THE LAST SUNDAY
AFTER EPIPHANY
Service and Readings
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Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 10:00Am
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HYMN
Morning Has Broken
(#8, The Hymnal 1982)
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Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. 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.
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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.
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The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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THE FIRST READING
A Reading from the Book of Exodus.
The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. To the elders he had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.”
Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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THE PSALM
Psalm 99
The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.
The Lord is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.
Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.
"O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob."
Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.
Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.
Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.
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THE SECOND READING
A reading from the Second Letter of Peter.
We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
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GOSPEL HYMN
God Is Love and Where True Love Is
(#577, The Hymnal 1982)
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THE GOSPEL READING
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.
As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
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THE HOMILY
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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.
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THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name
may be united in your truth,
live together in your love,
and reveal your glory in the world.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Guide the people of this land,
and of all the nations,
in the ways of justice and peace;
that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation,
that we may use its resources rightly
in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours,
and grant that we may serve Christ in them,
and love one another as he loves us.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Comfort and heal all those who suffer
in body, mind, or spirit;
give them courage and hope in their troubles,
and bring them the joy of your salvation.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
We commend to your mercy all who have died,
that your will for them may be fulfilled;
and we pray that we may share
with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
(The People may add their own petitions.)
SILENCE.
Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
For yours is the majesty,
O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit;
yours is the kingdom and the power,
and the glory, now and forever. Amen.
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Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
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.
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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.
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THE PEACE
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
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THE HOLY COMMUNION
Let us with gladness present the offerings and oblations
of our life and labor to the Lord.
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HYMN
Earth and All Stars
(#412, The Hymnal 1982)
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The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
For by water and the Holy Spirit, you have made us a new people in Jesus Christ our Lord, to show forth your glory in all the world.
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:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord,
God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosana in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
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 his command, O Father,
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
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.
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.
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
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(A prayer for those worshipping remotely
and are not physically in Church today.)
My Jesus,
I believe that you are truly present
in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things,
and long for you in my soul.
Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally,
come spiritually into my heart.
As you have already come,
I embrace you and unite myself entirely to you;
never permit me to be separated from you. Amen.
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O Lamb of God,
that takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us. (2x)
O Lamb of God,
that takest away the sins of the world,
grant us thy peace.
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The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
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HYMN
Now Thank We All Our God
(#397, The Hymnal 1982)
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Let us pray.
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.
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THE BLESSING
The peace of God, which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God,
and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord;
and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit, be among you,
and remain with you always. Amen.
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HYMN
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
(#657, The Hymnal 1982)
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