February 20, 2022 The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

This is the Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany.  This period in the Church year is known as the “Epiphany Season” or “Ordinary Time.”  The term “ordinary” refers to how the New Testament passages are generally read in order or in sequence, as opposed to being arranged by specific theme as in other seasons.  During this season the Gospel passages focus on the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and how he is revealed to the world as the Christ.  In Year C (the third in a three year cycle: A, B & C) most of the Gospel passages are from the Gospel according to Luke.  The Old Testament Lesson and the Psalm are chosen because they relate to the words and message of Jesus.  The New Testament Lesson is independent of these readings and is almost always taken from one of the Letters in the New Testament that reflects the common life and mission of the first Christian community.

Our Celebrant and Preacher today is: The Reverend Matthew Hoxsie Mead.  

Today’s In Person Worship

• Every Sunday at 8am the Eucharist (Rite 1) is celebrated in the Church.  The service is from the red Book of Common Prayer, beginning on page 323, and includes 2 pre-recorded hymns, and lasts about 45 minutes. Coffee Hour follows.
• Every Sunday at 10am the Eucharist (Rite 2) is celebrated in the Church. The service is from the red Book of Common Prayer, beginning on page 355.  See below for detailed music information.  The service lasts about an hour.  Coffee hour follows.
• Healing Prayers are offered at the Bolton Altar following both services.
• Please review these Guidelines before attending worship at Christ Church.  (Updated 2/10/2022)
• This Sunday at 5pm the Eucharist (Rite2) is celebrated in the Church. The 5pm service last about 25 minutes, is offered as announced, and is from the red Book of Common Prayer, beginning on page 355.  A brief reception follows in the Bell Tower.

Today’s Live-Stream Worship & Sermon Archives

• You can view the live-stream of Sunday morning services HERE
• Sermon archives are HERE
• Our Sermon and other archives are here: https://www.youtube.com/c/christchurchpelham

Sunday Offerings & Financial Donations to Christ Church

Christ Church is supported by the generosity of members and friends who donate time, talent, and money to the church to ensure that it is open, staffed, safe, and active. God has given each of us many gifts and we are called to use them to build up the church and to show the spread the love of God to our community. Click on the Donate Button for a variety of ways to support Christ Church, including one-time donations, annual pledges, and raising funds through FaceBook or Amazon.

Today’s Propers (Collect & Lections from Holy Scripture)

The Collect

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament
Genesis 45:3-11, 15
Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'” And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

The Psalm

Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42 Noli aemulari

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
and like the green grass fade away.

3 Put your trust in the LORD and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4 Take delight in the LORD, *
and he shall give you your heart’s desire.

5 Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.

7 Be still before the LORD *
and wait patiently for him.

8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

10 For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the LORD shall possess the land.

11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

12 But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in abundance of peace.

41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the LORD; *
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

42 The LORD will help them and rescue them; *
he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
because they seek refuge in him.

The New Testament

1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50

Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven. What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.    

Live-stream licensed under OneLicense.net A-713125.