PreludeJoyful, joyful H376

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The Fifth Sunday after PentecostThe Feast of Pauli Murray

July 5, 2020

Gathering the communities of St. Luke the Evangelist, Houston, St. Francis of Assisi, Prairie View, Houston

Canterbury, and St. James’, Austin

Wherever you are on this journey of faith, you are welcome at this table. Wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are welcome at this

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Gloria LEVAS 243

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The Lord be with you.And also with you.

Let us pray.Liberating God, we thank you for the steadfast courage of your servant Pauli Murray, who fought long and well: Unshackle us from bonds of prejudice and fear so that we show forth your reconciling love and true freedom, which you revealed through your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Reading from Zechariah Zechariah 9:9-12

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion!Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!Lo, your king comes to you;triumphant and victorious is he,humble and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey.He will cut off the chariot from Ephraimand the war horse from Jerusalem;and the battle bow shall be cut off,and he shall command peace to the nations;his dominion shall be from sea to sea,and from the River to the ends of the earth.As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you,I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope;today I declare that I will restore to you double.

The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

The Psalm Psalm 145: 8-13

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and of great kindness.

The  Lord is loving to everyone and his compassion is over all his works.

All your works praise you, O Lord , and your faithful servants bless you.

They make known the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power;

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That the peoples may know of your power and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; your dominion endures throughout all ages.

A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Galatians Galatians 3:23-29

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 

But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

The Word of the Lord.Thanks be to God.

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Great is thy faithfulness LEVAS 189

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The Gospel Mt 11:16-19, 25-30

The Holy Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew. Glory to you, Lord Christ!

Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes Jesus said to the crowd, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;we wailed, and you did not mourn.’

For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants;

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yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Gospel of the Lord.Praise to you, Lord Christ!

Sermon The Rev. Rhonda Rogers

Musical MeditationJust a closer walk with thee

The Nicene CreedWe believe in one God,    the Father, the Almighty,    maker of heaven and earth,    of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,    the only Son of God,    eternally begotten of the Father,    God from God, Light from Light,    true God from true God,    begotten, not made,    of one Being with the Father.    Through him all things were made.    For us and for our salvation        he came down from heaven:    by the power of the Holy Spirit        he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,        and was made man.    For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;        he suffered death and was buried.        On the third day he rose again            in accordance with the Scriptures;        he ascended into heaven            and is seated at the right hand of the Father.    He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,        and his kingdom will have no end.

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We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,    who proceeds from the Father and the Son.    With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.    He has spoken through the Prophets.    We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.    We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.    We look for the resurrection of the dead,        and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Celebrant Jesus said, “The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

In the silence, we are invited to examine the brokenness in our own lives and in the world and to pray that, with God’s merciful help, we might set our feet upon paths of repentance.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against youin thought, word, and deed,by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.We have not loved you with our whole heart;we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;that we may delight in your will,and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

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

The Prayers of the People

Intercessor Gracious God, you fill us with faith and courage to carry your liberating love and a song of hope to all the world. Hear us as we pray, saying: 

Lord, hear our prayer;People   and let our cry come to you.

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Intercessor  Strengthen all those who witness to the truth that Black Lives Matter, and raise up the prophetic voice of the Church to call the world to strive for God’s dream

of freedom. Lord, hear our prayer;

People   and let our cry come to you.

Intercessor Direct the counsel and knowledge of all leaders, Almighty One, that they may confront injustice and discrimination with words and acts of wisdom and

compassion. Lord, hear our prayer;

People   and let our cry come to you.

 Intercessor Revive our souls, O Gracious One, and fill our communities with perseverance and enduring faith.  When we encounter defeat, may we live on to see our lost

causes found.Lord, hear our prayer;

People   and let our cry come to you.

 Intercessor We commend to you all those who have died, especially those whose lives were taken by the violence of systemic racism. Comfort all who grieve, uphold

those whose lives are filled with fear, and uplift those for whom justice has too long been denied.

Lord, hear our prayer;People   and let our cry come to you.

Intercessor Loving God, help us to know ourselves to be held in the gaze of your love, that we might learn to love, and to embrace all of creation itself. 

Lord, hear our prayer;People   and let our cry come to you.

Intercessor Into your abundant heart, O God, we offer the cares and thanksgivings of our hearts.For what shall we give thanks today?  (Pause to rejoice in thanksgiving with the

community.)For whom shall we pray?  (Pause to hear the prayers of others and to offer your own.)We give thanks for those who have gone before us.  Whom shall we remember and

not forget? (Pause to hear the prayers of others and to offer your own.)Lord, hear our prayer;

People   and let our cry come to you.

Intercessor: Loving and gracious God, you called Pauli Murray and all your faithful servants to bring leadership and hope to your Church: Hear our prayer, and let our cry come to you, that we may persevere in hope, building institutions and relationships of justice, truth, and reconciling peace, through Jesus Christ our Savior, who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Celebrant And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray,

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People Our Father, who art in heaven,    hallowed be 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.For thine is the kingdom,    and the power, and the glory,    for ever and ever. Amen.

Celebrant Let us pray.Loving God, we give you thanks for gathering us and for pouring out your presence among us through your abundant Spirit. Now send us forth a people forgiven, healed, renewed; that we may proclaim your love to the world and continue in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.

Celebrant Life is short,And we do not have much timeto gladden the hearts of those whomake the journey with us. So… be swift to love,and make haste to be kind.And the blessing of God,who made us,who loves us,and who travels with usbe with you now and forever.Amen.

Amazing Grace

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