St. Stephen’s Anglican Parish
9:00 am St. George’s, East River
10:30 am St. Stephen’s, Chester
Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
8 November 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 Street Chester NS B0J 1J0
902.275.3804
The Gathering of the Community
Ante-Communion
The
Penitential Order – p. 216
“Glory
to God” & “Kyrie” - p. 186
Collect of the Day
Brighten
your Church, O God, with the promise of your kingdom, and waken our hearts to
its light. Bid us hasten with faith undimmed to greet the bridegroom’s return
and join the wedding feast. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Proclamation of the Word
1st Lesson – Joshua 24:1-3A, 14-25
Reader: A reading from the Book of Joshua
Then Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges,
and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And
Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:
Long ago your ancestors Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor lived beyond the
Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond
the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring
many. Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in
faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and
in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord,
choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in
the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are
living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." Then the
people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to
serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors
up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great
signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among
all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all
the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve
the Lord, for he is our God." But Joshua said to the people, "You
cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not
forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve
foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having
done you good." And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the
Lord!" Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against
yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him." And they said,
"We are witnesses." He said, "Then put away the foreign gods
that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of
Israel." The people said to Joshua, "The Lord our God we will serve,
and him we will obey." So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day,
and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.
Psalm 78:1-7
Refrain : Forget not
the deeds of God, but keep his commandments.
Hear my
teaching, O my people; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open
my mouth in a parable; I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we
have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us, we will not hide
from their children.
We will
recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the
Lord, and the wonderful works he has done. R
He gave his
decrees to Jacob and established a law for Israel, which he commanded them to
teach their children;
That the
generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; that they in their
turn might tell it to their children;
So
that they might put their trust in God, and not forget the deeds of God, but
keep his commandments. R
2nd
Lesson - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Reader: A
reading from The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers
and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do
who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so,
through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare
to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the
coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord
himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of
God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise
first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds
together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord
forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.
The Proclamation of
the Gospel
Matthew (25:1-13)
Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be
like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their
lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their
lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But
at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet
him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish
said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But
the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had
better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to
buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the
wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also,
saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not
know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the
hour."
The Sermon – The Rector
The Nicene Creed p.
188
Prayers
of the People
Presider:
Gracious and Holy Lord, you have made us your children and heirs of eternal
life: Enliven us to be attentive to your Word, that we may participate in
your life here in this world, as well as in the life of Heaven, as we
pray: Awaken us, O God,
All:
that we may always be alert for your coming among us.
Litanist: We
pray for your Church, O Lord, especially for those administering our diocese,
and for Sandra, our Bishop-Elect, and for all clergy of our Diocese who have
served and are serving in the Canadian Forces as chaplains, as well as all
veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces. We pray for our own Parish of St.
Stephen’s (and this community of St. George’s). Arouse your church with such mindfulness and
hope, Lord God, that we will be ready and prepared to welcome you as you visit
us with your ministry of healing and reconciliation, peace and justice. Awaken us, O God,
All: that we may
always be alert for your coming among us.
Litanist: Visit
Elizabeth our Queen, those who exercise governance in our country under her,
and all who have authority in the nations and the world, that they may put
their trust in you and not forget your deeds, but keep your commandments. Awaken us, O
God,
All: that we may
always be alert for your coming among us.
Litanist: Come
to the aid of your children throughout the world, and to bring out to freedom
all who live in the house of slavery; protect them along their way and bring
them into safe communities of peace and prosperity. Awaken us, O God,
All: that we may
always be alert for your coming among us.
Litanist: Let
your love be manifest in this Village of Chester, (this community of East
River), and all communities throughout our parish and municipality, filling
us with hope and sustaining us in constant wisdom, so that when Christ comes
again with power and great glory, we all may be made like him in his eternal
and glorious kingdom. Awaken us, O God,
All: that we may
always be alert for your coming among us.
Litanist: We
put our trust in you, O Lord. Hear our
prayers for all your people who are suffering illness, grief, or any kind of
trouble, including those who, having served our country in time of conflict,
have returned among us with wounds of the body, mind, and spirit. In our
community we pray especially for___. Awaken us, O God,
All: that we may
always be alert for your coming among us.
Litanist: We
do not grieve as others do who have no hope, for we believe that Jesus has died
and is Risen, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and that where he
is, we, his servants, will be as well.
With this hope in our hearts, we entrust into the Lord’s hands (all
who are dear to us who have gone before us, especially ____). Rest eternal
grant to them, O Lord, and let light perpetual shine upon them. Awaken us, O
God,
All: that we may
always be alert for your coming among us.
Presider:
Let your church offer to you our sincere worship and prayer, Heavenly Father,
that we may be wise and responsible stewards of your earth and inheritors of
the glorious kingdom you have promised through Jesus Christ, who with you and
the Holy Spirit we worship, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Litanist: Let us approach the throne of grace on behalf of the Church, the
world, and one another.
