Fr. Craig Swan: Our service of Holy Eucharist.
Fr. Craig Swan: Rite two begins on the front page of our seasonal booklet or
Fr. Craig Swan: on page three hundred and fifty five of the Red Prayer Book.
Fr. Craig Swan: Blessed be God, father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Fr. Craig Swan: Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known.
Fr. Craig Swan: And from you no secrets are hid.
Fr. Craig Swan: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of
Fr. Craig Swan: your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily
Fr. Craig Swan: magnify your holy name through Christ our Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: And let us join in saying
Fr. Craig Swan: together, glory to God in the
Fr. Craig Swan: highest, and peace to his people
Fr. Craig Swan: on earth.
Fr. Craig Swan: Lord God, heavenly King,
Fr. Craig Swan: Almighty God and Father, we
Fr. Craig Swan: worship you.
Fr. Craig Swan: We give you thanks.
Fr. Craig Swan: We praise you for your glory.
Fr. Craig Swan: Lord Jesus Christ, only son of
Fr. Craig Swan: the father, Lord God, Lamb of
Fr. Craig Swan: God, you take away the sin of
Fr. Craig Swan: the world.
Fr. Craig Swan: Have mercy on us.
Fr. Craig Swan: You are seated at the right hand of the father.
Fr. Craig Swan: Receive our prayer.
Fr. Craig Swan: For you alone are the Holy One.
Fr. Craig Swan: You alone are the Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: You alone are the Most High.
Fr. Craig Swan: Jesus Christ with the Holy
Fr. Craig Swan: Spirit, in the glory of God the
Fr. Craig Swan: Father.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: The Lord be with you.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let us pray.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let your continual mercy, O
Fr. Craig Swan: Lord, cleanse and defend your
Fr. Craig Swan: church.
Fr. Craig Swan: And because it cannot continue
Fr. Craig Swan: in safety without your help,
Fr. Craig Swan: protect and govern it always by
Fr. Craig Swan: your goodness.
Fr. Craig Swan: Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
Fr. Craig Swan: and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Please be seated for the readings.
Reader: The first reading is from the book of Genesis.
Reader: The same night, Jacob got up and
Reader: took his two wives, his two
Reader: maids and his eleven children,
Reader: and crossed the ford of the
Reader: Jabbok.
Reader: He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise
Reader: everything that he had.
Reader: Jacob was left alone, and a man
Reader: wrestled with him until
Reader: daybreak.
Reader: When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck
Reader: him on the hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint
Reader: as he wrestled with him.
Reader: Then he said, let me go, for the day is breaking.
Reader: But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me.
Reader: So he said to him, what is your name?
Reader: And he said, Jacob.
Reader: Then the man said, you shall no
Reader: longer be called Jacob, but
Reader: Israel.
Reader: For you have striven with God
Reader: and with humans, and have
Reader: prevailed.
Reader: Then Jacob asked him, please tell me your name.
Reader: But he said, why is it that you ask my name?
Reader: And then he blessed him.
Reader: So Jacob called the place Peniel.
Reader: Saying, for I have seen God face
Reader: to face, and yet my life is
Reader: preserved.
Reader: The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because
Reader: of his hip.
Reader: The word of the Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: Thanks be to God.
Reader: Please pray together.
Reader: Psalm seventeen.
Reader: Hear my plea of innocence, O Lord, give heed to my cry.
Reader: Listen to my prayer.
Reader: Which does not come from lying lips.
Reader: Let my vindication come forth from your presence.
Reader: Let your eyes be fixed on justice way my heart.
Reader: Summon by my night.
Reader: Melt me down.
Reader: You will find no impurity in me.
Reader: I give no offense with my mouth as others do.
Reader: I have heeded the words of your lips.
Reader: My footsteps hold fast to the ways of your law.
Reader: In your paths my feet shall not stumble.
Reader: I call upon you, O God, for you will answer me.
