As we gather,

we recognize that we live, work and play in the traditional lands of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People.  We continue to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building with our First Nations neighbours.  

 

Welcome.  

Our Saviour Jesus Christ has abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.               2Timothy 1.10  

 

O come, let us worship.  

 

Opening Hymn:

Sing a New Song

Copyright Protected.  Unable to post lyrics.  

 

Gathering:

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

And also, with you.  

 

Almighty God,

to you all hearts are open, all desires known,

and from you no secrets are hidden.

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 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

 

Collect of the Day:

 

Lord God our Redeemer,

who heard the cry of your people,

and sent your servant Moses to lead them out of slavery;

free us from the tyranny of sin and death,

and by the leading of your Spirit,

bring us to our promised land;

through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen    

 

The Proclamation of the Word

1st Reading:

Jeremiah 31.7-9  

 

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.    

 

Psalm 126  

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dreamed.  

 

Our mouths were filled with laughter,

our tongues with songs of joy.

Then it was said among the nations,

“The Lord has done great things for them.”  

 

The Lord has done great things for us,

and we are filled with joy.  

 

Restore our fortunes, Lord,

like streams in the Negev.

 

Those who sow with tears    

will reap with songs of joy.

 

Those who go out weeping,    

carrying seed to sow,

will return with songs of joy,    

carrying sheaves with them.    

 

Praise to you, God of our salvation.

Your generous gifts surpass all that we can ask or imagine.

You have delivered us from the exile of sin,

and restored us to new life in Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Glory and honour and praise to you for ever and ever. Amen    

 

2nd Reading: 

Hebrews 7.23-28  

 

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.  

 

Gospel Processional:

I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

Public Domain  

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Come unto me and rest;

lay down, thou weary one, lay down

thy head upon my breast.”

I came to Jesus as I was,

so weary, and worn, and sad;

I found in him a resting place,

and he has made me glad.  

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“Behold, I freely give

the living water, thirsty one,

stoop down, and drink, and live.”

I came to Jesus, and I drank

of that life-giving stream;

my thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

and now I live in him.  

 

I heard the voice of Jesus say,

“I am this dark world’s light;

look unto me, thy morn shall rise,

and all thy day be bright.”

I looked to Jesus, and I found

in him my star, my sun;

and in that light of life, I’ll walk

till travelling days are done.    

 

The Lord be with you.  

 

The Good News of Jesus according to

Mark 10.46-52  

 

Glory to you, Jesus Christ.    

 

The Gospel of Christ,

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.  

 

Sermon:  The Venerable Brian Evans

May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts

be ever acceptable to you, O Lord.  Amen.    

 

RESPONDING TO A BEGGAR          

When was the last time you picked up a news paper, turned on to the news, opened your Facebook, or any other electronic media account, and DID NOT see a need for the modern-day outcast? 

Every day, we see needs—either in the printed, or electronic media.

Additionally, there is the physical presence of the needs.  

 

Prior to Friday, I had done some research, and reading, in advance of writing my sermon for today. Then on Friday, we had a clergy gathering with our bishop.

You may not be aware: we have a priest in our diocese, by the name of Don Wall, who is blind. I had the privilege of guiding Don from the cathedral to our luncheon location.  

[Neither of us were sure where we were going. Don has a great sense of humor. We observed we were great pair: he could not see where we were going, and I didn’t know where we were going!]  

 

This reminded me of all those who are in need in our society: not only the people sleeping in storefront doorways, or at our back step, here at St. John’s.  

There are also those in the so-called tent city in many urban communities.  

Along with that, there are many people who are suffering from a chronic illness;

those who are alone, those who are mourning a death in their family;

those who can not find a family doctor.  

On Saturday, I received an email from the Cowichan Hospital Foundation requesting funds, for the purchase of specialised medical equipment.  

Last Sunday, I shared with you about the person walking by the front doors of St. John’s, who observed my being a priest, stopped and asked if I would pray for his son who was living with addiction.          

At the same time, we have many who question, “why are we in this situation?”  

The litany of why’s are endless. Guess what, society has not changed over the centuries.

