The Ringing of the Bell
Hymn Be still for the presence of the Lord
Opening Sentences
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s Kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires are 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.
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.
Ancient Gardener, your holy word is planted in our hearts as good seed in fertile soil. So nurture us that we may bear fruit abundantly. Amen.
A Reading from the Prophet Isaiah. Chapter 55, Verses 10-13
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 65
1 You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *
to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.
2 To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *
because of their transgressions.
3 Our sins are stronger than we are, *
but you will blot them out.
4 Happy are they whom you choose
and draw to your courts to dwell there! *
they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,
by the holiness of your temple.
5 Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,
O God of our salvation, *
O Hope of all the ends of the earth
and of the seas that are far away.
6 You make fast the mountains by your power; *
they are girded about with might.
7 You still the roaring of the seas, *
the roaring of their waves,
and the clamor of the peoples.
8 Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *
you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it abundantly;
you make it very plenteous; *
the river of God is full of water.
10 You prepare the grain, *
for so you provide for the earth.
11 You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *
with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.
12 You crown the year with your goodness, *
and your paths overflow with plenty.
13 May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *
and the hills be clothed with joy.
14 May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,
and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *
let them shout for joy and sing.
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 1-11
There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law– indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Song—Inch by inch
A Reading from the Gospel According to Matthew, Chapter 13, verses 1-9, 18-23
Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen!”
“Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Sermon and Discussion
Affirmation
We are not alone; we live in God’s world.
We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to love with respect in creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.
We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
The Confession
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep you in eternal life. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness and by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
Announcements
Birthday—Laura Carey (July 13) Anniversaries Alex and Elizabeth Long, Kelly and Dominic Paterino
Birthday Prayer
Watch over your child, Laura, O Lord, as her days increase. Bless and guide her wherever she may be. Strengthen her when she stands; comfort her when discouraged or sorrowful; raise her up if she falls, and in her heart may your peace abide all the days of her life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
7PM Evening Prayer outside at St Peter’s info
The Prayers
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by 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.
O God, you led your ancient people through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You have led us through valleys of sorrows and troubles and continue to lead us on: Grant that we, who serve you now on earth, and follow in your steps, may come to the joy of your heavenly city Jerusalem, where sorrow and sighing are no more and where your saints for ever sing your praise. We turn to you now in prayer.
Holy God, we were yours before we drew breath, and still we will be yours when the pulse of life ceases. In every moment of our lives we belong to you.
May the love we have received from you and from so many on our earthly pilgrimage spill gratitude from our hearts. May the wounds we carry open our hearts to the needs of others. May we recognize in your mercy the faithfulness that judges and redeems every human bond.
We lift to you now all that seems irreconcilable in our families, in our nation, in your church and in your world.
We pray for those we identify as leaders in every sphere of life. We pray for our president and for all whose decisions weigh heavily on others, that all who govern may do so having set their minds first on the life and peace of the Holy Spirit. May they desire life and peace for all the people of this land and do reconciling work for the liberty and justice of all.
Give us the courage to accept our responsibilities. Teach us to act, to tend the world you love: to sow more than we reap, to heal more than we wound, to make room for others as you so generously make room for us, and to work for work for life, justice and peace for all.
We pray for those who serve in the armed forces of our nation, that they may work for justice and peace and defend us in danger, especially those on our prayer list, Cheyenne, Cliff, Alexis, Scott, Steven, Michael, George and Greg; that in war you would inspire them to serve our country well; in peace hold them ready and alert. In their lives may they bring honor to our country’s name. Bring them safely home when their work is done.
Creator of the universe, we give you thanks for this earth, for its life giving soil, for the seeds which bring forth the plants that feed and sustain us with abundance. Help us to remember that we are intertwined with your whole creation, and may we care for it and protect if as your precious gift of love. We pray for those around the world whose crops are threatened by the degradation of the environment, by adverse weather conditions, and by plagues of locusts, that they would harvest sustainable crops.
Compassionate God, we pray for those who are sick, those who are recovering, and for those who are in any need, for David, friend of the Everetts, for Daniel, suffering from COVID, and for his family, and for all on our prayer list. Bless them with your healing grace, give them strength, and bless their families with your comfort.
Merciful God, as we await for deliverance from COVID, and do what we can to prevent its spread, we pray for your Spirit and your love, that you would grant us the strength, grace and patience to overcome this adversity. We pray for those who are lonely due to their ongoing isolation. We ask for the healing of all who are sick. Give strength to all doctors, nurses, especially Carolyn Duke and Chris Fisher, and all health care workers as case numbers around the country continue to rise.
We pray for all who have died, especially those whose witness has strengthened and encouraged us along the way, for Mervin Waller, Sr, friend of Cookie Davis, and for those we love but see no longer, that they may rest in your eternal peace and rise in glory on the last day.
O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that we may know and understand what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Blessing
May you go forth in joy and be led back in peace, this day and always, and the may the blessing of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, remain with you now and forever.
Closing hymn In the bulb there is a flower
Dismissal
Go and grow in peace, to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God.