Service Leaflet - December 20, 2020 (Holy Eucharist)

The Fourth Sunday in Advent: Year B

8:45 A.M. and 11:15 A.M.

The Holy Eucharist in Social Distance for the Common Good

The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler, Celebrant

The Reverend Canon Lauren R. Holder, Preacher

Grace and peace to you! We are the Body of Christ, connected spiritually and emotionally, and visually, even when we cannot gather together in person. Prepared in social distance for the common good, this liturgy honors the patterns of our tradition and is intended to facilitate our continued common prayer, as we share spiritual communion.

Voluntary

Rorate Caeli - Choral orné

From Twelve Choral Preludes on Gregorian Chant Themes, Op. 8

Jeanne Demessieux (1921-1968)

The Welcome from the Dean

THE WORD OF GOD

The Opening Hymn: “Come, thou Redeemer of the earth”

music: Puer nobis nascitur, 15th-century Trier manuscript, adapt. Michael Praetorius 1609; 1-7 arr. Sir David Willcocks, 8 Patrick Scott words: Ambrose of Milan, c.397; transl. John Mason Neale, 1862.

1 Come, thou Redeemer of the earth And manifest thy virgin birth: Let ev’ry age adoring fall; Such birth befits the God of all.

2 Begotten of no human will, But of the spirit, thou art still The Word of God in flesh arrayed, The promised fruit to man displayed.

3 The virgin womb that burden gained, With virgin honor all unstained; The banners there of virtue glow; God in his temple dwells below.

4 Forth from his chamber goeth he, The royal home of purity, A giant in twofold substance one, Rejoicing now his course to run.

5 From God the Father he proceeds, To God the Father back he speeds; His course he runs to death and hell, Returning on God’s throne to dwell.

6 O equal to thy Father, thou! Gird on thy fleshly mantle now; The weakness of our mortal state With deathless might invigorate.

7 Thy cradle here shall glitter bright, And darkness breathe a newer light, Where endless faith shall shine serene And twilight never intervene.

8 All laud, eternal Son, to thee Whose advent sets thy people free, Whom with the Father we adore, And Holy Ghost, for evermore.

The Opening Acclamation

Celebrant: Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

All: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

The Collect for Purity

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.

The Collect of the Day: Fourth Sunday in Advent

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

All: And also with you.

Celebrant: Let us pray. Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lesson: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16

Lector: A Reading from The Second Book of Samuel.

When the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

Lector: The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

The Gradual: Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26

Plainchant Tone I.1 BCP, p. 713

1 Your love, O Lord, for ever will I sing; * from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.

2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; * you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.

3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; * I have sworn an oath to David my servant:

4 ‘I will establish your line for ever, * and preserve your throne for all generations.’”

19 You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people: * “I have set the crown upon a warrior and have exalted one chosen out of the people.

20 I have found David my servant; * with my holy oil have I anointed him.

21 My hand will hold him fast * and my arm will make him strong.

22 No enemy shall deceive him, * nor any wicked man bring him down.

23 I will crush his foes before him * and strike down those who hate him.

24 My faithfulness and love shall be with him, * and he shall be victorious through my Name.

25 I shall make his dominion extend * from the Great Sea to the River.

26 He will say to me, ‘You are my Father, * my God, and the rock of my salvation.’

The Sequence: Hymn 444

music: Thornbury, Basil Harwood (1859-1949) words: Michael A. Perry (1942-1996), alt.; para. of The Song of Zechariah

The Holy Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

Gospeler: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

All: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Gospeler: The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon: Canon Holder

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

We offer the concerns of our lives, with the congregation responding, “Hear our prayer.” Join us today and throughout the week in praying for all of those on our parish prayer list, found after “Parish Notices.”

Intercessor: Almighty God, give us grace, we pray, with your whole Church, to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Within the Anglican Communion of Churches, we pray for mission agencies and their ministry throughout the Anglican Communion, including the Mothers’ Union around the world. Within the Episcopal Church, we pray for Michael, our Presiding Bishop; for the Diocese of Atlanta; for Robert, our bishop; and for all lay and ordained ministers. Within this Cathedral parish, we pray for our ministry of the day: The Flower Guild. Lord in your mercy, All: Hear our prayer. Intercessor: Stir up your power, O Lord, and guide this country and those who are called to lead. We pray for Donald, our President; for Joe, our President-elect; for the Congress and the Courts; for Brian, our Governor; and for Keisha, our Mayor. Lord in your mercy, All: Hear our prayer. Intercessor: Help and deliver those who are sick, suffering, isolated, or oppressed, or in any need or trouble. We pray for those on our prayer list. Let us pray, either silently or aloud, for our own needs and those of others. Lord in your mercy, All: Hear our prayer. Intercessor: Grant to the departed entrance into the land of light and joy, in the fellowship of your saints. We pray for those who have died. Lord in your mercy, All: Hear our prayer. Intercessor: Receive our thanks, gracious God, for the many blessings of this life. Lord in your mercy, All: Hear our prayer. Celebrant: Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

The Confession

Celebrant: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept.

All: 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 Absolution

Celebrant: 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

The Celebrant says: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

All: And also with you.

