FIRST LESSON from Genesis chapters 7, 8, 9

Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that

you alone are righteous before me in this generation. Take with you seven pairs of all clean

animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its

mate; and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on

the face of all the earth. For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty

nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the

ground.’ And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. And Noah with

his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Of

clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on

the ground, two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had

commanded Noah. And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth.

The flood continued for forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark,

and it rose high above the earth. The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth; and

the ark floated on the face of the waters.

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out

the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent

out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the

dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still

on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark

with him. He waited another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the

dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so

Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days,

and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more.

Then God said to Noah, ‘Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’

wives with you. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and

animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—so that they may abound on the

earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.’ So Noah went out with his sons and his wife

and his sons’ wives. And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that

moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘As for me, I am establishing my covenant

with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the

birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of

the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the

waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.’ God said, ‘This is

the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with

you, for all future generations: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the

covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow is

seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living

creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When

the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God

and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.’ God said to Noah, ‘This is the sign of

the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.’

SECOND LESSON Romans 13:8-10

FIRST LESSON Psalm 98:1-6

O sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done marvellous things.

His right hand and his holy arm

have gained him victory.

The LORD has made known his victory;

he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness

to the house of Israel.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the victory of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;

break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,

with the lyre and the sound of melody.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn

make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

SECOND LESSON 1 Samuel 15:34 - 16:13

Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not

see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was

sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

The LORD said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being

king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite,

for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’ Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul

hears of it, he will kill me.’ And the LORD said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come

to sacrifice to the LORD.” Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do;

and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’ Samuel did what

the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him

trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to

the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and

his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the LORD’s anointed is now before

the LORD.’ But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his

stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the

outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made

him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the LORD chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made

Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the LORD chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of

his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The LORD has not chosen any of

these.’ Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the

youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we

will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and

had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the

one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and

the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out

and went to Ramah.

GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 18:1-7, 10-14

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of

heaven?’ He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, ‘Truly I tell you, unless you

change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever

becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes

one such child in my name welcomes me.

‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would

be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned

in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling-blocks! Occasions for

stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling-block comes!

‘Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels

continually see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If a shepherd has a

hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the

mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he

rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of

your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

REFLECTION Jesus calls us to shepherd our little ones

FIRST GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:26-38

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 for ever, 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.

ANTHEM Christ is With Us Nancy Price and Don Besig

SECOND GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:39-56

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she

entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with

a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why

has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the

sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who believed

that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.’

And Mary said,

‘My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’

And Mary remained with her for about three months and then returned to her home.

REFLECTION Do our souls magnify the Lord?

SCRIPTURE LESSON Romans 12:1-2, 9-21

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as

a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be

conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may

discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual

affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve

the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs

of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice,

weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but

associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for

evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends

on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the

wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your

enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing

this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome

evil with good.

THIRD LESSON Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven

there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were

sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All

of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave

them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound

the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native

language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and

residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt

and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes,

Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All

were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and

said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who

live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as

you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the

prophet Joel:

“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons

and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall

dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before

the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

shall be saved.”

GOSPEL LESSON John 15:26-27, 164b-15

‘When the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of

truth who comes from the Father, the Spirit will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because

you have been with me from the beginning.

‘I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to

him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, “Where are you going?” But because I have said these

things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage

that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him

to you. And when the Spirit comes, the Spirit will prove the world wrong about sin and

righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness,

because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler

of this world has been condemned.

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes,

the Spirit will guide you into all the truth; for the Spirit will not speak on their own, but will speak

whatever the Spirit hears, and the Spirit will declare to you the things that are to come. The Spirit will

glorify me, because the Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is

mine. For this reason I said that the Spirit will take what is mine and declare it to you.

FIRST LESSON Acts 1:15-26

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred and twenty people) and said, ‘Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus— for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.’ (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ‘For it is written in the book of Psalms,

“Let his homestead become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it”; and

“Let another take his position of overseer.”

So one of the men who have accompanied us throughout the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.’ So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

GOSPEL LESSON John 17:6-26

‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received anthem and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled.

But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

‘I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation

of the world.

Sermon by Sandra Galvin

FIRST LESSON Hebrews 4:12-16

Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it

divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the

heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to

whom we must render an account.

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us

hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our

weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.

Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find

grace to help in time of need.

SECOND LESSON 1 Corinthians 15:1-10

Now I should remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which

you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold

firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our

sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third

day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he

appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive,

though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to

someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called

an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain. On the

contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with

FIRST LESSON Acts 8:26-40

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that

goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now

there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in

charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home;

seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

Then the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and

heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’

He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit

beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he

does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe

his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.’

The eunuch asked Philip, ‘About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about

himself or about someone else?’ Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture,

he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they

came to some water; and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from

being baptized?’ He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch,

went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch

saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as

he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he

came to Caesarea.

GOSPEL LESSON John 15:1-11

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that

bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have

already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you.

Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless

you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them

bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is

thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and

burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will

be done for you.

My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father

has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will

abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have

said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

FIRST LESSON Deuteronomy 30:15-20

See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.

If you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today, by

loving the LORD your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees,

and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the LORD your God will bless

you in the land that you are entering to possess.

But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other

gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the

land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death,

blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD

your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days,

so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to

Isaac, and to Jacob.

GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 7:1-14

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be

judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the

plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your

eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out

of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may

trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to

you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the

door will be opened.

“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will

give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your

children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So

in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law

and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to

destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to

life, and only a few find it.