GRACE CHURCH OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD

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  • WELCOME
  • Contact Us
  • 2024 Evaluation Form
  • Leadership
  • Parish Calendar
  • Online Sunday Services at Grace
    • 01.18.26 The Second Sunday After the Epiphany
    • 01.11.26 The First Sunday After the Epiphany
    • 01.04.26 2nd Sunday after Christmas
    • 12.28.2025 1st Sunday after Christmas
  • Church and Faith
    • African American Heritage Trail
    • Our Three-Year Plan
    • Weddings
    • History of Grace Church
  • Praise and Sweat Classes
  • Climate Change
  • Donate
  • Liturgies to Say at Home
    • Spiritual Communion
    • Morning Prayer
    • Daily Devotions
    • Noonday Prayer
    • Evening Prayer
    • Compline for nightly use
    • The Angelus
    • BCP Services
  • Community Suppers
    • Community Suppers
    • Summer Lobster Rolls

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The Holy Eucharist: A Penitential Order: Rite One

​All music printed by permission in accordance with ONE LICENSE, License #A-734784.   Permission to podcast/stream the music in this service obtained from ONE LICENSE with License #A-734784.
All rights reserved.

Welcome

Hymn 565 
He who would valiant be
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Celebrant              Bless the Lord who forgiveth all our sins.
People                 God’s mercy endureth for ever. 

Celebrant
 
Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 22:3740
 
Celebrant   Let us humbly confess our sins unto Almighty God.
 
Silence may be kept
 
Minister and People
 
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.
 
Celebrant              The Almighty and merciful Lord grant you absolution and remission of all your sins, true repentance, amendment of life, and the grace and consolation of his Holy Spirit.  Amen.

S86 Kyrie Eleison
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Collect of the Day
 
The Celebrant says to the people
                               The Lord be with you.
People                  And with thy spirit
Celebrant               Let us pray.
 
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.
​

The Lessons 

The First Reading:  Joshua 5:9-12 read by Maranda Post

The Lord said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt." And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

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

Psalm 32 read by Jan Hyer

          1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
               and whose sin is put away!

          2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
               and in whose spirit there is no guile!

          3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
               because of my groaning all day long.

          4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
               my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.

          5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
               and did not conceal my guilt.

          6 I said," I will confess my transgressions to the Lord." *
               Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.

          7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; *
               when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.

          8 You are my hiding-place;
               you preserve me from trouble; *
               you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

          9 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
               I will guide you with my eye.

          10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
               who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
               or else they will not stay near you."

          11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
               but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.

          12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; *
               shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

The Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 read by Kim Garrison
​

From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Word of the Lord
 
Thanks be to God

Hymn 467 Sing my soul
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The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke (15:1-3, 11b-32)
People             Glory be to thee, O Lord. 

​
All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So Jesus told them this parable:

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

"Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"

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

Homily                                     The Rev'd Stephen Harding

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.
​

Prayers of the People, Form IV   read by Carolyn Eddy

Deacon or other leader
 
Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
 
Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal
your glory in the world.
 
Silence
 
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
 
Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another
and serve the common good.
 
Silence
 
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
 
Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others
and to your honor and glory.
 
Silence
 
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
 
Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us.
 
Silence
 
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
 
Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; particularly, Aquinnah, Aya and her family, Ann Marie, Bryan E., Sarah & Richard, Debbie and Alan, Deanna, Bill, Deborah, Eileen, Gail, Garrett, Jen B., Joe, Judy B., Kathy, Kim, Libby, Lloyd, Lucy, Lorraine & Richard,  Lydia, Lyric, Margaret,  Mark & Donna, Mary & Gregg, Maureen M., Nancy & Paul, Pat, Paul, Phyllis, Ralph, Richard, Ruben, Shauna, Suzanne, Tony, William, Ralph, Janet, Corby, Molly, Diane, Mary, Lorraine S. and her family: give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation.
 
Silence
 
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
 
We commend to your mercy all who have died, especially, Michael Tillman, Sr., Gerry Dowd, Rory Pelliccia, Mary Garrison, Kay Dixon, Marcia Cini, Frank & Frank, and all those killed because of oppression, gun violence, hatred, war, or the color of their skin, that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.

