ST.

JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, NORTHAMPTON MA

Antecommunion for the Seventh Sunday
after Pentecost (Proper 12 Year A)
July 26, 2020 at 10 AM

Musical Prelude Dr. Grant Moss

Welcome and Announcements The Rev. Dr. Julianne Buenting+

The Presider says Blessed be the one holy and living God.
People Glory to God for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect for Purity

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
And from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
Bu the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you,
And worthily magnify your Holy Name through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria recited in unison BCP page 356

Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s People on earth.
Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father,
We worship you, we give you thanks,
We praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father,
Lod God, Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
You are seated at the right hand of the Father, receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One, You alone are the Lord,
You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Collect of the Day The Presider says to the people

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

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and
our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us
those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot
ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
People Amen.

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First Lesson Isaiah 44:6-8

A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,

and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 86:11-17 BCP page 710-711

Teach me your way, O LORD,

and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.
I will thank you, O LORD my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.
For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.
The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent people seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.
But you, O LORD, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

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The Second Lesson Romans 8:12-25
A reading from the letter to the Romans.

Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for
if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of
God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have
received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing
witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of
God and joint heirs with Christ-- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be
glorified with him.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the
glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the
revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own
will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set
free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children
of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;
and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we
were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if
we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

A time of silence is kept after the lesson.

The Gospel Matthew 13:24-30,36-43

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an
enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the
plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the
householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field?
Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The
slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for
in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them
grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the
weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him,
saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who
sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the
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children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who
sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the
age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where
there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun
in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

The Gospel of the Lord.

People Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon The Rev. Dr. Julianne Buenting+

Musical Selection Vocal soloist Annie Rogers

The Nicene Creed recited in unison BCP pg 358-359

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.
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.

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Prayers of the People adapted from prayers written by Terri C. Pilarski, and posted
on RevGalBlogPals. http://revgalblogpals.org/

Let us pray for the whole creation, for every living creature,
for plants and flowers, for animals and for fragile human beings.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the nations of the world, for all people,
for the land and water that sustains and renews life.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the church and all ministers,

for the people of God striving in the Spirit to build the kingdom of God
with its love, justice, peace, and mercy.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Let us pray for the leaders of nation and cities;

May they remember to lean into you and to listen to your words.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Let us pray for those who suffer, the sick and dying, for the sorrowful,
and for an end to all that separates us from the love of the eternal God.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

Gracious God, protect those who have no place to live and no one to love them.
Help them to know you, and to know love.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

We offer up our prayers of concern particularly for those we love:

family, friends, and especially those on our parish prayer list:
Sally Conway, David Rosenberger, Lorna, Nancy Elliott,
Nancy Harvin and her sister Betsy, Norma Keough, Bre, Mary Thurber,
Mary Wozniak and her parents Edward and Mildred Lindsay,
our Manna guests and volunteers, and the whole St. John’s Church community.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.

For all the blessings of this life we offer thanks,

help us to have generous hearts and giving spirits.
Help us to be your hands in the world.
Gracious God, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Amen.

Presider: As our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray,

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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.

Prayer of Spiritual Communion (adapted from the Prayer Book for the Armed Services)

In union, O Lord, with your faithful people and your Church,

we delight to offer to you praise and thanksgiving.
We remember your death, Lord Christ; we proclaim your resurrection;
we await your coming in glory. Since we cannot receive you today
in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, we beseech you
to come spiritually into our hearts. Heal and strengthen us with your grace,
Lord Christ and let us never be separated from you.
May we live in you, and you in us, in this life and in the life to come.
Amen.

Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord’s face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord’s countenance be lifted up upon you and give you peace,
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, mother of us all. Amen

Presider: Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit,
Alleluia, alleluia!
People: Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!

Postlude Music Dr. Grant Moss