3rd Sunday of Advent December 12th 2021

Third Sunday of Advent

The Holy Eucharist Rite Two Sunday, December 12, 2021

The Word of God

Entrance Rite

ENTRANCE HYMN:

#72 Hark! The Glad Sound! The Savior Comes

OPENING ACCLAMATION

The people standing, the Celebrant says

Celebrant Blessed are you, holy and living One. People You come to your people and set them free.

COLLECT FOR PURITY

The Celebrant may say

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.

OPENING ANTHEM OR SONG OF PRAISE S 102 Holy God (Archangelsky) (BCP p. 356) The following is sung, all standing

Holy God

Holy and Mighty Holy Immortal One Have Mercy on Us

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY

Celebrant People Celebrant

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

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through

Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lessons

FIRST READING: Zephaniah 3:14-20

The people sit.

A Reading from the book of the prophet Zephaniah.

14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!

15The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.

16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak. 17The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it. 19I will deal with all your oppressors

at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

20At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the LORD. Reader The Word of the Lord.

People Thanks be to God. Silence may follow.

PSALM: Canticle 9: The First Song of Isaiah

Remain seated.

SECOND READING: Philippians 4:4-7

The people sit.

A Reading from Paul's letter to the Church in Philippi.

4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Reader The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

Silence may follow.

SEQUENCE HYMN: #68 Rejoice, Rejoice Believers

All stand.

GOSPEL: Luke 3:7-18

All stand.

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

7John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

10And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

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

THE SERMON THE CREED

All stand.

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

The Rev. Andrew C. Mead

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

All remain standing.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Surely, it is God who saves us; therefore, we joyfully pray to the Lord, “God our salvation: thank you.”

Though hindered by our sins and in need of your bountiful grace and mercy, you never leave us. You are ever in our midst. Renew your Church in love.

Invite the congregation to add their thanksgivings, followed by silence

God our salvation:

Thank you.

Make your deeds known among the people, O God. Save the lame; gather the outcast. May the exiles know home and all people know your peace.

Silence

God our salvation:

Thank you.

May your springs of salvation renew the earth. Heal our planet and restore in us a sense of responsibility and gratitude.

Silence

God our salvation:

Thank you.

Merciful God, in this month of great excess and consumerism, call the financial and business communities to act justly and generously. Grant that those without coats be clothed and those without food be fed.

Silence

God our salvation:

Thank you.

O God, you have done great things. With thankful hearts we pray to you for those burdened by shame, grief, or weakness. Be for them a stronghold and a sure defense.

Invite the congregation to add their petitions, followed by silence

In our Parish Cycle of Prayer, we pray especially for Stephen & Jane Puerini; Jane Rawlings; and Gerry and Claudia Reynolds.

In our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for all laity in their several vocations and ministries that they may truly and devoutly serve God.

God our salvation:

Thank you.

God our salvation, gather us, with all those who have died, especially Alexis Allen Boss, into your sacred heart. Grant us to sing your praises for all eternity.

Silence

God our salvation:

Thank you.

CONFESSION OF SIN

The Deacon or Celebrant says

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Minister 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 Priest stands and says

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

THE PEACE

All stand.

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

Then the Ministers and the People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.

The Holy Communion

OFFERTORY SENTENCE

The Celebrant says

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and make good your vows to the Most High.

Psalm 50:14

OFFERTORY ANTHEM: O Come, Divine Messiah (arr. Ladd)

The Great Thanksgiving

SURSUM CORDA S 120 Lift up your hearts The People remain standing.

Facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds

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 you sent your beloved Son to redeem us from sin and death, and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life; that when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.

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 

S 129 Holy, holy, holy (Powell) 

Celebrant and People

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.

The People stand or kneel. 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 blessed Virgin Mary, Peter our patron, 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.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,

People and Celebrant

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, forever and ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread

FRACTION ANTHEM

Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

INVITATION

The Celebrant says

The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

DISTRIBUTION

The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately deliver it to the people. The Bread and the Cup are given to the communicants with these words

The Body (Blood) of our Lord Jesus Christ keep you in everlasting life. [Amen.] COMMUNION HYMN: #60 Creator of the Stars of Night

POST-COMMUNION PRAYER

After Communion, the Celebrant says

Let us pray.

Celebrant and People

Eternal God, heavenly Father,

you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,

and you have fed us with spiritual food

in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.

Send us now into the world in peace,

and grant us strength and courage

to love and serve you

with gladness and singleness of heart;

through Christ our Lord. Amen.

BLESSING

The Priest blesses the people, saying

May Almighty God, by whose providence our Savior Christ came among us in great humility, sanctify you with the light of his blessing and set you free from all sin. Amen.

May he whose second Coming in power and great glory we await, make you steadfast in faith, joyful in hope, and constant in love. Amen.

May you, who rejoice in the first Advent of our Redeemer, at his second Advent be rewarded with unending life. Amen.

And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.

POST-COMMUNION HYMN: #76 Lo! He Comes With Clouds Descending DISMISSAL

People

Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Thanks be to God.

The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God in memory of Alexis Allen Boss by Ron and Marjorie Boss.

From riteplanning.com.

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