An AGAPe LITURGY Christ Episcopal Church • Cape Girardeau, Missouri

10:15 a.m. service live-stream

August 16, 2020

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Gathering: Liturgy of the Word

Prelude “Toccata in Seven” John Rutter Opening Hymn #380 From All that Dwell below the Skies Opening Rite: Liturgy of the Light

All stand, and the Officiant greets the people with these words:

Officiant: Dear friends in the risen Christ, we gather today to celebrate the Lord’s Day, and for a time to be united in prayer and praise with each other and those who have gone before us. Sunday has been called the Lord’s Day because it was on this day that Jesus conquered sin and death and rose to new life. As we gather in person and online, let us be united in the spirit of Christ with the Church around the world and celebrate our redemp- tion in Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection.

Silence may be kept for a time.

Officiant: Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord. People: Thanks be to God.

The following passage of Scripture may be read:

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill can-not be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

(Matthew 5:14–16)

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Prayer for Christ’s Light

Candles may now be lit using the following prayer.

Officiant: O God, we give thanks for the gift of your light — shining on the first day of creation, guiding us through the wilderness, leading us to the land of promise.

People: You sent Jesus, light of the world, to be our way of truth and life. Help us to follow him each day and rest in him each night until at last we come to live with you in endless light. Through Jesus Christ our Lord and with the Holy Spirit we give you honor and glory, now and always. Amen. The Confession

As we worship we ask God’s forgiveness for things done and things left un-done and things done on our behalf so that we are reconciled to God and each other.

Officiant: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbors. Silence is kept for a time. Officiant: 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.

People: 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.

Officiant: For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us;

People: That we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Officiant: Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

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Opening Acclamation

Officiant: Blessed be the one, holy, and living God.

People: Glory to God for ever and ever. Amen. Collect for Purity

Officiant: 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. Hymn of Praise #8 Morning Has Broken The Collect of the Day

Officiant: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Officiant: Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his re deeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. The Readings

The First Reading: Genesis 45:1–15

Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood

by him, and he cried out, “Send everyone away from me.” So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his broth-ers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

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Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with your-selves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plow-ing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a rem-nant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there — since there are five more years of fam-ine to come — so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.’ And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honored in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.” Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Lector: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.

The Response: Psalm 133

1 OH, how good and pleasant it is, *

when brethren live together in unity!

2 It is like fine oil upon the head * that runs down upon the beard,

3 Upon the beard of Aaron, * and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

4 It is like the dew of Hermon * that falls upon the hills of Zion.

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5 For there the LORD has ordained the blessing: * life for evermore.

The Epistle: Romans 11:1–2a, 29–32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am

an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be mer-ciful to all.

Lector: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God. Gospel Hymn There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place

(See bulletin p.14)

The Gospel: Matthew 15:10–28

Officiant: The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew. People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and under-

stand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, mur-

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der, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not de-file.”

Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Si-don. Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, “Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and knelt be-fore him, saying, “Lord, help me.” He answered, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered her, “Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed in-stantly.

Officiant: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson

Renewal of Baptismal Vows

Officiant: Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ? People: I do.

Officiant: Do you believe in God the Father? People: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Officiant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? People: 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.

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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.

Officiant: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit? People: 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.

Officiant: Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellow- ship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? People: I will, with God’s help.

Officiant: Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? People: I will, with God’s help.

Officiant: Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? People: I will, with God’s help.

Officiant: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? People: I will, with God’s help.

Officiant: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? People: I will, with God’s help. Officiant: May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

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Service for the Dedication of an Icon

Book of Occasional Services, p.209

The icon is presented to the Presider with these words:

People: We present to you this icon to be set apart for the service of Christ’s holy Church.

Then the following versicles and prayer may be said:

Presider: All things come from you, O Lord; People: And from your own gifts do we give to you. Presider: Prosper the work of our hands; People: Prosper our handiwork. Presider: Show your servants your works; People: And your splendor to their children. Presider: Let us pray: Almighty God, we thank you that you have put it into the hearts of your people to make offerings for your service, and have been pleased to accept their gifts. Be with us now and bless us as we set apart this icon to your praise and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Antiphon: Christ is the icon of the invisible God; all things were created through him and for him. Presider: The Word became flesh: People: And dwelt among us. Presider: Let us pray. (Silence) Almighty God, whose Son our Savior manifested your glory in his flesh, and sanctified the outward and visible to be a means to perceive reali- ties unseen: Accept, we pray, this representation of your faithful servant Pauli Murray; and grant that as we look upon it, our hearts may be drawn to things which can be seen only by the eye of faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Collect for Pauli Murray Lesser Feasts and Fasts (2018), p.354

Presider: Liberating God, we thank you for the steadfast courage of your servant Pauli Murray, who fought long and well. Unshackle us from the chains of prejudice and fear, so that we may show forth your reconciling love and true freedom, which you revealed through your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

Bound together in Christ in the communion of the Holy Spirit, let us pray with one heart and mind to our God, saying: Holy Trinity, hear us.

