The Third Sunday after the Epiphany: January 26th, 2025.
Contents:
- Propers (Collect and Lessons) for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, with Hymns.
- Link to the Parish website, whereon is found the YouTube live-stream of our 10:30 a.m. (EDT) service.
- Parish Announcements for the week of January 26th, 2025.
Propers for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany.
The Book of Common Prayer 1928.
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers and necessities stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle: Romans xii. 16.
BE not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for It is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repays saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
The Gospel: St. John i. 1.
AND the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: and both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it. And there were set there six water-pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. Jesus saith unto them, Fill the water-pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it. When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth. set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now. This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him,
Hymns:
Processional Hymn: “Lord of all hopefulness” #363
Sermon Hymn: “For the beauty of the earth” #296 (Alternative tune – Dix: #140)
Communion Hymn: “This is the hour of banquet & song” #206
Recessional Hymn: “God of grace and God of glory” #524
Our online presence: special notice for 19 JANUARY 2025 and until further notice:
We’re sorry – but due to circumstances beyond our control, we won’t be able to provide a live-stream of today’s service. Our videographer is unavailable until further notice. Once he’s back in town, we’ll resume our Sunday live-stream.
In the meantime – as an aid to your Sunday worship today, here is a link to our 2023 service for the Third Sunday after Epiphany.
Announcements for the Week of Sunday, January 26th, 2024
If you are visiting us: Welcome to Christ Church Anglican, Southern Pines! Thank you for being with us. We are very pleased to have you join us for the service, and hope that your worship here is a blessing to you. Please sign the guest book on the table in the narthex, and provide appropriate contact information. Include your email address in order to be placed on our parish email list: you won’t be bombarded with mail, but it’s a good way to keep in touch. And may God bless you!
Annual Meeting and Stewardship: This Sunday, January 26th, 2025, is the date of our Annual Parish Meeting. The purposes of the Parish Meeting, as per the Bylaws, are to elect new members of the Vestry, and to receive such reports concerning the operations of the Parish as may be deemed appropriate.
Regarding Vestry elections, there is one vacancy, and the only current candidate is Austin Chestnut. So unless another candidate comes forward, we will be voting “yea or nay” on electing him to fill that vacancy.
If you attend Christ Church regularly, you will know Austin by face, if not by name; he attends faithfully, with his mother Sandra; his father, McNeil (“Mac”) previously served on the Vestry; he is often seen with one (or occasionally both) of his two sons. He is a practicing attorney here in town, and was recently re-elected to chair the North Carolina Bar Association. He has also volunteered to serve as our new Treasurer. Many thanks to Austin for stepping forward!
As regards reports, the Rector will deliver the usual “State of the Parish” report, and other Vestry Officers may deliver reports as well. Please note that a) our Senior Warden, Chris Gerry, is currently recuperating from cardiac procedures this week, and is unlikely to have prepared a Senior Warden’s Report; b) the Junior Warden’s Report is likely to be brief; c) we are in a time of transition between Treasurers (outgoing Treasurer being Bud Saulsbury, and incoming being Austin Chestnut), however, we do have a proposed Operating Budget for this year. We thank you for your understanding!
On the subject of the budget: Stewardship, also known as Annual Giving, is a necessity for every parish, and ours is no different. If anything, it is even more critical for Christ Church than for some, as while we have a parish savings account as well as a building fund, we have no endowment – defined as a pool of assets or funds that an organization sets aside in investments, where they accrue value to ensure the long-term financial stability of the organization. In other words, a pool of capital of sufficient size that the investment income (basically interest on the investment) can be used to provide long-term financial support to the organization – in this case, parish.
The fact that we do not have such a fund means that we are almost entirely reliant on weekly, monthly, or annual pledges to support our operating budget. It is also important to note that we receive no financial support from the Diocese; in fact, we pay an annual assessment to the Diocese, to support their operating expenses, the Bishop’s stipend, and the work of the larger Church.
Thus, it is important that those who are serious about supporting our parish be willing to provide tangible, financial support. The classic Biblical standard is the tithe, defined as 10% of one’s income. But because in today’s world, that can be a difficult thing to manage, our Bishop has suggested several possibilities to consider. Among them:
- Tithing 10% of net income (e.g., after taxes), rather than gross income (pre-tax income);
- Tithing from the remainder that is left after setting aside certain fixed expenses such as mortgage or rent;
- Choosing a lower amount, such as 5%, and working toward a full 10% as one’s circumstances allow; or
- Some combination of the above.
We provide this information to help guide your thoughts and prayers as you consider your pledge for this year, but how much you give is of course your own decision, hopefully reached prayerfully. The Offertory Sentences found on pp. 72 and 73 of The Book of Common Prayer 1928 may provide some guidance for your meditations; in particular sentences such as these:
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts xx. 35.
Let every man do according as he is disposed in his heart, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Cor. ix. 6, 7.
If thou hast much, give plenteously; if thou hast little, do thy diligence gladly to give of that little: for so gatherest thou thyself a good reward in the day of necessity. Tobit iv. 8,9.
Ye shall not appear before the LORD empty; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. Deut. xvi. 16, 17.
Most particularly:
All things come of thee, O LORD, and of thine own have we given thee. 1 Chron. xxix. 14.
There is nothing that we have which does not come ultimately from God; when we give to Him, through His Church, what we are really doing is giving back to Him a portion of what we have already received, from his gracious mercy and bounty. An old hymn which some of you may recall expounds on this theme:
We give thee but thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be;
All that we have is thine alone:
A trust, O Lord, from thee.
And of course, the purpose of pledging is at least twofold: for the parish, it helps us to figure out with some confidence how much income we will have available in the coming year, so that we can make plans based on something more tangible than hope, or what happened last year; and for the giver, it provides a baseline commitment that one can write into one’s own budgeting for the year, even if it may have to be adjusted up or down at times, depending on one’s circumstances.
May the Lord bless you and guide you in making these determinations!
Faithfully yours in Christ,
Fr. Tom
