Contents:

• The Propers for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.
• YouTube link for the live-stream of our 10:30 service
• Announcements for the week of August 20th, 2023

The Propers for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.
The Book of Common Prayer, 1928.

The Collect.

O GOD, who declarest thy almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 26:12.

LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us. O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish. Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth. LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them. 

The Psalter. Psalms 124, 125

IF the LORD himself had not been on our side, now may Israel say; * if the LORD himself had not been on our side, when men rose up against us;
    2 They had swallowed us up alive; * when they were so wrathfully displeased at us.
    3 Yea, the waters had drowned us, * and the stream had gone over our soul.
    4 The deep waters of the proud * had gone even over our soul.
    5 But praised be the LORD, * who hath not given us over for a prey unto their teeth.
    6 Our soul is escaped even as a bird out of the snare of the fowler; * the snare is broken, and we are delivered.
    7 Our help standeth in the Name of the LORD, * who hath made heaven and earth.

    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

THEY that put their trust in the LORD shall be even as the mount Sion, * which may not be removed, but standeth fast for ever.
    2 The hills stand about Jerusalem; * even so standeth the LORD round about his people, from this time forth for evermore.
    3 For the sceptre of the ungodly shall not abide upon the lot of the righteous; * lest the righteous put their hand unto wickedness.
    4 Do well, O LORD, * unto those that are good and true of heart.
    5 As for such as turn back unto their own wickedness, * the LORD shall lead them forth with the evil doers; but peace shall be upon Israel.

    Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
Answer. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. 

The Epistle. 1 Cor. xv. 1.

BRETHREN, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet 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 which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. 

The Gospel. St. Luke xviii. 9.

JESUS spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be. merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Link to the YouTube Live-stream of our Sunday service – 10:30 a.m.: 

https://youtube.com/live/kRZinjcHEhY

Click here to access our YouTube channel where you can always view past live-streams or check for any scheduled upcoming live-streams.

For information and tips on getting the best sound and picture from the live-stream, click here.

If you have any questions or issues, please contact our media team at video.christchurchanglican@gmail.com. 

Announcements for Sunday, August 20th, 2023

If you are visiting us – Welcome to Christ Church Anglican, Southern Pines! Thank you for being with us. We are very pleased that you joined us, and we hope that your worship here is a blessing. Please sign the guest book on the table in the narthex, and provide your contact information. Include your email address in order to be placed on the parish email list: you won’t be bombarded with mail, but it’s a good way to keep in touch. And may God bless you!

Today let us welcome Amanda Goodwin Levasseur, who grew up in this area and has now returned, and has expressed an interest in joining our parish family. If that “Goodwin” sounds familiar, it is because her parents were heavily involved with the foundation of Weymouth Woods. An accomplished musician, Amanda is not replacing Barbara as our organist – lest there be any concerns! – but she has offered to assist her, and us, with our musical program. At our August Vestry meeting, the Vestry voted unanimously to approve placing her piano here, in exchange for Amanda playing it for us from time to time, which she will be doing for the first time this Sunday. Again, please join me (Father Tom) and our Vestry in making Amanda welcome at Christ Church Anglican!

Ordo Calendars – It may be only August, but it is time to order our new Ordo Calendars for 2024! The traditional calendar will cost $8 each, and the full-color liturgical calendar with beautiful photos of various churches will be $21 each. Please tell Susan Saulsbury (ezteatime@gmail.com or 410-984-4401) which calendar you wish to order by August 20th. Many thanks! Ordo calendars indicate the liturgical season of the year, holy days celebrated, and the liturgical colors appropriate to the day and season, among other useful pieces of information. Many find them helpful in devotion!

Altar Flowers – If you would like to give glory to God, to honor or remember someone, or to commemorate a special occasion with flowers to beautify the altar, the cost is $75, and the flowers last 2-3 weeks. So if you want your tribute to be for two different reasons, you can also do that! Simply give the information you would like to be included in the bulletin to Susan Saulsbury (see above for contact info), and make your check payable to Christ Church Anglican. Many thanks, and God bless!

Planned Giving – It’s never a bad time to plan for the support of the parish, financially! And now that we are almost two-thirds of way through the year, it’s not too early to think about year-end giving – known as a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD – or even legacy / endowment giving, to support the mission and ministry of Christ Church Anglican not only now, but well into the future. That such contributions may provide you with a tax benefit for helping our parish is an added bonus! If this is something you would like to discuss, please contact McNeil Chestnut, our Stewardship Coordinator, and he will gladly assist you. Contact him at 919-210-8904, or by email at mchestnut@nc.rr.com.

Prayers for Fr. John Sharpe – Please keep former Christ Church Rector Fr. John Sharpe in your prayers, as he is suffering from a severe attack of sciatica, which is giving him a great deal of pain, and has restricted him to a wheelchair for movement. He misses coming to church, and sends his love, as well as his request for our continued prayers!

Prayers for Pastor Buddy’s son Joseph – Pastor Buddy is a Presbyterian minister, who is also a faithful attendee and communicant at our Wednesday service. He requests prayers for his son, who is fighting cancer.

This concludes our Announcements. May the Lord bless and keep you, and grant you an excellent – safe and healthy, cool and well-hydrated – week!

Faithfully,

Fr. Tom Harbold