Hybrid Church 21st Sunday After Pentecost October 22, 2023 Presider: The Rev. Deborah van der Goes Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

 

Christ Church Gabriola

A Collaborative Anglican – United Church

Open to All

 

                                                                                                                                                

 

 

Hybrid Church

21st Sunday After Pentecost

October 22, 2023

 

Presider: The Rev. Deborah van der Goes

Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

 

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

 

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here!

Welcome & Announcements

Whether you are gathering in person, on zoom or worshipping at home with the bulletin, welcome! We are one community, one in the body of Christ. 

 

Centering & Stillness  

We follow sound into silence and there we meet God (bell) 

 

Lighting of the Christ Candle  

One:  Christ is our Light.

All:    Thanks be to God!

 

(silence)

 

Greeting
One:  The grace of Christ Jesus, the love of God, 

          and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:    And also with you

 

Hymn: A Spendthrift Lover Is the Lord                                     CP #177

 

The Collect                                                                           

Almighty and everliving God,

Increase in us your gift of faith,

That forsaking what lies behind

And reaching out to what is before,

We may run the way of your commandments

And win the crown of everlasting joy;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, 

Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

One God, now and for ever.

All: Amen

 

The Service of Word

                                                            

Reader: By the gift of your Spirit, calm and quiet our souls that we may hear your Word today and be lifted up to walk with you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

 

Exodus 33:12-23 (NRSV)                                                Reader: Tim Leadem

Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, you have said to me, “Bring up this people”; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favour in my sight.” 

 

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Now if I have found favour in your sight, show me your ways, so that I 

may know you and find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.’

 

The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.’ Moses said, ‘Show me your glory, I pray.’ And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ And the Lord continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’

 

Psalm 99  VU p.819                                                                     Reader: Betty Schultz

Refrain: You rule with justice in delight, and faithfulness maintain..

 

You reign, O God, and the peoples tremble,

you sit enthroned upon the cherubim, and the earth is quaking.

            You, O God, are great in Zion, 

            you are exalted over all the nations.

Let them praise your great and awesome name:

holy are you and mighty, a ruler who delights in justice.

            You have determined what is fair,

            you have done in Jacob what is just and right. R

Moses and Aaron were among your priests,

Miriam among those who called on your name;

they called to you, God, and you answered.

            In the pillar of cloud you spoke to them,

            they kept your teachings and the law that you gave them.

O God, our God, you answered them;

            to them you were a forgiving God, 

            though you punished their offences.

Proclaim the greatness of God 

and worship on God’s holy hill;

            for God, our God, is the Holy One. R

 

 

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Gospel Reading                                                                       Reader: Presider

As is your custom, please stand or sit for the reading of the gospel. 

Reader: God be with you.  
All: And also with you

Reader: The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to Matthew

All: Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

 

Matthew 22:15-22

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

          Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

       All: Praise be to Jesus Christ                                                        

 

Reflection: Cleft For Me

 

Hymn: Rock of Ages, Cleft For Me                 CP #522 (tune CP #160)

1Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

let me hide myself in thee;

let the water and the blood,

from thy river side which flowed,

be of sin the double cure;

cleanse me from its guilt and power.

 

2Not the labors of my hands

can fulfill thy law's demands;

could my zeal no respite know,

could my tears forever flow,

all for sin could not atone;

thou must save, and thou alone.

 

3Nothing in my hand I bring,

simply to the cross I cling;

naked, come to thee for dress;

helpless, look to thee for grace;

foul, I to the fountain fly;                                                                  

wash me, Savior, or I die.                                                              4

4While I draw this fleeting breath,

when mine eyelids close in death,

when I soar through tracts unknown,

see thee on thy judgment throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

let me hide myself in thee.

 

Creed                (from Creating Uncommon Worship by Richard Giles adapted DvdG)

Let us affirm our faith . . .               

We believe and trust in God our Creator. 

We believe and trust in Jesus the Christ. 

We believe and trust in the Holy Spirit. 

We believe and trust in the Three in One.

