Weekly Parish Email for the Second Sunday in Lent: 16 March 2025
Contents:
- Propers (Collect and Lessons) for the Second Sunday in Lent, with hymns.
- Link to “Watch this Sunday’s live-stream” on our parish website.
- Parish Announcements for the week of March 16th, 2025
Propers for the Second Sunday in Lent.
The Book of Common Prayer 1928.
The Collect.
ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; Keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle. Ephesians v. 1.
WE beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: that every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: that no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
The Gospel. St. Luke xi. 14.
JESUS went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said. Truth Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Hymns:
Processional Hymn: “Be thou my vision” (Insert)
Sermon Hymn: “My faith looks up to thee” #449
Communion Hymn: “I bind unto myself today” #268
Recessional Hymn: “Rock of Ages” #471
(Second Tune: Toplady)
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 16th, 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!
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 our church contact page.
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, 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. Please let Father Tom know as soon as possible, if you intend to participate in this study. Many thanks!
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.”
We are asking participants to purchase your own copy of the book, which 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 16th, 2025:
Monday, March 17th – St. Patrick of Ireland (c. 461)
Tuesday, March 18th – St. Cyril of Jerusalem (386)
Wednesday, March 19th – St. Joseph
Thursday, March 20th – Cuthbert of Lindisfarne (687)
Friday, March 21st – Thomas Ken (1711)
Saturday, March 22nd – James DeKoven (1879)
Wishing everyone a holy and blessed, spiritually nourishing and renewing, season of Lent. May God bless you!
Faithfully,
Fr. Tom Harbold
