11 February, 2024, 10.30am
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7)
Presider & Preacher: The Rt. Rev. Mark D. W. Edington
Assisting Priest: The Rev. Dr. Francisco Alberca
Organist: Stefano Vasselli
St. Paul’s Choir
The readings are taken from the New Revised Standard version of the Bible; the Psalms follow the Book of Common Prayer.
This service will be live-streamed on YouTube.
Prelude
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Prelude in C Major
Words of Welcome
Hymn
Christ is the world’s true Light
St. Joan
All stand and sing.
Christ is the world’s true Light,
its Captain of salvation,
the Daystar clear and bright
of every race and nation;
new life, new hope awakes,
for all who own his sway:
freedom her bondage breaks,
and night is turned to day.
In Christ all races meet,
their ancient feuds forgetting,
the whole round world complete,
from sunrise to its setting:
when Christ is throned as Lord
all shall forsake their fear,
to ploughshare beat the sword,
to pruning-hook the spear.
One Lord, in one great Name
unite us all who own thee;
cast out our pride and shame
that hinder to enthrone thee;
the world has waited long,
has travailed long in pain;
to heal its ancient wrong,
come, Prince of Peace, and reign.
- George Wallace Briggs (1875-1959)
Opening Acclamation
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
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.
Gloria
All sing together.
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his people on earth.
Lord God, heavenly King,
almighty God and Father,
we worship you, we give you thanks,
we praise you for your glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,
Lord God, Lamb of God,
you take away the sin of the world:
have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:
receive our prayer.
For you alone are the Holy One,
you alone are the Lord,
you alone are the Most High,
Jesus Christ,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
All are seated for the readings and the psalm.
The First Lesson
2 Kings 2:1-12
A reading from the second book of Kings.
When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.” Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm 147:1-12, 21c
Laudate Dominum
All sing the Antiphon with the Choir.
I desire mercy more than sacrifice,
and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
1 The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; *
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals himself in glory. [Antiphon]
3 Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging storm.
4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to witness the judgment of his people. [Antiphon]
5 “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”
6 Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; *
for God himself is judge. [Antiphon]
The Second Lesson
2 Corinthians 4:3-6
A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn
Christ whose glory fills the skies
Ratisbon
All stand and sing.
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only Light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise!
Triumph o’er the shades of night:
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Daystar, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
unaccompanied by thee;
joyless is the day’s return,
till thy mercy’s beams I see,
till they inward light impart,
glad my eyes, and warm my heart.
Visit then this soul of mine!
Pierce the gloom of sin and grief!
Fill me, radiancy divine;
scatter all my unbelief;
more and more thyself display,
shining to the perfect day.
- Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
The Gospel
Mark 9:2-9
The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
The Rt. Rev. Mark D. W. Edington
All are seated
The Nicene Creed
All stand and sing together:
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 again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and 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
Stand or kneel for the Prayers as you are able.
In the pauses please add you own prayers and thanksgivings, aloud or in silence.
Let us hear your voice as we kneel in awe before you. May we not be the same, after recognizing your glory. Pause.
Merciful and gracious Lord, hear our prayer.
Speak to us of peace. Call us to work for justice and to care for the welfare of all your children: in our homes, in our workplaces, in our neighborhoods, in your Church, in the world. Shine your light in the dark places of our lives and in this world. Pause.
Merciful and gracious Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray your guidance for our missions in the Convocation, and the work of the Committee on Mission Congregations and its chair, Larry Litman. Call us all to be witnesses to your saving grace, and bless the work of missionaries and Young Adult Service Corps members of the Episcopal Church. Pause.
Merciful and gracious Lord, hear our prayer.
Call us to be a compassionate and prayerful presence for those whose hearts ache from grief, whose souls are weary or wounded. Overshadow us with your awesome presence. Walk down from the mountaintop with us, and walk before us into the places you would have us serve as witnesses to your healing and love. We pray for those who have died, especially Ernesto Menaldino who died this week, and for Claudia and her family in their mourning. Pause.
Merciful and gracious Lord, hear our prayer.
O God, who would fold both heaven and earth in a single peace: let the design of thy great love redeem the waste of our wraths and sorrows: and give peace to thy Church, peace among nations, peace in our dwellings, and peace in our hearts: through thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Collect after the Prayers
Hasten, O Father, the coming of your kingdom; and grant that we your servants, who now live by faith, may with joy behold your Son at his coming in glorious majesty; even Jesus Christ, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.
Confession of Sin and Absolution
All remain standing, or kneel, as able.
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
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.
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.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Peace
All stand
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
We remain in our places as we take this time to greet all those around us in the name of peace and reconciliation.
Announcements
The Offertory
The greeters will pass among you to take up your financial offerings.
If you prefer to make a donation online or by credit card follow this link. For information on other ways to give, please visit www.stpaulsrome.it/donate.
Offertory Music
Luca Marenzio (1556 – 1599)
Christus Jesus, splendor Patris
The Great Thanksgiving
Eucharistic Prayer B
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
Because in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of your glory in the face of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Sanctus
All sing together.
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Stand or kneel after the Sanctus
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore, according to his command, O Father,
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time,
put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with Saint Paul and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our
salvation.
By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
We invite you to pray in your own languages.
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.
The Breaking of the Bread
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
The Fraction Anthem
All sing the Antiphon with the Choir.
Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
This is the true bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
Whoever believes in me shall not hunger or thirst,
for the bread which I give for the life of the world is my flesh.
Whoever eats this bread will live for ever.
The Ministration of Communion
The gifts of God for the people of God.
All baptized Christians of any denomination are invited to come forward to participate fully in Communion. Baptized children may receive at the discretion of their parents.
If you do not wish to take communion you may come forward for a blessing,
indicated by crossing your arms over your chest. Gluten-free communion wafers are available;
please raise your hand at the altar rail to receive one.
Communion Music
Domenico Bartolucci (1917 – 2013)
O Sacrum Convivium
Post Communion Prayer
Let us pray.
Almighty and everliving God,
we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food
of the most precious Body and Blood
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;
and for assuring us in these holy mysteries
that we are living members of the Body of your Son,
and heirs of your eternal kingdom.
And now, Father, send us out
to do the work you have given us to do,
to love and serve you
as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.
To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
The Blessing
May Christ, the Son of God, be manifest in you, that your lives may be a light to the world; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.
Recessional Hymn
Ye Watchers and ye Holy Ones
Lasst uns erfreuen
All sing together.
Ye watchers and ye holy ones,
bright seraphs, cherubim, and thrones,
raise the glad strain, Alleluia!
Cry out, dominions, princedoms, powers,
virtues, archangels, angels’ choirs,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
O higher than the cherubim,
more glorious than the seraphim,
lead their praises, Alleluia!
Thou bearer of the eternal Word,
most gracious, magnify the Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Respond, ye souls in endless rest,
ye patriarchs and prophets blest,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Ye holy twelve, ye martyrs strong,
all saints triumphant, raise the song,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
O friends, in gladness let us sing,
supernal anthems echoing,
Alleluia, alleluia!
To God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Spirit, Three in One,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
- John Athelstan Laurie Riley (1858-1945)
The Dismissal
Andate in pace per amare e servire il Signore! Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.!
Rendiamo grazie a Dio! Thanks be to God!
Postlude
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
Fugue in C Major