GRACE CHURCH OF MARTHA'S VINEYARD

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  • WELCOME
  • Contact Us
  • 2024 Evaluation Form
  • Leadership
  • Parish Calendar
  • Online Sunday Services at Grace
    • 11.09.25 Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
    • 11.02.25 Sunday After All Saints
    • 10.26.25 Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
    • 10.19.25 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
  • 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
  • Lobster Rolls and More
    • Summer Lobster Rolls
    • Community Suppers
  • Playground
  • Photographs
  • The Tisbury Connection

Picture

​10:00am


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.

Prelude
​

 Welcome & Announcements

Hymn 56  O come, o come, Emmanuel vv 3,4
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Hymn 76  On Jordan's bank, the Baptist's cry
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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 thee
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved thee with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of thy Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in thy will,
and walk in thy ways,
to the glory of thy 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.
​

Kyrie S86 
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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.
 
Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

The Lessons 

A Reading from Baruch 5:1-9 read by Jan Hyer

Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O Jerusalem,
          and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.
Put on the robe of the righteousness that comes from God;
          put on your head the diadem of the glory of the Everlasting;
for God will show your splendor everywhere under heaven.
For God will give you evermore the name,
          "Righteous Peace, Godly Glory."
Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height;
          look toward the east,
and see your children gathered from west and east
          at the word of the Holy One,
          rejoicing that God has remembered them.
For they went out from you on foot,
          led away by their enemies;
but God will bring them back to you,
          carried in glory, as on a royal throne.
For God has ordered that every high mountain and the everlasting hills be made low
          and the valleys filled up, to make level ground,
          so that Israel may walk safely in the glory of God.
The woods and every fragrant tree
          have shaded Israel at God's command.
For God will lead Israel with joy,
          in the light of his glory,
          with the mercy and righteousness that come from him.
 
The Word of the Lord.
​
People:  Thanks be to God.

Canticle 16 Page 92, BCP  read by Teri Culletto
   
Luke 1: 68-79
    Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; *
          he has come to his people and set them free.
     He has raised up for us a mighty savior, *
          born of the house of his servant David.
     Through his holy prophets he promised of old,
     that he would save us from our enemies, *
          from the hands of all who hate us.
     He promised to show mercy to our fathers *
          and to remember his holy covenant.
     This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham, *
          to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
     Free to worship him without fear, *
          holy and righteous in his sight
          all the days of our life.
     You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, *
          for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
     To give his people knowledge of salvation *
          by the forgiveness of their sins.
     In the tender compassion of our God *
          the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
     To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, *
          and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
 
     Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
          as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
​

Philippians 1:3-11  read by DiAnn Ray
​​
​
I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

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

Hymn 601 O day of God, draw nigh
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The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke (3:1-6)

People             Glory be to thee, O Lord.

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

          "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
          'Prepare the way of the Lord,
               make his paths straight.

          Every valley shall be filled,
               and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

          and the crooked shall be made straight,
               and the rough ways made smooth;

          and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

The Gospel of the Lord
​
​
People               Praise to You, 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.
​

The Prayers of the People  led by Ribbons Harris

Let us pray for the whole state of Christ’s Church and the world.
 
After each paragraph of this prayer, the People may make an appropriate response, as directed.
 
Almighty and everliving God, who in thy holy Word hast taught us to make prayers, and supplications, and to give thanks for all men: Receive these our prayers which we offer unto thy divine Majesty, beseeching thee to inspire continually the Universal Church with the spirit of truth, unity, and concord; and grant that all those who do confess thy holy Name may agree in the truth of thy holy Word, and live in unity and godly love.
 
Give grace, O heavenly Father, to all bishops and other ministers especially Sean, our Presiding Bishop, Julia and Carol, our Bishops; Stephen, Storm, and Sharon, our Priests; the Clergy of the Cape and Islands, that they may, both by their life and doctrine, set forth thy true and lively Word, and rightly and duly administer thy holy Sacraments.
 
And to all thy people give thy heavenly grace, and especially to this congregation here present; that, with meek heart and due reverence, they may hear and receive thy holy Word, truly serving thee in holiness and righteousness all the days of their life.
 
We beseech thee also so to rule the hearts of those who bear the authority of government in this and every land, especially Joseph, our President, Donald, our President Elect, and the leaders of the nations, that they may be led to wise decisions and right actions for the welfare and peace of the world.
 
Open, O Lord, the eyes of all people to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works, that, rejoicing in thy whole creation, they may honor thee with their substance, and be faithful stewards of thy bounty.
 
