Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 22
8:00 & 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Welcome to The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, a welcoming and diverse community seeking to walk in the Way of Jesus and to reveal Christ’s reconciling love in our city, nation, and world.
Get Involved: If you fill out a “Let’s Get Connected Card” found in your pew, or at the Welcome Table by the door where you came into the church, we’d be glad to keep you up to date with all that’s happening at Holy Communion. Or, simply scan the QR code below to visit holycommunion.net where you can share your contact information, find a worship bulletin, read the latest news, and more.
Communion: “These are the gifts of God for the people of God.” At Church of the Holy Communion, we believe that it is Christ himself who invites us to meet him in the bread and the cup. Though it is known by many names - Communion, Mass, Holy Eucharist, The Lord’s Supper, the Sacrament of the Altar - it is how Christ’s real presence abides with us by faith. Therefore, all are welcome to receive. When it comes time for Communion, please follow the directions of the Greeters. The bread is offered to all, with gluten free wafers available, upon request, from the minister. If you would like to receive the wine, you may either drink from the cup, or intinct (dip) the wafer in the wine. Likewise, it is acceptable to receive only the bread, if for personal or health reasons you prefer to not consume wine. Those not receiving Communion, may also come forward. Indicate to the minister that you do not wish to receive Communion by simply crossing your arms across your chest, and the minister will offer a prayer for God’s blessing in your life.
Children in Worship: Kids are expected and encouraged to participate in worship! The Pray Ground (the carpeted area at the front of the Sanctuary) is open for those in need of some wiggle room. Children are welcome to help with greeting and passing the offertory plate. Godly Play is also offered on the second Sunday of each month starting at 10:15 am. Meet in the Godly Play room downstairs by the lower level entance.
Children’s Chapel: After the Gospel reading, children are welcome to proceed to the Children's Chapel (at the end of the lounge) for engaging in a scripture lesson, pray and sing as an alternative to the sermon. For children infant through early elementary age though all ages are welcome. Older kids are invited to be worship leaders. Kids under the age of four need to bring their caregiver.
Accessibility: “Priority Seating” is provided for caretakers of those with mobility needs. Our entrances have AutoOpen buttons, and our elevator is ADA compliant. Both the downstairs restrooms and one of the upstairs restrooms are accessible.
Hearing Assistance: Hearing assistance devices are available from the welcome table. If you have any questions, just ask a Greeter.
Donations: We welcome donations to support the mission and ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion. Monetary donations can be placed in the offering plate that will be passed during the service, put in the wooden offering box found at the Welcome Table, by scanning the QR code below, or by electronic donations set up through your bank or on the church website, holycommunion.net. Thank you!
THE SEASON OF LENT is a time of repentance, renewal, and return. Rooted in the ancient practices of the Church, Lent invites us into forty days of intentional self-examination and prayer as we prepare to walk with Christ toward the cross and the promise of resurrection. In the Episcopal Church, Lent is marked not by despair but by honesty; a season that tells the truth about our lives, our world, and our deep need for God’s mercy and grace.
Throughout Lent, the Church calls us to the disciplines named in the Book of Common Prayer: self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and reading and meditating on God’s holy Word. The Gospel readings trace Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem, confronting temptation, injustice, suffering, and the cost of faithful love. These stories invite us to look inward and outward, to notice where we have turned away from God and neighbor, and to open ourselves again to the transforming power of grace.
Lent is also a season of hope and reorientation. Through confession and forgiveness, we are not weighed down but set free; freed to be reconciled, restored, and renewed in Christ. As we practice repentance, we are reshaped for mission, learning once more how to live as Easter people even as we walk the road of the cross.
In this holy season, the Church invites us to return to the Lord with our whole hearts, trusting that God’s mercy is steadfast, and beyond the wilderness lies new life.
Prelude (10:30 Service)
Welcome
Processional Hymn (10:30 Service) SEE INSERT
A Penitential Order
Please rise in body or spirit
Celebrant Blessed be the God of our salvation.
People Who bears our burdens and forgives our sin. Amen.
Celebrant Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel:
The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your
God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love
your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment
greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
Deacon Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence is kept for a time.
Deacon Most holy and merciful God: We confess to you and to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth, that we have sinned by our own fault in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
People We have not loved you with our whole heart, and mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We have not forgiven others, as we have been forgiven.
Deacon Our past unfaithfulness: the pride, hypocrisy, and impatience of our lives,
People We confess to you, O God.
Celebrant Our self-indulgence, and our exploitation of other people, our anger at our own frustration, and our envy of those more fortunate than ourselves,
People We confess to you, O God.
