Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
July 2, 2023
9:00 a.m.
We welcome you to Christ Church Cathedral. Since 1839, this Christian community has gathered for worship. To learn more about the ministries we share in this place, you are invited to fill in one of the welcome cards found in the pew rack. Masks are available at all welcome tables, and the south transept (to the right) usually has room for those desiring physical distancing. We are glad you are here!
The Cathedral is equipped with a hearing loop for assisted listening via telecoil.
Holy Eucharist: Rite Two
The Rev. Kathy Rock Pfister, Canon Vicar Celebrant
The Liturgy is found in The Book of Common Prayer (BCP). Hymns and service music (S) are in The Hymnal 1982.
Opening Voluntary
Arioso Leo Sowerby (1895-1968)
Hymn 718 National Hymn
The Word of God
Celebrant Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. BCP page 355 People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
The Collect for Purity page 355
Gloria in Excelsis S 278 William Mathias (1934-1992)
The Collect of the Day
Celebrant The Lord be with you. People And also with you. Celebrant Let us pray.
Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Reading Genesis 22:1-14
Reader The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.
Hymn 719 Materna
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew. People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
After the Gospel reading, the Deacon says The Gospel of the Lord. People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon The Rev. Bradley Varnell, Canon Missioner for Young Adult Ministry
The Nicene Creed page 358
The Prayers of the People Form III, page 387
The General Confession page 360
The Peace
Celebrant
The peace of the Lord be always with you. People And also with you.
The People greet one another in the name of the Lord, after which the people are seated for brief announcements.
The Holy Communion
Offerings of alms and bread and wine are received.
At the Offertory
Anthem
Lowell Mason (1792-1872)
Sing praise to God: Sing, all nations. Sing, sing, rejoice. Praise the Lord. God’s merciful kindness is sure and gracious, and the truth of the Lord endures for ever. Praise the Lord.
—Psalm 117, para.
The Great Thanksgiving Eucharistic Prayer A, page 361
Sanctus and Benedictus S 128
William Mathias
The Eucharistic Prayer continhues page 362
The Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant Alleluia, Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; People Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
The sacrament of Holy Communion has been precious to Christians for 2,000 years. It is a way in which many sense the reality of God’s forgiveness, our union with God and each other, and the eternal life to which we belong. Please know that you do not have to be an Episcopalian to receive Communion. To receive, you may kneel or stand at the altar rail. Receive the Bread in the palm of your hand and the Wine either by drinking from the cup or by intinction, touching the Bread to the Wine. Gluten-free Bread is available; simply ask at the altar rail. If you need Communion brought to you in the pew, please tell an usher.
At the Administration
African American spiritual Anthem arr. Carl Haywood (b. 1949)
Let us break bread together on our knees.
Let us break bread together on our knees. Refrain:
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun, O Lord have mercy on me.
Let us drink wine together on our knees.
Let us drink wine together on our knees. Refrain
Let us praise God together on our knees.
Let us praise God together on our knees. Refrain
Prayer after Communion page 365
The Blessing
Hymn 680 St. Anne
The Dismissal
Deacon Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. People Thanks be to God.
Closing Voluntary
Fanfare
Leo SowerbyWe are pleased that former Cathedral Organist, Bruce Power, is playing our services this morning. Bruce served as Assistant Organist under Clyde Hollway from 1982 to 1993 and returned to be Cathedral Organist from 1996 to 2014. Bruce recently returned to Houston after a distinguished tenure at Holy Cross Episcopal Church, Shreveport, Louisiana. Bruce will return in two week to play while the Cathedral Choir is in Ireland and Scotland. Welcome home, Bruce.
Visitor information and refreshments are available in Reynolds Hall.
Readings this Week from the Revised Common Lectionary
The Old Testament Genesis 22:1-14
God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together. When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of
the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
The Epistle Romans 6:12-23
Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification. When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death. But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The
Gospel Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
The Book of Remembrance
This week we remember Ardell Ray.
The Beauty of Flowers
The flowers on the Cathedral Altar are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Diane Tobola by Erin and Toby McMillin. The flowers on the Cathedral Altar are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Carter Boyd and in great thanksgiving of Donna Boyd in honor of their wedding anniversary by the Priest Crew.
