SERVICE SHEET and READINGS
Service Sheet
January 24, 2021 – The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Paul’s ~ Syracuse, NY
Morning Prayer, Rite II ~ The Book of Common Prayer, p. 76
The Prelude: Andante espressivo Percy Whitlock (1903-1946)
Hymn 550, “Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult” Restoration
Invitation to Worship
The Confession and Absolution, p. 79
The Invitatory, pp. 80 and 82
Psalm 62:6-14, p. 669, Nonne Deo? Mode 8
The First Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Canticle: S-236, A Song of Praise, Benedictus es, Domine John Rutter (b.1945)
The Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Canticle: S-280, Glory to God, Gloria in Excelsis Robert Powell (b.1932)
The Third Lesson: Mark 14:10-20
The Sermon
The Apostle’s Creed, p. 96
The Prayers, p. 97
Music for Reflection: “Jesus Christ, the apple tree” Tallis Canon arr. by Simon Andrews
Announcements
Hymn 470, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” Beecher
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom, p. 102
The Blessing and Dismissal
People: Thanks be to God.
The Postlude: “Trumpet Tune in D Major” Burt Landman (b.1958)
Notes about today’s telling of the first part of the Gospel of Mark:
The Beginning: Mark’s Gospel has a clear beginning, middle and end. In the beginning there are many possibilities and many questions. This is the portion of the Gospel we hear today, ch. 1-6.
The Setting: Notice the first half of the Gospel of Mark is filled with stories of Jesus healing the sick, expelling demons and feeding large crowds of people. This is important for two reasons:
1. It is a relatively realistic portrayal of the situation in Judea at the time; there were many very poor people, people who were hungry and suffering from diseases. (continued on reverse)
2. It points to the primary conflict in the story, the conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities. The large crowds of poor, hungry, sick Judeans are an indication of the neglect of the common people by the religious leaders: the priests, the pharisees and the scribes.
The Plot: The plot revolves around Jesus’ interactions with three groups of characters:
* the religious authorities.
* the common people.
* the non-human forces: demons, spirits, Satan, diseases and forces of nature, such as storms.
The Main Conflict: Every good story is framed around some sort of conflict. Mark’s story is filled with conflict; there are conflicts between Jesus and the disciples, between Jesus and the religious authorities, and between Jesus and non-human forces. All of these smaller conflicts are part of a single, cosmic conflict between the God who establishes a rule of compassion, mercy and service and earthly characters and institutions who are threatened by God’s rule.
The Incarnation: While there is no birth narrative in the Gospel of Mark, there is a similar moment of God’s in-breaking revelation at the beginning of the Gospel. It is the first scene with Jesus: “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And coming up from the water, immediately he saw the heavens being ripped open and the spirit like. dove coming down onto him.” Shortly after this scene Jesus begins preaching with these words: “The time is right; the rule of God has arrived!” In Mark, this is equivalent in power as a revelation of God’s power to the birth stories Matthew and Luke.
Repetition: Especially if you have heard this story before, listen for repetitions of themes, activities and images. Repetitions of images often indicate that a central message is being revealed. In Mark’s story many of these repetitions of themes occur in a concentric pattern: A, B, C, B, A. For instance, at the beginning of chapter 2, Jesus:
A: Heals a paralytic man, then
B: Eats with tax collectors and sinners, then
C: Engages in an argument about fasting, culminating in the verse ‘No one puts new wine into old wineskins’, then
B: Plucks grain (eats) grain with his disciples, then
A: Heals a man with a withered hand.
In this case the verse about new wine in old wineskins is a central theme of the entire Gospel, an image to be remembered, a truth to be revealed in the lives of the listeners for years to come.
