Prelude                               

The Procession

Word of God

Opening Acclamation
Prayer Book 355

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.

Hymn of Praise S280                                                               

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.

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

The Lessons

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’”

And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

After each Reading, the Reader may say

The Psalm

Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *

do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, *

and like the green grass fade away.

3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *

dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4 Take delight in the Lord, *

and he shall give you your heart’s desire.

5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *

and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *

and your just dealing as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord *

and wait patiently for him.

8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *

the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *

do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

10 For evildoers shall be cut off, *

but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *

you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

12 But the lowly shall possess the land; *

they will delight in abundance of peace.

41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; *

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

42 The Lord will help them and rescue them; *

he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,

because they seek refuge in him.

The New Testament

1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50

Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

After each Reading, the Reader may say

Sequence Hymn

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

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

After the Gospel, the Reader says

The Sermon         The Rev.  Patrick Sanders

The Nicene Creed         page 358

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.

Prayers of the People

Presider: Merciful God, you are kind to the ungrateful and the wicked: Expand our compassion that we may not only do to others as we would have them do to us, but also may learn to love our enemies and to bless those who may curse us. Hear us as we pray: Commit your way to God. Be still before God and wait patiently.

Litanist:  You shower blessings upon your Church, O Gracious One, and you call us to share in your generous work of reconciliation: Help us to give and forgive, and be instruments of your abundant love for all people.  Commit your way to God. Be still before God and wait patiently.

Holy One, teach the leaders of our land and all in authority to follow your path of nonviolence and to resist evildoers with the disciplines of mercy, that nations may refrain from anger, leave rage alone, and dwell in the land to feed on its riches.  Commit your way to God.  Be still before God and wait patiently.

Compassionate One, help and rescue those who live with violence, oppression, threat and disease, that what is sown in weakness in them may be raised in power, so that the lowly may possess the land and all people delight in abundance of peace.   Commit your way to God. Be still before God and wait patiently.

Gracious One, inspire generosity in this community that we may give and lend without expectation, and that all may enjoy your divine abundance: a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.  Commit your way to God.  Be still before God and wait patiently.

Merciful God, hear our prayers for your children in need and bring your comfort to all for whom we intercede, especially 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.  We thank you for your abundant mercy and generosity, offering you our gratitude especially for those celebrating birthdays  Amy, Jan, Ajia, Linda, Lee, Finnegan, Richard, and Lauren.  What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. Bring the dead into your eternal living heart, especially those we now remember aloud or in the silence of our hearts (pause). 

Presider: Holy God, pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, that we may become merciful even as you are merciful and be children of the Most High, for you live and love us into being through your Son Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit; you are One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Confession

The Celebrant says.

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor

Silence

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 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

Celebrant: The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People: And also with you.

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

Announcements 

EYC meets Sunday evenings at St. Mark’s.  4:30-5:30 5th thru 8th grade; dinner for all at 5:30; 6-7 PM  9 thru 12th grade.

WEDNESDAY at St. Peter’s.  Every Wednesday we have activities and hope you will consider joining us.

9AM Prayers in the chapel 10:30 Bible Study in the parish hall

12:05 Holy Eucharist

5:30 Compline         6:00 Family dinner and spiritual discussions for all ages

INQUIRER’S CLASSES – we are offering two opportunities to participate.  Wednesday evenings as part of our community dinner and discussions and Sunday mornings between services.  The Bishop will be with us March 30th to perform confirmations, reaffirmations, receptions and baptisms.

ALTAR FLOWERS/SANCTUARY CANDLE – if you would like to sponsor the altar flowers or candle – pick your date on the sign up calendar located on the parish hall bulletin board.  Flowers are $60 and the Candle is $10

LENT-urgical Art and Quiet Day Workshops
Join us for one or all of six Saturdays in Lent as St. Peter’s conducts a quiet day of prayer, meditation and beginner’s workshops carefully chosen crafts. Learn more and sign up on-line: https://stpetersbytheseagulfport.com/lent-urgical-arts-and-quiet-days/

Oblations brought forward (congregation stands)

Offertory     

Presentation Hymn  380 (vs. 3)          From all that dwell below the skies

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

 praise him all creatures here below.  

  Praise him above, ye heavenly host:

praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Amen!

The Holy Communion

The Great Thanksgiving

Eucharistic Prayer B     Prayer Book 367

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.

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

The Celebrant adds an additional prayer (Proper Preface) followed by

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:

S124

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 Celebrant continues

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son.  For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you.  In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.  

On the night before he died for us, 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, according to this command, O Father,

Celebrant and People
We remember his death,

We proclaim his resurrection,

We await his coming in glory;

The Celebrant continues

And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.

We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant.  Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.  In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.  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.

Celebrant:

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 as a period of silence is kept.

Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia.

Celebrant:

The Gifts of God for the People of God. 

Communion of the People

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

Post Communion Prayer                                                      Prayer Book 366

Celebrant Let us pray.

Celebrant and people

Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom.  And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.  To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever.  Amen.

The Blessing

The Retiring Procession

Dismissal

Serving Today
Alan Young, Chalice

Readers
Dunny Green, 1st Lesson 
Dunny Green, 2nd Lesson

Ushers
Lee Crump    Mark Banks

       Altar flowers, Christie Yoste, Kay Andre’, Janice Fitzgerald
Altar care, Ann Milsted

  Mike Fitzgerald, Vestry Person   
Debbie Anglin, Children’s Church 
JT Anglin, Organist
The Rev. Scott Williams, Deacon
 The Rev. Patrick Sanders, Rector