St. Peter's By-the-Sea Episcopal Church
Gulfport, Mississippi

The Holy Eucharist: Rite Two

The Word of God

Processional music

The people standing, the Celebrant says
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

The Celebrant may say

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.

When appointed, the following hymn or some other song of praise is sung or said, all standing

Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

The Collect of the Day

The Celebrant says to the people

The Lord be with you.

People And also with you.

Celebrant Let us pray.

The Celebrant says the Collect.

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life:  Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

The Lessons

The people sit.

Reading from Joshua

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.

After each Reading, the Reader may say

The Word of the Lord.

People Thanks be to God

Psalm 78:1-7

1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
  incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
  I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

3   That which we have heard and known, and what our forefathers have told us, *
  we will not hide from their children.

4     We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
  and the wonderful works he has done.

5     He gave his decrees to Jacob and established a law for Israel, *
  which he commanded them to teach their children;

6     That the generations to come might know, and the children yet unborn; *
  that they in their turn might tell it to their children;

7     So that they might put their trust in God, *
  and not forget the deeds of God, but keep his commandments;

Sequence music

THE HOLY GOSPEL

Then, all standing, the Deacon or a Priest reads the Gospel, first saying

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

People Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, “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. 

After the Gospel, the Reader says

The Gospel of the Lord.

People Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon

The Nicene Creed

We 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.
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.

The Prayers of the People

Presider:  Gracious and Holy One, you have made us children of God and heirs of eternal life:  Enliven us to be alert and responsive to your awakening word, that we may participate in your work of healing and reconciliation, as we pray:  Awaken us, O God, that we may always be alert for your coming among us.  

Litanist:  Arouse your church with such mindfulness and hope, O Holy One, that we will be ready and prepared to welcome you as you visit us with your call of healing and reconciliation, peace and justice.  Awaken us, O God, that we may always be alert for your coming among us.

Visit our leaders 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, that we may always be alert for your coming among us.

Come to the aid of your children throughout the world to bring out all who live in the house of oppression; protect them along their way and bring them into safe communities of peace and prosperity.  Awaken us, O God, that we may always be alert for your coming among us.

Let your love be manifest in this community to fill us with hope and sustain 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, that we may always be alert for your coming among us.

We put our trust in you; hear our prayers for all for whom we intercede, especially for those we now mention aloud or in the silence of our hearts (pause); all those serving our country at home and abroad; and those on our prayer list.  Hear our prayers of thanksgiving and praise, especially for those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries Ethan, Reedie, Sam, Ames, Kippy & Whitney.  We do not grieve as others do who have no hope, for we believe that Jesus died and rose again. May God bring to Jesus all who have died, where they will be with the Lord forever. We remember especially those we now mention aloud or in the silence of our hearts (pause).  Awaken us, O God,  that we may always be alert for your coming among us.

Presider:  Let your church offer to you our sincere worship and prayer, O God, 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 the Father and the Holy Spirit we worship, one God, forever and ever.  Amen. 

Confession of Sin

The Deacon or Celebrant says

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

Minister and People

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in 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.

The Priest, stands and says

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 Peace

All stand. The Celebrant says to the people

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People And also with you.

Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.

The Holy Communion
The Great Thanksgiving

The people remain standing. The Celebrant, whether bishop or priest, faces them and sings or says
The Lord be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts.
People We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other occasions as appointed.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Celebrant and People

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.
     Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.   Hosanna in the highest.

The people stand or kneel.
Then the Celebrant continues

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

Celebrant and People

Christ has died.

Christ is risen.

Christ will come again.

The Celebrant continues

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.  Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.  All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

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

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.

The Breaking of the Bread

The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.

A period of silence is kept.

Then may be said

[Alleluia.] Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast. [Alleluia.]

Facing the people, the Celebrant says the following Invitation

The Gifts of God for the People of God.

and may add Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately deliver it to the people.

The Bread and the Cup are given to the communicants with these words

The Body of Christ, the bread of heaven. [Amen.]

The Blood of Christ, the cup of salvation. [Amen.]

During the ministration of Communion, hymns, psalms, or anthems may be sung.

After Communion, the Celebrant says

Let us pray.

Celebrant and People

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing

Recessional

The Dismissal