The Anglican Parish of Christ Church

 12116-102 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB, T5N 0L6

 www.christchurchedmonton.org 780.488.1118

 Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost September 17th, 2023

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another

as I have loved you. John 13:34

 10:00 A.M. HOLY EUCHARIST  

Celebrant: The Venerable Susan Oliver

Preacher: The Reverend Armand Mercier

Crucifer: Henry Shuurman

Reader: Heather Looy

Chalice Administrators: Anne Smith, David Gay, and

Steve Martin

Prayer Scribe: David Gay

Sidespersons: Trish Manns and Kathy Besuyen

Organist: Karen Epp

Coffee Hosts:

The flowers in the church today are given today to the glory of God and in loving memory  of parents Ruth and Hoadley Mitchell from John and Maggie Mitchell.

Prelude:

Processional Hymn #532 What a Friend We Have in Jesus

The Gathering of the Community (Please Stand) Celebrant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and  the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

People: And also with you.

Celebrant: Almighty God,

All: to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hidden. 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

Celebrant: Almighty God, you call your Church to witness that in Christ  we are reconciled to you. Help us so to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may turn to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you  and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 

All: Amen.  

Children’s Talk

The Proclamation of the Word 

First Reading: Exodus 14:19-31

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went  behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its  place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel.  And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did  not come near the other all night. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the  sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned  the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the  sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on  their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of  Pharaoh's horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord  in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw  the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they  turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the Israelites, for  the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt." Then the Lord said to Moses,

"Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon  the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers." So Moses stretched  out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As  the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The  waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire  army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them  remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters  forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. Thus the Lord saved  Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the  seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So  the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. 

Psalm 114 (choir only) setting by Henrietta Harmsel & William Bradbury

Second Reading: Romans 14:1-12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling  over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only  vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who  abstain must not pass judgement on those who eat; for God has welcomed  them. Who are you to pass judgement on servants of another? It is before  their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is  able to make them stand. Some judge one day to be better than another, while  others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.  Those who observe the day, observe it in honour of the Lord. Also those who  eat, eat in honour of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who  abstain, abstain in honour of the Lord and give thanks to God. We do not live  to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord,  and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die,  we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might  be Lord of both the dead and the living. Why do you pass judgement on your  brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we  will all stand before the judgement seat of God. For it is written, "As I live,  says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise  to God." So then, each of us will be accountable to God. 

Gradual: Listen to the Word Which God Has Spoken (John Bell)

Listen to the word which God has spoken;  

listen to the One who is close at hand;

listen to the voice behind creation,  

listen even if you don’t understand.

Reader: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Reader: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to  St. Matthew (18:21-35).

People: Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.  

Then Peter came and said to Jesus, "Lord, if another member of the church  sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus  said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. For this  reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to  settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one who  owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay,  his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his  possessions, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees before  him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out  of pity for him, the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the  debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he  said, 'Pay what you owe.' Then his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with  him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' But he refused; then he  went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow  servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went  and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned  him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because  you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant,  as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured  until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to  every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your  heart." 

Reader: The Gospel of Christ.

People: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Gradual: Listen to the Word Which God Has Spoken (John Bell)

Listen to the word which God has spoken;  

listen to the One who is close at hand;

listen to the voice behind creation,  

listen even if you don’t understand.

Sermon: The Reverend Armand Mercier  The Apostle’s Creed

All: I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and  earth. 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. 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. 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. Amen.

The Prayers of the People  

Celebrant: Dear friends in Christ, God is steadfast in love and infinite in  mercy; he welcomes sinners and invites them to his table. Let us  confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Celebrant: Most merciful God,

All: 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 neighbours 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.

Celebrant: Almighty God have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness  and keep you in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

People: Amen.

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People: And also with you.

The Celebration of the Eucharist 

Offertory Hymn: #60 I Come with Joy

Celebrant: Holy God,

All: accept all we offer you this day. May we who are reconciled  at this table bring wholeness to our broken world. We ask  this in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you. BAS, pg. 196 People: And also with you.

Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them to the Lord.

Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Celebrant: We give you thanks and praise, almighty God, through your  beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer…Now with  all creation we raise our voices to proclaim the glory of your name.

#735 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full, full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest.

Celebrant: Holy and gracious God, accept our praise, through your Son our  Saviour Jesus Christ…All glory and honour are yours, Father and  Son, with the Holy Spirit in the holy Church, now and for ever. People: Amen.

Celebrant: And now, as our Saviour Christ has taught us, we are bold to say, All: 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.

Celebrant: We break this bread to share in the body of Christ. All: We, being many, are one body, for we all share in the one  bread.

Celebrant: The gifts of God for the People of God.

People: Thanks be to God.

#747 Jesus, Lamb of God

Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.

Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.

Jesus, redeemer, redeemer of the world,

give us your peace, give us your peace.

The Communion

Those who wish to share in Holy Communion may look to the sidespeople for guidance.

During Communion:

Choir: Before I Take the Body of My Lord - John Bell

#619 Fairest Lord Jesus

Celebrant: Living God,

All: in this eucharist we have been reconciled to you and to our  neighbours. May we who have been nourished by holy  things always have the courage to forgive. We ask this in  the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. 

Celebrant: Glory to God,

All: whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we  can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to  generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and  ever. Amen.

Blessing

Announcements  

The Dismissal

Celebrant: Go forth in the name of Christ.  

All: Thanks be to God.  

Recessional Hymn: #354 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

This week we pray for: Diocese of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island: the Rt. Rev.  Sandra Fyfe, Bishop. Church of the Nativity, Frog Lake: Fred Matthews, Lay Reader in-Charge. The Archdeacons of the Diocese of Buyé: Evariste Nsabimana, Simeon  Ntirandekura, Papias Masengesho, and Leonidas Nizigiyimana. Alexis Nakota Sioux  Nation.

Permission to reprint, podcast, and/or stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE  with license #A-707445. All rights reserved.

Feeling Unwell?

As we move into cold and flu season and with another COVID variant in the  community, we would like to remind you that if YOU ARE FEELING  SICK, have any cold/COVID symptoms or have tested positive for COVID  please remain home and tune into our live stream from home. If you are  feeling worried about being at church and around a large group of people  please also know that masking is welcome always! Thank you for your  patience and understanding.

PARISH NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS 

Messy Church | September 22 @ 5pm

Join us for a meal, learning, and all age activities.  

Our theme for the year is The Way of Love:  

Spiritual Practices for Discipleship by Michael Curry  

(presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church). New  

families are welcome!

Cleaning Bee | September 22 & 23

Please join Rev. Sue and Rev. Armand from  

10am to 3pm in cleaning, moving furniture,  

sprucing up, and small repairs. Meet at the house  

on 121 St. Please email the parish office if you  

are able to help and indicating the time you are  

available (admin@christchurchedm.ca).  

Building Bridges: God and the World | September 24 @ 4pm Dr. Josh Harris, Associate Professor of Philosophy at The King's University,  will kick off our speaker series. The title of his lecture is: “Somewhere within  was a Fire": Faith and the Dignity of Contemplation. Childcare will be  provided.

Celebration of Life: Kathy McClellan | September 29 @ 2pm Kathy passed away in the fall of 2021 and you may join with her family in giving thanks for her life by attending in person or via live stream. May light perpetual shine upon her and may she rest in peace.

Joan and Jim Newby

This past summer both Joan and Jim passed away within a few weeks of one  another. We remember them both and give thanks to God for their lives.  May light perpetual shine upon them and may they rest in peace. Their  interment in our Memorial Garden is scheduled for Spring 2024.

Senior Choir

Thank you to Karen Epp for playing and leading this morning. Tammy-Jo is  at her home parish of Ansgar Danish Lutheran Church this  morning celebrating their 100th anniversary. The planning has been going on  for many, many months now! Tammy-Jo played in two mini-concerts and  Vespers yesterday and the service this morning with their pastor and the  Bishop. She also acted as an organ consultant and yesterday they blessed a  brand new small pipe organ for their small church!

Thank you also to The Cosmopolitan Music Society for the loan of the  handbells that were used in worship here at Christ Church last weekend.