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Episode 54

October 29, 2023 The Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost

Entrance Hymn #381 Thy Strong Word Did Cleave the Darkness

Sequence Hymn #531 O Spirit of the Living God

Offertory Anthem Prayer for Peace (Harlan)

Communion Anthem Savior Teach Me Day By Day (Weidner)

Post-Communion Hymn #680 O God Our Help in Ages Past

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

FIRST READING Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18 A Reading from the Book of Leviticus. The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy. You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD. You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. Reader The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

PSALM Psalm 1 Beatus vir qui non abiit 1 Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, * nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful! 2 Their delight is in the law of the LORD, * and they meditate on his law day and night. 3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; * everything they do shall prosper. 4 It is not so with the wicked; * they are like chaff which the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, * nor the sinner in the council of the righteous. 6 For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, * but the way of the wicked is doomed.

SECOND READING 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 A Reading from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians. You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. Reader The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL Matthew 22:34-46 Priest The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. People Glory to you, Lord Christ. When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. Priest The Gospel of the Lord. People Praise to you, Lord Christ. ---------- In this week’s parish cycle of prayer, we pray for Camilla Lee; Robert & Margaret Leeson; and Emily, Richard, & Jackie Lennon. The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Albert J. Logli by Jane & Stephen Puerini. 

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St. Peter's by-the-Sea
An Episcopal Church located in Narragansett, Rhode Island

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Craig Swan

The Reverend Craig Swan is a life-long Episcopalian. Having experienced a call to ordained ministry during his freshman year in college, Fr. Swan pursued a multi-field major in Sociology and Psychology with a concentration in Religion during his years at St. Lawrence University.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Science, Fr. Swan matriculated to Berkeley Divinity School at Yale University where he received his Master’s in Divinity. After Divinity School, Fr. Swan pursued his interest in youth ministry by working with at-risk youth, first in New Haven, CT through the Dixwell Community House and then with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

It was when he grew frustrated with the fact that he could not share his greatest joy - the love of God for each of us - with the children he was called to care for, that he began the formal journey to ordination. Ordained in 2000, Fr. Swan continued his devotion to youth ministry and children’s protection in the Diocese of Massachusetts where he served as the Assistant Rector and Director of Youth Ministries at the Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill and as a Massachusetts Diocesan Safe Church Trainer.

In 2003, Fr. Swan was called to be the Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, in Camillus, New York. For 12 years he faithfully served this parish, leading them out of $200,000 in debt while he and his wife, Maureen, guided their two daughters – Chelsea and Kayleigh - through adolescence and cheered for them throughout their 8 years as members of the West Genesee Wild Cat Marching Band. While working in Camillus, Fr. Swan developed skills in mutual ministry review, parish consultation, creative worship and spiritual direction.

Called to St. Peter’s by-the-Sea in 2015, Fr. Swan has continued his work in Safe Church and now utilizes his protective services background as a Title IV (clergy misconduct) Intake Officer for the Diocese of Rhode Island. Within the parish he enjoys working collaboratively with musicians and lay leaders towards the development of creative and meaningful worship. He also has found a new passion: teaching the faith through courses on the sacraments and Bible Study.

When Fr. Swan is not at St. Peter’s, he can be found most mornings either working out or swimming at the South County YMCA. A native Southern New Englander, Fr. Swan roots for all teams New England: the Patriots, the Red Sox, and UConn Basketball.