Ringing of the Bell
Hymn – Give me Jesus
Opening Sentences
God speaks peace to the faithful to those who turn to God in their hearts. Surely salvation is at hand for those who fear God. Where God dwells, steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. Faithfulness springs up from the ground and righteousness looks down from the sky. God gives what is good, and we respond with abundant praise!
The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.
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.
Through the storms of life, O God, you are with your people in the person of Jesus your Son. Calm our fears and strengthen our faith that we may never doubt his presence among us, but proclaim that he is your Son, risen from the dead, living for ever and ever. Amen.
A Reading from 1 Kings, Chapter 19, Verses 9-18
At Horeb, the mount of God, Elijah came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but theLord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” Then the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 85:8-13 Benedixisti, Domine
8 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, *
for he is speaking peace to his faithful people
and to those who turn their hearts to him.
9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *
that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Mercy and truth have met together; *
righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *
and righteousness shall look down from heaven.
12 The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, *
and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness shall go before him, *
and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to the Romans Chapter 10, verses 5-15
Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?
“The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart”
(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
A Reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Hymn – Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Sermon and Discussion The Rev. Catherine Hicks
The Nicene Creed
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.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He 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. Amen.
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.
The peace of the Lord be always with you. And also with you.
Announcements
Thank you to BJ and Johnny for these photos. Butterflies and a zinnia.
Birthdays, anniversaries
Shred it, Village Dinner and Sacred Ground
Vestry meeting tomorrow—discussion of returning to outdoor worship
Jesus Keep me Near the Cross– Brad Volland
The Prayers
Let us pray.
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, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
God of power and love, you are with us in every circumstance of this life. We thank you for all the blessings of this life, and for the gift of rain. We thank you for your steadfast faithfulness. We thank you for the gift of your peace, which comes to us even in times of chaos and fear, trouble and doubt. We thank you for your powerful arms of mercy that grasp us when we are sinking; for your powerful Word that coaxes us even when we are hiding and afraid. We put our trust in you, for you alone can save us.
We ask for your power and your love to overwhelm the chaos of the nations. In every place of war and destruction, send your peace to restore and repair all that is torn and broken. We pray that violent and hostile struggles will be defeated by good. Give us faith and courage to follow Christ so closely that divisions are dismantled, reconciliation is accomplished, and love casts out all fear. We ask your blessing as we enter into the Sacred Ground study, seeking deeper understanding of all our brothers and sisters, and we offer up to you our desire to work for justice and peace.
Increase mutual understanding and a sense of unity in our community, in this congregation, and in the church around the world. In our personal relationships, bring healing where there is estrangement and hurt. In our relationship to your creation, give us creativity and perseverance as we work to be faithful, tender stewards of all that you have so wondrously made.
Even as we pray for your reign of peace to come on this earth, we pray for the armed forces of this nation, especially Cheyenne, Cliff, Alexis, Scott, Steven, Michael, George and Greg. We commend them to your gracious care and keeping. Defend them, strengthen them, give them courage, grant them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be. We ask that you bring them home safe in mind, body and spirit when their duties are done.
We entrust to your providence and care all those who suffer; especially Susan Onderdonk and those on our prayer list. We pray for all who are hiding from you, from others, or even from themselves because of fear or feelings of unworthiness. To the ones struggling with doubt, increase faith. To the ones enduring persecution or prejudice, bring freedom. For those caught in the grip of anxiety and uncertainty, grant the calm rest that your peace alone can give. We pray for end of COVID. For all who face illness, pain, or death, we pray for restoration and wholeness to fill them—in heart, mind, and body.
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 Gene Brower, father of Wendy Gayle, being raised with Jesus, 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, forever and ever.
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 forever and ever. Amen.
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 infinite peace to you.
And the blessing of God…….
Hymn O God our help in ages past
Go and Grow in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.