Reader: Incline your ear to me and hear my words.
Reader: Show me your marvelous, loving
Reader: kindness, O Savior, of those who
Reader: take refuge at your right hand
Reader: from those who rise up against
Reader: them.
Reader: But at my vindication I shall see your face.
Reader: When I awake, I shall be
Reader: satisfied, beholding your
Reader: likeness.
Reader: The second reading is from Paul's letter to the Romans.
Reader: I am speaking the truth in Christ.
Reader: I am not lying.
Reader: My conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit.
Reader: I have great sorrow and
Reader: unceasing anguish in my heart,
Reader: for I could wish that I myself
Reader: were accursed and cut off from
Reader: Christ for the sake of my own
Reader: people, my kindred according to
Reader: the flesh.
Reader: They are Israelites, and to them
Reader: belong the adoption, the glory,
Reader: the covenants, the giving of the
Reader: law, the worship, and the
Reader: promises.
Reader: To them belong the patriarchs, and from them according to the
Reader: flesh comes the Messiah who is over all God blessed forever.
Reader: Amen.
Reader: The word of the Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: Thanks be to God.
Fr. Craig Swan: The holy gospel of our Lord
Fr. Craig Swan: Jesus Christ, according to
Fr. Craig Swan: Matthew.
Fr. Craig Swan: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Fr. Craig Swan: Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself.
Fr. Craig Swan: But when the crowds heard it,
Fr. Craig Swan: they followed him on foot from
Fr. Craig Swan: the towns.
Fr. Craig Swan: When he went ashore, he saw a
Fr. Craig Swan: great crowd, and he had
Fr. Craig Swan: compassion for them, and cured
Fr. Craig Swan: their sick.
Fr. Craig Swan: When it was evening the disciples came to him and said,
Fr. Craig Swan: this is a deserted place, and the hour is now late.
Fr. Craig Swan: Send the crowds away, so that they may go into the villages
Fr. Craig Swan: and buy food for themselves.
Fr. Craig Swan: Jesus said to them, they need not go away.
Fr. Craig Swan: You give them something to eat.
Fr. Craig Swan: They replied, we have nothing
Fr. Craig Swan: here but five loaves and two
Fr. Craig Swan: fish.
Fr. Craig Swan: And he said, bring them here to me.
Fr. Craig Swan: Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, taking
Fr. Craig Swan: the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and
Fr. Craig Swan: blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples.
Fr. Craig Swan: And the disciples gave them to
Fr. Craig Swan: the crowds, and all ate and were
Fr. Craig Swan: filled.
Fr. Craig Swan: And they took up what was left over of the broken pieces.
Fr. Craig Swan: Twelve Basketfuls.
Fr. Craig Swan: And those who ate were about
Fr. Craig Swan: five thousand men besides women
Fr. Craig Swan: and children.
Fr. Craig Swan: The gospel of the Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Fr. Craig Swan: In the name of God, father, son, and Holy Spirit.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Please be seated.
Fr. Craig Swan: As I've mentioned over the last couple of weeks, we've been
Fr. Craig Swan: reading all three of our weekly readings in chronological order.
Fr. Craig Swan: They don't necessarily connect because we're in the Revised
Fr. Craig Swan: Common Lectionary, in which the Old Testament lesson is we're
Fr. Craig Swan: reading from the beginning to an end of each book.
Fr. Craig Swan: This year in year A, we're reading Genesis.
Fr. Craig Swan: If you haven't figured that out, we started with the beginning of
Fr. Craig Swan: Genesis, and now we're towards the middle, a little bit past
Fr. Craig Swan: the middle, in the Jacob section of the Abrahamic.
Fr. Craig Swan: Story.
Fr. Craig Swan: And we're at an interesting point of inflection this morning
Fr. Craig Swan: because Jacob's life has finally caught up to him.