A brief silence is kept.
Litanist: Most holy Father, thank you for
making us your children through your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for your
patience with us when we speak and act in ways that grieve and displease you.
Make us to be like him, so we are your heart’s delight and your blessing to the
world. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: Praying for
the Church for those administering our diocese in the absence of a
bishop, and for Sandra, our Bishop Elect, we ask you to conform the Church
throughout the world to the mind of your dear Son. Conform its proclamation and
teaching to his own. Conform its works to his self-sacrificing love. Fashion
the Church ever more fully into the image and likeness of Christ, so that the
light of his love shines into the world. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: Put the mind
of Christ into this Parish of St. Stephen’s (and this community of St.
George’s). Let his humility and self-giving love shape and direct our
words, worship, service, and fellowship. Give us such willing hearts that we
gladly speak and act in obedience to your will, to your glory and for the
building up of your people. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: Grant
strength, perseverance, and charity to our brothers and sisters who experience
bitter persecution throughout the world. Give them courage, strength and love.
Turn the hearts of their tormentors, so that love, repentance, reconciliation,
and true faith in you may grow. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: We pray to you for Elizabeth our Queen, and all who
govern our nation under her, for those who govern this province and
municipality, for the leaders of the nations. We pray that you will put it in
their hearts to work together to address the crisis of this pandemic, and that
they will work for justice and peace for all people. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: Bring the joy
of your saving help to everyone in the midst of illness, grief, distress,
sorrow, danger or any kind of need (especially...). Be their guide and
defence, grant them all their needs according to your loving will for them, and
give them wholeness of body, mind, and spirit. Lord, in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: We commend to
your care and keeping all our brothers and sisters who have departed this life
and are at rest (especially...). Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and
let light perpetual shine upon them. Lord,
in your mercy,
All: hear our prayer.
Litanist: Father,
conform our prayers to the heart of Jesus, hear them through the interceding of
your Holy Spirit, and grant them in accordance with your gracious will, who
together with you, lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer
over the Gifts
Gracious God, your word to us is food indeed.
Receive
all we offer you this day, and let your loving-kindness be our comfort,
for
the sake of Jesus Christ, your living Word.
The Lord’s Prayer – p. 211
Blessing
Announcements
Dismissal
========================================================================
Announcements
Remembrance Day
We will be having a Service of the Word (no Communion) for Remembrance Day on Wednesday, 11 November, beginning at 10:55 a.m. at St. Stephen's. Worship will also be live-streamed over our Facebook Page. Seating will be as we currently are able to arrange it for Sunday mornings, so it will be limited.
Cemetery
Restoration Work
Parishioners
will have seen workers in the cemetery around St. Stephen’s Church lately.
They are repairing and righting various headstones needing attention.
The soft loam soil in the lower portion of the cemetery, towards King
Street, causes the stones to shift and lean which in turn has lead to a number
of them toppling from their base. Over several weeks much of this damage
will be repaired with new class-A soil, sod, and cementing of the stones.
Plum
Puddings
The
very successful pre-sale of Plum Puddings means that at St. Stephen’s we will
be making close to the same number of puddings that have been produced in
recent years. Help is still needed for 2 stages - (1) sitting at
well-spaced tables in Tuck Hall to wrap and tie cards to finished puddings and
(2) to assist with delivery by sitting in the Tyler Grant room for several
hours while customers pick up their puddings, or by delivering puddings
directly to customers. Please contact Gretchen if you are able to assist
with any of this work 902-275-4058 or g.mccurdy50@gmail.com
Advanced Care
Planning and Personal Directives Workshops
A free workshop
offered by the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA), is available, and will be
running for the coming months. Learn about how to write your personal
directive for healthcare. They will be offered every month until
March, and are free! For anyone thinking about their health,
wellness and getting their personal affairs in order, this is a wonderful tool.
Advance Care
Planning and Personal Directives – INSPIRED Program, NSHA
Explore what
advance care planning is and what to include when creating a personal
directive. To register, please call Andrew Comstock at (902) 483-8943
• Tuesday, November 24th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm (online via Zoom for Healthcare)
• Tuesday, December 8th from 1:00 to 3:00 pm (online via Zoom for Healthcare)
Flu Shots: Just a reminder as we approach flu season to plan on getting your
flu shot as a way of advancing the public health of our families, friends, and
community.
Rector's
Discretionary Fund -
Our Parish maintains the Rector's Discretionary Fund, for the relief and
assistance of both parishioners and members of the broader Chester Municipality
Community, should they have a material difficulty which we may be able to
alleviate. In addition to your alms to the general ministry of the Parish of
St. Stephen, you may also donate directly to it. All donations should be
identified as being for the Rector's Discretionary Fund, while all cheques for
that purpose need to be made to St. Stephen's Parish, Chester, with
"Rector's Discretionary Fund" in the memo line.
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