Requiem Eucharist
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Requiem Eucharist Elizabeth “Betty” Jo Bradford Ross February 23, 1956 – December 2, 2019 Baptized on January 22, 1976 in St. Andrew Lutheran Church, San Diego, California St. John’s Episcopal Church Portsmouth, Virginia Believe this simple truth: God loves you, no matter who you are. No matter how you have lived your life. No matter your age. No strings attached. At St. John’s, we believe in God’s transforming love. Like Jesus, we believe God’s Spirit working through us can give life meaning and purpose. Our greatest desire is that you experience how much God loves you and wants to be a part of your life. Requiem means “rest.” Eucharist means “thanksgiving.” Today’s worship finds all its meaning in the resurrection. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we, too, shall be raised to eternity. The liturgy, therefore, is characterized by joy and thanksgiving, in the certainty that “neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This joy, however, does not make human grief unchristian. The very love we have for each other in Christ brings deep sorrow when we are parted by death. Jesus himself wept at the grave of his friend. So, while we rejoice that one we love has entered into the nearer presence of our Lord, we sorrow in sympathy with those who mourn. J. Derek Harbin, presider & preacher Margaret Perkins, reader & remembrances Aaron Ross, violin Christopher Rusk, organist Claudia Tomlin, organist emerita Ann Barteau, Nancy Gregg, Tom Hanrahan, William Koger, Pat Pfeiffer, Martha Rush, Doreen Sheler, Jeff Sheler, choir Bill Oast, tolling of Gabriel during Committal Suzanne Erickson, Sue Fritz, & Pam Oast, flower guild Judy Kunold, Beth Meighan, Martha Rush, & Donna Vick, altar guild Philip Goodrich, sexton Clare Harbin, videographer REQUIEM EUCHARIST 5 December 2020 at 2pm Prelude Opening Hymn #412 (vs. 1-2, 5-6) “Earth and all stars” (tune Earth and All Stars) Earth and all stars, loud rushing planets, sing to the Lord a new song! O victory, loud shouting army, sing to the Lord a new song! He has done marvelous things, I, too, will praise him with a new song! Hail, wind, and rain, loud blowing snowstorms, sing to the Lord a new song! Flowers and trees, loud rustling dry leaves, sing to the Lord a new song! He has done marvelous things, I, too, will praise him with a new song! Classrooms and labs, loud boiling test tubes, sing to the Lord a new song! Athlete and band, loud cheering people, sing to the Lord a new song! He has done marvelous things, I, too, will praise him with a new song! Knowledge and truth, loud sounding wisdom, sing to the Lord a new song! Daughter and son, loud praying members, sing to the Lord a new song! He has done marvelous things, I, too, will praise him with a new song! The Collect Presider: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Presider: Let us pray. O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death, and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that your servant Betty Jo, being raised with him, may know the strength of his presence, and rejoice in his eternal glory; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. A reading from Isaiah On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well- aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said of that day, “Lo this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” (25:6-9) Reader: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Violin Instrumental A reading from the first letter of John See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. (3:1-2) A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (8:14-19, 34-35, 37-39) Reader: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Gospel Hymn #625 “You holy angels bright” (tune Darwall’s 148th) You holy angels bright, who wait at God’s right hand or through the realms of light fly at your Lord’s command, assist our song, for else the theme too high does seem for mortal tongue. You blessed souls at rest, who ran this earthly race and now, from sin released, behold the Savior’s face, God’s praises sound, as in his sight with sweet delight you do abound. You saints, who toil below, adore your heavenly King, and onward as you go some joyful anthem sing; take what he gives and praise him still, through good or ill, whoever lives! My soul, bear now your part, triumph in God above; and with a well-tuned heart sing out the songs of love! Let all your days till life shall end, whate’er God sends, be filled with praise. The congregation stands for the reading of the gospel. Gospeller: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. People: Glory to you, Lord Christ. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (1:1-14) Gospeller: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, Lord Christ. Personal Remembrances Homily The people stand. The Apostles’ Creed In the assurance of eternal life given at Baptism, let us proclaim our faith and say, 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.