Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
**Please note this service is based on the format of the Anglican Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from the Book of Alternative Services (BAS) and the hymns from the Book of Common Praise (BCP). Other hymns and prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in
our houses of worship but together, we can worship in our own homes.
Opening Prayer
Creator and ruler of all, open our hearts that
the King of glory may enter, and bring us rejoicing to your holy mountain,
where you live and reign, now and forever. Amen.
Opening
Hymn – God Whose Giving Knows No Ending (BCP #601)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
you all.
And
also with you.
Collect for Purity
The Gloria
Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you. May we find
peace in your service, and in the world to come, see you face to face; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Readings
A reading from the Second Book of Samuel 6.1-5,
12b-19
David again gathered
all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. David and all the people with
him set out and went from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God,
which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim.
They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of
Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were
driving the new cart with the ark of God; and Ahio went in front of the ark.
David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their
might, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and
cymbals.
It was told King
David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to
him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God
from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing; and when those
who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a
fatling. David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with
a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the
Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
As the ark of the
Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the
window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she
despised him in her heart.
They brought in the
ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had
pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being
before the Lord. When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the
offerings of well-being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of
hosts, and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of
Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a
cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks
be the God.
Psalm 24
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the
world, and those who live in it;
for he has founded it on the seas,
and
established it on the rivers.
Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And
who shall stand in his holy place?
Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who
do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and
do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and
vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who
seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and
be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that
the King of glory may come in.
Who is the King of glory?
The
Lord, strong and mighty,
the
Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O gates!
and
be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that
the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The
Lord of hosts,
he is
the King of glory. Selah
A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians
1.3-14
Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before
the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined
us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good
pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely
bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the
forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he
lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery
of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a
plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven
and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having
been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things
according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our
hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when
you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed
in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the
pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise
of his glory.
The word of the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Gradual
Hymn – The King of Glory Comes (BCP #632)
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Mark 6.14-29
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
King Herod heard of
it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has
been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in
him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like
one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I
beheaded, has been raised.”
For Herod himself had
sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of
Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John
had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could
not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and
he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked
to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a
banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his
daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the
king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And
he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of
my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She
replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to the
king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist
on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and
for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a
soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him
in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the
girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and
took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
May only truth be spoken and only truth received. Amen.
Today, I’m borrowing a sermon from the Reverend Beth Birkholz, a pastor in the ELCA.
Some of the things that the lectionary leaves out are more interesting than what it leaves in. Today, for instance, I find this story of David and his dancing around the ark fascinating, but it leaves some key verses out, from verses 6 through 12 in 2 Samuel.
Here's the story of what it leaves out: in the middle of this procession where David dances before the ark and animals are sacrificed every six paces, one of the priests, Uzzah, reaches out to steady the ark, because it was falling over, and he dies.
Really. He dies.
David gets scared, as one would, even someone who has the favor of the Lord like King David. He pulls the ark over to someone else's house for three months, before being convinced to bring the ark all the way into Jerusalem.
The house where the ark rested for three months had good fortune and was blessed for those whole three months, and then David remembered that he wanted that for the whole people of Israel. He overcame his fear and brought the ark into Jerusalem and with it the power of God.
There is a history of the presence of God being so powerful that lives are at stake. It seems to have to do with respect and with rejoicing before the Lord. If the presence of the Lord in the ark came into your town in more than one story in the Hebrew Scriptures, and you don't rejoice or treat the ark with respect, it is deadly serious business.
In 1 Samuel, the ark came into a town and all the people stood there like statues and they all died.
No wonder these verses were cut out of the regular lectionary!
I know that it’s sort of taboo for Anglicans to be dancing in the pews. Unless there's a wedding where people are having a really great time, there's no dancing anywhere near a church, but we'd still rather hear about the dancing than death.
The presence of the Lord as something that can move heaven and earth and bring life and, yes, death, is something that we tend to forget, or edit out, or not want to think about.
But aren't we only a few months removed from Easter?
Aren't we, in fact, Easter People?
Don't we want to celebrate the incarnation and resurrection all year round? And the resurrection is, more than anything else, a testament to the power of God over life and death.
I want people to know that God is accessible, that God is their friend, that God is loving and forgiving and wonderful, and I believe those things are true.
But I also believe that the resurrection shows us that God is a mystery, that God is indescribable.
There are things we can't explain, because God's presence itself is a mystery.
