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THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

13 DECEMBER 2015

THE HOLY EUCHARIST: RITE I

8:00 AM

St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church 500 South Country Road • Bay Shore, New York 11706

Phone 631-665-0051 Fax 631-665-0052 www.stpetersbayshore.org

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THE HOLY EUCHARIST: RITE I THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, P. 323

THE WORD OF GOD

The Voluntary: “Savior of the Nations, Come” D. Buxtehude

The Opening Acclamation Celebrant Bless the Lord who forgiveth all our sins; People His mercy endureth for ever.

The Collect for Purity The Book of Common Prayer, p. 323

The Song of Praise: The Trisagion p. 324

The Collect of the Day Celebrant The Lord be with you. People And with thy spirit. Celebrant Let us pray. Stir up thy power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let thy bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

The Lessons The First Lesson: Zephaniah 3:14-20

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.

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I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD.

Lector The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

Canticle 9: The First Song of Isaiah (Said by all)

Surely, it is God who saves me; * I will trust in him and not be afraid. For the Lord is my stronghold and my sure defense, * and he will be my Savior. Therefore you shall draw water with rejoicing * from the springs of salvation. And on that day you shall say, * Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; Make his deeds known among the peoples; * see that they remember that his Name is exalted. Sing the praises of the Lord, for he has done great things, * and this is known in all the world. Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, ring out your joy, * for the great one in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,* and to the Holy Ghost: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,* world without end. Amen.

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The Second Lesson: Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplica-tion with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Lector The Word of the Lord. People Thanks be to God.

The congregation stands for the reading of the Gospel.

The Gospel: Luke 3:7-18

Celebrant The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

People Glory be to thee, O Lord.

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusa-tion, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts con-cerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his thresh-ing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff

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he will burn with unquenchable fire." So, with many other ex-hortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Celebrant The Gospel of the Lord. People Praise be to thee, O Christ.

The Sermon The Right Reverend Johncy Itty

The Nicene Creed p. 326 The Prayers of the People p. 328

The Confession of Sin and Absolution p. 330 The Peace

THE HOLY COMMUNION

Hymn at the Offering The Hymnal 1982, #59 Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding Merton The Great Thanksgiving p. 340 Sanctus p. 341 The Breaking of the Bread p. 337 Agnus Dei & Prayer of Humble Access p. 337 The Post Communion Prayer p. 339 The Prayer of St. Richard

Lord Jesus Christ, Most Merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, help us this day and everyday to see Thee more clearly, to follow Thee more nearly, to love Thee more dearly,

for Thy Name’s sake. Amen.

The Blessing & Dismissal The Voluntary: Fugue in G Major Dietrich Buxtehude

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— PARISH NOTICES —

THE CHRISTMAS WREATHS WILL BE HUNG TODAY IMMEDI-

ATELY FOLLOWING THE 10:15 AM SERVICE. All who would like to help are invited to stay and assist in the “Greening” of the Church. The Church Family is grateful to all those who help clean and beau-tify the church for our upcoming services.

THE ANNUAL SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS will be sung today at 4:00 pm. All are invited to join us for this spectacular holi-day occasion. A festive holiday reception will follow the service in the Lounge.

NAMES FOR CHRISTMAS MEMORIALS MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE OFFICE NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20 for inclusion in the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Booklet. If you have not received a letter with an offering envelope in the mail, please speak with a member of the Altar Guild.

EVOCO VOICE COLLECTIVE WOMEN’S ENSEMBLE will present a Christmas Concert at St. Peter’s on Sunday, December 20 at 4:00 pm. Featured on the program will be the exquisite “Ceremony of Carols” by Benjamin Britten.

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS EVE CHRISTMAS PAGEANT AND FAMILY EUCHARIST - DECEMBER 24TH. All children, from toddlers to teens, are invited to participate including friends and family who may be visiting! These are non-speaking parts and costumes are available. Please email marlane.perry@gmail.com or see her in the Sunday school room during 10:15 service to sign your child up. A brief rehearsal will be conducted at 3:30 on Christmas Eve. Please accompany your “angel” (or shepherd, or . . . ) to the Sunday School room at 3:15 to help them get dressed.

