ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, BERKELEY, CA The Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost/St. Mary, the Virgin Holy Eucharist August 16, 2020; 10:00 a.m. via Livestream Welcome to St. Mark’s! The feast we keep today goes by many names: in the Episcopal Church its official name is the feast of the St. Mary the Virgin, in the Roman Catholic Church it is the Assumption, and in the Orthodox churches it is the Dormition. In all three communions, it is the principal feast throughout the year of Mary, “Mother of God” — from “Theotokos,” the God-bearer, her ancient title from the undivided church, affirmed by the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Today's feast celebrates the day when, “the course of her earthly life being finished, God took her to himself.” Christians do not agree on the exact manner of her departure from this life, but all do agree that she is special indeed: for the role she plays in the narrative of salvation, for the strength of her witness against the power structures of her day, and for the hope her example offers to everyone who follows in her footsteps. Insofar as we bear Christ to the world today, we share her vocation and can look forward to sharing her reward: truly, in her, God "hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble and meek." Music in preparation for worship Priére à Notre-Dame Léon Boëllmann (1862-1897) THE HOLY EUCHARIST Entrance Rite Hymn in Procession ¶The procession stops at the icon of Our Lady for a brief devotion before continuing to the altar. Words: Vincent Stucky Stratton Coles (1845-1929) Music: Daily, Daily, Paderborn Gesangbuch, 1765 Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-706487 1 The Opening Acclamation The Collect for Purity Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. Kyrie eleison Robert Powell (b. 1932) Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-706487 Gloria in excelsis S-280 Powell 2 Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-706487 The Collect of the Day Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Collect for St. Mary the Virgin O God, you have taken to yourself the blessed Virgin Mary, mother of your incarnate Son: Grant that we, who have been redeemed by his blood, may share with her the glory of your eternal kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Word of God First Lesson 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16, 16:1-2 David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. Then David gathered together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord. David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their kindred as the singers to play on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise loud sounds of joy. They brought in the ark of God, and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being before God. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. Psalm 34:1-9 Benedicam Dominum 1 I will bless the LORD at all times; * his praise shall ever be in my mouth. 2 I will glory in the LORD; * let the humble hear and rejoice. 3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the LORD; * let us exalt his Name together. 4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me * and delivered me out of all my terror. 5 Look upon him and be radiant, * and let not your faces be ashamed. 6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me * and saved me from all my troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, * and he will deliver them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; * happy are they who trust in him! 9 Fear the LORD, you that are his saints, * for those who fear him lack nothing. 3 Second Lesson Revelation 11:19a, 12:1-6a, 10ab Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, proclaiming, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah." Sequence Hymn 621 Reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-706487 The Holy Gospel Luke 1: 39-56 ¶The Gospeller introduces the Gospel and the people respond with “Glory to you, Lord Christ.” In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. ¶The Gospeller concludes the Gospel and the people respond with “Praise to you, Lord Christ.” 4 The Sermon The Rev’d Blake Sawicky The Nicene Creed All: 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. who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who 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.