That the love which passes ceaselessly between the Father and the Son in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit may renew and deepen the life of each Christian and draw us all gathered here into your un-ending life, we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

For the leaders of the church (especially our Bishop, Deon), and for the leaders of the nations (especially our President, Donald), that they may discern the ways to overcome divisions and mistrust, and may reflect your unity in every aspect of common life, we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

That your self-disclosure in Christ and your enduring presence among us as Spirit may help us to understand both you and our-selves, made in your image and likeness, we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

For our families, our households, and our communities, that they may be places of communion and mutual support, which build us up and strengthen us in grace and truth, we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

Thankful for our world which you made through Christ, and re-newed in the power of his resurrection, that we may be wise and careful stewards of creation, we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

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In the power of the Spirit who joins our prayer to Christ’s enduring intercession, we pray for the sick, the suffering, and all who stand in need, especially those we name now, both aloud and in our hearts. [Silence] For healing for all the world we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

For those who have asked for our prayers, and for those whose burden is too deep for words, we pray: Holy Trinity, hear us.

Gracious God, whom Jesus called Abba, Father, accept our prayers this morning. By the inner workings of your Spirit, deepen our communion with you, the source and goal of our life, and make us more and more signs of your enduring love. This we pray through Christ, who lives and works with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Officiant: Let us pray in the way that Christ taught us:

People: 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, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. The Agape

While sharing a common Eucharistic celebration is not possible at this time, this liturgy expresses our longing for a time when we can once more share and gather together at the Eucharistic table. This practice of giving thanks for bread, wine and food is ancient, going back to the hospitality our ances-

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tor Abraham showed to his visitors. While not the full celebration of the Holy Eucharist, there is a relationship, in much the same way that giving thanks over water is a reminder of our Baptism.

Instrumental music may be played or a hymn sung. A suitable space is pre-pared with wine, bread, and other foods. The Officiant and people give thanks for the gift of wine.

Officiant: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe.

People: You create the fruit of the vine; we long for the day when you will once again refresh us with the cup of sal- vation in the Blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.

The Officiant and people give thanks for the gift of our daily bread.

Officiant: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe.

People: You bring forth bread from the earth; we long for the day when we may once again partake of the bread of life the Body of your Son Jesus Christ. As grain scattered upon the earth is gathered into one loaf, so gather your Church in every place into the kingdom of your Son. To you be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

The Officiant and people give thanks for the gift of food.

Officiant: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe.

People: You have blessed the earth to bring forth food to satisfy our hunger. Let this food strengthen us in the Eucharis- tic fast that is before us, that following our Savior in the way of the cross, we may come to the joy of his resurrect- tion. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and for ever. Amen. The Conclusion

Officiant: God of all creation, we gather on this first day of the week made holy by the resurrection of Christ, your Son. In the waters of baptism we were buried with him so

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that we might also rise with him and so share his victory over sin and death.

People: You have transformed our lives into the living stones that form your Church with Christ as the foundation stone. Strengthen our community’s bond of commun- ion and peace and deepen our solidarity with your Church throughout the world.

Officiant: Rekindle within us this Sabbath day the vision of your kingdom so that our daily concerns and labor may find their proper perspective.

People: Fill our homes with the spirit of the Gospel and give us the grace to see the face of Christ in the people with whom we live. We raise our voices in praise and thanks giving to you, O God; that we who have celebrated Christ’s resurrection this day share in his eternal glory where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Peace

The Peace is exchanged.

Officiant: The peace of Christ be always with you. People: And also with you.

We greet each other in the name of the risen Christ. Final Hymn #542 Christ Is the World’s True Light

Closing Prayer

Officiant: Lord of the Feast, we thank you for gathering us as your people. We call to remembrance the many times we have been fed at your table and we lament our distance now. Be present, Lord Jesus, as you were present with your disciples, be known to us in the breaking of the bread, and may your Holy Spirit sustain us and all your

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Church until we can gather together again. We ask this for the sake of your love. Amen.

The Sending

Officiant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.

People: Amen. Alleluia!

Officiant: Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia! People: Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia! Postlude “Prelude in Classic Style” Gordon Young

We invite you to join us after the service from 12 – 1 p.m. for a special Virtual Coffee Hour on Zoom featuring

Bishop Deon Johnson. Link: https://bit.ly/3kDosWF Password: coffeetime

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There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place

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About the Icon: The Rev. Pauli Murray from Lesser Feasts and Fasts (2018), pp.352–353

PAULI MURRAY was an early and committed civil rights activist and the first African American woman priest ordained in the Episcopal Church.

Born in Baltimore in 1910, Murray was raised in Durham, North Carolina, and graduated from Hunter College in 1933. After seeking admission to graduate school at the University of North Caroli-na in 1938, she was denied entry due to her race. She went on to graduate from Howard University Law School in 1944. While a student at Howard, she partici-pated in sit-in demonstrations that chal-lenged racial segregation in drugstores

and cafeterias in Washington, DC. Denied admission to Harvard Universi-ty for an advanced law degree because of her gender, Murray received her Masters of Law from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1945.