Deacon For all false judgments, for uncharitable thoughts toward our neighbors, and for our prejudice and contempt toward those who differ from us,
People Accept our repentance, O God.
Celebrant For our waste and pollution of your creation, and our lack of concern for those who come after us,
People Accept our repentance, O God.
Deacon Restore us, good Lord, and let your anger depart from us.
People Favorably hear us, for your mercy is great.
DECLARATION OF PARDON & FORGIVENESS
Celebrant May the Eternal God forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit, and raise you to new life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Kyrie Eleison (sung)
Liturgy of the Word
The Collect of the Day SEE INSERT
Celebrant God be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Let us pray.
The Lessons
1st Lesson SEE INSERT
Reader The Word of the Lord
People Thanks be to God.
The Psalm (prayed in unison) SEE INSERT
2nd Lesson SEE INSERT
Reader The Word of the Lord
People Thanks be to God
Gospel Processional Hymn (10:30 Service)
The Holy Gospel SEE INSERT
Please rise in body or spirit.
Before the Gospel Reading
Deacon The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to ______.
People Glory to you, Lord Christ.
After the Gospel Reading
Deacon The Gospel of the Lord.
People Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Sermon
A moment of silence is observed, following the sermon.
Nicene Creed (spoken in unison)
Celebrant Let us affirm our faith in God.
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,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
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,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who 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
Deacon Let us pray for the Church and for the world.
Leader We pray for the whole church, all leaders and ministers, and all the holy people of God.
Silence.
Wash us through and through,
People And cleanse us from our sin.
Leader We pray for our nation, for all the nations of the earth, and for all who govern and judge.
Silence.
Purge us from our sin,
People And we shall be pure.
Leader We pray for those who hunger, those who thirst, those who cry out for justice, those who live under the threat of terror, and those without a place to lay their head. Silence. Make them hear of joy and gladness,
Silence.
People that those who are broken may rejoice.
Leader We pray for those who are ill, those in pain, those under stress, and those who are lonely.
Silence.
Give them the joy of your saving help,
People and sustain them with your bountiful Spirit.
Leader In this season of Lent we pray for those who prepare for baptism, and we pray that we all might be given the grace and strength to repent and grow closer to you, O God.
Silence.
Create in us clean hearts, O God,
People and renew a right spirit within us.
Leader We pray for those who have died, (especially _____ ) and who have entered into the land of eternal Light and your abiding peace.
Silence.
Cast them not away from your presence,
People and take not your Holy Spirit from them.
Leader We especially pray for… (The people may add there intercessions and thanksgivings, either silently or aloud.)
Celebrant Lord Jesus, you taught your disciples that you must undergo great suffering and be killed before rising again; grant us the strength and wisdom to be your followers and to take up our cross to follow you, this day and always. Amen.
The Peace
Please rise in body or in spirit.
Celebrant Sisters and Brothers, the peace of Christ be always with you.
People And also with you.
We greet one another with a sign of God’s peace.
Welcome and Announcements
Please be seated for a few brief announcements. On the third Sunday of the month, we remember birthdays for the month, and invite those celebrating birthdays to come forward, as one of the clergy offers prayers and blessings.
Offertory Sentence
Celebrant Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
Offertory Anthem
At the 10:30 service, a musical offering is presented by the choir or soloist.
Offertory Hymn
At the 10:30 service, please rise in body or in spirit and sing as the ushers bring forward our offerings.
The Liturgy of the Table
The Eucharistic Prayer
Celebrant God be with you.
People And also with you.
Celebrant Lift up your hearts
People We lift then to the Lord.
Celebrant Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People It is right to give our thanks and praise.
The Celebrant continues
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Almighty God, Creator of heaven and earth. You bid your 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 your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you.
Celebrant Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
Celebrant and People Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Celebrant Holy and gracious God: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and maker of all.
Jesus stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Savior Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper Jesus took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
People Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Celebrant We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, Almighty God, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in Christ. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Savior. By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty God, now and forever. AMEN.
The Lord’s Prayer
Celebrant And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, and in the language of our heart, we pray:
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
Padre nuestro que estás en el cielo, santificado sea tu Nombre, venga tu reino, hágase tu voluntad, en la tierra como en el cielo. Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día. Perdona nuestras ofensas, como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden. No nos dejes caer en tentación y líbranos del mal. Porque tuyo es el reino, tuyo es el poder, y tuya es la gloria, ahora y por siempre. Amén
The Breaking of the Bread
Celebrant Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Celebrant The Gifts of God for the People of God.
Communion Hymns SEE INSERT
The congregation is invited to join in the singing of communion hymns
Post Communion Prayer
Please rise in body or in spirit.
Celebrant Together, let us pray
Celebrant and People Almighty God, we thank you for feeding us with the body and blood of your Son Jesus Christ. Through him we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.
