Order for Worship for the Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost September 27, 2020 at 10Am

Order for Worship for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost September 27, 2020 at 10am

Prelude

Opening Hymn — 686 Come, thou fount of every blessing

Hymn permission used by Rite Song a one-time use reprint license for congregational use. 1 Blessed be the one, holy, and living God. Glory to God for ever and ever.

Mysterious God, whose imagination and desire embrace all: We seek to discern you in the interplay of forces, in the order and the chaos of the universe, and in the complexities of every living system. Give us grace to hon- or your goodness in what we know and in what we do not know, in the world’s harmonies and turbulence, and in its promise and change. For you are in, through, and beyond all that is: one God, made known to us in Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, our inspiration and guide. Amen.

Song of Praise — Sacred Creation

Collect of the Day

Let us pray,

God of strange authority, whose questions challenge the powers of this world: teach us to look beyond appear- ance, to see your kingly rule emptying itself in cross-stretched arms, through Jesus Christ, the only Lord, the humble Servant. Amen.

A Reading from the Book of Exodus (Exodus 17:1-7)

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord command- ed. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Mo- ses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.

2 Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; * incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; * I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

Response

3 That which we have heard and known, and what our forebears have told us, * we will not hide from their children.

4 We will recount to generations to come your praiseworthy deeds and your power, O God, * and the wonderful works you have done

Response

12 You worked marvels in the sight of their forebears, * in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.

13 You split open the sea and let them pass through; * you made the waters stand up like walls.

Response

14 You led them with a cloud by day, * and all the night through with a glow of fire.

15 You split the hard rocks in the wilderness * and gave them drink as from the great deep.

16 You brought streams out of the cliff, * and the waters gushed out like rivers.

Response © Order of Saint Helena, used by permission

A reading from Philippians (Philippians 2:1-13)

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.

3 And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.

Sequence Hymn — 344 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless

Hymn permission used by Rite Song a one-time use reprint license for congregational use. 4 The Gospel

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. (Matthew 21:23-32) Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Je- sus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a proph- et.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Homily —The Rev. Kate Sefton

Hymn — Sacred is the call

May Christ live in your hearts; Refrain: through faith may he be with you, that rooted and built in love, Sacred is the call, you may proclaim his goodness. Awesome indeed the entrustment: Tending the holy, For this I pray to God: Tending the holy. that you may be given power, Words and Music: Suzanne Toolan, RSM, © 1993, 2006 OCP Publications. reprint- in the Spirit that you may grow, ed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-729432. All rights reserved may grow in inner strength.

Be bold, then, in your prayer; approach our God in trust, for you are God’s work, you are God’s work of art.

So stand your ground in truth; hold fast the shield of faith. Proclaim the gospel of peace in eager, honest deed.

5 Prayers of the People

Blessed God, whose love calls the whole creation into covenant with you, and who puts in our hands responsibil- ity for the care of the earth and its creatures: we pray for all to whom you have given life and being, saying, “Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.”

For the well-being of the earth; for its resources of water, air, light, and soil, that they may be tended for the good of all creatures, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the waters of the earth; for their careful use and conservation, that we may have the will and the ability to keep them clean and pure, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the mineral and energy resources of the planet, that we may learn sustainable consumption and sound care of the environment from which they come, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the animals of the earth, wild and domestic, large and very small, that they may know the harmony of relationship that sustains all life, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the creatures of the earth who do us harm and those whose place in your creation we do not understand or welcome, that we may see them as beloved creatures of God, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For all who shape public policies affecting the planet and its creatures, that they may consider wisely the well- being of all who come after us, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For all those engaged in conservation, in agriculture and ranching, in aquaculture and fishing, in mining and in- dustry, and in forestry and timber-harvesting, that the health, fruitfulness, and beauty of the natural world may be sustained alongside human activity, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the creatures and the human beings of your world who are ill, or in danger, pain, or special need [especially], and for all who suffer from the unjust, violent, or wasteful use of the earth’s resources or their devastation by war, that all may one day live in communities of justice and peace, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the gifts of science and technology and for those who practice these skills, that they may be wise, visionary, and compassionate in their work, we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

For the creatures and the people of the earth whose lives and deaths have contributed to the fruitful abundance of this planet [giving thanks especially for], we pray: Merciful God, keep your planet and people in peace.

Gracious God: Grant that your people may have in them the same mind that was in Christ Jesus, and guide us into harmony of relationship through loving-kindness and the wise use of all that you have given; for you are drawing all things into communion with you and with each other by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. 6 Confession

Let us confess our sin against God and God’s creation.

Holy and merciful God, we confess that we have failed to honor you by rightly claiming our kinship with all your creatures. We have walked heavily on your earth, overused and wasted its resources, taken for granted its beauty and abundance, and treated its inhabitants unjustly, holding future generations hostage to our greed. Have mercy on us and forgive us our sin. Renew in us the resolve to keep and conserve your earth as you desire and intend, with grateful and compassionate hearts, through your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Absolution

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

As our savior Christ has taught us, we now pray,

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

Blessing

Live without fear: your Creator has made you holy, has always protected you, and loves you as a mother. Go in peace to follow the good road and may God’s blessings be with you always. Amen.

Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve God’s creation. Alleluia. Alleluia. Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Alleluia.

7 Closing Hymn — 439 What wondrous love is this?