Fr. Craig Swan: We all know the story of how
Fr. Craig Swan: Jacob and his brother Esau, his
Fr. Craig Swan: twin brother, in fact, have been
Fr. Craig Swan: wrestling with each other or
Fr. Craig Swan: battling with each other
Fr. Craig Swan: basically since before they were
Fr. Craig Swan: born.
Fr. Craig Swan: In fact, Esau became the
Fr. Craig Swan: firstborn, not because he came
Fr. Craig Swan: out of the womb first, but
Fr. Craig Swan: because his foot came out and
Fr. Craig Swan: the nurse tied a ribbon or
Fr. Craig Swan: string to it to mark him as the
Fr. Craig Swan: firstborn.
Fr. Craig Swan: And as we know from other
Fr. Craig Swan: stories, being first born is
Fr. Craig Swan: significant among the males
Fr. Craig Swan: because to that individual is
Fr. Craig Swan: not just the birthright or
Fr. Craig Swan: inheritance of the father's
Fr. Craig Swan: place at the head of the table
Fr. Craig Swan: after the father has passed
Fr. Craig Swan: away.
Fr. Craig Swan: But they get a double portion of
Fr. Craig Swan: the inheritance of the father's
Fr. Craig Swan: wealth.
Fr. Craig Swan: Esau was the one who was intended to inherit the position
Fr. Craig Swan: of Isaac within the family.
Fr. Craig Swan: But Jacob is a conniver, and we know that one day we heard the
Fr. Craig Swan: story when Esau came in and the hunting was not successful, and
Fr. Craig Swan: he was famished and dramatically about to die of starvation.
Fr. Craig Swan: He gave up his birthright to his twin brother.
Fr. Craig Swan: And then a little bit later on in the story, because Jacob was
Fr. Craig Swan: the favored child of their mother, Rebecca, he was
Fr. Craig Swan: disguised and brought to his father's deathbed, pretending to
Fr. Craig Swan: be Esau, and received the blessing of the father that was
Fr. Craig Swan: intended for the firstborn.
Fr. Craig Swan: And so, as we heard as well,
Fr. Craig Swan: Jacob was sent off at that point
Fr. Craig Swan: by his mother out of fear of
Fr. Craig Swan: Esau.
Fr. Craig Swan: And over the last fourteen years
Fr. Craig Swan: he's been helping out his uncle
Fr. Craig Swan: Laban to purchase both of his
Fr. Craig Swan: wives.
Fr. Craig Swan: But now he has moved on and he is establishing his own tribe at
Fr. Craig Swan: this point with his wives.
Fr. Craig Swan: And he has made a promise that
Fr. Craig Swan: he is not going to keep his
Fr. Craig Swan: people up in the northern area
Fr. Craig Swan: where Laban's lands are, but
Fr. Craig Swan: moves southward.
Fr. Craig Swan: But as he moves southward.
Fr. Craig Swan: Now he's bumping up against his twin brother and his lands, and
Fr. Craig Swan: he's kind of now stuck at a point where, as I said in the
Fr. Craig Swan: beginning, his life has caught up to him.
Fr. Craig Swan: He has to own and live with the
Fr. Craig Swan: consequences of what he has done
Fr. Craig Swan: in his past deal with his
Fr. Craig Swan: brother.
Fr. Craig Swan: But let us also realize that in dealing with his brother, he now
Fr. Craig Swan: must take on the position.
Fr. Craig Swan: As he inherited or was given through Esau's birthright as the
Fr. Craig Swan: head of the family.
Fr. Craig Swan: And that means to become the leader or the patriarch of what
Fr. Craig Swan: was then the offspring and the children of Abraham.
Fr. Craig Swan: That didn't just come with the
Fr. Craig Swan: family fortune and lands and the
Fr. Craig Swan: responsibility for the children,
Fr. Craig Swan: but a very specific relationship
Fr. Craig Swan: with Yahweh.
