the FIFTH Sunday of Easter

Our Mission: “We welcome all for Christian worship, fellowship, and service, trusting God to transform our lives and the world.”

Church of the Epiphany May 2, 2021  9:30 a.m. Virtual Worship

PRELUDE – Easter hymns: 379 God is Love, 529 In Christ there is no East or West

EASTER ACCLAMATION AND WORDS OF WELCOME Presider Alleluia, Christ is Risen! People The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia!

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

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.

PRAYER OF THE DAY Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

READING: Acts 8: 26-40 Suellen Franze An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. Reader The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

PSALM 22: 24-29

My praise is of him in the great a-/ssembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who /worship him. The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the Lord shall /praise him: * “May your heart live for /ever!” All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the /Lord, * and all the families of the nations shall bow be-/fore him. For kingship belongs to the /Lord; * he rules over the /nations. My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall /serve him; * they shall be known as the Lord's for /ever.

HOLY GOSPEL: John 15: 1-8

Presider  The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

esus said to his disciples, ”I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more Jfruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

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

GRADUAL: Easter Alleluia

HOMILY The Rev’d Jennifer Zogg 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 Pat Dumas

Intercessor: Rejoicing in the gift of new life through Christ’s victory over the grave, let us pray to the Lord.

For the holy church of God around the world and this community of faith, that our lives may be a witness to the power of the resurrection. Risen One, People Hear our prayer.

For the nations of the world and all in authority, that they may be led with truth and justice, Risen One, Hear our prayer. For the many blessings of this life, we give you praise and thanks. Risen One, Hear our prayer.

For all who suffer in mind, body, or soul. May they find strength and comfort in the healing power of our Risen Lord. We pray especially for those on our prayer list and those we now name either silently or aloud… …Risen One, Hear our prayer.

For those who have died in the hope of the resurrection, especially those we now name… Risen One, Hear our prayer.

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. MUSIC FOR PRAYING Simple Gifts (guitar: Paul Loether)

BLESSING & PEACE

Presider May the Risen Lord bestow upon you the riches of his grace and may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of the God and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen. DISMISSAL Presider Let us go forth rejoicing in the power of the resurrection. Alleluia, alleluia! People Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!

This week our community is praying for: Virginia, Kayla, Irene, JoAnn, Judy, John, Rita, Jane, Christine, David, Doris, Hank & Jan.

During the month of May our community is praying for: At Epiphany: safety as we open the church to in-person worship Locally: safety as the state relaxes some of the COVID restrictions Nationally: the mental health of all Americans Send the Healing Prayer Team your requests by email to Carol ([email protected]) or Denise ([email protected])

This week we Celebrate:

the Birthdays of: 2- Christopher Utter 5- Pam Harrop, Geri Manning 6- Judy Phillips 7- Virginia Rocha The Anniversary of: 3- Audrey & Francis Boisclair

Epiphany Stars: Words to Guide Us

Each week, Rev’d Jen will randomly choose two of our “star words” and reflect on their Biblical, spiritual and theological

meanings. theWe’ll Anniversariesalso name and pray for the of person/people who received that word this year.

Dwell – “You who DWELL10- inKristen the shelter & of Tom the Lord, Dee who abide in his shadow for life, say to the Lord: “My refuge, 12my -rock Sandyin whom &I trust!” Paul ( Hymn:Loether On Eagle’s Wings). “Surely your goodness and mercy shall pursue me all the days of my life and I shall DWELL in the

house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23). (Betsy Kelley)

Pray – “Rejoice always,the PRAY Anniversar without ceasing,y of give: thanks in all circumstances.” ~1 Thessalonians 5:16. However you are able, pray always and everywhere. Pray through movement, pray through stillness and silence, pray28 -through Julie repetitive & Chris prayers, Trudeau pray through writing and conversation, pray through art or gardening or parenting or cooking or advocating. Pray for the desires of your heart and pray for what God desires. Pray for yourself and pray for others, known to you and unknown. Pray in sighs too deep for words. To pray is to reach out to the God who has created us and knows us better than we ourselves and then to let ourselves be held in that loving, compassionate light. It is that easy and it is that hard. It is a lifelong practice that evolves with us from childhood to our final days (Marilyn Weigner, Rhoda Bucci)

