We are glad that you have joined us for worship today.

Good morning and welcome to St. John the Baptist! We’re glad you are here. Please turn off your car engine and tune your radio to 104.9 FM. You are invited to participate fully in this service from the comfort of your vehicle.

If you choose to roll down your windows, we ask that you please wear a facial covering. If you need assistance, please wave out your window, flash your headlights, or tap your horn and a member of the Safety & Parking Team will assist you. We have a few portable radios available to use if you need to borrow one.

During The Peace, the Reverend Kate will come by to greet you.

Click here for a PDF version of the bulletin.

If you wish to make online donations to the congregation, you may do so here:

https://sjbwestseattle.org/page/49/stewardship-giving

If you are reading at home with a partner or more, one can take the role of presider (leader) and the other(s) read the responses in bold type. If reading alone, read both parts.

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Rite II

Opening Acclamation

Blessed be God: most holy, glorious, and undivided Trinity.

And blessed be God’s reign, 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

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s 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  Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 19

God be with you.  And also with you.  Let us pray. 

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

Reading: Genesis 50:15-21

Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.

So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. 

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.  Thanks be to God.

Response: Psalm 103:1-13, Benedic, anima mea

Read responsively by whole verse.

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *

     and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, *

     and forget not all his benefits.

3 He forgives all your sins *

     and heals all your infirmities;

4 He redeems your life from the grave *

     and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5 He satisfies you with good things, *

     and your youth is renewed like an eagle’s.

6 The Lord executes righteousness *

     and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7 He made his ways known to Moses *

     and his works to the children of Israel.

8 The Lord is full of compassion and mercy *

     slow to anger and of great kindness.

9 He will not always accuse us, *

     nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *

      nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, *

      so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, *

      so far has he removed our sins from us.

13 As a father cares for his children, *

      so does the Lord care for those who fear him.

Reading Romans 14:1-12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling 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 judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment 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 honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor 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 judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment 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.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people.  Thanks be to God.

Holy Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Matthew.  Glory to you, O Christ.

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 slaves. 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 slave 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 slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave 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 slaves 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 slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, 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.”

The Gospel of our Savior. Praise to you, O Christ.

Homily: The Reverend Kate E. Wesch

The Nicene Creed

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 became truly human.

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,

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

     who 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

Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Therefore, in unity, fellowship, and harmony, let us do Christ’s will and share our prayers, saying, “Lord, please hear us.” 

Silence may be kept.

Let us come together in support and blessing for our church and communion in the world; for Michael our presiding bishop, Greg our Bishop, Kate our priest, for ministers and ministries both global and personal, we pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Let us join together as one people and one planet, without petty quarrels and divisions, as we are all truly in and of God’s creation. With respect and care for others, we pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Let us consider those among us who are selected to lead. Grant them the wisdom to remember that leadership is first and foremost service, and the moral strength to bear this responsibility. We pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Let us remember our fellow humans who have chosen other paths. Jews, Muslims, and Christians, we all worship the same God, and we should serve together in unity and mutual respect and love. Allahu akbar, Elohim gadol, we pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Let us come together as one united humanity, and put a final end to violence and oppression. Let us house the homeless, clothe the naked, and feed the hungry. We have the vast resources of God’s earth and our intelligence; we can ease so much pain. Release us from our greed, we pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Let us focus our thoughts on those among us who are ill or suffering, especially ____, and those I ask you to name either silently or aloud. May we come to their aid as they would come to ours. We pray:

 Lord, please hear us.

Let us count our uncountable blessings! The true riches of this life are so often overlooked. We include among them ____, and those I ask you to name either silently or aloud. In joy and true gratitude, we pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Let us carry a light in our hearts for the dead, who have passed on, but who yet live in our thoughts and prayers. We especially remember ____, and those I now ask you to name silently or aloud. In the hope of a heavenly reunion someday, we pray:

Lord, please hear us.

Lord, in the book of Isaiah, you say, “Come, let us reason together,” and this is a wonderful request. It invites us all to join in rational communion and good faith discourse with ourselves and with you. Please bind us together in unity, fellowship, and harmony, as we go forth in the world to do your work. Amen.

Confession

 Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

A moment of reflective silence is kept.

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 our Savior 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 the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

The Peace

The peace of Christ be always with you.

And also with you.

Offertory Sentence

Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. — (Ephesians 5:2)

The congregation's gifts of money and donations for the Food Bank and Little Free Pantry are presented and placed on the Holy Table.

If you wish to make online donations to the congregation, you may do so here:

https://sjbwestseattle.org/page/49/stewardship-giving

The Lord’s Prayer

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray,

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.

Prayer for Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. I desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving as I proclaim your resurrection. I love you above all things, and long for you in my soul. Since I cannot receive you in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood, come spiritually into my heart. Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus, and let me never be separated from you. May I live in you, and you in me, in this life and in the life to come. Amen.

(From Washington National Cathedral; material adapted from Prayer of St. Alphonsus de Liguori (1696-1787), and A Prayer Book for the Armed Services, 2007.)

Prayer for Birthdays and Anniversaries

O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor, we pray, on your servant(s) as he/she/they begin another year. Grant that he/she/they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen his/her/their trust in your goodness all the days of his/her/their life/lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer for Digital Devices, Students, and Teachers

Jesus our teacher and guide, bless these digital devices we pray, and the many relationships that they support. May they be used to connect us to one another and to the world. Bless the work and hope and creativity they hold. We thank you for the new beginning of this school year. Help us be patient and adaptive, as our school experience will not be the same as before. Strengthen students and teachers for the year ahead. Speak through them that they may be bold on this path of faith. May they learn and love and grow. Protect them from harm. We pray for wisdom, healthy relationships and continual curiosity. May these blessed back-to-school tools be a reminder that they have everything they need to learn and grow this year. May they know that each one is enfolded in the care of this congregation and that it is God who sends them. May they know who they are as God’s beloved creation. Amen.

The Blessing

Let us depart from this place in peace, and as we go on our way, forget not the poor,  pray for the sick, make no peace with oppression, and love one another in God as Christ has loved us, and the blessing of God: most holy, glorious, and undivided Trinity be upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen.

Dismissal

Let us go forth in the name of Christ.

Thanks be to God.