Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 1, 2024 11:00 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. We are glad you are here!
The Cathedral is equipped with a hearing loop for assisted listening via telecoil.
The Holy Eucharist: Rite One
The Very Rev. Nathaniel Katz, Dean Celebrant
The Liturgy is found in The Book of Common Prayer (BCP). Hymns and service music (S) are in The Hymnal 1982.
Opening Voluntary
Prelude in E-flat, BWV 552
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
Choral Introit Tone VII
V. The Lord is my light, and my salvation, whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?
R. When mine enemies pressed sore against me, they stumbled and fell.
Hymn 390 Lobe den Herren
The Word of God
Celebrant Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. BCP page 323
People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
The Collect for Purity and the Summary page 323
Gloria in Excelsis S 204 Old Scottish Chant
The Collect of the Day
Celebrant The Lord be with you. People And with thy spirit. Celebrant Let us pray.
Lord of all power and might, who art the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of thy Name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Reading Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–9
Reader The Word of the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
L ORD, who may dwell in your / tabernacle? who may abide upon your holy / hill? Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is /right, who speaks the truth from his / heart. There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his / friend; he does not heap contempt upon his / neighbor. In his sight the wicked is re/jected, but he honors those who fear the / L ORD. He has sworn to do no / wrong and does not take back his / word. He does not give his money in hope of / gain, nor does he take a bribe against the / innocent.
Second half of chant Whoever / does these things shall never be over/thrown.
The Second Reading
Reader The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.
Hymn 656
Alleluia
V. Alleluia. I will always give thanks unto the Lord; R. And his praise shall ever be in my mouth. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel
James 1:17–27
Tone II
Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23
Priest The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. People Glory be to thee, O Lord.
After the Gospel reading, the Priest says The Gospel of the Lord. People Praise be to thee, O Christ.
The Sermon
The Rev. Canon Liz Kronenberg
The Nicene Creed page 326
The Prayers of the People Form III, page 387
The Confession and Absolution page 331
The Peace
Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you. People And with thy spirit.
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
Solo
Jesus, the very thought of thee, With sweetness fills my breast; But sweeter far thy face to see, And in thy presence rest. No voice can sing, no heart can frame, Nor can the memory find A sweeter sound than Jesus’ name, The Savior of mankind.
Eric Thiman (1900–1975)
O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art! How good to those who seek!
Jesus, our only joy be thou, As thou our prize wilt be, In thee be all our glory now, And through eternity.
— Bernard of Clairvaux (1091–1153)
Joel Goodloe, soloist
The Great Thanksgiving Eucharistic Prayer II, page 340
Sursum Corda S 112
Sanctus and Benedictus S114 Healey Willan (1880–1968)
The People kneel as able.
The Eucharistic Prayer continues page 341
Fraction Anthem
Celebrant Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; People Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
Agnus Dei S 158
Healey Willan
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
Anthem Eric Thiman
King of glory, King of peace, I will love thee; And that love may never cease, I will move thee.
Thou hast granted my request, thou hast heard me; Thou didst note my working breast, thou hast spared me.
Wherefore with my utmost art
I will sing thee, And the cream of all my heart I will bring thee.
Though my sins against me cried, thou didst clear me, And alone, when they replied, thou didst hear me.
Seven whole days, not one in seven, I will praise thee;
In my heart, though not in heaven, I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort to enroll thee;
E’en eternity’s too short to extol thee.
—George Herbert (1593-1632)
When Lay Eucharistic Visitors are taking the Sacrament to members of our Cathedral family:
Celebrant In the name of this congregation, I send you forth bearing these holy gifts, that those to whom you go may share with us in the communion of Christ’s body and blood.
People We who are many are one body, because we all share one bread, one cup.
Prayer after Communion page 339
The Blessing
Hymn 556 (stanzas 1–4)
The Dismissal
Priest Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
People Thanks be to God.
Closing Voluntary Fugue in E-flat Major (St. Anne), BWV 552
Marion
Johann Sebastian Bach
Today we welcome Valentina Huang to her first services as Cathedral Organist. Valentina is an award-winning musician with degrees in piano and organ performance from Johns Hopkins University and Indiana University. She came to Houston two years ago with her husband,Tanner, to start her doctorate at The Shepherd School of Music where she studies with Professor of Organ, Ken Cowan. Please let Valentina know how glad we are that she is with us.
Readings this Week from the Revised Common Lectionary
Old Testament Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–9
Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today? But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.
The Epistle James 1:17–27
Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act — they will be blessed in their doing. If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
The Gospel
Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23
When the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
The Book of Remembrance
This week we remember Emily Scott Shepherd.
The Beauty of Flowers
The flowers on the Cathedral Altar are given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for Karen Kraycirik and her extraordinary service to Christ Church Cathedral by the Vestry.
The flowers in the floor vases are given to the glory of God in thanksgiving for the dedication and friendship of Karen Kraycirik by the Kappes family.
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.
TODAY