Prelude
Largo | Georg Frideric Händel
Abide With Me | Johann Sebastian Bach
Abide with me,
Then will I fear not the journey to that far-off land
Where sorrows cease and all is peace.
What sweet content to have thee near me
Where I may clasp thine hand so gentle
And gaze into thy faithful eyes.
Entrance Procession
Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers!
Rejoice, rejoice, believers! And let your lights appear;
The evening is advancing, and darker night is near.
The Bridegroom is arising, and soon he will draw nigh;
Up, watch in expectation! At midnight comes the cry.
See that your lamps are burning; replenish them with oil;
Look now for your salvation, the end of sin and toil.
The watchers on the mountain proclaim the Bridegroom near;
Go meet him as he cometh, with alleluias clear.
Opening Acclamation
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Kyrie
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
The Collect
O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant us, we beseech thee, that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that, when he shall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where with thee, O Father, and thee, O Holy Ghost, he liveth and reigneth ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Lesson
Amos 5:18-24
Thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord: “Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light; as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”
Psalm 70
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *
O Lord, make haste to help me.
2 Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether dismayed; *
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw back and be disgraced.
3 Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back, *
because they are ashamed.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *
let those who love your salvation say for ever,
“Great is the Lord!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; *
come to me speedily, O God.
6 You are my helper and my deliverer; *
O Lord, do not tarry.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:*
as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
The Epistle
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
Sequence Hymn
Christ, Whose Glory Fills The Skies
Christ, whose glory fills the skies, Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise! Triumph o’er the shades of night:
Dayspring from on high, be near; Daystar, in my heart appear.
The Gospel
Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus said, “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise replied, ‘Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he replied, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
The Sermon
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father;
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven,
and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried;
and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures,
and ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of the Father;
and he shall come again, with glory,
to judge both the quick and the dead;
whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Ghost the Lord, and Giver of Life,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son;
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped
and glorified;
who spake by the Prophets.
And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church;
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins;
and I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The Prayers of the People (Form III)
Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church;
That we all may be one.
Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you;
That your Name may be glorified by all people.
We pray for Bartholomew of Constantinople, Francis of Rome, Justin of Canterbury, Michael the Presiding Bishop, Susan of San Diego, and for the clergy of St. Michael’s by-the-Sea. In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Church of the Province of the West Indies. In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for the chaplains of the armed forces, and for members of religious orders, especially the Society of St. Paul. We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons;
That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and Sacraments.
We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world;
That there may be justice and peace on the earth.
Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake;
That our works may find favor in your sight.
Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble;
That they may be delivered from their distress.
Give to the departed eternal rest;
Let light perpetual shine upon them.
We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy;
May we also come to share in your heavenly kingdom.
Let us pray for our own needs and those of others, especially Agnes, all those suffering in body, mind, or spirit from COVID-19, all frontline workers caring for those in need, all those suffering in body, mind, or spirit from the sins of racism, all those working towards reconciliation and Biblical justice, Alberto, Amed, Angela and family, Ann and family, Asa, Assyrian Christians, Austen, Ben and the PRO Mentors prison ministry, Bennett family, Bev, Beverly, Bob, Bobbi, Branden, Carl and Pat and family, Casey, Chad, Children’s Ministry, Chris, Christine, Cindy, Clayton, Cloee, Dalton, Dan, Dariel, Darren and Jenny, Darryl, Diane, Donald, Drew, Evie, Francisco, Gloria, Healing Prayer and Pastoral Care members and families, Heather and family, Israel, Jack, Jake, Jan, Jason and Donna and family, Jeff, Jhase, Joey, John, Jonathan, Joseph, Joy and family, Juan, Julie and family, Jung, Justin, Kasey, Kimberly, Laura and family, Linda, Lisa and family, Lorenzo, Lou, Lubov, Luke, Luke and family, Lynne, Lynnie, Marcel and Sadie, Mary Ann, Maureen and Sue, Michele, Music Ministry, Nada, Nathan, Nick, Noah, Oriole, Patrick, Peter, RJ and Casey, Ranmeen, Riley, Ron and Marianne, Rose, Salam, Sam, Sherilyn, Tela in Honduras, Terrell, Tom, Victoria, Walt, Welcome Wagon Ministry, Whitney, Willie and Jane and family, Women’s Resource Center, Xander, Yvonne; and for these loved ones deployed through the armed forces: Alex, Bryan, CJ, David, Jacklyn, Jake, Jarrett, Jennifer, Joshua, Phillip, Ryan, Stephanie, and Trent.
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Silence
O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Confession of Sin
Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against thee
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved thee with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in thy will,
and walk in thy ways,
to the glory of thy Name. Amen.
The Almighty and merciful Lord grant us absolution and remission of all our sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Offertory
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.
Online tithes can now be accepted here.
Offertory Anthem & Doxology
A Gaelic Blessing | John Rutter
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the gentle night to you.
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.
Deep peace of Christ — of Christ the light of the world to you.
Deep peace of Christ to you.
Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The 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.
Spiritual Communion
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of thy Holy Ghost. Amen.
Lord, I cannot seek Thee
On Thine altar throne,
Yet I may receive Thee,
Weary and alone.
When, before Thine altar,
Crowds adoring kneel,
There in very essence,
Thou didst come to heal.
Far from Priest and altar,
Christ, to Thee I cry,
Come to me in spirit,
Let me feel Thee nigh.
In my silent worship,
Let me share the feast,
Be Thy love the altar,
By Thyself the Priest. Amen.
O most blessed Saviour, in union with the faithful at every altar of Thy Church where Thy blessed Body and Blood are being offered to the Father, I desire to offer Thee praise and thanksgiving, I present to Thee my soul and body with the earnest wish that I may always be united to Thee. And since I cannot now receive Thee sacramentally into my heart, I unite myself to Thee and embrace Thee with all the affections of my soul. Amen.
Come, Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart.
Communion Meditation
I Need Thee Every Hour
Come, Ye Disconsolate
Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel:
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
Anima Christi
Soul of Christ, be my sanctification.
Body of Christ, be my salvation;
Blood of Christ, fill all my veins;
Water from the side of Christ, wash, wash out my stains;
Passion of Christ, my comfort be;
O good Jesu, listen to me;
Within Thy wounds I fain would hide;
Ne’er to be parted from Thy side;
Guard me when the foe assails me;
Guide me when my feet shall fail me;
Bid me come to Thee above,
With Thy Saints to sing Thy love,
For ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Praise To The Holiest In The Height
Praise to the Holiest in the height, and in the depth be praise;
In all his words most wonderful, most sure in all his ways!
Dismissal
Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
Thanks be to God.
Postlude
Hornpipe | Georg Frideric Händel