Today’s gospel is a great reminder.   

• First, back to last Sunday and our reading from Mark’s Gospel as Jesus was reminding, or teaching, the disciples about serving others.
• Then enter today’s reading onto the scene. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem with his disciples, together with a large crowd.   They stop to spend a night at Jericho.  

Imagine this for a moment.

 

Reminds me of a meeting of Diocesan Council, a few years ago, when we all travelled to Alert Bay for a weekend meeting of the Council. I am sure every person in the community knew the bishop and his entourage had stopped over for a few days. I know we filled up more than one facility.  

What happens when Jesus calls into Jericho?   The word spreads quickly.   Bartimaeus, a blind man, sitting by the roadside begging, hears Jesus is in town.

He yells out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”          

Of course, those closest to Jesus tell Jesus, Oh don’t bother with him, we have more important work to do.          

Jesus has obviously heard the man and calls out for him.           

 

In the midst of this, I find one sentence troubling. In a rather hostile tone say: “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”          

Jesus says: “What do you want me to do for you.”          

This is powerful. This indicates Jesus is willing to enter into a conversation with Bartimaeus.          

 

Some history: Jericho was a popular stopping off place for travellers—considered good place to be a beggar.  

Beggars were commonplace in most towns. There are a couple of reasons. ·       

• ONE, most jobs required physical labour. If you were not physical fit then you were left to beg. ·       
• TWO, people with diseases, the likes of Blindness, were considered a curse, and left no other recourse than to beg.  

 

I was reminded of the many who experience illness today, which is seen as their fault. On Friday, I listened to a CBC documentary on obesity. For the first time, I learned how it was an illness; similar when I was in seminary, and did a week-long live-in in an alcohol treatment centre. It, too, is an illness.   This is all flying in the face of the Torah, in which God’s law commanded to care for those less fortunate.          

 

Sadly, some of those same false images remain to this day.   It’s not all their fault. AND, God’s law remains.   We are all called to care for the suffering, the marginalized, the refugee. I am sure I have missed some.          

 

If we turn the table towards us, what would we answer if Jesus asks us, personally, or as a parish, “What do you want me to do for you?”          

ON the surface our questions may be something like:

-         Make our parish successful. What ever successful means.

-         Magically solve our budget deficit.

-         Swell the number of people attending on Sunday.

-         Please give us a full-time, young-married-with-six-children priest, and the partner be a gifted musician, and can sing. That is both, the minister and partner.

-         Make all of us successful disciples.  

 

What did Bartimaeus say: “My teacher, let me see.”  

What might it mean if we say to our Lord, let me see.          

 

From my Thursday reflection, I wrote: ‘I believe, if we pray in thanksgiving for what was in the past, for the present instant, for the expected today, and for the unknown, our day will more apt to be filled with joy.’          

 

If we move this to a spiritual sense-of-seeing, it could just be that Bartimaeus is saying, ‘he wants the world to see: how loved we are; how hungry we are for others to be loved; how precious and beautiful the world is.   Most important, is to see how all this love comes from our Lord.  We need to say, I believe daily, “My teacher, let me see.”  

 

As we close in on this Season of Pentecost—the great teaching season of the Christian community—we need to continue to listen, to call out, to listen for a call to vocation in the life of Christ. We—Christians—are all called to a variety of vocations in the life of Christ.          

 

First, we need to discover who the beggar is. 

..........

Thanks be to God.  Amen.    

 

The Apostles Creed:

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say:  

I believe in God,

the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, 

and born of the Virgin Mary.

He suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried.  

He descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again.

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.  

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.  Amen.    

 

The Prayers of the People

 

Let us pray with confidence to the Lord, saying,

“Lord hear our prayer.”  

 

O Lord, guard and direct your Church in the way of unity, service, and praise. 

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Give to all nations an awareness of the unity of the human family.

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Cleanse our hearts of prejudice and selfishness, and inspire us to hunger and thirst for what is right.

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Teach us to use your creation for your greater praise, that all may share the good things you provide.

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Strengthen all who give their energy or skill for the healing of those who are sick in body, or in mind.