Fr. Craig Swan: And so as we find ourselves in
Fr. Craig Swan: today's story with him alone,
Fr. Craig Swan: because he has sent his wife and
Fr. Craig Swan: wives and children off for their
Fr. Craig Swan: protection.
Fr. Craig Swan: And he now encamps overlooking where his brother Laban is.
Fr. Craig Swan: He has to make a decision.
Fr. Craig Swan: Is he going to move forward?
Fr. Craig Swan: And accept all the things he
Fr. Craig Swan: connived for himself and now
Fr. Craig Swan: bear out the responsibilities
Fr. Craig Swan: that means.
Fr. Craig Swan: Or does he run?
Fr. Craig Swan: Will he enter into relationship with Yahweh and assume that
Fr. Craig Swan: sacred role as patriarch.
Fr. Craig Swan: Or will he run.
Fr. Craig Swan: And as much as a story is about
Fr. Craig Swan: a physical wrestling match with
Fr. Craig Swan: an angel, with God, etc., I
Fr. Craig Swan: think it's also a spiritual
Fr. Craig Swan: wrestling match.
Fr. Craig Swan: A wrestling match between Jacob and God.
Fr. Craig Swan: Over.
Fr. Craig Swan: Will he assume the mantle?
Fr. Craig Swan: Will he put his trust in the direction of Yahweh and fulfill
Fr. Craig Swan: that dream or not?
Fr. Craig Swan: And as I look at this story, I
Fr. Craig Swan: see it as a metaphor for our own
Fr. Craig Swan: spiritual lives, because the
Fr. Craig Swan: wrestling of Jacob with God at
Fr. Craig Swan: Peniel leads to the etiology or
Fr. Craig Swan: the origin of what it means to
Fr. Craig Swan: be Israel.
Fr. Craig Swan: Those who have right with God.
Fr. Craig Swan: That's the translation.
Fr. Craig Swan: One who has wrestled with God, ultimately becoming the people
Fr. Craig Swan: who wrestle with God.
Fr. Craig Swan: And we as baptized people,
Fr. Craig Swan: adopted as Christ's own and
Fr. Craig Swan: God's own through adoption, are
Fr. Craig Swan: part of that reality and are a
Fr. Craig Swan: peace people who wrestle with
Fr. Craig Swan: God.
Fr. Craig Swan: Now for some of us, we're saying.
Fr. Craig Swan: We wrestle with God.
Fr. Craig Swan: Is that okay?
Fr. Craig Swan: Because many of us grew up in an era I know I did through my teen
Fr. Craig Swan: years, where what you heard about is absolutes.
Fr. Craig Swan: There is no room for doubt when it comes to our faith.
Fr. Craig Swan: I also remember growing up and that healing was predicated.
Fr. Craig Swan: Physical healing was predicated on the strength of our belief in
Fr. Craig Swan: God and trust that God would technically physically heal us.
Fr. Craig Swan: But as I look at this story and I think about other passages
Fr. Craig Swan: through the New Testament that I will get to, I realize there's
Fr. Craig Swan: never been any intention that our faith should be contained
Fr. Craig Swan: without elements of doubt.
Fr. Craig Swan: Because, as Paul reminds us, we
Fr. Craig Swan: hope in things that are unseen,
Fr. Craig Swan: not seen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Faith in its translation means to put one's trust in not one's
Fr. Craig Swan: rational understanding in and even in our day to day lives.
Fr. Craig Swan: When we hit those moments when.
Fr. Craig Swan: When suddenly we have nowhere to
Fr. Craig Swan: turn and it feels as if darkness
Fr. Craig Swan: surrounds us, we oftentimes find
Fr. Craig Swan: ourselves questioning our own
Fr. Craig Swan: Belief.
Fr. Craig Swan: Where is God in this moment of personal suffering?
