Weekly Parish Email for the First Sunday in Lent: 9 March 2025
Contents:
- Propers (Collect and Lessons) for the First Sunday in Lent, with hymns.
- Link to “Watch this Sunday’s live-stream” on our parish website.
- Parish Announcements for the week of March 9th, 2025
Propers for the First Sunday in Lent.
The Book of Common Prayer 1928.
The Collect.
O LORD, who for our sake didst fast forty days and forty nights; Give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness, and true holiness, to thy honour and glory, who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.
The Epistle. II Corinthians vi. 1.
WE then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, I have heard three in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: but in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
The Gospel. St. Matthew iv. 1.
THEN was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fail down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Hymns:
Processional Hymn: “Lord who throughout these forty days” – #59
Post-Confirmation Hymn: “Breathe on me, breath of God” – #375
(2nd tune: Nova Vita)
Sermon Hymn: “Just as I am, without one plea” – #409
(2nd tune: St. Crispin)
Communion Hymn: “Father we thank thee, who hast planted” #195
Recessional Hymn: “The glory of these forty days” #61
Our website is found at cca-nc.org. This website should simplify and streamline our information-sharing quite a bit, including the fact that our most current YouTube live-stream will always be found at “Watch this Sunday’s live-stream,” accessible from the menu-bar at the top of the page.
The website is also a place to check our “Current operating status” – in other words, whether or not the church is open for services, in case of inclement weather (or unusual episodes like the sabotage of transformers a few years ago). If in doubt, check us out! Other options include Meet Our Clergy, Who We Are, Services and Office Hours, and How to find us.
All of these links can also be found by scrolling down the main page, as can also sections on “Find Your Place” – ministries of the parish, which you may wish to join – “Recent Media,” both video and audio, and “Recent Posts” on our nascent blog page. The goal is for this to become a “one-stop shop” for information about Christ Church Anglican.
If you have any questions or issues, please contact our media team at [email protected]. And if you wish to volunteer for our media team, please contact our IT/AV/Social media specialist, John Fesq, at [email protected].
Announcements for the Week of Sunday, March 9th, 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!
Bishop’s Visitation: Today we are thrilled to welcome The Rt. Rev’d Paul C. Hewett, SSC, Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Holy Cross, Anglican Catholic Church, who is conducting his annual Episcopal Visitation of Christ Church Anglican on this day. He will be preaching and celebrating at our 10:30 service, Confirming and receiving new members, and attending our Fellowship Meal afterwards. Welcome, Bishop Hewett!
Easter Lilies: If you would like to donate one or more Easter lilies to beautify our church – in honor or in memory of someone special, or to the glory of God – for the Feast of the Resurrection, now is the time to order them! The suggested donation is $20; please contact Sandy Parsons at 910-215-8063 or [email protected].
Stations of the Cross – Fridays in Lent: As is our custom, we will be gathering for a traditional Lenten observance, that of the Stations of the Cross, at 5 o’clock Friday evenings. The practice of pilgrims to the Holy Land – following the Way of Sorrows from the house of Pilate to the Holy Sepulchre – was the origin of this devotion, which became widespread in the later Middle Ages, although it was not completely formalized until the eighteenth century. This is a popular and appropriate devotion during Lent and Holy Week.
5:00 p.m. Fridays – Stations of the Cross
Adult Christian Education for Lent and Easter: Beginning with the 2nd Sunday of Lent, March 16th – the 1st Sunday of Lent, March 9th, is the Bishop’s Visitation: see below – and continuing into Eastertide (excluding Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday), we will be holding a Christian education study based on Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth, to be held in the Rector’s office on Sunday mornings beginning at 9 o’clock. From the Amazon.com blurb:
“Arguably the most established contemporary spiritual classic by our most profound living religious writer. This timeless classic has helped well over a million people discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace and a deeper understanding of God. The book explores the ‘classic disciplines’ of the Christian faith: the inward disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; the outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission and service and the corporate disciplines of confession, worship, guidance and celebration.”
Please make plans to join us for this journey into the classical disciplines of the Christian faith! The book is readily available online; here are some links from Christianbook:
The Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition (Christianbook)
Celebration of Discipline, Special Anniversary Edition – eBook (Christianbook)
As well, here are some additional resources that may be helpful:
Celebration of Discipline Study Guide (Christianbook)
Also available from Amazon.com, and other similar outlets. Please make plans to join us for this journey into the classical disciplines of the Christian faith!
Church cleanup day: We will be holding a cleanup day on April 12th (April 19th as backup) to clean the church building and grounds prior to Easter. Please put this day on your calendar – we’d appreciate help from “all hands” if you’re available to assist!
Re-launch – Children’s Vegetable and Herb Garden: Some may recall that there had been an intention to create a children’s garden next to the church, last year, but that for a variety of reasons that never occurred. Junior Warden Amanda Goodwin LeVasseur presented the following proposal to the Vestry at our last meeting:
“Proposal for a Parish garden this year: The plan from last year was to have children, and those young at heart, to plant a modest vegetable and herb garden along the north exterior wall of the church. I have an assortment of seeds and would like to sprout them so children and others can plant them sometime in late March. This would require very little cost to the church. We have sprinklers and would just need to run them regularly so the plants could thrive. There would need to have adequate garden soil in the area selected and donations of timbers or stones to define the beds. This is already in the planning stages. I would also like to propose that we plant the flowers in the front bed at this same time.”
Note that the proposal is for “children and those young at heart”! That means that adults who are interested in getting their hands in the dirt are more than welcome to join in. If you are interested in being part of this project on any level or in any capacity, or just desire further information, please contact Amanda at our church contact page.
Holy Days for the Week of March 9th, 2025:
Tuesday, March 10th: Gregory of Nyssa, Bishop (c. 394)
Wednesday, March 12th: Ember Day*
Thursday, March 13th: Gregory the Great, Bishop (604)
Friday, March 14th: a Ember Day*
Saturday March 15th: Ember Day*
* The Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the First Sunday in Lent are the traditional Lenten Ember Days: days of fasting, abstinence, and prayer – and in particular prayer for those about to be ordained to the ministry of Christ’s one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, or who are striving to discern a calling in that direction.
Wishing everyone a holy and blessed, spiritually nourishing and renewing, season of Lent. May God bless you!
Faithfully,
Fr. Tom Harbold