And we most humbly beseech thee, of thy goodness, O Lord, to comfort and succor Aquinnah, Aya and her family, Ann Marie, Becky, Bryan E., Sarah & Richard, Debbie and Alan, Deanna, Bill, Deborah & Marcia, Eileen, Garrett, Joe, Judy B., Kathy, Kim, Kay, Leslie, 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, all those who, in this transitory life, are in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity.
 
Please give space for additional petitions and thanksgivings and bid them from the Congregation here.
 
And we also bless thy holy Name for all thy servants departed this life in thy faith and fear especially Jim Norton and all those killed because of oppression, gun violence, hatred, war, or the color of their skin, beseeching thee to grant them continual growth in thy love and service; and to grant us grace so to follow the good examples of all thy saints, that with them we may be partakers of thy heavenly kingdom.
 
Grant these our prayers, O Father, for Jesus Christ’s sake, our only Mediator and Advocate.  Amen.
​

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 75 There's a voice in the wilderness crying
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The Holy Communion
​

Eucharistic Prayer 1

​S112 Lift up your hearts
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​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.
 
Because thou didst send thy beloved Son to redeem us from sin and death, and to make us heirs in him of everlasting life; that when he shall come again in power and great triumph to judge the world, we may without shame or fear rejoice to behold his appearing.
​
Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify thy glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying,
​

S114  Holy, holy, holy
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 The people stand or kneel.

Then the Celebrant continues

All glory be to thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that thou, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of 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, he brake 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 ye all of this; for this is my Blood of the New Testament, 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, according to the institution of thy dearly beloved Son our Savior Jesus Christ, we, thy humble servants, do celebrate and make here before thy divine Majesty, 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; rendering unto thee most hearty thanks for the innumerable benefits procured unto us by the same.
 
And we most humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, to hear us; and, of thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine; that we, receiving them according to thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed Body and Blood.
 
And we earnestly desire thy fatherly goodness mercifully to accept this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving; most humbly beseeching thee to grant that, by the merits and death of thy Son Jesus Christ, and through faith in his blood, we, and all thy whole Church, may obtain remission of our sins, and all other benefits of his passion.
 
And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us, and we in him.
 
And although we are unworthy, through our manifold sins, to offer unto thee any sacrifice, yet we beseech thee to accept this our bounden duty and service, not weighing our merits, but pardoning our offenses, through Jesus Christ our Lord; By whom, and with 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,
 
People and Celebrant
 
The Lord’s Prayer
 
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
 
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;
Therefore let us keep the feast.
​

S158 Agnus Dei
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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.
and may add       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.

Anthem  - Sung by the choir

The Post Communion Prayer
 
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 65  Prepare the way, O Zion
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Dismissal
​

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

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December Birthdays and Anniversaries
Ben Clark, Jesse Shaw Dawson, Jamie Douglas, David Grey, John Hickey, Ryan O’Malley, Sean O’Malley,
​Jack O’Malley, The Rev’d Storm Swain, Emma Yuen


Anniversaries
Lorraine and Richard Clark

Please email [email protected] to update or include yours!

 
Sunday Prayers

Sean, our Presiding Bishop, Julia and Carol, our Bishops;

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
 
Joe, our President, Kamala, our Vice President; Donald, our President-Elect,
James, our Vice President-Elect.
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, Becky, Bryan E., Sarah & Richard, Debbie and Alan, Deanna, Bill, Deborah & Marcia, Eileen, Garrett, Joe, Judy B., Kathy, Kim, Kay, Leslie, 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
 
 Those who have died and their families:  
Jim Norton
 
 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:
Priest Associates:

Parish Administrator:​
Pianist:

Cellist:
Bookkeeper:
The Reverend Stephen Harding
The Rev'd Sharon Eckhardt
The Rev'd Dr. Storm Swain
Heather Raveling

Molly Sturges
Jan Hyer
​David Smith
Vestry Officers:
Senior Warden: Jennifer Haynes
Junior Warden: Bryan Garrison

Clerk of the Vestry: Betsy Holcomb
​

​Vestry Members:
Teri Culletto, Karen Huff, Lew Laskaris, Maranda Post

ASSISTING IN OUR WORSHIP

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 & DiAnn Ray
Singers:  Abby Bates, Rev. Sharon Eckhardt, David Grey,  Rev. Stephen Harding, Michael Haydn, John Hickey,
​Betsy Holcomb, Jan Hyer
Ushers:  Lorraine Clark and BeBee Green
We welcome you to join us! Please email [email protected] 

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

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