David forgot. David forgot the part about the stories that said to treat the ark with the utmost respect, to not touch it, to carry it in a certain way, with poles, with reverence, not on some cart. And it delayed the entrance of the ark for months into Jerusalem, the presence of God, and cost some poor guy his life.
We forget, too, sometimes the mystery of dealing with a God who will not always be defined and is often inexplicable. But there are those who have not forgotten.
I am a child of the 1980s and one of my favorite movies was "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
The story involves a search for and recovery of the ark of the covenant, which was considered to be valuable beyond all treasures by the bad guys AND the good guys.
If you’ve seen the movie, you will likely remember one of the last scenes of the movie. The scene in which they open the ark out in the desert, and they're ready to harness its power?
I remember covering my eyes, peeking through my fingers at the power unleashed that killed all the ones who dared look into the ark. Only good old Indiana Jones and Marian, who are smart enough to not look directly at the power of God, survive this unleashing, the literal face-melting power of God.
Sometimes it takes popular culture to remind us that the power of God is nothing to be ashamed of, and in fact, is the mystery in which we have faith.
What David remembered, and what we remembered too, is that the presence of God is a blessing and is to be celebrated, even in the midst of all of its power. I love how in the Hebrew Scriptures, God mandates celebration!
In this story, David was liturgically dancing, as he defends himself to Michal, his wife, because God COMMANDS celebration as the presence of God in the ark comes into the community.
God does not command dissection of why and how and what all of this is going to mean, but just celebration. This is why David danced. Maybe he didn't feel like dancing, maybe he was still afraid of the power of death, but sometimes in the presence of God and all that blessing, we don't ask why, we just give in to our childlike side and dance.
Michal had her own reasons for despising David, but she does not understand that dancing, this celebration, is the God ordained response to the ark, the very mystery and presence of God, coming into their city that day.
Can you imagine simply dancing in the presence of God? We even debate dancing in our churches sometimes and what type of music should be in worship and is truly worshipful and what IS proper worship of the Lord.
We live in our heads much of the time these days. We comment on articles on the Internet until we've exhausted every possible angle and aren't even civil with one another anymore. We think through every possible situation and try to prove our position.
I know I can be guilty of this as well, but when I read a tribal, primal story like this whole story of David and the ark in 2 Samuel, I remember that it's not necessarily about understanding everything or even making sense of everything.
Sometimes this is hard to hear, but our artists in moviemaking, songwriting, poetry, and yes, dancing, are preaching this mystery to us in spite of our obsession with facts and proof.
They tell us of a God like the God who David knew;
a God of mystery and delight and celebration,
a God to be feared and worshipped,
a God who showed us rules and guidelines for our own good on this earth,
a God who has power over life and over death,
a God who calls us to obey and calls us up from the dead, even death on a cross, and calls us, when we find ourselves in the presence of the mystery, to dance.
Amen.
Affirmation of Faith
Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we
say the Apostles’ Creed:
I
believe in God,
the
Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
I
believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He
was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and
born of the Virgin Mary.
He
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died, and was buried.
He
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again.
He
ascended into heaven,
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He
will come again
to
judge the living and the dead.
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic Church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
The Prayers of the People
(By Joan
Merton)
As
we stand in God’s presence, let us pray to the Lord saying, “Lord, have mercy.”
For
the whole People of God, that each one may be a true and faithful servant of
Christ,
let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
those drawing near to the light of faith, that the Lord will bring them to true
knowledge of himself,
let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
our families and friends, that the Lord will give them joy and satisfaction in
all that they do,
let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
those who are lonely, sick, to all who are hungry, persecuted, or ignored, that
the Lord will comfort and sustain them,
let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
our country, Canada, that the Lord will help us to contribute to its true
growth and well-being,
let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
For
the whole human family, that we may live together in justice and peace,
let
us pray to the Lord.
Lord,
have mercy.
God
whose glory fills the skies, and our lives, at best we can only reflect some of
Your grace, reveal some of Your goodness.
We come to You for renewal of spirit, with feelings of failure,
frustrations over lost opportunities, weariness in well-being, tired of trying
to do all we should. If we are to
reflect Your love in our lives this summer, we need rejuvenation of our
spirits, restoration of our souls. Fill
us by the divine energy of Your Spirit, with new power that comes from faith,
new motivation that comes from hope.
