Hybrid Church, Second Sunday in Lent,February 25, 2024

Hybrid Church, Second Sunday in LentFebruary 25, 2024

Presider: The Rev. Deborah van der Goes

Music Director: 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!

Words in bold italics, please say together

Prelude: Largo                                     from Vivaldi's Four Seasons - 1678 - 1741

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. 

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

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

          And also with you

(silence)

Threshold to the Dark Woods 

[Soloist] 

There’s a path

though it winds its way through darkness 

We would choose to avoid it if we could 

We awake to an unexpected calling 

God says, “come, - there are gifts in the Dark Wood” 

Introduction

[soloist sings— people echo] 

There’s a path

there’s a path

though it winds its way through darkness 

We would choose 

we would choose

to avoid it if we could 

We awake

we awake

to an unexpected calling 

God says, “come

God says, “come

there are gifts in the Dark Wood” 

Lighting the Candles

We are here

God is here

This place is sacred ground.

The Collect       Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009)      

Holy God, whose Spirit’s breath prompts our seeking: 

transform the night-time of our fear into a welcoming womb for us and all the world; through Jesus Christ, in whom we are born anew. 

          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

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 (NRSV)                                        Reader: Tim Leadem                           

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’

Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, My Soul” (sing 3x)                      CP #360

Bless the Lord, my Soul,

and bless God’s Holy name.

Bless the Lord my soul,

who leads me into life.

Gospel Reading                                               Reader: Deborah van der Goes

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

God be with you.  

          And also with you

The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to Mark

          Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

This is the Gospel of Christ.   

          Praise be to Jesus Christ   

 

Reflection: “The Gift of Emptiness”

Hymn: Just As The Deer                                                           CP #540

1Just as the deer longs for the water brooks,

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    Betty Schultze

Loving God,

          Hear our Prayer

Invitation to Confession 

God hears us when we cry and draws us close in Jesus Christ. 

Let us return to the one who is full of compassion. 

Confession Litany

Fountain of living water, 

       pour out your mercy over us. 

For giving fear too much voice, 

forgive and restore us, O God.                                                       4

For digging in rather than going with the flow, 

forgive and restore us, O God. 

For holding on too tight when what we need to do is let go, 

Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, 

so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, 

to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Silent prayers… 

Absolution

God, who is rich in mercy, loves us even when we were dead in sin, 

and makes us alive together in Christ.  

In the name of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven.  

Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, 

that Christ may live in your hearts through faith.

          Amen

The Peace

The peace of Christ be with you! 

          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

(Using the Eucharistic Prayer written for the Diocese of Islands and Inlets) 

Offering Invitation (while music is played)

Let us now gather our offerings.             

(once all is prepared we sing)

Take, O Take Me As I Am                                                             MV #85

Take, O Take Me As I Am;      

Summon out what I shall be;

Set your seal upon my heart and live in me.

Prayer Over The Gifts 

Spring of life and Source of goodness,

Receive all we offer you this day,

And bring us to the living water,

Jesus Christ, your Son our Lord.

          Amen 

Now God be with you, with you all                                        (Kingsfold sung)

          And also be with you

Lift up your hearts, oh lift your hearts 

          We lift them to our God 

          Oh, let us give our thanks to God, our God of gracious light.

It is right to give our thanks and praise, our grateful hearts delight.

It is indeed right that we should praise you,

God of love, our source and our fulfillment,

or 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.

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 creation 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,                                                                      6

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!

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. 

All Sing                                                                                       MV #205

Amen, amen, O Holy One!

Hosanna and amen!

Amen, amen, O Holy One!

Hosanna and amen!

The Prayer of Jesus/Disciples (sung)                                       VU #960                   

The Breaking of Bread

We break this bread,

          Communion in Christ’s body once broken

 

Let your Church be the wheat

which bears its fruit in dying.

          If we have died with him,

          We shall live with him;

          If we hold firm,

          We shall reign with him.

Communion is Shared

Prayer after Communion 

Creator of heaven and earth

We thank you for these holy mysteries,

Which bring us now a share in the life to come,

Through Jesus Christ our lord.

          Amen

Hymn: Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery v. 1,2, 6c                    CP #179

Blessing

May the Spirit of the Living God, 

Made known to us most fully within life’s Dark Wood: 

   Go before you 

to show you the way; 

   Go above you 

to watch over you; 

   Go behind you 

to push you into places you may not necessarily go yourself; 

   Go beneath you 

to uphold and uplift you; 

   Go beside you 

to be your strong and constant companion; 

And dwell within you to remind you that you are surely not alone, 

And may the fire of God’s blessing burn brightly upon you

and within you, now and always. 

Amen. 

Dismissal (sung with response)

There’s a path (there’s a path)

and it leads us out together 

To the wood (to the wood) 

where the darkness hovers still 

We are sent (we are sent) 

and the Spirit goes before us God says, “go (God says, go) 

be my presence in the world.” 

Postlude:The Braes of Glenturrote                  John Bowie Collection - 1789