The Fourteenth Sunday after pentecost
Sunday, August 29, at 10:00 am
The form for this service can also be found in The Book of Common Prayer, page 355. Spoken responses are in bold typeface.
Prelude: “Prelude in G” J.S. Bach
The Entrance Rite
Hymn 423: “Immortal, invisible, God only wise”
1. Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
in light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
almighty, victorious, thy great Name we praise.
2. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
nor wanting, nor wasting, thou rulest in might;
thy justice like mountains high soaring above
thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.
3. To all life thou givest, to both great and small;
in all life thou livest, the true life of all;
we blossom and flourish, like leaves on the tree,
then wither and perish; but nought changeth thee.
4. Thou reignest in glory, thou rulest in light,
thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
all laud we would render: O help us to see
’tis only the splendor of light hideth thee.
Opening Acclamation
Celebrant ✠ Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
Celebrant
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.
Gloria: “Glory to God in the highest”
The Collect of the Day
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.
The Liturgy of the Word
First Lesson: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9
Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Psalm 15 The cantor sings the Psalm.
1 Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honors those who fear the Lord.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.
Second Lesson: James 1:17-27
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Alleluia
The cantor sings the Alleluias, then all repeat them.
The cantor sings a verse, then all repeat the Alleluias.
The Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Celebrant The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Mark.
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
When the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”
Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Celebrant The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
After the sermon, cantor sings a sentence of Scripture in response.
The Nicene Creed Said in unison
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
I ask your prayers for God’s people throughout the world; for our Bishops; for this gathering; and for all ministers and people. Pray for the Church.
Silence
I ask your prayers for peace; for goodwill among nations; and for the well-being of all people. Pray for justice and peace.
Silence
I ask your prayers for all victims of violence, and for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the oppressed, and those in prison. Pray for those in any need or trouble.
Silence
I ask your prayers for all who seek God, or a deeper knowledge of him. Pray that they may find and be found by him.
Silence
I ask your prayers for the departed. Pray for those who have died.
Silence
I ask your prayers for those on our parish prayer list, and for those we now name:
Silence. Additional petitions may be included here.
We pray for our sister church of St. Mary’s, Sololá, in our companion diocese of Guatemala.
Silence
Praise God for those in every generation in whom Christ has been honored. Pray that we may have grace to glorify Christ in our own day.
Silence. The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Confession of Sin
Celebrant
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Celebrant and People
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.
The Celebrant stands and gives an absolution.
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People And also with you.
The ministers and the people greet one another with a sign of peace.
The Holy Communion
The Celebrant begin the Offertory with a sentence of Scripture.
During the Offertory an anthem is sung, and the Altar is prepared with the elements of Holy Communion.
To give an offering, choose one of the following:
Text: message 73256 with the phrase saintpauls $X (insert an amount in place of X)
Check: mail your offering to St. Paul’s Church, 84 E Oakland Ave, Doylestown, PA 18901
Offertory Anthem: “Hail the Day that Sees Him Rise” Arr. Dan Forrest
Hail the day that sees him rise, Alleluia!
to his throne beyond the skies. Alleluia!
Christ, the Lamb for sinners given, Alleluia!
enters now the highest heaven. Alleluia!
There for him high triumph waits; Alleluia!
lift your heads, eternal gates. Alleluia!
He has conquered death and sin; Alleluia!
take the King of glory in. Alleluia!
Highest heaven its Lord receives; Alleluia!
yet he loves the earth he leaves. Alleluia!
Though returning to his throne, Alleluia!
still he calls us all his own. Alleluia!
Still for us he intercedes; Alleluia!
his atoning death he pleads, Alleluia!
near himself prepares our place, Alleluia!
he the firstfruits of our race. Alleluia!
There we shall with you remain, Alleluia!
partners of your endless reign, Alleluia!
see you with unclouded view, Alleluia!
find our heaven of heavens in you. Alleluia!
The Great Thanksgiving: Eucharistic Prayer B
The people stand and the priest says
Celebrant The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give him thanks and praise.
The Celebrant continues
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
A proper preface is sung.
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:
Sanctus: “Holy, holy, holy Lord”
The Celebrant continues
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, 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, according to his command, O Father,
Celebrant and People
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
The Celebrant continues
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with the ever-blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, blessed Paul the Apostle, and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.
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.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
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
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread. A period of silence is kept.
Celebrant Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
People Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia
Celebrant The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Spiritual Communion: Act of Reception
During Communion, you are invited to say the following prayer form for receiving Spiritual Communion. Know that the grace of God is made present in your heart, even though the Sacrament is not received with the mouth.
In union, blessed Jesus, with the faithful gathered at every altar of your Church where your blessed Body and Blood are offered this day, I long to offer you praise and thanksgiving, for creation and all the blessings of this life, for the redemption won for us by your life, death, and resurrection, for the means of grace and the hope of glory.
I believe that you are truly present in the Holy Sacrament, and, since I cannot at this time receive communion, I pray you to come into my heart. I unite myself with you and embrace you with all my heart, my soul, and my mind. Let nothing separate me from you; let me serve you in this life until, by your grace, I come to your glorious kingdom and unending peace. Amen.
Come Lord Jesus, and dwell in my heart in the fullness of your strength; be my wisdom and guide me in right pathways; conform my life and actions to the image of your holiness; and, in the power of your gracious might, rule over every hostile power that threatens or disturbs the growth of your kingdom, who with the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Hymn 344: “Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing”
1. Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing;
fill our hearts with joy and peace;
let us each, thy love possessing,
triumph in redeeming grace:
O refresh us, O refresh us
traveling through this wilderness.