Fr. Craig Swan: And it is part of our own growth
Fr. Craig Swan: experience that as we enter into
Fr. Craig Swan: our teenage years and early
Fr. Craig Swan: adult years, that part of
Fr. Craig Swan: growing into a mature faith is
Fr. Craig Swan: not about just simply believing
Fr. Craig Swan: what we were taught in Sunday
Fr. Craig Swan: school, but actually going with
Fr. Craig Swan: what we were taught in Sunday
Fr. Craig Swan: school.
Fr. Craig Swan: That eventually leads to a
Fr. Craig Swan: mature faith and a faith that is
Fr. Craig Swan: owned and understood and lived
Fr. Craig Swan: by ourselves based on our own
Fr. Craig Swan: struggle, just like Jacob at
Fr. Craig Swan: Peniel.
Fr. Craig Swan: Oftentimes we come out injured but secure.
Fr. Craig Swan: With God.
Fr. Craig Swan: Even Paul Saint Paul struggled
Fr. Craig Swan: with his faith as secure and
Fr. Craig Swan: absolute as he presents in his
Fr. Craig Swan: letters.
Fr. Craig Swan: As I read through the second letter to Timothy.
Fr. Craig Swan: And I hear him say to him as he
Fr. Craig Swan: faces execution, I have run the
Fr. Craig Swan: good race.
Fr. Craig Swan: I have fought the good fight like a libation about to be
Fr. Craig Swan: poured the victor's crown.
Fr. Craig Swan: Now lays before me.
Fr. Craig Swan: And as I read those words, what
Fr. Craig Swan: I hear in those words of both
Fr. Craig Swan: expectation and vulnerability is
Fr. Craig Swan: why does the victor's crown lie
Fr. Craig Swan: before him?
Fr. Craig Swan: Is it because of all the
Fr. Craig Swan: converts he brought to
Fr. Craig Swan: Christianity?
Fr. Craig Swan: Is it because of all the Pharisees and other leaders that
Fr. Craig Swan: he ticked off?
Fr. Craig Swan: And the answer is no. It has to do with through the trials and
Fr. Craig Swan: tribulations of his journey with Christ throughout his journeys
Fr. Craig Swan: of the Mediterranean world.
Fr. Craig Swan: He remained faithful to Christ even through times of doubt and
Fr. Craig Swan: darkness, and the.
Fr. Craig Swan: Victor's crown is not the award for what he accomplished in his
Fr. Craig Swan: ministry, but the reward of never giving up in losing trust.
Fr. Craig Swan: with God through Christ.
Fr. Craig Swan: Each and every one of us lives
Fr. Craig Swan: both with faith and trust in
Fr. Craig Swan: God.
Fr. Craig Swan: And at times that trust and that
Fr. Craig Swan: faith is challenged and we begin
Fr. Craig Swan: to waver.
Fr. Craig Swan: And just like Jacob at Peniel, we find ourselves wrestling with
Fr. Craig Swan: God, asking God, why?
Fr. Craig Swan: Where are you?
Fr. Craig Swan: And why aren't you doing it the
Fr. Craig Swan: way I think you should be doing
Fr. Craig Swan: it?
Fr. Craig Swan: And ultimately, as we move into that struggle and embrace that
Fr. Craig Swan: struggle, we are blessed.
Fr. Craig Swan: Blessed by God for our perseverance and blessed by God
Fr. Craig Swan: with new understanding, new trust, Deeper faith.
Fr. Craig Swan: So this week, as we go out into
Fr. Craig Swan: the world, we go out with the
Fr. Craig Swan: nourishment of the Eucharist and
Fr. Craig Swan: the support of one another,
Fr. Craig Swan: knowing that life in the world
Fr. Craig Swan: is difficult.
Fr. Craig Swan: And faith is something so unseen
Fr. Craig Swan: that even in our times of
Fr. Craig Swan: struggle that we will have this
Fr. Craig Swan: week, God is present and God
Fr. Craig Swan: blesses it.
Fr. Craig Swan: And ultimately, at the moment of our death, our faithfulness to
Fr. Craig Swan: that unseen hope gives us the same reward as Paul himself.