The Parish Notices

Those for whom prayers have been requested:

For Immediate Needs: Jeff Bonnell, Elizabeth Brannon, John Patrick Kelly, Grace Lawson, Lauren Makhlouf, Katie McCae, Cindy Snell, Wayne Thurman Long Term Prayers: R. Huntley Allen, Anne Bao, Edgar & Judith Beach, Perry Benton, Virginia Bicksler, Judith Borden, BB Brown, Heather Clark, Sharon Crews, Terry Dornbush, Sarah duBignon, Deborah Ellington, Dan Elson, Jenny Ham, Barbara Johnson, Louise Kan, Lisa Krysiak, Sandy Land, Carol McDonald, Glenn Miller, Ashley Minear, Royce Mitchell, Laura Moore, Susan Myers, Charlie Neal, Linus Nickel, Marion Palmore, Beth Pitzer, Garry Pryor, Rowland Radford, Rubye & Wayne Reid, Lorraine Reynolds, Tommy Ripley, Agnes Elizabeth Robertson, Fred Rudolph, Louis “Skip” Schueddig, Tommy Truesdale, Faye Van Winkle, Michael Wood For Family & Friends: Bettina Bass, Bella Bond, David Bond, Jo Callaway, Lynn Chandler, Andrew Clark, Vickie & Bob Coffman, Marie Corrigan, Robyn Kim Crennan, Carleton Fuller, Lamont Glover, Cadel Ingraham, Stephen Jones, Robin Kemp, Pete Livezey, Pat Martin, Marge Massey, Michelle Maxwell, Mary Nelson, Steven Norman, Lawrence Oakley, James Sands, Patricia Schooley, John Sewell, Steve Shaw, Paul Sturtz, Caroline Southerland, Tina Susco, Yvonne Tate, Pierson Thames, Jeffrey Thomas, Roger Traylor, Matt & Brandy Wackerle, Ron M. Wallace, Roslyn White, Whit A. Wright, William L. Wright, Hollis Youngner

THE HOLY COMMUNION

The Offertory

At the time of the Offertory, you may offer whatever you have to God. Each of us has something to offer, and every one of those offerings is accepted by God. In a few minutes, when the celebrant prays the Eucharistic Prayer, God blesses all those offerings, wherever they are today.

If you would like to make a financial offering to the ministry of the Cathedral, you may do so by visiting: cathedralATL.org/contribute.

The Offertory Anthem

music: Basque carol based on c. 13th-century Latin hymn Angelus ad virginem, arr. David Schelat (b.1955), The Angel Gabriel words: Basque carol, paraphrase by Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924), and Luke 1:42 (Ave Maria)

The angel Gabriel from heaven came, Ave Maria, [Hail, Mary,] His wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame. gratia plena, [full of grace,] “All hail,” he said, “O lowly maiden Mary.” Dominus tecum. [the Lord is with thee.] Most highly favored lady, Gloria. “For know, a blessed mother you shall be, Benedicta [Blessed art thou] All generations praise continually. in mulieribus. [among women.] Your son shall be Emmanuel, by seers foretold.” Ave Maria, [Hail, Mary,] Most highly favored lady, Gloria. Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head, Benedictus fructus [Blessed is the fruit] “To me be as it pleases God,” she said. ventris tui, Jesus. [of thy womb, Jesus.] “My soul shall laud and magnify God’s holy name.” Ave Maria, [Hail, Mary,] Most highly favored lady, Gloria. Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ, was born, In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn. And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say: Most highly favored lady, Gloria.

The Great Thanksgiving

Eucharistic Prayer B, The Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 367

Celebrant: The Lord be with you. All: And also with you. Celebrant: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them to the Lord. Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All: It is right to give God 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.

Because you sent your beloved Son to redeem us from sin and death, and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life; that when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.

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:

The Sanctus and Benedictus

S 127, Calvin Hampton

Celebrant: 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,

All: We remember his death, We proclaim his resurrection, We await his coming in glory;

Celebrant: 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 Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, 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,

The Lord’s Prayer

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

Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

All: Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

The Communion

During these next moments of meditation, wherever you are, please receive whatever gifts God makes available to you, in whatever form God makes available to you. We share spiritual communion today.

The Meditation Music

music: Anon. medieval French melody, arr. Andrew Carter (b.1939), A maiden most gentle words: The Venerable Bede (c. 672-735), paraphrase Andrew Carter

A maiden most gentle and tender we sing: Of Mary the mother of Jesus our King. Ave Maria. [Hail, Mary.] How blessed is the birth of her heavenly Child, Who came to redeem us in Mary so mild. Ave Maria. The Archangel Gabriel foretold by his call The Lord of creation, and Saviour of all. Ave Maria. Rejoice and be glad at this Christmas we pray; Sing praise to the Saviour, sing endless “Ave.” Ave Maria.

The Postcommunion Prayer

Celebrant: Let us pray.

All: 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 Closing Hymn: 56

music: Veni, veni Emmanuel, plainsong Mode 1, Processionale (15th century), adapt. Thomas Helmore (1811-1890), arr. David Willocks, descant Philip Ledger words: Latin c. 9th century, vers. Hymnal 1940, alt

The Dismissal

Deacon: Let us bless the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Voluntary

Toccata on ‘Veni Emmanuel’ (“O come, O come Emmanuel”) Andrew Carter (b. 1939)

All music is reprinted by permission under ONE LICENSE (license number A-717455). Music from The Hymnal 1982 © Church Publishing, Inc., unless noted otherwise below: Hymn 56 accompaniment © 1975 GIA Publications Inc. Hymn 444 words © 1973 Michael A. Perry; music published by permission of the Executors of the late Dr. Basil Harwood. Hymn S-127 © Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, by permission of Augsburg Publishing House.