Third Sunday after Pentecost
Indigenous History Month
Holy Eucharist
June 18, 2023
St. Paul’s Parish, Charlottetown, PEI
Christ our true and only Light: receive our prayers and songs, and illumine the secrets of our hearts with your healing goodness, that no evil desires may possess us who are made new in the light of your heavenly grace. Amen. (source: Gelasian Sacramentary)
Creator, you made all people of every land. It is our responsibility to give thanks and respect to those who first occupied this land we are upon. We give thanks to the Mi’kmaq, the first people of this land. We offer our respect to those ancestors who may be interred in this land. We are also thankful for the gifts of the People of the land.
Let us pray,
Almighty God, 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 is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
First Reading: Romans 5:1-8
A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans.
1 This good standing we have brings peace with the Great Spirit. This peace comes from trusting in Creator Sets Free (Jesus) the Chosen One and what he has done for us. 2 Our trust in him opens the way into Creator’s great kindness and is now the solid ground on which we stand. Now our boasting is in him, as we look forward to being the kind of people the Great Spirit created us to be, a people filled with his beauty and shining-greatness. 3-4 But we must also find joy in our sufferings on his behalf. For we know that when the trail gets rough, we must walk with firm steps to reach the end. As we walk firmly in his footprints, we gain the strength of spirit that we need to stay true to the path. 5 This gives us the hope we need to reach the end of the trail with honor. All of this is because of Creator’s great love that has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who is his gift to us from above. 6 When the time was right, while we were still weak human beings following our bad hearts and broken ways, the Chosen One died for us. 7 It is not easy to find someone who is willing to die for a good person, even though we might find someone with the courage to die for a very good person. 8 But here is the way the Maker of Life proves how deep his love is for us: even when we were still following our bad hearts and broken ways, the Chosen One gave his life for us.
Thanks be to God
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
35 Creator Sets Free (Jesus) continued to walk about and visit the villages. He taught in their gathering houses, helped people to understand about Creator’s good road, and healed people from every kind of sickness and disease. 36 When he saw the great number of people needing help, he was moved in his spirit with great compassion for them. He knew they were pushed down with no one to help and scattered about like sheep without a shepherd to watch over them. 37 So he said to the ones who walked the road with him, “There is a great harvest in front of us, but only a few to gather it in. 38 Pray to the Great Spirit Chief of the harvest, so he will send out more helpers into the fields.” 1 Creator Sets Free (Jesus) then gathered his twelve message bearers together to prepare them for this great harvest. He gave them authority over evil and unclean spirits, to force them out of people, and to heal all kinds of sickness and disease. 2 Here are the names of the twelve that he chose to be his special message bearers: First there was One Who Hears (Simon), who was also called Stands on the Rock (Peter), and his brother Stands with Courage (Andrew). Then he chose He Takes Over (James) and his brother He Shows Goodwill (John), who are the sons of Gift of Creator (Zebedee). 3 He also chose Friend of Horses (Philip) and Son of Ground Digger (Bartholomew) and Looks Like His Brother (Thomas) along with Gift from Creator (Matthew), the tribal tax collector. Then he chose He Takes Charge (James), the son of First to Change (Alphaeus), along with Strong of Heart (Thaddaeus) and 4 One Who Listens (Simon) the Firebrand (Zealot). And last of all, Speaks Well Of (Judas), also known as Village Man (Iscariot), who later betrayed him. 5 Before Creator Sets Free (Jesus) sent out his twelve message bearers to represent him, he gave them these instructions: “It is not the time to go to the Outside Nations or to the villages of the people of High Place (Samaria). 6 Instead, go to your own people—the lost sheep of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel). 7 This is what I want you to say to them: ‘Creator’s good road from above is close. Reach out and take hold of it!’ 8 Heal all who are sick, cleanse the ones with skin diseases, raise the dead, and force evil spirits out of people. Give away the things I have given to you and ask no price for your service. 9 “Take no trading goods with you or coins for your money pouches. 10 Take no traveling bundle, moccasins, or extra clothes to wear, not even a walking stick, because the ones who work hard in the harvest fields deserve to be fed and cared for. 11 “Whenever you enter a camp or village, find an honorable person who will give you lodging. 12 When you come to their dwelling, greet the family with respect. 13 If they are people of honor, your greeting of peace will rest on them. 14 But if no one in that village welcomes you or listens to your message, then go from there and shake the dust from your moccasins. 15 The truth is, on the day when the fate of that village is decided, it will be worse for them than it was for Village of Bad Spirits (Sodom) and Village of Deep Fear (Gomorrah). 16 “Look and listen! I am sending you out like sheep into a pack of wolves, so be as crafty as snakes but as harmless and gentle as doves. 17 Look out for men with bad hearts, for they will bring you before their councils and whip you with leather straps in their gathering houses. 18 You will also be dragged before government rulers and leaders—all because you are representing me—and in this way through you both the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel) and the People of Iron (Romans) will hear my message. 19 “When this happens, do not be afraid or worry about what you will say or how you will say it. 20 When that time comes, you will be given the words to say. For it is not you who will speak, but the Spirit of your Father will speak through you. 21 “Brother will betray brother and parents will betray their children, even putting them to death. Children will turn against their parents and have them killed. 22 The time will come when all will hate you because you represent me and carry my name. But remember, it is the ones who never give up and make it to the end of the road who will be rescued and made whole. 23 “If they hunt you down in one village, leave there and go to the next one. I speak from my heart, the True Human Being will come before you finish going through all the villages in the land of the tribes of Wrestles with Creator (Israel).