2. Thanks we give and adoration
for thy Gospel’s joyful sound:
may the fruits of thy salvation
in our hearts and lives abound:
ever faithful, ever faithful
to thy truth may we be found;
3. so that when thy love shall call us,
Savior, from the world away,
fear of death shall not appall us,
glad thy summons to obey.
May we ever, may we ever
reign with thee in endless day.
After Communion, the Celebrant says
Let us pray.
Celebrant and People
Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Welcome & Announcements
Blessing & Dismissal
The Celebrant blesses the people and dismisses them.
The people respond Thanks be to God.
Postlude: “Fugue in G” J.S. Bach
Service Participants
Celebrant & Preacher: The Rev. Catherine Kerr
Organist: W. Edward McCall
Eucharistic Minister: John Black
Acolyte: Carol Fox
Cantor: Shelley Reed
Lector: Christopher McCall
Usher: Maureen McGraw
Altar: Linda Chinn, Jacky Grande
Flowers: Kay Johnson
A/V: Blaine Masters
Choir: George Achilles, Trudie Benton, Wendy Brumbaugh, Jill Dulany, Muriel Hastings, Nick Lindberg, Lisa Nordland, Laura Pankoe, Shelley Reed, Mike Roberts, Sue Roberts, Anne Shute, Jim Shute, Caitlin Stein, David Taylor, Deborah Taylor, Marian Wentworth
Online giving is available through Realm E-Giving and PayPal. We thank you for your generous giving to St. Paul’s.
BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPLIES
We are collecting school supplies for Doyle Elementary School and the Bucks County Homeless Shelter. Supply lists are available here. There will be a box in the coatroom in the Parish Hall, and donations will be received until September 8th. Thank you for sharing your blessings.
Questions? Contact Maureen McGraw using the church directory.
Outreach Opportunity: Doylestown Bike Race
Please join us on September 12 after the 10:00am Mass for a special time of fellowship and to celebrate Doylestown’s annual Bike Race. Members of the Outreach Committee, and anybody else who would like to help, will be handing out water and prepacked snacks. So please take this opportunity to join with the other parishioners and community members to cheer on the bikers as they go past the church. We can also use this time to invite interested people in to tour the church and become more familiar with St. Paul’s. Any questions, please contact Mary Lou Parry using the church directory.
Blue Jeans Collection
As in years past, Bishop Gutierrez has challenged the Archdeacons to organize and execute an additional outreach program leading up to the 2021 Convention. In response, the deacons of the diocese are leading a blue jeans collection. Blue jeans are durable and in need by those who are without shelter. They are asking churches - and you - to collect what you can so they can be delivered to those with the most need.
Needed:
• Clean, gently worn jeans.
• Those jeans that are in the back of the closet that you will never wear again.
• Brand new jeans, in your size. (It’s good to be generous.)
• All jeans from children’s sizes to adult sizes for both males and females accepted.
There will be a collection area in both the narthex coat room and across the hall from the church office. We will collect jeans up till the evening of October 15th. Our collection will be delivered to the Diocesan Center at St. John’s, Norristown, ahead of the 2021 Convention. Any questions can be directed to and addressed by Jim Massey.
RUMMAGE SALE UPDATE
Rising Covid cases are dimming the prospect of having a Christmas Attic this year. At this time, we are only accepting Christmas donations from parishioners. If you have friends with Christmas items to donate, please ask them to consider donating them to another charity. Our parish hall only holds so much, and it doesn’t seem fair to keep more than we can sell. If we can’t have a sale this year, we hope to have one next year. Thank you for your understanding.
CHRISTMAS ATTIC Update
In 2009 when we held our first sale, and for the next several years, the church needed the money the sale generated...and we had fun working together to make it all happen. I’ve been thinking of ending the rummage sale due to the decline in donations and reduced parishioner participation and Covid has now made the decision easy. Over the summer we cleared out the barn and took the accumulated rummage to other charities. The barn now has space for the Christmas Attic overflow. We are no longer accepting rummage sale donations and ask that you donate to other charities such as NOVA, Good Stuff, In Full Swing, Goodwill, Purple Heart, and Habitat’s RESTORE.
Many thanks to everyone who has supported past Rummage and Christmas Attic sales with their donations and time.
Questions? Please contact Kay Johnson using the church directory.
Saint Paul’s Market is OPEN
featuring bounty from parishioners’ gardens
Proceeds benefit the ‘Little Red House’ Collection,
to be used to buy food for the residents
of the Doylestown Homeless Shelter.
Gardeners: Bring in your extras!
Buyers: Please make a donation.
Summer Family Small Group
Are you a family with young children and looking for fellowship with other young families this summer? A summer family small group is forming at St. Paul’s, with the goal of fostering fellowship and providing a venue for conversation about raising up our children in the faith. This group will meet every other week, in various parishioners’ homes. To join, simply send a note to Fr. Daniel.
Grounds and Gardens Committee
Lisa Farina will be heading up the new/reestablished “Grounds and Gardens Committee”. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact her using the church directory.
ALTAR FLOWERS
Today’s flowers are given by Nancy Hunter to the glory of God, celebrating the third anniversary of Adam and Ryan Hunter, and in loving memory of Robert W. Maier in honor of his birthday.
