Weekly Parish Email for Sexagesima Sunday: 23 February 2025
Contents:
- Propers (Collect and Lessons) for Sexagesima Sunday, with hymns.
- Link to “Watch this Sunday’s live-stream” on our parish website.
- Parish Announcements for the week of February 23rd, 2025.
Propers for the Sunday called Sexagesima, or the Second Sunday before Lent.
The Book of Common Prayer 1928.
The Collect.
O LORD God, who seest that we put not our trust in any thing that we do; Mercifully grant that by thy power we may be defended against all adversity; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle. II Corinthians xi. 19.
YE suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face. I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.
The Gospel. St. Luke viii. 4.
WHEN much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time or temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Hymns:
Processional Hymn: “We gather together” – #315
Sermon Hymn: “Behold, a Sower! from afar” – #401
Communion Hymn: “Breathe on me, breath of God” – #375 (Second Tune: Nova Vita)
Recessional Hymn: “O Word of God incarnate” – #402
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, February 23rd, 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!
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.
Bishop’s Visitation: The Rt. Rev’d Paul C. Hewett, SSC, Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Holy Cross, Anglican Catholic Church, will be conducting his annual Episcopal Visitation of Christ Church Anglican on Sunday, March 9th, the First Sunday in Lent. He will be preaching and celebrating at our 10:30 service, and attending our Fellowship Meal afterwards. This is an excellent opportunity to meet (if you have not had the pleasure previously) and talk to our Bishop!
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 February 23rd
Sunday, February 23rd (*): Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and Martyr (156)
Monday, February 24th: St. Matthias, Apostle
Tuesday, February 25th: Ethelbert of Kent, King and Confessor (560)
Thursday, February 27th: George Herbert, Priest and Poet (1633)
Saturday, March 1st: David (Dewi) of Wales, Bishop, Monastic, and “Apostle of Wales” (544)
(* Saints’ days which fall on Sundays are typically – unless specified otherwise in the Tables of Precedence – translated to the next open day in the week, which in this case is Wednesday, February 26th.)