Fr. Craig Swan: The victor's crown.
Fr. Craig Swan: Life everlasting.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Please stand as you're able and
Fr. Craig Swan: join me in affirming our faith
Fr. Craig Swan: with the words of the Nicene
Fr. Craig Swan: Creed.
Fr. Craig Swan: We believe in one God, the father, the Almighty, maker of
Fr. Craig Swan: heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
Fr. Craig Swan: We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
Fr. Craig Swan: eternally begotten of the father, God from God, light from
Fr. Craig Swan: light, true God from true God, begotten, not made of one being
Fr. Craig Swan: with the father.
Fr. Craig Swan: Through him all things were made.
Fr. Craig Swan: For us he came down from heaven.
Fr. Craig Swan: By the power of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Craig Swan: He became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
Fr. Craig Swan: For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate.
Fr. Craig Swan: He suffered death and was buried.
Fr. Craig Swan: On the third day he rose again
Fr. Craig Swan: in accordance with the
Fr. Craig Swan: scriptures.
Fr. Craig Swan: He ascended into heaven and is
Fr. Craig Swan: seated at the right hand of the
Fr. Craig Swan: father.
Fr. Craig Swan: He will come again in glory to
Fr. Craig Swan: judge the living and the dead,
Fr. Craig Swan: and his kingdom will have no
Fr. Craig Swan: end.
Fr. Craig Swan: We believe in the Holy Spirit,
Fr. Craig Swan: the Lord, the giver of life, who
Fr. Craig Swan: proceeds from the father and the
Fr. Craig Swan: son.
Fr. Craig Swan: With the father and the son.
Fr. Craig Swan: He is worshiped and glorified.
Fr. Craig Swan: He has spoken through the prophets.
Fr. Craig Swan: We believe in one holy, Catholic and apostolic church.
Fr. Craig Swan: We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
Fr. Craig Swan: We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the
Fr. Craig Swan: world to come.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Reader: Let us pray for the church and for the world.
Reader: Grant Almighty God, that all who confess your name may be united
Reader: in your truth.
Reader: Live together in your love and reveal your glory to the world.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: Guide the people of this land and of all the nations in the
Reader: ways of justice and peace, that we may honor one another and
Reader: serve the common good.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that
Reader: we may use its resources rightly in the service of others, and to
Reader: your honor and glory.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and
Reader: grant that we may serve Christ in them and love one another as
Reader: he loves us.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind or spirit.
Reader: Give them courage and hope in their troubles and bring them
Reader: the joy of your salvation.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: In our parish cycle of prayer,
Reader: we pray for Harry and Nancy and
Reader: Tom and Kim Hanson and Dave and
Reader: Angel Hilliard.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray.
Reader: We pray for the church of the Transfiguration.
Reader: Cranston.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Reader: We commend to your mercy all who have died, that your will for
Reader: them may be fulfilled.
Reader: And we pray that we may share
Reader: with your saints in your eternal
Reader: kingdom.
Reader: Lord, in your mercy.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hear our prayer.
Fr. Craig Swan: In our prayers this morning, I
Fr. Craig Swan: ask your continued prayers for
Fr. Craig Swan: all who live in the midst of
Fr. Craig Swan: violence.
Fr. Craig Swan: We pray for peace throughout
Fr. Craig Swan: this world, especially in the
Fr. Craig Swan: Middle East, the Congo, and in
Fr. Craig Swan: Ukraine.
Fr. Craig Swan: And we pray for all who have been forced from their homes due
Fr. Craig Swan: to war and violence, and in their search for safety.
Fr. Craig Swan: May they be received throughout
Fr. Craig Swan: this world and offered a place
Fr. Craig Swan: to rest.
Fr. Craig Swan: O Lord our God, accept the
Fr. Craig Swan: fervent prayers of your people
Fr. Craig Swan: in the multitude of your
Fr. Craig Swan: mercies.