Silence
 
Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
 
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
 
The Peace
All stand. The Celebrant says to the people
 
Celebrant   The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People        And with thy spirit.
 
Then the Ministers and People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.

Anno​uncements

Hymn Words from Hymn 10; music from Hymn 531
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1 New every morning is the love
our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.
 
2 New mercies, each returning day,
hover around us while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.
​
3 The trivial round, the common task,
will furnish all we need to ask,
room to deny ourselves, a road
to bring us daily nearer God.
 
4 Only, O Lord, in thy dear love
fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day,
to live more nearly as we pray.

The Holy Communion

The Great Thanksgiving

S112 Lift up your hearts
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Eucharistic Prayer II

Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds
It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, holy Father, almighty, everlasting God.
 
Who dost bid thy faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by thy Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which thou hast prepared for those who love thee.
 
Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying,
S122 Holy, holy, holy
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The people kneel or stand.
 
Then the Celebrant continues
 
All glory be to thee, O Lord our God, for that thou didst create heaven and earth, and didst make us in thine own image; and, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to take our nature upon him, and to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption. He made there a full and perfect sacrifice for the whole world; and did institute, and in his holy Gospel command us to continue, a perpetual memory of that his precious death and sacrifice, until his coming again.
 
For in the night in which he was betrayed, he took bread; and when he had given thanks to thee, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take, eat, this is my Body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Likewise, after supper, he took the cup; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink this, all of you; for this is my Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, and for many, for the remission of sins. Do this, as oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of me.”
 
Wherefore, O Lord and heavenly Father, we thy people do celebrate and make, with these thy holy gifts which we now offer unto thee, the memorial thy Son hath commanded us to make; having in remembrance his blessed passion and precious death, his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension; and looking for his coming again with power and great glory.
 
And we most humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, to hear us, and, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, to bless and sanctify these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be unto us the Body and Blood of thy dearly beloved Son Jesus Christ.
 
And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, whereby we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies. Grant, we beseech thee, that all who partake of this Holy Communion may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, and be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction; and also that we and all thy whole Church may be made one body with him, that he may dwell in us, and we in him; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord;
 
By whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Ghost all honor and glory be unto thee, O Father Almighty, world without end. Amen.
​
And now, as our Savior Christ hath taught us, we are bold to say,

The Lord's Prayer    

People and Celebrant
 
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.     
   

The Breaking of the Bread
 
The Celebrant breaks the consecrated Bread.
 
A period of silence is kept.

Then may be sung or said
​ 
Celebrant     Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
People        Therefore let us keep the feast.

Agnus Dei  S160  
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The People join in saying this prayer
 
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy. Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him, and he in us. Amen.
 
Facing the people, the Celebrant may say the following Invitation
 
The Gifts of God for the People of God.  Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.
​
Prayer for Spiritual Communion

Leader and People
 
In union, O Lord with the faithful at every altar of Your Church, where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated, we desire to offer You praise and thanksgiving.  We present to you our souls and bodies with the earnest wish that we may always be united to you.  And since we can not now receive you sacramentally, we beseech you to come spiritually into our hearts. We unite ourselves to you, and embrace you with all the affections of our souls. Let nothing ever separate you from us. May we live and die in your love. Amen.
​

 The Leader continues
 
Let us spend a few moments reflecting on the fact that God so loves each one of us that God sent God’s Only-Begotten Son into the world for all of us.
​

Hymn 335 I am the bread of life
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After Communion, the Celebrant says
 
Let us pray.
 
The People join in saying this prayer
 
Almighty and everliving God, we most heartily thank thee for that thou dost feed us, in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and dost assure us thereby of thy favor and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of thy everlasting kingdom. And we humbly beseech thee, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with thy grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as thou hast prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end.  Amen.
Blessing

​Hymn 142  Lord, who throughout these forty days
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Dismissal

                        Celebrant            Let us go forth in the name of Christ.
People             Thanks be to God.

*
 
We welcome Molly Sturges back to Grace Church as the pianist for the 10:00 service.  Thank you, Molly, for being with us this morning.
 