In our Parish we ask for God’s healing for:

Roy & Gail; Sue; John; Steve; Maureen; Michelle; Sheila & family;

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Set free all who are bound by fear and despair.

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Guide our Church Leaders:

Bishop Anna;

Rev. Catherine Dafoe-Hall; Bishop Lynne McNaughton; Rev. Brian & Rev. Ted.

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer.  

 

Grant a peaceful end and eternal rest to all who are dying, and your comfort to those who mourn.

We pray:

Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.      

 

Confession and Absolution

 

Dear friends in Christ,

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy;

God welcomes sinners and invites them to the table.

Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.  

 

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 neighbours 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.  

 

Celebrant

Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

Amen.  

 

Distance-Sharing of The Peace  

 

The Celebration of the Eucharist   

 

Offertory Hymn:

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Public Domain  

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;

As Thou hast been, thou forever will be.  

 

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning, new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!  

 

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,

Sun, moon and stars in their courses above

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

 

[Chorus]

 

Pardon for sin, and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

 

[Chorus]    

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Eternal God, your word inspires our faith.

May we who offer you our praise, trust you in all things.

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord.  Amen.  

 

Eucharistic Prayer #5    

 

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 our thanks and praise.  

 

We give you thanks and praise, almighty God,

for the gift of a world full of wonder, and for our life which comes from you.

By your power you sustain the universe.                     

Glory to you for ever and ever.  

 

You created us to love you with all our heart, and to love each other as ourselves,

but we rebel against you by the evil that we do.  

In Jesus, your Son, you bring healing to our world, and gather us into one great family.

Therefore, with all who serve you on earth and in heaven,

we praise your wonderful name, as we say,                                          

Holy, holy, holy Lord,                     

God of power and might,                     

heaven and earth of full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.                       

Blessed is he who comes

in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.  

 

We give you thanks and praise, loving Father, because in sending Jesus, your Son, to us you showed us how much you love us.

He cares for the poor and the hungry. He suffers with the sick and the rejected.  

Betrayed and forsaken, he did not strike back but overcame hatred with love.

On the cross, he defeated the power of sin and death.

By raising him from the dead, you show us the power of your love to bring new life to all your people.                     

Glory to you for ever and ever.  

 

On the night before he gave up his life for us, Jesus, at supper with his friends,

took bread, gave thanks to you, broke it, and gave it to them, saying,

“Take this, all of you, and eat it: this is my body which is given for you.                     

 

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine,

said the blessing, gave it to his friends, and said,

“Drink this, all of you: this is the cup of my blood,

the blood of the new and eternal covenant,  

which is shed for you and for many, so that sins may be forgiven.

Do this in memory of me.”                     

Glory to you for ever and ever.  

 

Gracious God, with this bread and wine,

we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus, and we offer ourselves to you in him.

Send your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts,

that we may know the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread,

and share in the life of the family of your children.                     

Glory to you for ever and ever.  

 

Father, you call us to be your servants;

fill us the with courage and love of Jesus,

that all the world may gather in joy at the table of your kingdom.  

We sing your praise, almighty Father, through Jesus, our Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit, now and for ever.                     

Glory to you for ever and ever.  Amen.  

 

The Lord’s Prayer  

As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,

 

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 that trespass against us;

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.   Amen.  

 

The Breaking of the Bread

Creator of all,

you gave us golden fields of wheat, whose many grains we have gathered and made us into this one bread.      

So may your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.   Amen.   

 

The gifts of God for the People of God.  

Thanks be to God.  

 

The Administration of Communion  

 

Prayer After Communion

God of Peace,

you have nourished us in this sacrament with the body and blood of Christ.

May we who have taken holy things keep faith in our hearts and lives,

in the name of Jesus Christ, the Lord.  Amen  

 

Glory to God,

whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.

Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus,

for ever and ever.  Amen.  

 

The Blessing

 

Announcements  

 

Closing Hymn:

 

This is the Day

Copyright Protected.  Unable to post lyrics.  

 

Dismissal  

Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.

 

Thanks be to God.  Alleluia  

 

The recording ends.