Sunday, May 31, 2020

Episcopal Church of St. Thomas111 High Street, Taunton, MA 02780

www.StThomasTaunton.comE-Mail: StThomasEpiscopalChurch@Comcast.net

Hymn: “Come, O Holy Spirit”

Come, O Holy Spirit, come! And from Your celestial home,Shed a ray of light divine! Come, O Holy Spirit, come!Come, O Father of the poor! Come, O Source of all our store!Come, within our bosoms shine! Come, O Holy Spirit, come!

You, of comforters the best; You, the soul’s most welcome guest;Sweet refreshment here below; Come, O Holy Spirit, come!In our labor, rest most sweet; Grateful coolness in the heat;Solace in the midst of woe. Come, O Holy Spirit, come!

O most blessed Light Divine, May that light within us shine,And our inmost being fill! Come, O Holy Spirit, come!In Your absence, we have naught, nothing good in deed or thought,Nothing free from taint or ill. Come, O Holy Spirit, come!

Heal our wounds, our strength renew; On ou dryness pour Your dew;Wash the stains of guilt away; Come, O Holy Spirit, come!Bend the stubborn heart and will; Melt the frozen, warm the chill;Guide the steps that go astray. Come, O Holy Spirit, come!

On the faithful who adore And confess You evermore,In Your sev’nfold gift descend; Come, O Holy Spirit, come!Give them virtue’s full reward; Give the Your salvation, Lord;Give them joys that never end. Come, O Holy Spirit, come!

The people standing, the Celebrant says

Celebrant Alleluia, Christ Is Risen!People The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. The Celebrant says

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.

Collect of the Day

Celebrant The Lord be with you.People And also with you.Celebrant Let us pray. 

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of

the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Reading: 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.’”

Reader The Word of the Lord.People Thanks be to God.

Psalm 104:25-35,37

25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *   in wisdom you have made them all;   the earth is full of your creatures.  

26 Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, * creatures both small and great.

27 There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, *

which you have made for the sport of it.  28 All of them look to you *

to give them their food in due season.  29 You give it to them; they gather it; *   you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.  30 You hide your face, and they are terrified; *

you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.

 31 You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; *

and so you renew the face of the earth.  32 May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; *

may the Lord rejoice in all his works.  33 He looks at the earth and it trembles; *

he touches the mountains and they smoke.  34 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; *

I will praise my God while I have my being.  35 May these words of mine please him; *

I will rejoice in the Lord.  37 Bless the Lord, O my soul. *

Hallelujah!

Second Reading Romans 8:14-17,22-27

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Reader The Word of the Lord.People Thanks be to God.

Holy Gospel John 20:19-23

All stand and turn to face the Gospel

Celebrant The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.People Glory to you, Lord Christ. When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Celebrant The Gospel of the Lord.People Praise to you, Lord Christ. Sermon: The Rev. Joseph Mumita

 Nicene Creed

All stand.

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 againin accordance with the Scriptures;he ascended into heavenand 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. Prayers of the People In peace, we pray to you, Lord God.

Silence

For all people in their daily life and work;For our families, friends, and neighbors, and for those who are alone.

For this community, the nation, and the world;For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.

For the just and proper use of your creation;For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.

For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and the needy.

For the peace and unity of the Church of God;For all who proclaim the Gospel, and all who seek the Truth.

For Michael, our Presiding Bishop, for Alan our Diocesan Bishop & for Gayle our Bishop Suffragan and for all bishops and other ministers;For all who serve God in his Church.

For the special needs and concerns of this congregation.

Silence

The People may add their own petitions

Hear us, Lord;For your mercy is great.

We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life.

Silence

The People may add their own thanksgivings

We will exalt you, O God our King;And praise your Name for ever and ever.

We pray for all who have died, that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom.

Silence

The People may add their own petitions

Lord, let your loving-kindness be upon them;Who put their trust in you.

We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.

Silence may be kept.

Celebrant and People

Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father;in your compassion forgive us our sins,known and unknown,things done and left undone;and so uphold us by your Spiritthat we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the honor and glory of your Name;through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.

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.

Peace

All stand. 

Celebrant The peace of the Lord be always with you.People And also with you. Then the Celebrant and the People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.

The Celebrant then continues

As our Savior Christhas taught us,we now pray, Celebrant and 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, and the power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen

Blessing

May the Spirit of truth lead you into all truth, giving you grace to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and to proclaim the wonderful works of God; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen. 

Hymn: “Lord, Send Out Your Spirit”

Refrain

Lord, send out Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.Lord, send out Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.1. Bless the Lord, my soul, You are great indeed! You are clothed with majesty and light. You are clothed with majesty and light. Refrain

2. Wonderful Your works, You have made them all.

In Your wisdom You have fashioned all. In Your wisdom You have fashioned all. Refrain

3. Send Your spirit, Lord and make us new. Recreate the face of the earth. Recreate the face of the earth. Refrain

4. May Your glory last til the end of time. I will sing Your praise while I live. I will sing Your praise while I live. Refrain

Dismissal Celebrant Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.People Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Prayer is a very important part of our life at St. Thomas 

Lay Eucharistic Visitors (LEVs) deliver communion and prayers to the ill and homebound each month. To sign up for this important ministry, please call 508-824-9595. In the Parish Cycle of Prayer, we pray for five households each week. This is a way for us to reach out in prayer to all our members on a systematic and regular basis. This week we pray for the Aranjo Family, the Asci Family, the Athas Family, the Atkinson Family and the Audyatis Family. Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you. Scriptural Readings and Prayers: Genesis 1:1–2:4a; Psalm 8; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13; Matthew 28:16-20.

Prayers for the Homebound and Ill members of our parish include…… Joe Andrade, Wayne Perkins, Cathy, Annie, Cassie P, Audrey Perry, Claire Brissette, Amanda Charron, Lillian Crowninshield & Family, Ethel Fraga, Joann Frazier & David. Prayers for those who serve in the Armed Forces and Overseas… Daniel Snowdall, Megan Drewniak, Adam Dyke, William Marsh IV, Donald Souza, Noel Souza, Ryan Vohnoutka, Christopher French, Alex Bolton, Scott Larson, Dominic Vitale & Jordan Leech.  In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer this week we pray for Parishes of the Merrimack Valley Deanery: St. Andrew’s Church, Methuenk; St. Paul’s Church, Newburyport; St. Paul’s Church, North Andover; Merrimack Valley Project; Deacons. Helpful Suggestions: Holy Communion is part of our services. All baptized Christians, regardless of age or denomination, are invited to the altar to receive communion. You may kneel or stand at the Altar Rail. The bread is received in the open palm, right hand over left. The wine, if desired, may be taken from the common cup by drinking (placing your hand gently at the base of the chalice to guide it) or by dipping the bread. If you do not wish to receive Communion, but

would like a blessing, come forward to the Altar Rail and cross your arms over your chest.