We
wait on You, O God, for we have tried it by ourselves, and we have felt drained
by our efforts. Can You give us to drink
from the water of life, as we sing, pray, meditate, and listen? Can You feed us with the bread of life, as we
praise You and receive Your Word? We
know that strength of Spirit must come from You, and the only way we know how
to receive from You is to wait, and worship.
If
the answer to our tired spirits is to be found by attention to Your assurances
and promises, give us ears to hear. If
the solution to our spiritual apathy is to be found in relating to others in
need, give us hearts that obey and hands that serve.
If
the joy of our salvation is to be found in the deep wells of meditation and
prayer, give us minds that are open.
Please
take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray in silence.
We
need the inspirations of Your Spirit to fill us, that this week we be renewed
in our spirits, so that we may walk and not faint, as we do what we understand
to by Your will.
Amen
Confession and Absolution
Dear friends in Christ,
God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;
God welcomes sinners and invites them to the
table.
Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s
forgiveness.
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 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.
As we speak the truth of our lives, God who is
faithful and just, restores us and brings us home again and again.
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.
The Peace
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And
also with you.
Offertory
Hymn – This is the Table of Christ
Prayer over the Gifts
**Although
not physically at our church buildings to share our offering together I would
encourage you to set your offering of money aside so that it can be dropped off
or placed in the church once services resume, to mail your offering to the
church, or to make donations online. Please remember ministry is still taking
place.
Let us pray.
God, your word creates in us a yearning for
your kingdom. Receive all we offer you this day, and keep us in your peace; for
the sake of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
This service was created for live worship on Zoom. For
those worshiping on your own, you may either read the Eucharistic prayer, or
skip ahead to the Lord's Prayer and then the Doxology.
Eucharistic Prayer 1
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We
lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right that we should praise you,
gracious God,
for you created all things.
You formed us in your own image:
male and female you created us.
When we turned away from you in sin,
you did not cease to care for us,
but opened a path of salvation for all people.
You made a covenant with Israel,
and through your servants Abraham and Sarah
gave the promise of a blessing to all nations.
Through Moses you led your people
from bondage into freedom;
through the prophets
you renewed your promise of salvation.
Therefore, with them, and with all your saints
who have served you in every age,
we give thanks and raise our voices
to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy,
holy, holy Lord,
God
of power and might,
heaven
and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna
in the highest.
Blessed
are they who come in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna
in the highest.
Holy God, source of life and goodness,
all creation rightly gives you praise.
In the fullness of time,
you sent your Son Jesus Christ,
to share our human nature,
to live and die as one of us,
to reconcile us to you,
the almighty God of all.
He healed the sick
and ate and drank with outcasts and sinners;
he opened the eyes of the blind
and proclaimed the good news of your kingdom
to the poor and to those in need.
In all things he fulfilled your gracious will.
On the night he freely gave himself to death,
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.”
Gracious God,
his perfect sacrifice
destroys the power of sin and death;
by raising him to life
you give us life for evermore.
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
Recalling his death,
proclaiming his resurrection,
and looking for his coming again in glory,
we offer you, God, this bread and this cup.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us
and upon these gifts,
that all who eat and drink at this table
may be one body and one holy people,
a living sacrifice in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory is yours, almighty God,
now and for ever.
Amen.
And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us,
we are bold to pray,
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed
be your name,
your
kingdom come,
your
will be done,
on
earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
as
we forgive those who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
now
and for ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
This is the body of Christ.
Behold what you are.
Become what you receive.
Amen.
Communion
This is the table of Christ. It is made ready
for those who love him, and for those who want to love him more. Come, whether
you have much faith or little, have tried to follow, or are afraid that you
have failed. Come. Because it is Christ's will that those who want to meet him,
might meet him here.
These are the gifts of God for the People of
God.
Thanks
be to God.
Share
in the Eucharist
Prayer After Communion
As we have feasted around the table, let us
pray.
Living God, in this sacrament we have shared in
your eternal kingdom. May we who taste this mystery forever serve you in faith,
hope, and love. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.
Doxology
As a congregation, we declare our doxology, as
we say together,
Glory to God,
whose
power, working in us,
can
do infinitely more
than
we can ask or imagine.
Glory
to God from generation to generation,
in
the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for
ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
The peace of God, which passes all
understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and
of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of the Holy and Undivided
Trinity be with you and remain with you always, in the Name of Love, ☩ the Glory of Love, and the Power of Love. Amen.
Closing Hymn – Rejoice, the Lord is King (BCP #379)
Dismissal
Go
forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
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