Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom 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 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Following a brief silence, we confess our sins against God and others.
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.
May 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.
A Hymn of Praise
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
O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament Judges 4:1-7
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.
At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’”
Psalm 123 Ad te levavi oculos meos
1 To you I lift up my eyes, *
to you enthroned in the heavens.
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, *
and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, *
until he show us his mercy.
4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, *
for we have had more than enough of contempt,
5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, *
and of the derision of the proud.
The Epistle 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
The Gospel Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus said, “It is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
Well, here we are at the Sunday every preacher dreads. Time to preach “The Sermon on the Amount.” OK, OK, I know that’s dreadful pun on the familiar “Sermon in the MOUNT,” but it does drive home the reality that at least once a year we need to talk about money. I have done it perhaps 50 times and in dozens of different ways. It always comes down to one simple fact. The ministry and mission of a parish require the fuel of money to operate. AND, most of that money is in your pockets. SO, dig deep. Make a pledge for 2021. I am sure you have gotten the message, perhaps many times over the years and have responded generously. I have no reason to believe you will not do so again now. Enough said.
So, I would like to use my time this week to point out a wonderful little detail in the readings this week, beginning with the story in Judges. The story of Deborah. Now, she is unusual because she is, unlike most of the Old Testament figures, a woman. Teaching about her I usually point out how powerful she was. What an outstanding woman. But that misses the point. Yes, she was powerful and outstanding, BUT she was as a woman who was also quite ordinary. She gets introduced just as all women of the time would have been introduced — as “wife of Lappidoth.” A wife! A second-class citizen and that’s what really draws me to her. She stands out not for mighty deeds OR for being a woman, but for being ordinary. And that brings me to you and me. Most of us are quite ordinary, but Scripture again and again tells us that God uses the ordinary to accomplish his purposes. Deborah, Mary, you and me. Anything we do to serve God can, and does, accomplish things. Some of them may be great, even if we never know about it. So, let’s work hard to be faithful so God has plenty of material to work with.
Jump ahead to the Gospel lesson. All the servants (slaves) were really quite ordinary. Each of them risked what the master entrusted to them and it produced much fruit (God doing great things with small things?) Except, however, for one servant who was afraid to use the trust. Perhaps he forgot that God can do great things with our smallest offerings.
One final example. Since early in 2020, the Brighton Towers Worshipping Community has been accumulating money to be used for the annual Christmas Service and Party. With Christmas only a few weeks away, there is little possibility that the annual service and party can be held. SO, the decision has been made by them (you?) to give that money to the parish’s annual Thanksgiving Food Basket program. Compared to the bigger-than-ever-need this year, every individual gift is going to seem small but, as it turns out, this money is going to be important. VERY important. God uses the ordinary to accomplish the extraordinary. Because of our partnership with the Food Bank of CNY, the Brighton Towers generosity is going to make a real impact for hungry families. Make that a BIG impact. It’s amazing what God can do.
Keep up the good work and don’t forget your 2021 pledge card.
AMEN.
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 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.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Almighty God, everlasting Father, You are worthy of being praised for all Your gifts and graces, which You have given to us, Your people. Hear us this day as we cry to You for all people as they have need.
You have made us Your people. Continue to pour out upon us grace upon grace, that we may be kept in faith and guarded in hope. Bless those who will serve in faithfulness and humility, especially Michael and DeDe, our Bishops, and Nelson, our Rector. Strengthen all Christians in their faith and in their vocation of service as Your children, that we may be obedient to Your Word and live in grateful obedience. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Deliver the nations from oppression and ungodly rulers and governments. Bless all in authority within our own nation, especially those newly elected to office. May they walk in Your commands and show forth in their lives the fruits of the Spirit. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Prevent all disaster and calamity, deliver us from war and violence, and spare us from pestilence. Help us to know and rejoice in the good fruits of the earth, bless all noble occupations, and help the arts to flourish, that our lives may be enriched by beauty. Help us to receive with thanksgiving the fruits of the earth You supply for our common good. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Receive with our song of praise and prayers of thanksgiving the tithes and offerings and pledges we bring, that, through good use of the skills, talents and time You have given us, so You may be glorified in all we are and do. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Give to the sick healing, to the suffering relief, to the grieving hope and to the dying peace. Hear us especially on behalf of those for whom we now pray. Make us thankful for all those who have gone before us and those who have served in the military of our nation, especially those we now name before you. Lord, in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
Remembering that here we have no abiding city but heaven is our home, give us Your aid so that we may accomplish Your purpose in our daily lives. Help us to multiply Your mercy by loving our neighbor in need and loving You with all our body, soul, strength and will; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by the 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 Closing Blessing
May God almighty bless and keep us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen.
A Special Thank you to Brighton Towers for their generous donation
for the Thanksgiving Baskets Mission!
God Bless You all.