 
 
We welcome the Rev’d Dr Storm Swain as our celebrant this morning, as we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of her ordination and give thanks for her ministry and service to the church
 
 
 
The flowers this morning are given in memory of Betty Honey.
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March Birthdays and Anniversaries
Leslie Frizzell, Kennedy Garrison, Maureen Mullen, Abby Bates, Gus Harris, Michael Haydn, Karen Huff,
Bo Picard, Diane Norton, Faith Laskaris, Geoghan Coogan, Polly Simpkins, and Marco Daniels
Anniversaries
Ken & Donna Griffen
Please email [email protected] to update or include yours!
 
Sunday Prayers

Sean, our Presiding Bishop; Julia, our Bishop
Stephen, Storm, and Sharon, our Priests
The Very Reverend Amy McCreath & the Cathedral Congregation of St. Paul
The Manna Community, The Diocese of Rio Grande Border Ministries
The Cape & Islands Deanery
 
Donald, our President
The Members of Congress; Maura our Governor, and all our elected officials
Pray for Our Country
 
For peace in the Middle East
For the people of Ukraine; the people of Iran; All Refugees
The Campers, Counselors, and Staff of Camp Jabberwocky; The People of Pine Ridge

For our planet
All those affected by climate change
​
All Staff of the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital
Our Vineyard EMS, Fire and Police Departments
All the Members of the New York City Fire Department
 
Those working to address racial injustice

         Aquinnah, Aya and her family, Ann Marie, Bryan E., Sarah & Richard, Debbie and Alan, Deanna, Bill, Deborah, Eileen, Gail, Garrett, Jen B., Joe, Judy B., Kathy, Kim, Libby, Lloyd,
Lucy, Lorraine & Richard, Lydia, Lyric, Margaret,  Mark & Donna, Mary & Gregg, Maureen M., Nancy & Paul, Pat, Paul, Phyllis, Ralph, Richard, Ruben, Shauna, Suzanne, Tony,
William, Ralph, Janet, Corby, Molly, Diane, Mary, Lorraine S. and her family
 
Those who have died and their families:  
Michael Tillman, Sr., Gerry Dowd, Rory Pelliccia, Mary Garrison,
Kay Dixon and Marcia Cini

 All those killed because of oppression, gun violence, hatred, war, or the color of their skin.


GRACE CHURCH
Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts
(508) 693-0332
                                        Rector:                                    The Reverend Stephen Harding
                                        Priest Associates:                   The Rev’d Sharon Eckhardt
                                                                                         The Rev’d Dr. Storm Swain
                                       Parish Administrator:             Heather Raveling
                                       Cellist:                                       Jan Hyer
                                       Bookkeeper:                            David Smith

Vestry Officers:
Senior Warden: Jennifer Haynes
Junior Warden: Jamie Norton

Treasurer: Deborah Koines
Clerk of the Vestry: Liz DaSilva
​

​Vestry Members:
Anna Cotton, Gary Eckhardt, Donna Griffen,           
Betsy Holcomb, Karen Huff, Faith Laskaris, Maranda Post
​

ASSISTING IN OUR WORSHIP

Pianist:  Molly Sturges
Videographer & Curator: Karen Huff
Zoom Hosts:  The Rev’d Ribbons Harris & Karen Huff
Hospitality: Lorraine Clark, Bebee Green & members of the parish
Readers and Intercessors: Judy Carter, Teri Culletto, Carolyn Eddy, Kim Garrison,
David Grey, Ribbons Harris, Jennifer Haynes, John Hickey, Betsy Holcomb, Karen Huff, Jan Hyer, Faith Laskaris, Michelle Lynch, Maranda Post & DiAnn Ray
Eucharistic Ministers: Abby Bates, Judy Carter, Carolyn Eddy,
Jennifer Haynes, Betsy Holcomb, & DiAnn Ray
Singers:  Abby Bates, Judy Carter, Rev. Sharon Eckhardt, David Grey, Donna Griffen,
Rev. Stephen Harding, Michael Haydn, John Hickey, Betsy Holcomb, Jan Hyer, Faith Laskaris
Ushers:  Lorraine Clark and BeBee Green


We welcome you to join us! Please email [email protected]​ for particulars.

PO Box 1197 • 24 Woodlawn Avenue • Vineyard Haven MA 02568
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www.graceepiscopalmv.org • 508 693-0332