Fr. Craig Swan: Look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help.
Fr. Craig Swan: For you are gracious, oh lover of souls.
Fr. Craig Swan: And to you we give glory father,
Fr. Craig Swan: son, and Holy Spirit, now and
Fr. Craig Swan: forever.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Fr. Craig Swan: Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you
Fr. Craig Swan: in thought, word and deed, by what we have done and by what we
Fr. Craig Swan: have left undone.
Fr. Craig Swan: We have not loved you with our whole heart.
Fr. Craig Swan: We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
Fr. Craig Swan: We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
Fr. Craig Swan: For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and
Fr. Craig Swan: forgive us that we may delight in your will and walk in your
Fr. Craig Swan: ways, to the glory of your name.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Almighty God, have mercy on you.
Fr. Craig Swan: Forgive you all your sins
Fr. Craig Swan: through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Fr. Craig Swan: strengthen you in all goodness
Fr. Craig Swan: and by the power of the Holy
Fr. Craig Swan: Spirit, keep you in eternal
Fr. Craig Swan: life.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Please be seated and I invite anyone who has a birthday or
Fr. Craig Swan: wedding anniversary during the month of August to come forward.
Fr. Craig Swan: Oh, it's Bruce's birthday today as well, so he gets a double
Fr. Craig Swan: blessing for that.
Fr. Craig Swan: So anyway, the Lord be with you.
Fr. Craig Swan: And let us pray.
Fr. Craig Swan: Oh God, our times are in your hand.
Fr. Craig Swan: Look with favor we pray upon
Fr. Craig Swan: your servants as they begin
Fr. Craig Swan: another year.
Fr. Craig Swan: Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen
Fr. Craig Swan: their trust in your goodness all the days of their lives.
Fr. Craig Swan: Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Oh God, you have so consecrated
Fr. Craig Swan: the covenant of marriage that in
Fr. Craig Swan: it is represented the spiritual
Fr. Craig Swan: unity between Christ and His
Fr. Craig Swan: church.
Fr. Craig Swan: Send therefore your blessing upon these your servants, that
Fr. Craig Swan: they may continue to so love, honor, and cherish each other in
Fr. Craig Swan: faithfulness and patience, in wisdom and true godliness, that
Fr. Craig Swan: their homes may be havens of blessing and peace.
Fr. Craig Swan: Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
Fr. Craig Swan: and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: And the peace of the Lord be always with you.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let us greet one another with a sign of Christ's love for us.
Fr. Craig Swan: Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself for us an
Fr. Craig Swan: offering and sacrifice to God.
Fr. Craig Swan: All things come from you, O
Fr. Craig Swan: Lord, and of your own have we
Fr. Craig Swan: given you.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: The Lord be with you.
Fr. Craig Swan: Lift up your hearts.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
Fr. Craig Swan: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Fr. Craig Swan: It is right and a good and joyful thing, always and
Fr. Craig Swan: everywhere to give thanks to you, father Almighty, creator of
Fr. Craig Swan: heaven and earth.
Fr. Craig Swan: Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who on the first day of the week
Fr. Craig Swan: overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious
Fr. Craig Swan: resurrection, open to us the way of everlasting life.
Fr. Craig Swan: Therefore, we praise you, joining our voices with angels
Fr. Craig Swan: and archangels, and with all the company of heaven who forever
Fr. Craig Swan: sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name.
Fr. Craig Swan: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Fr. Craig Swan: Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hosanna in the highest.
Fr. Craig Swan: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: Hosanna in the highest.
Fr. Craig Swan: Holy and gracious father, in
Fr. Craig Swan: your infinite love you made us
Fr. Craig Swan: for yourself.
Fr. Craig Swan: And when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and
Fr. Craig Swan: death, you and your mercy sent Jesus Christ, your only and
Fr. Craig Swan: eternal son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one
Fr. Craig Swan: of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all.