In 1948 the Women’s Division of Christian Service of the Methodist Church hired Murray to compile information about segregation laws in the South. Her research led to a 1951 book, States’ Laws on Race and Color, which became a foundational document for Thurgood Marshall in his work on the decisive Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.

Committed to dismantling barriers of race, Murray saw the civil rights and

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women’s movements as intertwined and believed that black women had a vested interest in the women’s movement. In recent years, scholars have brought to light Murray’s complex sexual and gender identity, including her attempts to access testosterone therapy as early as the 1930s.

In later life, she discerned a call to ordained ministry and began studies at General Theological Seminary in 1973. She was ordained as a deacon in June 1976, and, on January 8, 1977, she was ordained as a priest at Washington National Cathedral. Murray served at Church of the Atone-ment in Washington, D.C., from 1979 to 1981 and at Holy Nativity Church in Baltimore until her death in 1985. 353

Murray’s books include the family memoir Proud Shoes: Story of an Ameri-can Family (1956) and the personal memoir Song in a Weary Throat: An American Pilgrimage (1987).

About the Artist: Christy Spence-Moore

People and nature fascinate me and I try to capture the uniqueness that makes them interesting and beautiful in their natural state, as God creat-ed them to be. Expressionist and Impressionist painters have inspired me over the years with their technique and social commentary. I love to ex-periment with a variety of mediums, but mostly work with Acrylic, Oil, and Charcoal, depending on subject matter. I work from photographs, live models, and Plein Aire. I also make ceramic sculptures and pottery.

I am a Cape Girardeau native, a local painter, muralist, and art teacher. I graduated with an MA in Studio Art / Painting from Fontbonne Uni-versity in 2006, a BFA in Studio Art/Painting, and a BA in German from Southeast Missouri State University in 2005 and finished my teaching certification in 2016. I have worked on the Dove mural for the Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau and the Homecomer’s mural in Jackson.

Image credit: The Southeast Missourian

Notes on the Service Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 15)

Gen. 45:1–15 • Ps.133 • Rom. 11:1–2a, 29–32 • Matt. 15:21–28

The collect recalls that Christ is both a sacrifice and an example, and then asks that we may respond by receiving his benefits and by following his steps. The foremost of recipients and followers was Mary his mother, who was blessed in giving him human life and more blessed in keeping his Word (Lk 11:27). Blessed Mary’s feast day was August 15.

In one of the Bible’s most beautiful passages, the saga of Joseph reaches its denoue-ment as the hero reveals himself to his brothers when they have returned to Egypt seeking bread for their famished household. Their interrogator, the Egyptian vice-roy, breaks down, dismisses his attendants, and switching to Hebrew (heretofore he had been speaking through an interpreter) discloses himself as the very brother whom they thought they had disposed of in Canaan long before. Dumbstruck, they must be told twice, “I am Joseph.” Joseph does not seek revenge. He is the only patriarch who is so admirable morally. He credits Providence: he suffered that many could be saved. The whole tribe will find refuge in the Nile Delta, Goshen-land.

Ps. 133 is an idyll of the kind of fraternal harmony which Joseph and his brothers might have enjoyed after their reconciliation. The psalm was written after their descendants had escaped Egypt and occupied Canaan, in which Mt Hermon (v.4), lies. All over the ancient Mediterranean world, rubbing the hair and body with aromatic olive oil, v 2, was a satisfaction of the comfortable life, as well as a priestly anointing. Aaron was the archetypical high priest from whom the Jerusalem temple priests claimed descent.

Using logic similar to the logic of Genesis, Paul argues that the bad actions of men God turns to accomplish his purposes. God’s covenant has been extended to Gen-tiles because of the failure of [many] Jews to acknowledge Christ. Does that mean that God has rejected his first people? Paul asks in today’s epistle. No, he answers. “Just as you [Gentiles] were once disobedient, so they [the Jews] are now being diso-bedient,” so that God can be merciful to Jews and Gentiles alike. (As is Jesus in the Gospel).

The first part of today’s Gospel expounds Jesus’ interior, spiritual interpretation of the Torah, contrary to the rival Pharisees’ “external,” interpretation. Next, Jesus enters pagan territory and is met there by a descendant of the inhabitants of Pales-tine from before the Israelite conquest, a Canaanite. This archetypical Gentile begs the new David for her daughter’s healing. Like two rabbis, they exchange wit. Jesus accedes to her point. Later, the precedents of the healings of this Gentile and a few others by Jesus would be cited, and pro-Gentile prophets would be quoted, to de-fend Paul’s incorporation of Gentiles into Christianity without their being first made Jews.

— Rev. Stephen Weissman St. Louis, Missouri