Contents:

• The Propers for the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.
• YouTube link for the live-stream of our 10:30 service
• Announcements for the week of August 27th, 2023

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

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we de sire or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen. 

The Old Testament Lesson: Ecclus. xv:11.

SAY not thou, It is through the Lord that I fell away: for thou oughtest not to do the things that he hateth, Say not thou, He hath caused me to err: for he hath no need of the sinful man. The Lord hateth all abomination; and they that fear God love it not. He himself made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counsel; If thou wilt, to keep the commandments, and to perform acceptable faithfulness. He hath set fire and water before thee: stretch forth thy hand unto whether thou wilt. Before man is life and death; and whether him liketh shall be given him. For the wisdom of the Lord is great, and he is mighty in power, and beholdeth all things: And his eyes are upon them that fear him, and he knoweth every work of man. He hath commanded no man to do wickedly, neither hath he given any man license to sin. 

The Psalter. Psalm 139

O LORD, thou hast searched me out, and known me. * Thou knowest my down-sitting, and mine uprising; thou understandest my thoughts long before.
2 Thou art about my path, and about my bed; * and art acquainted with all my ways.
3 For lo, there is not a word in my tongue, * but thou, O LORD, knowest it altogether.
4 Thou hast beset me behind and before, * and laid thine hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful and excellent for me; * I cannot attain unto it.
6 Whither shall I go then from thy Spirit? * or whither shall I go then from thy presence?
7 If I climb up into heaven, thou art there; * if I go down to hell, thou art there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning, * and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea;
9 Even there also shall thy hand lead me, * and thy right hand shall hold me.
10 If I say, Peradventure the darkness shall cover me; * then shall my night be turned to day.
11 Yea, the darkness is no darkness with thee, but the night is as clear as the day; * the darkness and light to thee are both alike.
12 For my reins are thine; * thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.
13 I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: * marvelous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right well.
14 My bones are not hid from thee, * though I be made secretly, and fashioned beneath in the earth.
15 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; * and in thy book were all my members written;
16 Which day by day were fashioned, * when as yet there was none of them.
17 How dear are thy counsels unto me, O God; * O how great is the sum of them!
18 If I tell them, they are more in number than the sand: * when I wake up, I am present with thee.
19 Wilt thou not slay the wicked, O God? * Depart from me, ye blood-thirsty men.
20 For they speak unrighteously against thee; * and thine enemies take thy Name in vain.
21 Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? * and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?
22 Yea, I hate them right sore; * even as though they were mine enemies.
23 Try me, O God, and seek the ground of my heart; * prove me, and examine my thoughts.
24 Look well if there be any way of wickedness in me; * and lead me in the way everlasting. 

The Epistle. 2 Cor. iii. 4.

SUCH trust have we through Christ to God-ward: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away: how shall not the minis tration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. 

The Gospel. St. Mark vii. 31.

JESUS, departing from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, came unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the coasts of Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to put his hand upon him. And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his tongue; and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He bath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak.

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

https://youtube.com/live/lQks9lI7NwY

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 27th, 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!

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.

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