Sermon Preview for May 1, 2011

Ever wonder about your faith or what faith is? Have you ever felt guilty for "doubting" God? Come to church this week for some insight into what a life of faith actually is and what it is not. What does Thomas have to teach us? Where is the grace?

Collage of Easter Sunday Pictures

Flowers around the Altar

Easter Sunday 2011

The Altar with Easter Flowers

Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Rev. Dr. Ellen Richardson, Priest-in-Residence

Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011
St. Paul's on-the-Hill

Easter Sermon Preview 2011

The Risen One, the Risen Life

Good Friday Sermon Preview

creation of wordle.net

Why does Jesus die?
How does God save us through the cross?
What is the character God and the depth of God's love
known through the cross?

Maundy Thursday Sermon preview

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Maundy Thursday: Today and Forever

Wednesday in Holy Week; April 20, 2011

Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Isaiah 50:4-9a

The Lord GOD has given me

the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain

the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens--

wakens my ear

to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord GOD has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

The Lord GOD helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

It is the Lord GOD who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

Psalm 70 Page 682, BCP

Deus, in adjutorium

1

Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *
O LORD, make haste to help me.

2

Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether dismayed; *
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw back and be disgraced.

3

Let those who say to me "Aha!" and gloat over me turn back, *
because they are ashamed.

4

Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *
let those who love your salvation say for ever,
"Great is the LORD!"

5

But as for me, I am poor and needy; *
come to me speedily, O God.

6

You are my helper and my deliverer; *
O LORD, do not tarry.

Hebrews 12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider him who endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that you may not grow weary or lose heart.

John 13:21-32

At supper with his friends, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me." The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples-- the one whom Jesus loved-- was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, "Lord, who is it?" Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, "Do quickly what you are going to do." Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, "Buy what we need for the festival"; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

When he had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once."

Tuesday in Holy Week, April 19, 2011

Collect for the Day

O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings for the Day

Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, O coastlands,
pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The LORD called me before I was born,
while I was in my mother's womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, "You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified."
But I said, "I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the LORD,
and my reward with my God."
And now the LORD says,
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
and my God has become my strength--
he says,
"It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the survivors of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."
Thus says the LORD,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one deeply despised, abhorred by the nations,
the slave of rulers,
"Kings shall see and stand up,
princes, and they shall prostrate themselves,
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

1 Corinthians 1:18-31

The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

John 12:20-36

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

"Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say-- `Father, save me from this hour'? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, "We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?" Jesus said to them, "The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light."

Psalm 71:1-14 Page 683, BCP

In te, Domine, speravi

1

In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; *
let me never be ashamed.

2

In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; *
incline your ear to me and save me.

3

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you are my crag and my stronghold.

4

Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.

5

For you are my hope, O Lord GOD, *
my confidence since I was young.

6

I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;
from my mother's womb you have been my strength; *
my praise shall be always of you.

7

I have become a portent to many; *
but you are my refuge and my strength.

8

Let my mouth be full of your praise *
and your glory all the day long.

9

Do not cast me off in my old age; *
forsake me not when my strength fails.

10

For my enemies are talking against me, *
and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.

11

They say, "God has forsaken him;
go after him and seize him; *
because there is none who will save."

12

O God, be not far from me; *
come quickly to help me, O my God.

13

Let those who set themselves against me be put to shame and be disgraced; *
let those who seek to do me evil be covered with scorn and reproach.

14

But I shall always wait in patience, *
and shall praise you more and more.

Monday in Holy Week, April 18, 2011

Collect for the Day

Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Readings for the Day

Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be crushed

until he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the LORD,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

a light to the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the LORD, that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to idols.

See, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth,

I tell you of them.

Psalm 36:5-11 Page 632, BCP

Dixit injustus

5

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, *
and your faithfulness to the clouds.

6

Your righteousness is like the strong mountains,
your justice like the great deep; *
you save both man and beast, O LORD.

7

How priceless is your love, O God! *
your people take refuge under the shadow of your wings.

8

They feast upon the abundance of your house; *
you give them drink from the river of your delights.

9

For with you is the well of life, *
and in your light we see light.

10

Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, *
and your favor to those who are true of heart.

11

Let not the foot of the proud come near me, *
nor the hand of the wicked push me aside.

Hebrews 9:11-15

When Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!

For this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, because a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant.

John 12:1-11

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus.

Holy Week, An Invitation to an even Deeper Relationship with God

Dear Friends,

This weekend we begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday (our Celtic Eucharist on Saturday will also contain the main features of the Palm Sunday service). As Episcopalians, we love to worship together...that is a hallmark of the Anglican tradition of which we are a part. In fact, we say that "praying shapes believing," which could not be more true than during Holy Week. I know that it is hard to go to church during the week, but try to come to at least one of the special services we will be offering. Maybe you have never been to a Maundy Thursday service, or to the Good Friday liturgy, or to the Easter Vigil service...if you can't come to all of them this year, choose one for this year and try another next year. It really is that important to experience these services, as well as Palm Sunday of course. I pray that God will bless you in a special way during Holy Week...may it be for you all that God desires.

Wishing you God's Peace,

Hilary+

April 17 - Palm Sunday

8:00 a.m. & 10:00 a.m. Services

Holy Eucharist with the Liturgy of the Palms

April 20 – Wednesday in Holy Week

7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II

April 21 – Maundy Thursday

7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist, Foot Washing, Stripping of the Altar

Come and relive Jesus’ gift of love known to us in the Holy Eucharist.

at does it mean to serve one another as Christ served us?W

April 22 – Good Friday

Noon, 12:00 p.m. Liturgy for the Day

6:30 p.m. Stations of the Cross

7:00 p.m. Liturgy for the Day with music

8:00 p.m. sitting vigil begins and ends at 8:00 p.m. Saturday

at does it mean to say that the Cross is at the center of our faith?

April 23 – Holy Saturday and The Great Vigil of Easter

8:00 p.m. The Great Vigil of Easter

spend the day waiting. How might Jesus touch us as we wait with him? In the evening, wecelebrate the first service of Easter with the Easter Vigil.W

Come and experience the lighting of the paschal candle from the newly kindled fire.

April 24 - EASTER SUNDAY

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist II with hymns

10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist II with choir, Flowering of the Cross for Children

Service followed by an Easter Egg Hunt.

Tombs and Triumphs

The Raising of Lazarus is the Gospel reading from John this weekend. Come and hear about Jesus and how he cares for Lazarus as a friend...he grieves the loss of his friend. Jesus also goes to Lazarus as the Christ who has the power to bring him back to life. As I think about Lazarus and Jesus, I can't help but think about my friend Russ who died this week. Come and hear the sermon this weekend to learn more about all this or listen to it online later, at www.sermon.net/spoth