 

Prayers of the People                                                               Paddy Waymark

One:  God of our heart,

All:    Hear our Prayer

 

Confession & Absolution

Priest: Dear friends in Christ,

            God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;

            he welcomes sinners

            and invites them to his table.

            Let us confess our sins,

            confident in God’s forgiveness.

(silence is kept)

Priest: Most merciful God, 

All:      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 neighbours 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.

Priest: Almighty God have mercy upon you,

            pardon and deliver you from all your sins,

            confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,

            and keep you in eternal life;                                                                                

            through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen                                                          5

The Peace

 

One:  The peace of Christ be with you! 

All:    And also with you!

 

You are invited to turn to those directly around you and share Christ’s peace. Those on zoom, please unmute and share with one another.

 

The Service of Holy Eucharist

                       

Offering Invitation (while music is played)

Presider: Let us now gather our offerings.             

 

Doxology (sung as offerings brought forward)                            CP #669

Praise God the Source of life and birth,

Praise God the Word, who came to earth.

Praise God the Spirit, holy flame.

All Glory, honour to God’s name.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Presider: Eternal God, your word inspires our faith

All: May we who offer you our praise trust you in all things. 

We ask in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.

Amen

 

Presider: God is here

All: The Spirit is with us.

Presider: Lift up your hearts and minds.

All: We lift them to God.

Presider: Let us give thanks to God the Creator.

All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Presider: It is indeed right that we should praise you,

God of love, our source and our fulfillment,

you create all things and in you we live and move and have our being.  

Your wonder is manifest in land and sea and sky. 

You made us in your image.

And even though we turn from you,

again and again you call us to yourself,

and in every age, promise liberation.

As a mother gathers her children,

you embraced a people as your own,

to nurture them in the way of compassionate love.

 

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You sent Jesus among us,

incarnate of the Holy Spirit and born of Mary.

Jesus revealed your love for all Creation,

and showed us the way of reconciliation.

Having lived among us - Jesus suffered the cross,

died, and in rising again

became the firstborn of the renewed family.

And so as we gather around your table,

With saints of every age and your beloved creations we raise our voices 

and sing

 

Sanctus                                                                                       MV #203

O holy, holy, holy God, O God of time and space.

All earth and sea and sky above bear witness to your grace.

Hosanna in the highest heaven, creation sings your praise.

And blessed is the One who comes and bears your name always!

To you be glory, almighty God,

because on the night before he died,

Jesus took bread,

when he had given thanks,

he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said

Take, eat, this is my body

which is given for you; do this to remember me.

After supper he took the cup;

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,

Poured out for you and for many;

do this to remember me.

Great is the mystery of faith.

 

Memorial Acclamation                                                               MV #204

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again! 

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

 

Presider: Recalling Christ’s death and resurrection, we ask you to accept 

this, our sacrifice of praise. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, and on these gifts of bread and wine that we may be fed with the body and blood of your Son.  When all of creation groans, unite us in Christ and give us your hope that we might be strengthened to do your work, as your body in the world.  Through Christ our Redeemer, in the power of the Spirit, all praise and glory be yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen. 

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The Prayer of Jesus (sung)                                                        VU #960 

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 them that 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.

 

Presider: The One who defeated death and injustice is now present in 

this bread. The One who offers our life promise and hope is now 

present in this wine. 

All: Breaking into our lives and community,   

We ask God for new life in Christ.

 

Communion is Shared

 

Prayer after Communion

Presider: God of peace, you have nourished us in this sacrament

       With the body and blood of Christ.

All: May we who have taken holy things

       Keep faith in our hearts and lives,

       In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord.

       Amen

 

Hymn: Be Thou My Vision                                                           CP #505

 

Presider: Now God keep you in all your days. 

Christ shield you in all your ways. 

The Spirit bring you healing and peace. 

And God the Holy Trinity 

Pour upon you blessing and light. 

All:    Amen.

Presider: Go in Peace. Remember the poor.

All:    Thanks be to God! Alleluia