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us confess the core of our belief:
We believe in the love of God,
embodied in the person of Jesus,
spread through the cosmos by the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Creator and Redeemer, as we approach you in prayer, make us walk in beauty and balance, make us open our hearts and minds, make us speak the truth. We pray first for your Community, the Church, The Body of Christ. We pray for all our relatives in the circle of life throughout all Creation; for those chosen to be our leaders and teachers.
We call upon the earth, our Mother and home, with its beautiful depths, soaring heights and deep waters, its vitality and abundance of life, and together we ask that it:
Teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the mountains and tundra, the green valleys and prairies filled with wild flowers, the snows, the summits of intense silence, and we ask that they:
Teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil, the fertile fields, the abundant gardens and orchards, and we ask that they:
Teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the forests, the great trees reaching strongly to the sky with earth in their roots and the heavens in their branches, the fir and the pine, the cedar and the maple, we ask them to:
Teach us and show us the way.
We call upon the creatures of the fields and forests and the waters, our brothers and sisters the wolves and deer, the eagle and bear, the great whales and the fish. We ask them to:
Teach us and show us the way.
We call upon all those who have lived on this earth, our ancestors and our friends, who dreamed the best for future generations, and upon whose lives our lives are built, and with thanksgiving, we call upon them to:
Teach us and show us the way.
We call upon all men to show compassion as we mark Father’s Day, to show love and tenderness as they mentor, coach and parent us, praying that they will continue to:
Teach us and show us the way.
We pray for all who have died in your peace and whose faith is known to you alone. We remember especially,
We pray for those who are ill at home or in the hospital, that you will give them assurance and strength. We pray especially for…
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For all that separates our hearts from God and from all that closes our eyes to God’s love... silence
For what we have done, left undone, and what has been done on our behalf... silence
For the pride that prevents us from forgiving others, as we have been forgiven... silence
Jesus, forgive us.
Create in us clean hearts, O God,
and renew rights spirit within us.
The Lord enrich you with grace, and nourish you with many blessings; the Lord defend you in trouble and keep you from all evil; the Lord accept your prayers, and absolve you from your offences, for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray,
God of reconciliation and forgiveness, the saving work of Christ has made our peace with you. May that work grow toward its perfection in all we offer you this day. We ask this in his name. Amen.
(adapted from NZ Maori PB, and revised version from the Liturgy of St. John’s, Red Lake, MN)
God the Creator is here.
God’s Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts
We lift them to God the Creator
Let us give thanks to God
It is right to offer our thanks and praise.
God the Creator, our Great Spirit, from the depths of our hearts we give you thanks. We say thank you, now and forever. From the place of the rising sun in the East, to the South where the warm winds blow, from the West where the soft rain comes, to the coldness of the North. We unite with all creation from the four directions to join in the everlasting thanksgiving and praise for the gift of Jesus Christ.
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.
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial, and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.
Whoever comes to me shall not hunger…
and whoever believes in me shall never thirst
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God you take away the sin of the world
grant us your peace.
So, come to this table, you who have much faith and you who would like to have more. You who have been to this sacrament often, and you who have not been for a long time. You who have tried to follow Jesus, and you who have failed. Come. It is Christ who invites us to meet him here. These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks be to God.
352 Amazing Grace
P136 There Is a Redeemer
585 Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray,
Great Creator, you have fed us with bread from heaven. Continue to renew us in your truth, to give light to our minds, strength to our bodies, and seal us with your Holy Spirit. We ask this in Christ’s name. Amen.
Glory to God,
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.
Send us anywhere you would have us go, only go there with us.
Place upon us any burden you desire, only stand by us to sustain us.
Break any tie that binds us, except the tie that binds us to you.
And the blessing of God; the Creator, who made and knows us;
the Savior, who redeems and befriends us;
and the Spirit, who enlightens and sustains us,
be with you this day and always. Amen.
rejoicing in the power of the Great Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
