St Stephen's Parish in Chester, NS

St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish

10:30 am St. Stephen’s, Chester

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

30 August 2020

Our mission is to worship God and care for

God’s people in the spirit of Christ….

Archdeacon Ian Wissler Rector 902. 275. 8627 ian.wissler@gmail.com

Rev. Canon Dr. Stephen Paul Booth, Honorary Assistant

Wardens: Mary Casavant 902.275.7992 rickmarycasavant@gmail.com

Jon Waddell 902.275.4630 jwadell@bellaliant.net

Choir Director: Dawn Harwood-Jones

Organist: Margaret Machum

ststephensparish@ns.sympatico.ca

Parish Office Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

54 Regent Chester

Order for Ante-Communion

30 August 2020

Presider: Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

All: Amen.

Presider: ALMIGHTY God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Presider: OUR Lord Jesus Christ said: Hear O Israel, The Lord our God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first and great commandment And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

People. Lord, have mercy upon us, and write both these thy laws in our hearts, we beseech thee.

All: Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Presider: The Lord be with you

All: And with thy Spirit.

Presider: Let us pray

Collect of the Day:

O God, whose word burns like a fire within us: grant us a bold and faithful spirit, so that, in your strength, we may be unafraid to speak your word and follow where you lead; through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever

1^st Lesson Exodus 3:1-15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you': This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations."

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45

Presider: O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
All: Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
Presider: Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
All: Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.
Presider: Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
All: O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Presider: Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
All: And the LORD made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes,
Presider: whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
All: He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
Presider: Praise the LORD!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

All: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

2^nd Lesson Romans 12:9-21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Gospel Lesson Matthew 16:21-28

Presider: The Lord be with you.

All: And with thy spirit.

Presider: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to Matthew (16:21-28)

All: Glory be to thee, O Lord.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

At the conclusion of the Gospel Lesson, the Presider declares:

Presider: The Gospel of Christ.

All: Praise be to thee, O Christ.

THE NICENE CREED

Presider: I BELIEVE in one God

All: the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, And of all things visible and invisible: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father before all worlds; God, of God; Light, of Light; Very God, of very God; Begotten, not made; Being of one substance with the Father; Through whom all things were made: Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, And was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, And was made man, And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, And the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, And ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead: Whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, The Lord, The Giver of Life, Who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, Who spake by the Prophets. And I believe One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins. And I look for the Resurrection of the dead, And the Life of the world to come. Amen.

The Homily

INTERCESSIONS

Presider: Almighty and immortal God, the giver of life and health: Behold, we beseech thee, our separation from one another, our beloved parish church, and from the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, regard with tender compassion our sorrows, anxieties and fears, and help us to put our whole trust and confidence in thee. Lord, hear our prayer,