The Decalogue
God spake these words, and said:
I am the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods but me.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, nor the
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or in the earth
beneath, or in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow
down to them, nor worship them.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Honor thy father and thy mother.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt do no murder.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not steal.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and incline our hearts to keep this law.
Thou shalt not covet.
Lord, have mercy upon us,
and write all these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee.
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 you absolution and remission of all your sins,
true repentance, amendment of life and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
The Collect
O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from thy ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of thy Word, Jesus Christ thy Son; who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Lesson
Genesis 12-1-4a
The LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great
nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will
curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him.
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; *
from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, *
the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved *
and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel *
shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5 The Lord himself watches over you; *
the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, *
nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; *
it is he who shall keep you safe.
8 The Lord shall watch over your going out and
your coming in, *
from this time forth for evermore.
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
Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
What then shall we say about Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, his wages are not reckoned as a gift but as his due. And to one who does not work but trusts him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness. The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they should inherit the world, did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants—not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham, for he is the father of us all, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
The Gospel
John 3:1-17
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born anew.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can this be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
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 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.
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.
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.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