Holy Eucharist has returned to the Sanctuary: Saturday evenings at 5 p.m. & Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. There will be a limit of 20 -25 people per service as our space is small and we are required to wear masks and distance ourselves by six feet. There is some flexibility based on the size of family groups who register. A small worship committee and I are working out the preparations and details. You will receive specific instructions in the confirmation email when you register. Registration is absolutely required for EACH week (online or by phone) REGISTER FOR SATURDAY, MAY 8, 5 P.M. REGISTER FOR SUNDAY, MAY 9, 9:30 A.M. Virtual worship will continue in the same fashion at least through Pentecost for those who need to or wish to remain at home.

2021 Sunday Flower/Memorial Chart: ONLINE – There is still room to designate altar flowers in memory of a loved one or in thanksgiving for a celebration, on any given Sunday. Offerings are made to the glory of God and our ministry and soon, once we are back to in person worship, they will help provide flowers for the altar. The name of your memorial/thanksgiving will be included in the prayers on the designated Sunday. Rather than the paper chart usually up in the hallway outside the Parish Hall, sign up online or call the office (401-434-5012) with your request. Suggested offerings are $35/week (check made out to Church of the Epiphany or electronic payment from your Realm account or our website (“Start Giving”). More than one person may add their name to any given Sunday.

ECC Camp Registration is Open for Summer 2021 – Register NOW! Space is limited so visit www.eccri.org NOW to register and for information on camp protocols in place for this summer to make it a safe and enjoyable experience. Scholarships are available, through the generous Gladys Hodgson Endowed Scholarship Fund, to send young people/families to ECC summer camp. Please contact Beth in the church office ([email protected]) for the scholarship application form. Family Camp Session I: June 24 - 27 Family Camp Session II: July 1 – 4 Bridge Camp (for campers with special needs): July 13 - 16 Children's Camp (entering 2nd - 6th grade): July 18-23 Teen Camp I (entering 7th - 11th grade): July 25 - 30 Teen Camp II (entering 8th - 12th grade): August 1 - 6

Spring Strolls are Here! TODAY, May 2, 3 p.m. @ Hunts Mills, Rumford Join Phil Campbell and others for a Sunday afternoon walk for fellowship while enjoying God’s creation! We’ll meet at the Hunt’s Mills Parking lot accessed from Pleasant St/114A in Rumford at 3 p.m. The walk is wooded along the river and relatively flat for about a mile. Dogs are allowed. Call Phil with any questions at 508-761-4314.

Labyrinth Eagle Scout Project - This month Liam Dee is beginning work on his Eagle Scout Project, the building of an outdoor Labyrinth and improving the garden area at the Church. Some people expressed an interest in donating to this project; if you would like to donate to assist Liam’s project, you may do so via check or online. Donations by check should be made out to Church of the Epiphany with “Eagle Scout Project” on the memo line. Online donations can be made through your account or via the church website using the “Eagle Scout Project” fund category. Any amount contributed is greatly appreciated.

Vestry Leadership Church of the Epiphany Warden J Hogue 1336 Pawtucket Avenue Treasurer Kristen Dee Clerk J Hogue East Providence, RI 02916 Vestry Members Pam Harrop, Geri Manning, Mary-Beth McGrath, (401) 434-5012 Debra Sharpe, Linda Vaughan-Dubois www.epiphanyep.org Staff Parish Administrator Beth Dench Ministers Music Director Mary Therese Martinez The People of Church of the Epiphany Rector The Rev’d Jennifer Zogg, [email protected]