Fr. Craig Swan: He stretched out his arms upon
Fr. Craig Swan: the cross and offered himself in
Fr. Craig Swan: obedience to your will, a
Fr. Craig Swan: perfect sacrifice for the whole
Fr. Craig Swan: world.
Fr. Craig Swan: On the night he was handed over to suffering and death.
Fr. Craig Swan: Our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given
Fr. Craig Swan: thanks to you, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and
Fr. Craig Swan: said, take, eat.
Fr. Craig Swan: This is my body which is given for you.
Fr. Craig Swan: Do this for the remembrance of me.
Fr. Craig Swan: After supper he took the cup of wine, and when he had given
Fr. Craig Swan: thanks, he gave it to them and said, drink this, all of you.
Fr. Craig Swan: This is my blood of the new
Fr. Craig Swan: covenant, which is shed for you
Fr. Craig Swan: and for many for the forgiveness
Fr. Craig Swan: of sins.
Fr. Craig Swan: Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.
Fr. Craig Swan: Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of faith.
Fr. Craig Swan: Christ has died.
Fr. Craig Swan: Christ is risen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Christ will come again.
Fr. Craig Swan: We celebrate the memorial of our redemption.
Fr. Craig Swan: Oh father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving,
Fr. Craig Swan: recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we
Fr. Craig Swan: offer you these gifts.
Fr. Craig Swan: Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the
Fr. Craig Swan: body and blood of your son, the holy food and drink of new and
Fr. Craig Swan: unending life in him.
Fr. Craig Swan: Sanctify us also, that we may faithfully receive this holy
Fr. Craig Swan: sacrament and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace at
Fr. Craig Swan: the last day.
Fr. Craig Swan: Bring us with all your saints
Fr. Craig Swan: into the joy of your eternal
Fr. Craig Swan: kingdom.
Fr. Craig Swan: All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ, by him, and with
Fr. Craig Swan: him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Craig Swan: All honor and glory is yours,
Fr. Craig Swan: Almighty father, now and
Fr. Craig Swan: forever.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to
Fr. Craig Swan: say Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Fr. Craig Swan: Thy kingdom come, thy will be
Fr. Craig Swan: done, on earth as it is in
Fr. Craig Swan: heaven.
Fr. Craig Swan: Give us this day our daily bread.
Fr. Craig Swan: And forgive us our trespasses,
Fr. Craig Swan: as we forgive those who trespass
Fr. Craig Swan: against us.
Fr. Craig Swan: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Fr. Craig Swan: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
Fr. Craig Swan: forever and ever.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Alleluia.
Fr. Craig Swan: Christ, our Passover is sacrificed for us.
Fr. Craig Swan: Therefore let us keep the feast.
Fr. Craig Swan: Alleluia.
Fr. Craig Swan: The gifts of God for the people of God.
Fr. Craig Swan: Take them in remembrance that
Fr. Craig Swan: Christ died for you and feed on
Fr. Craig Swan: him in your hearts by faith,
Fr. Craig Swan: with thanksgiving.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let us pray.
Fr. Craig Swan: Eternal God, you have graciously accepted us as living members of
Fr. Craig Swan: your son, our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with
Fr. Craig Swan: spiritual food in the sacrament of His Body and Blood.
Fr. Craig Swan: Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and
Fr. Craig Swan: courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of
Fr. Craig Swan: heart through Christ our Savior.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: And the peace of God which passes all understanding.
Fr. Craig Swan: Keep your hearts and minds in
Fr. Craig Swan: the knowledge and love of God
Fr. Craig Swan: and of His Son, Jesus Christ our
Fr. Craig Swan: Lord.
Fr. Craig Swan: And the blessing of God Almighty, the father, the son,
Fr. Craig Swan: and the Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always.
Fr. Craig Swan: Amen.
Fr. Craig Swan: Let us go forth in peace, in the name of Christ.
Fr. Craig Swan: Thanks be to God.