Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
Blessing of the Animals
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Glenside, Pennsylvania
October 8, 2022
10:00 A.M.
Gathering In Joy
Prelude: The Gift to be Simple
Opening Hymn: 405, All things bright and beautiful
Dale WoodThe Opening Acclamation BCP 355
Presider: Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
The Presider says to the people
Presider: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Presider: Let us pray.
Collect of the Day
Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace to renounce gladly the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may, for love of you, delight in your whole creation with perfectness of joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Listening for God’s Word
The First Reading – Job 39:1–18
"Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? Can you number the months that they fulfil, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch to give birth to their offspring, and are delivered of their young?
Their young ones become strong, they grow up in the open; they go forth, and do not return to them.
"Who has let the wild ass go free?
Who has loosed the bonds of the swift ass, to which I have given the steppe for its home, the salt land for its dwelling-place?
It scorns the tumult of the city; it does not hear the shouts of the driver. It ranges the mountains as its pasture, and it searches after every green thing.
"Is the wild ox willing to serve you?
Will it spend the night at your crib?
Can you tie it in the furrow with ropes, or will it harrow the valleys after you?
Will you depend on it because its strength is great, and will you hand over your labour to it?
Do you have faith in it that it will return, and bring your grain to your threshing-floor?
"The ostrich’s wings flap wildly, though its pinions lack plumage. For it leaves its eggs to the earth, and lets them be warmed on the ground, forgetting that a foot may crush them, and that a wild animal may trample them. It deals cruelly with its young, as if they were not its own; though its labour should be in vain, yet it has no fear; because God has made it forget wisdom, and given it no share in understanding. When it spreads its plumes aloft, it laughs at the horse and its rider."
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 121
Levavioculos
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.
BCP 779
8 The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.
The Epistle – Philippians 3:4b-14
If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Hymn: 398, I sing the almighty power of God (vv. 1-2)
The Gospel – Matthew 11:25–30
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew Glory to you, Lord Christ.
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; 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.
The Sermon Rick Pearce
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, Form VI BCP 392
Intercessor and People pray responsively In peace, we pray to you, Lord God. For all people in their daily life and work; For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone.
For this community, the nation, and the world; For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.
For the just and proper use of your creation; For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.
For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble; For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy.
For the peace and unity of the Church of God; For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.
We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons. We pray especially for: Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Daniel, our Bishop; Silvestre, Bishop of Guatemala; Barbara, our clergy; Luis and Juan, our companion clergy in Guatemala; and each one of us in our vocation and Ministry.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem & The Middle East In our companion Diocese of Guatemala, we pray for Santiago de Jerusalén and Rev. Presibitero Miquel Salanic In our own diocese, we pray for the AntiRacism Commission.
For all who serve God in his Church.
For the special needs and concerns of this congregation. We remember all those on our parish prayer list, especially Ashley, Anthony, Art, Mary, Jeanné, Robert, Carol, Bob, Marilyn, Sarah, Emily, John, Jack, Tom, Patricia, Bob, Angelo, Joanne, Tim, Shelia, Alice, Laurel, Jennifer, Frank, Roxanne, Leslie, Frank, William, Walter, Barbara, Joan, the Flaherty Family, the Ferguson Family, the Yaramishyn Family and those we name now…Hear us Lord;
For your mercy is great.
We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life, especially remembering today our parish family, our own friends and families, and all other blessings we name now... We will exalt you, O God our King; And praise your Name for ever and ever.
We pray in penitence for our earth, which because of human folly is suffering from heat and flood and fire. Let your way be known upon Earth. Your saving health among all creation.
We pray for all who have died, especially for Michael Flaherty, Helen Ferguson, Michael Yaramishyn and all those we name now.... May all have a place in your eternal kingdom. Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them;
Who put their trust in you.
We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.
Intercessor and People
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; in your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone; and so uphold us by your Spirit that we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the honor and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Presider: 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
Presider: The peace of the Lord be always with you. People: And also with you.
Celebrating Holy Communion
Offertory Anthem: Make Me a Channel of Your Peace Sebastian Temple St. Peter’s Choir
The Blessing of the Animals
All our animal friends are brought up during the hymn for a special blessing.
Presentation Hymn: WOV 779, On Eagle’s Wings
The Great Thanksgiving, Prayer B
Presider: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Presider: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Presider: It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Sanctus: S-130, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord
The Presider continues
Franz SchubertWe 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, Presider and People
We remember his death, We proclaim his resurrection, We await his coming in glory;
The Presider 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 Peter and Philip and 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 forever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
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 Presider breaks the consecrated bread. A period of silence is kept. Presider: Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; People: Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia.
Fraction Anthem: S-164, Jesus, Lamb of God
Presider: The Gifts of God for the People of God.
The Communion of the People
Communion Music: Living Bread
The Post-Communion Prayer
Presider and people together
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.
Franz Schubert Richard A WilliamsonThe Blessing
Birthday & Anniversary Prayer