The flowers in the floor vases are given to the glory of God in honor of their grandchildren, Mary and Sam Holden by Sue and Hart Green.
Welcome
Sunday, July 2, 2023
Announcements
TODAY
Summer Place • Come meet new folks and old friends at Summer Place. Cathedral councils will take turns hosting this special coffee hour each Sunday at 10 a.m. in Reynolds Hall. Join us this morning as the Stewardship Council hosts today. All are welcome!
July Bible Study: One Hit Wonders of the Bible • Join us for a four-week summer Bible study exploring what some of the shortest books of scripture have to teach us. Led by Canon Bradley Varnell. Sundays, July 9-30 from 10-11 a.m, in Jeffers Conference Room. More information at: www. christchurchcathedral.org/onehitbiblestudy
Wednesday Tours at the Cathedral • Tour guides are here to welcome you at the bell tower from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. You may spend your time alone or the guide will share the Cathedral’s rich history with you. If you’re interested in learning about becoming a tour guide, contact Valerie Meisel at: vhmtexas@gmail.com
Parks and Rec for Cathedral Kids • Join us for summer 2023’s best way to reconnect with your Cathedral family in a proven equation: Great Folks + Cool Park = FUN! Bring the kids and your lawn chairs. Events will take place July 12, July 25, and August 6. More information at: www. christchurchcathedral.org/parksrec
You Are Invited • The Parish Choir extends a warm invitation for you to join its ranks any week this summer at the 9 o’clock Sunday Eucharist. No previous musical experience or long-term commitment is needed. Come to Sanders Hall by 8:20 a.m. on Sunday mornings for rehearsal. For more information, contact Canon for Music Robert Simpson at 713-590-3311.
Cathedral Choir Tour Preview Evensong • Christ Church Cathedral invites you to a Choral Evensong presented by the Cathedral Choir and featuring music they will sing on tour in Scotland and Ireland. This special service begins at 5 p.m. on July 16, and replaces The Well that evening.
Cathedral Reads • Cathedral Reads, our summer reading program for adults, will dive into The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. Join us on Zoom July 18 and 25 (English and Spanish), and don’t miss our final discussion August 13. Recordings and additional information at: www.christchurchcathedral. org/cathedralreads
Episcopal Night at the Ballpark • Support the Astros July 28 and watch them beat the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park. The night begins at 5 p.m. with a cookout in the Bishop’s Courtyard complete with hot dogs, sodas, and cracker jacks - all free of charge! Learn more and purchase tickets at: www.christchurchcathedral.org/astros
MOC Blood Drive • The Mission Outreach Council (MOC) of Christ Church Cathedral is hosting a blood drive on July 30. Sign up for a time to donate in advance. Learn more at: www.christchurchcathedral.org/giveblood
For more information about these and other events at the Cathedral, visit www.christchurchcathedral.org.
After-Hours Emergency Pastoral Care Line • 713-826-5332
Welcome to Christ Church Cathedral!
We are blessed by your presence. If you are new to the Cathedral, please fill out the WELCOME card in your pew and put it in the offering plate or give it to an usher.
Tours of the Cathedral are available every Sunday following the 11 a.m. service. If you would like a tour, meet the Tour Guide by the eagle lectern.
Welcome Team members are in the Cathedral Bookstore after the service to visit with you and answer any questions you may have.
Weekday Services
Morning Prayer, 7:30 a.m., Monday-Friday on Zoom
Evening Prayer, 6 p.m., Monday- Friday on Zoom
Oración del Mediodía, lunes y jueves en Facebook
Contemplative Prayer, 11:15 a.m., Mondays in Mellinger Room
Holy Eucharist, Noon, Wednesdays in Golding Chapel
Bilingual Holy Eucharist, 6 p.m., Wednesdays in Golding Chapel
Links available at: www.christchurchcathedral.org/weekdayservices
Pursuant to Section 30.06, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with a concealed handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a concealed handgun. Pursuant to Section 30.07, Penal Code (trespass by license holder with an openly carried handgun), a person licensed under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code (handgun licensing law), may not enter this property with a handgun that is carried openly. Please be advised that our services are livestreamed to Vimeo and Facebook. Your participation in the service serves as your consent to the broadcast of your image and voice and to the broadcast of the image and voice of your participating minor children.