I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

The Prayers (BCP 121) Officiant: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Officiant: Let us pray. All: 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.

Suffrages B (BCP 122) Officiant: That this evening may be holy, good, and peaceful, All: We entreat you, O Lord. Officiant: That your holy angels may lead us in paths of peace and goodwill, All: We entreat you, O Lord. Officiant: That we may be pardoned and forgiven for our sins and offenses, All: We entreat you, O Lord. Officiant: That there may be peace to your Church and to the whole world, All: We entreat you, O Lord. Officiant: That we may depart this life in your faith and fear, and not be condemned before the great judgment seat of Christ, All: We entreat you, O Lord. Officiant: That we may be bound together by your Holy Spirit in the communion of all your saints, entrusting one another and all our life to Christ, All: We entreat you, O Lord.

The Collects The Collect for Mary and Martha Officiant: O God, heavenly Father, your Son Jesus Christ enjoyed rest and refreshment in the home of Mary and Martha of Bethany: Give us the will to love you, open our hearts to hear you, and strengthen our hands to serve you in others for his sake; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. All: Amen.

The Collect for the to the Priesthood in the Episcopal Church Officiant: O God, you poured your Spirit from on high to bless and summon these women, who heard the strength of your call: Equip, guide, and inspire us with wisdom, boldness, and faith to trust you in all circumstances, hear you preach new life to your church, and stretch out our hands to serve you, as you created us and redeemed us in the name of Jesus Christ, who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God everlasting. All: Amen.

Prayer for Mission (BCP 124) Officiant: Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. All: Amen.

Announcements

The General Thanksgiving (BCP 125) All: Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom (BCP 126) Officiant: Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. All: Amen.

The Dismissal Officiant: Let us bless the Lord. All: Thanks be to God.

Officiant: Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever. Ephesians 3:20, 21 All: Amen.

Hagiography Mary and Martha of Bethany ~James Kiefer Mary and Martha lived with their brother Lazarus at Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. They are mentioned in several episodes in the Gospels. On one occasion, when Jesus and His disciples were their guests (Luke 10:38-42), Mary sat at Jesus' feet and listened to Him while her sister Martha busied herself with preparing food and waiting on the guests, and when Martha complained, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the better part. When Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had died, Jesus came to Bethany. Martha, upon being told that He was approaching, went out to meet Him, while Mary sat still in the house until He sent for her. It was to Martha that Jesus said: "I am the Resurrection and the Life." (John 11:1-44) Again, about a week before the crucifixion, as Jesus reclined at table, Mary poured a flask of expensive perfume over Jesus' feet. Mary was criticized for wasting what might have been sold to raise money for the poor, and again Jesus spoke on her behalf. (John 12:1-8) On the basis of these incidents, many Christian writers have seen Mary as representing Contemplation (prayer and devotion), and Martha as representing Action (good works, helping others); or love of God and love of neighbor respectively. They see the same symbolism also in Leah and Rachel, the daughters of Laban (Genesis 29 and 35). Leah was dim of sight, but had many children. Rachel had few children, but one of them saved the whole family from destruction. Leah represents Action, which is near-sighted and cannot penetrate very far into the mysteries of God, but produces many worth-while results. Contemplation has fewer results, but one of those results is Faith, without which it is impossible to please God." (Hebrews 11:6) Yet, there is a sense in which Action comes first -- "If a man love not his brother, whom he hath seen, how shall he love God, whom he hath not seen?" (1 John 4:20) So it is that Leah must be wed before Rachel. On some calendars, Lazarus is commemorated together with his sisters, on others his resurrection is remembered separately on 17 December.

First Ordination of Women to the Priesthood in the Episcopal Church ~satucket.com This commemoration marks the ordination of eleven women to the priesthood in on 29 July 1974. Through most of the history of the Christian Church the position of women has been secondary to that of men. During the first half of the twentieth century women in the Episcopal Church had begun exploring ways to increase their participation in the life of the church. Many women became church workers or directors of religious education or "Deaconesses" a separate order from male Deacons. The movement gained explicit momentum in 1970 when laywomen were seated with voice and vote for the first time in General Convention, and called for a vote to eliminate the canon law on Deaconesses so that male and female deacons would be treated equally. This increased awareness led to the General Convention of 1970 eliminating canonical distinctions between male deacons and female deaconesses, allowing women already ordained to marry for the first time and to discard the old habits. It made clear that women seeking ordination would be recognized as full and equal deacons. The Episcopal Church was then presented with the issue of whether to ordain women as priests and bishops too. A resolution was put forward by the women deputies at the 1970 General Convention to approve women’s ordination to the priesthood and episcopate. It failed to pass the House of Deputies, but nonetheless had much positive support. A similar resolution narrowly failed to pass at the next General Convention in 1973. By July 1974, as supporters of women’s ordination to the priesthood grew restless, an ordination service was scheduled to ordain women to the priesthood by three retired bishops: Daniel Corrigan, retired bishop suffragan of Colorado; Robert L. DeWitt, recently resigned Bishop of ; and Edward R. Welles, retired Bishop of West Missouri. Eleven women who were deacons presented themselves as ready for ordination to the priesthood, and plans for the service proceeded. These women, called the "", were Merrill Bittner, Alla Bozarth-Campbell, , Emily Hewitt, , Suzanne Hiatt, Marie Moorefield, Jeannette Piccard, Betty Schiess, Katrina Swanson, and Nancy Wittig. They were ordained on 29 July 1974 at the Church of the Advocate in Philadelphia, PA. The ordinations attracted immediate controversy and condemnation by many in the Church. The House of Bishops declared them "irregular" and the women were not allowed to exercise priestly functions in the Episcopal Church. Nevertheless, on 7 Sept. 1974, four more women were ordained in Washington, DC. Finally, at the next General Convention in September 1976, the ordination of women to the priesthood was approved, to begin on 1 Jan. 1977. The previous "irregular" ordinations were regularized, and about 100 women were ordained that first year [including the web author's wife].