March 5, 2023, The Second Sunday in Lent, Holy Eucharist

The Second Sunday in Lent

THE HOLY EUCHARIST

Sunday, March 5, 2023

Welcome to the Monastery Chapel.

We warmly invite you to participate fully in our worship.

Covid Safety Practices

Please note that we require everyone who attends Chapel services to be fully vaccinated and boosted. The Monastery is the Brothers’ home and several Brothers, as well as members of the congregation, fall into the category of persons particularly vulnerable to COVID. While masks are no longer compulsory, we fully support those who choose to wear a mask for any reason; you may see some Brothers wearing masks. At times you may find that some windows are being left open in the Chapel to enhance the ventilation. Please plan to dress accordingly.

Prelude The glory of these forty days Georg Böhm

Opening Acclamation

Presider Blessed be the God of our salvation: People Who bears our burdens and forgives our sins.

Confession and Absolution of Sin

Deacon The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; a broken and contrite heart God will not despise. Let us come to the Lord, who is full of compassion, and acknowledge our transgressions in penitence and faith.

God of all mercy,

People we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives. We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves, and in the world you have created. We repent of the evil that enslaves us, the evil we have done, and the evil done on our behalf. Forgive, restore, and strengthen us through our Savior Jesus Christ, that we may abide in your love and serve only your will. Amen.

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

Sung three times

Collect of the Day

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

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

ow the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.

Psalm 121

Levavi oculos (The Book of Common Prayer, 779)

hat then are we to say was gained by Abraham, our ancestor according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Now to one who works, wages are not reckoned as a gift but as something due. But to one who without works trusts him who justifies the ungodly, such faith is reckoned as righteousness.

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”) in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Tract Psalm 106:1–

ow there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

The Sermon

Setting: Calvin Hampton

THE HOLY COMMUNION

The Collection of Gifts and Offerings

Your financial gifts support the Brothers’ life and our ministry to many, both here at our Monastery in Cambridge, at our rural Monastery – Emery House – in West Newbury, and others whom we reach electronically and in our travels on mission.

The Great Thanksgiving Sanctus Holy, holy, holy Lord Kyivan chant

Fraction Anthem

Receive the body of Christ Moscow chant, The cantor sings the entire verse, then all repeat. arr. M. Fortunatto

Invitation to Communion

Presider 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.

A Note about Holy Communion

Following Diocesan guidelines, please refrain from intinction (dipping the Bread into the Chalice). If you wish to abstain from receiving from the Chalice, remember that the Church catholic has always taught that the fullness of the Sacrament is received even when only one form is received.

If you require a Gluten-Free host, please indicate to the Brother administering Bread at Holy Communion if that is your preference.

Prayer After Communion

Presider Creator of heaven and earth, People we thank you for these holy mysteries, which bring us now a share in the life to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Deacon Bow down before the Lord.

Presider Keep this your family, Lord, with your never-failing mercy, that relying solely on the help of your heavenly grace, they may be upheld by your divine protection; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dismissal

Postlude The glory of these forty days

Johann Sebastian Bach

Br. Curtis Almquist, Presider & Preacher

The Rev. Daphne Noyes, Deacon Br. Lain Wilson, Acolyte

Mr. James Woodman, Monastery Organist

Supplementary hymns are used by permission and licensed to be reprinted for this service by OneLicense.Net: #A-725463

Service music: An Order of Worship for the Holy Eucharist and Evening Prayer, in Commemoration of Sergius, Abbot of Holy Trinity, Moscow, 1392.

© 1988, The Episcopal Church Center

Research, text and realization: Jane Baun

Musical adaptation and engraving: Gregory Myers

Sponsorship and consultation: Elizabeth Turner, John Vogelsang (Episcopal Church Center)

Welcome

We are delighted to welcome you to the Monastery today, either in-person or online. If you are a visitor, or new to the Monastery or Community, please take a moment to introduce yourself to one of the Brothers following the Eucharist. If you are joining us online, drop us a note telling us where you are joining us from.

Welcome Students

We are pleased to welcome today students and their sponsors from Christ Episcopal School, Covington, Louisiana.

Contemplative Holy Eucharist

This Lent, we will offer a Contemplative Holy Eucharist at 12:30 PM on Wednesdays in the Chapel. We invite you to join us for this simple and beautiful service.

Retreat Day

The community will take its retreat day in March on Wednesday, 8 March. We will not pray Compline on Tuesday, 7 March, or Morning Prayer or Compline on Wednesday, 8 March. Our retreat day in April will be on Wednesday, 26 April.

Residential Programs for Students

The brothers are happy to be accepting applications for two upcoming programs:

Summer Seminarians 2023

A 6-week, full-time, residential program for students preparing for ordained ministry, 27 June-6 August 2023. For more information and application, see www.ssje.org/summerseminarians.

Student Monastic Residency ’23’24

A 9-month, residential program for local graduate students in any field of study for the academic year 2023-24. For more information and application, see www.ssje.org/residency.

Student Tuesdays

For our weekly Tuesday evening student group, we invite local students to join us each week for the Eucharist, supper, discussion, and Compline, in any combination. Information and registration can be found at www.ssje.org/students.

Livestreaming

We livestream Evening Prayer and Compline throughout the week, as well as the Sunday and Tuesday Eucharists. If you are unable to join us in person, please join us online.

Evening Prayer

Evening Prayer (Evensong) is one of the glories of Anglicanism. The community sings Evening Prayer at 6:00 PM Wednesday through Saturday, and at 4:00 PM on Sunday. Saturday and Sunday Evening Prayer are especially beautiful. Why not make attending Evening Prayer on Saturday or Sunday, or another evening during the week, part of your regular pattern.

The Monastery as Sanctuary

We want our Monastery to be a sanctuary for our guests and for the Brothers. Please silence your electronic devices. We also ask you not to photograph, video, or record services in the Chapel, or to photograph other guests or Brothers without their express permission.