January 24, 2021 – The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
St. Paul’s ~ Syracuse, NY
Morning Prayer, Rite II ~ The Book of Common Prayer, p. 76
The Prelude: Andante espressivo Percy Whitlock (1903-1946)
Hymn 550, “Jesus calls us; o’er the tumult” Restoration
Invitation to Worship
The Confession and Absolution, p. 79
The Invitatory, pp. 80 and 82
Psalm 62:6-14, p. 669, Nonne Deo? Mode 8
The First Lesson: Jonah 3:1-5, 10
Canticle: S-236, A Song of Praise, Benedictus es, Domine John Rutter (b.1945)
The Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Canticle: S-280, Glory to God, Gloria in Excelsis Robert Powell (b.1932)
The Third Lesson: Mark 14:10-20
The Sermon
The Apostle’s Creed, p. 96
The Prayers, p. 97
Music for Reflection: “Jesus Christ, the apple tree” Tallis Canon arr. by Simon Andrews
Announcements
Hymn 470, “There’s a wideness in God’s mercy” Beecher
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom, p. 102
The Blessing and Dismissal
People: Thanks be to God.
The Postlude: “Trumpet Tune in D Major” Burt Landman (b.1958)
Notes about today’s telling of the first part of the Gospel of Mark:
The Beginning: Mark’s Gospel has a clear beginning, middle and end. In the beginning there are many possibilities and many questions. This is the portion of the Gospel we hear today, ch. 1-6.
The Setting: Notice the first half of the Gospel of Mark is filled with stories of Jesus healing the sick, expelling demons and feeding large crowds of people. This is important for two reasons:
1. It is a relatively realistic portrayal of the situation in Judea at the time; there were many very poor people, people who were hungry and suffering from diseases. (continued on reverse)
2. It points to the primary conflict in the story, the conflict between Jesus and the religious authorities. The large crowds of poor, hungry, sick Judeans are an indication of the neglect of the common people by the religious leaders: the priests, the pharisees and the scribes.
The Plot: The plot revolves around Jesus’ interactions with three groups of characters:
* the religious authorities.
* the common people.
* the non-human forces: demons, spirits, Satan, diseases and forces of nature, such as storms.
The Main Conflict: Every good story is framed around some sort of conflict. Mark’s story is filled with conflict; there are conflicts between Jesus and the disciples, between Jesus and the religious authorities, and between Jesus and non-human forces. All of these smaller conflicts are part of a single, cosmic conflict between the God who establishes a rule of compassion, mercy and service and earthly characters and institutions who are threatened by God’s rule.
The Incarnation: While there is no birth narrative in the Gospel of Mark, there is a similar moment of God’s in-breaking revelation at the beginning of the Gospel. It is the first scene with Jesus: “Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. And coming up from the water, immediately he saw the heavens being ripped open and the spirit like. dove coming down onto him.” Shortly after this scene Jesus begins preaching with these words: “The time is right; the rule of God has arrived!” In Mark, this is equivalent in power as a revelation of God’s power to the birth stories Matthew and Luke.
Repetition: Especially if you have heard this story before, listen for repetitions of themes, activities and images. Repetitions of images often indicate that a central message is being revealed. In Mark’s story many of these repetitions of themes occur in a concentric pattern: A, B, C, B, A. For instance, at the beginning of chapter 2, Jesus:
A: Heals a paralytic man, then
B: Eats with tax collectors and sinners, then
C: Engages in an argument about fasting, culminating in the verse ‘No one puts new wine into old wineskins’, then
B: Plucks grain (eats) grain with his disciples, then
A: Heals a man with a withered hand.
In this case the verse about new wine in old wineskins is a central theme of the entire Gospel, an image to be remembered, a truth to be revealed in the lives of the listeners for years to come.
READINGS
Epiphany 3B: Readings for January 24, 2021
The Collect
Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Old Testament
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, “Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.
The Response
Psalm 62:6-14 Nonne Deo?
6 For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
truly, my hope is in him.
7 He alone is my rock and my salvation, *
my stronghold, so that I shall not be shaken.
8 In God is my safety and my honor; *
God is my strong rock and my refuge.
9 Put your trust in him always, O people, *
pour out your hearts before him, for God is our refuge.
10 Those of high degree are but a fleeting breath, *
even those of low estate cannot be trusted.
11 On the scales they are lighter than a breath, *
all of them together.
12 Put no trust in extortion;
in robbery take no empty pride; *
though wealth increase, set not your heart upon it.
13 God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, *
that power belongs to God.
14 Steadfast love is yours, O Lord, *
for you repay everyone according to his deeds.
The Epistle
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
The Gospel
Mark 1:14-20
After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.