February 27, 2022 | 10:00 a.m. | Last Sunday after the Epiphany

St. Martin’s Episcopal Church | Williamsburg VA

The Word of God

Opening Hymn     Shine, Jesus, shine

   1 Lord, the light of your love is shining in the midst of the darkness, shining.  Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us. Set us free by the truth you now bring us. Shine on me, shine on me.

       Refrain:  Shine, Jesus, shine! Fill this land with the Father’s glory. Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire. Flow, river flow, flood the nations with grace & mercy. Send forth your word, Lord, & let there be light.

   2 Lord, I come to your awesome presence from the shadows into your radiance. By the blood I may enter your Brightness, search me, try me, consume all my darkness.  Shine on me, shine on me.  Refrain

Opening Acclamation

Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen. 

There is one Body and one Spirit.  There is one hope in God’s call to us.

One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism; One God and Father of all.

The Collect of the Day

The Lord be with you.  And also with you.  Let us pray.

O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The First Reading     Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.  The Word of the Lord.  Thanks be to God.

Psalm 99   (responsively by half-verse)

The Lord is King; let the people tremble; * he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.  The Lord is great in Zion; * he is high above all peoples.  Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; * he is the Holy One.  “O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; * you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”  Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and fall down before his footstool; * he is the Holy One.  Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, * they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.  He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; * they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.  O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; * you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their evil deeds. Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill; * for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

The Second Reading     2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.  Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.  The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

The Gospel Acclamation

The Gospel     Luke 9:28-36

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.  Glory to you, Lord Christ. 

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ. 

The Sermon                                                                                       The Rev. Cathy Boyd A period of silence follows the sermon.

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 Prayers of the People

Prayer Leader:  Let us offer prayers to the Holy One of Sinai, whose glory shines on the face of all people.

For the holy catholic church throughout the world, sharing the death and resurrection of Christ. Lord, have mercy.

For Susan, our Bishop, for Cathy and Lisa, our priests, for all who minister in Christ, and for all the people of God.  Lord, have mercy.

For all the nations and peoples of the earth, and for justice, mercy, and peace.  Lord, have mercy.

For all who are needy, desolate, forgotten, suffering, lonely, and disconsolate.  Lord, have mercy.

That all the world may reflect the splendor of God and all peoples share in the divinity of Christ. Lord, have mercy.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as Christ loves us.  We pray for Gayle, Sakura, Peggy, Sadie, Douglas, Holly, Brett and baby Layla, for St. Vincent’s School, Haiti, the Holmes and Howard family and for an end to the pandemic. We pray for Martha Holmes and all who have died, and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.  Lord, have mercy.   Please add your own intentions, silently or aloud.

Remembering our most glorious and blessed Virgin Mary, blessed Martin, and all the saints, let us offer ourselves and one another to the living God through Christ. To you, O Lord.

Celebrant:  Blessed are you, God of light eternal. Hear our prayers for all peoples and let your glory shine upon us, that our lives may proclaim your goodness and our works give you honor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Confession of Sin

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.  

Absolution

The Ending of a Pastoral Relationship                               The congregation may be seated.

After Cathy addresses the congregation, the Bishop says

Do you, the people of St. Martin’s, recognize and accept the conclusion of this pastoral relationship?  We do.

After further remarks and presentations, the priest and congregation pray together

O God, you have bound us together for a time as pastor and people to work for the advancement of your kingdom in this place: We give you humble and hearty thanks for the ministry which we have shared in these years now past.  Silence

We thank you for your patience with us despite our blindness and slowness of heart. We thank you for your forgiveness and mercy in the face of our failures.  Silence

Especially we thank you for your never-failing presence with us through these years, and for the deeper knowledge of you and of each other which we have attained.  Silence

We thank you for those who have been joined to this part of Christ’s family through baptism. We thank you for opening our hearts and minds again and again to your Word, and for feeding us abundantly with the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of your Son.  Silence

Now, we pray, be with those who leave and those who stay; and grant that all of us, by drawing ever nearer to you, may always be close to each other in the communion of your saints. All this we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

The Peace & Announcements

The peace of the Lord be always with you.  And also with you.

The Holy Communion

The Offertory Anthem    

The Great Thanksgiving     Eucharistic Prayer A

The Lord be with you.  And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.  We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.  It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, because in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of your glory in the face of your son Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest. 

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.” Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. 

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.  Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom. All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN. 

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.

The Breaking of the Bread

Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.  Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia.

Communion Hymn     Let all mortal flesh keep silent silence                                           Hymnal 324

The Post-Communion Prayer

Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the holy food of the Body and Blood of your Son, and for uniting us through him in the fellowship of your Holy Spirit. We thank you for raising up among us faithful servants of your Word and Sacraments. We thank you especially for the work of Cathy among us. Grant that she, David, and we may serve you in the days ahead, and always rejoice in your glory, and come at length into your heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.    

The Blessing

Closing Hymn     When the saints go marching in

     1   When the saints go marching in, when the saints go marching in,

          Lord, how I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in.

     2   When the trumpet sounds its call, when the trumpet sounds its call,

         Oh, how I want to be in that number when the trumpet sounds its call.

     3   Oh, when the saints go marching in, when the saints go marching in,

         Lord, how I want to be in that number, oh, when the saints go marching in.

The Dismissal

Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.  Thanks be to God. “Alleluia, alleluia” is only said during the Easter season

The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God in loving honor of the Rev’s Cathy and David Boyd and their ministry at St. Martin’s. Love, Tucker, and his humans.