NOTICE: THE ANNUAL PARISH MEETING IS USUALLY HELD ON OUR PATRONAL FESTIVAL which this year will be January 17th. Because that is Martin Luther King Holiday weekend, the meeting has been postponed until Sunday, January 31, beginning at the 10:15 am Eucharist. Chairpersons of committees should begin thinking NOW about annual reports, and you begin getting those to Mark Engelhardt right after the New Year.

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PRAYERS FOR THE WEEK OF SUNDAY 12/13/15

We pray for those seeking healing: Alice, Ann, Ann, Beryl, Bradley, Bruce, Bryan, Chris, Daniel, David, Debbie, Deron, Donald, Ellen, Ellie, Ezra, Gary, Hugh, Irene, Jack, James, Jim, Joy, Karen, Kelly, LaJune, Leo, Linda, Lisa, Lon, Louie, Manuel, Mike, Nancy, Natalie, Nicole, Patrick, Paul, Roger, Ryan, Samantha, San-dra, Sarah Grace, Theo, Tom, Tom, and the Reverend Robert J. McCloskey, Jr.;

We pray for those in military service, and especially for Eileen, John, Kyle, Robert, and Stephen;

We pray for those with special needs: the unemployed; for all who suffer from addictions; for all who have AIDS and those who care for them;

We pray for lasting peace in the world, for refugees and the vic-tims of the violence of war, and for those separated from their loved ones;

We pray for our companion dioceses of Torit & Ecuador-Central.

In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer we pray for Christ Church, Bell-port; Christ Church, Brentwood; St. Ann’s, Bridgehampton; St. James’, Brookhaven; St. John the Baptist, Center Moriches; The Archdeacons of the Diocese; Church of the Messiah, Central Islip;

In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for the Dioceses of Windward Islands (West Indies); Worcester (England); Wusasa (Nigeria); Wyoming (USA); Yambio (Sudan); Yangon (Myanmar); Yei (Sudan).

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— COMING EVENTS —

Sunday, 12/13—Lessons and Carols (4 pm) Thursday, 12/17—ECW Meeting (11:30 am) Sunday, 12/20—eVoco Women’s Chorus Concert (4 pm) Thursday, 12/24— CHRISTMAS EVE Family Eucharist and Pageant—4:00 pm Solemn Choral Eucharist—11:00 pm Friday, 12/25—CHRISTMAS DAY EUCHARIST—10 am Wednesday, 1/6—Feast of the Epiphany, Holy Eucharist (10 am) Sunday,1/17—Patronal Festival Monday, 1/18—Martin Luther King Day (Office Closed) Thursday, 1/21—ECW Meeting (11:30 am) Sunday, 1/24—Eagle Scout Ceremony (2 pm) Sunday, 1/31—Annual Parish Meeting (10:15 am) Tuesday, 2/2—Feast of the Presentation, Holy Eucharist (10 am) Sunday, 2/7—Boy Scout Sunday Wednesday, 2/10—Ash Wednesday Sunday, 2/14—First Sunday in Lent

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Christmastide at St. Peter’s

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24 Christmas Eve

4:00 pm—Christmas Pageant and Family Eucharist 11:00 pm—Festive Choral Eucharist for Christmas

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 25 Christmas Day

10:00 am—Christmas Day Eucharist with Carols

SUNDAYS, DECEMBER 27 AND JANUARY 3 The First and Second Sundays after Christmas

8:00 am—Holy Eucharist, Rite I 10:15 am—Choral Holy Eucharist, Rite II

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6

The Feast of the Epiphany 10:00 am—Holy Eucharist (St. Edmund’s Chapel)

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— St. Peter’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church —

A parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island

The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry Presiding Bishop The Right Reverend Lawrence C. Provenzano, DD Diocesan Bishop The Right Reverend Geralyn Wolf Assisting Bishop The Right Reverend Johncy Itty, DD Bishop-in-Residence Mark Engelhardt Associate for Administration, Liturgy, and Music Sara Merrigan Preschool Director Linda Ruggieri Financial Administrator

The Wardens and Vestry of the Parish

Salvatore Basile, Senior Warden Brian Clark, Junior Warden

Kathleen Malloy, Clerk of the Vestry Roger Burmeister William Crawford Debbie Crawford Joseph Goncalves

George Justice Chris LeBron Clyde Payne

Carl M. Siciliano

Praising God, Serving Neighbor

We seek to worship the Lord as one loving family by serving our parish and community

through prayer, music, education, and outreach