Sending of Lay Eucharistic Visitors
At various times, Lay Eucharistic Visitors take the consecrated bread and wine to those who cannot
physically be present for worship. When we do so, the following prayer may be offered:
Deacon We send you forth, bearing these holy gifts, that those to whom you go may share with us in the Body and Blood of Christ our Savior.
People We who are many are one body, because we all share one bread, one cup.
The Blessing
Celebrant
Recessional Hymn SEE INSERT
Dismissal
Deacon Go in peace to love and serve the Lord!
People Thanks be to God!
Postlude (10:30 Service)
✠
Parish Staff
The Rev. Brenda Sol, Rector
call 314-721-7401
bsol@holycommunion.net
The Rev. Chester Hines, Deacon
call 314-367-7332
Mary Chapman, Director of Music
Darcy Brainard, Parish Administrator
call 314-721-7401
Jim Kern, Financial Administrator
Vestry
Kellie McCoy, Senior Warden
Joe Donahou, Junior Warden
Pat Redington, Secretary
Rudy Walz
Tim Anderson
Gloria Grenwald
Bex Comas
Heidi Volkl
Karen Payne
Nancy Donohoo
www.holycommunion.net
Music used and reprinted with permission under OneLicense #A-704988 and WorshipCast License #13476
INSERT
Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 22
Prelude: Antiphon III Marcel Dupre
Processional Hymn: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing H493
Offertory Anthem: Light Surround Them Becky Sun
Communion Hymns: Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless H343
Breathe on Me, Breath of God INSERT
Recessional Hymn: Go Forth for God, Go in the World in Peace H347
Postlude: Fugue on the Kyrie Francois Couperin
The Collect
Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
First Lesson: Ezekiel 37:1-14
The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.”
So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act,” says the LORD.
The Psalm 130 Please pray in unison.
1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord;
Lord, hear my voice; *
let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication.
2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, *
O Lord, who could stand?
3 For there is forgiveness with you; *
therefore you shall be feared.
4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; *
in his word is my hope.
5 My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning, *
more than watchmen for the morning.
6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, *
for with the Lord there is mercy;
7 With him there is plenteous redemption, *
and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins.
Second Lesson: Romans 8:6-11
To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law-- indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.
The Gospel: John 11:1-45
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.
Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”
When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”
Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.
Communion Hymn: Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Announcements
Easter Flower & Musician Offerings: Easter offering envelopes can be found in the pews of the Sanctuary, or in the Narthex entries, if you would like to make a contribution towards Easter flowers or musicians. To request a memorial or honorary acknowledgment in Easter bulletins, please write name(s) on the envelope.
Submission deadline for acknowledgements: Sunday, March 29.
Lenten Book & Adult Forum: Do you want to enrich your Lent with a book and discussion? Continue reading Living the Way of Love by Mary Sullivan! On Sundays, 15 & 22, we will dive deeper into conversation at Adult Forum. Join this Adult Forum series led by Mother Brenda Sol!
Weekly Birthday Prayer: Watch over your child, O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever them may be. Strengthen them when they stand; comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and in their heart may your peace which passes understanding abide all the days of their life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Save the Date!
Holy Week Schedule
Palm Sunday, March 29: 8:00 am Spoken Service; 10:30 am Choral Eucharist Service
Stations of the Cross, Apr 1: 7:00 pm Stations of the Cross and Labyrinth Walk
Maundy Thursday, Apr 2: 6:45 Simple Supper Potluck; 7:30 pm Liturgy continues with Foot Washing & Eucharist
Good Friday, Apr 3: 12:00 pm Spoken Service; 7:00 pm Choral Service
Easter Vigil, Apr 4: 7:00 pm Great Vigil Service
Easter Sunday, Apr 5: 8:00 am Service with music; 10:30 am Choral Eucharist Service & Brunch Potluck
Church Work Day: Saturday, April 18
Theology on Tap: Coming soon!
Renewal of Ministry Celebration/Rector Installation: Wednesday, May 6 at 6 pm
Servers
Preacher: The Reverend Brenda Sol
Deacon: The Reverend Chester Hines
Music Director: Mary Chapman
Organist: Earl Naylor
Crucifer: Rudy Walz
Torch Bearers: Ilona Potter
Readers: Lisa Hummel (8), Bradley Currey (10:30)
Intercessor: Sherifa Hardware (10:30)
Announcements: Tim Anderson (10:30)
Greeters: Pat Redington (8), Carol Schmidt (10:30)
Chalice Bearers: Karen Payne (8), Elizabeth Hines (10:30)
Streamers: Tyler Schwartz
