Author: JAS

St. James’ Episcopal Church
Holy Eucharist Rite II
The Third Sunday in Easter
Celebrant and Preacher: The Reverend Zachary Drennen
Deacon: The Reverend Amy McClure
April 14, 2024
10:30 AM
Office Administrator: Trish Parker
Music Ministry: Susan Adkins and Barbara Lutz
Youth Sunday School: Dana Neumann
468 Church Street, Lewisburg WV 24901
Telephone: (304) 645-2588
Office Hours: Tuesday through Friday- 9:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Vestry Members
Chalicists:
Lucie Refsland and Dave McClure
Readers:
Old Testament—Cooper Benedict
Epistle & Prayers of the People-Sarah Skelding
Acolyte:
Milyn Neumann
“The people of St. James’ Church are called to love and serve God. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit we carry out our ministries through worship, reaching out to those in need, and helping each other and our neighbors understand and live by Christ’s commandments.”

2024	2025	2026
Emily Chittenden Laird (Sr)	Dave McClure	Dorothy Hunter
Jody Hammond	Jim Owens	Jake Neumann (Jr)
Greg Johnson (Jr)	Bitsy Shaw	Christine Pollard

Welcome to St. James Episcopal Church.
(Inspired by Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, England)
We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, straight, gay, questioning, well-healed or down at the heel. We especially welcome wailing babies and excited toddlers.
You’re welcome here if you’re just browsing, just woken up, or just out of prison. We don’t care if you’re more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury or haven’t been to church since Christmas 10 years ago.
We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit moms, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte sippers, vegans, junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems, or down in the dumps, or don’t like organized religion (we’re not that keen on it either!).
We offer a welcome to those who think the Earth is flat, work too hard, don’t work, can’t spell, or are here because granny is visiting and wanted to look around. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both, or neither. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids, or got lost off of Interstate 64 looking for the State Fair and wound up here by mistake.
We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters - and especially you….
Please come in!
A note or two about our worship service:
All of our worship services are found in our red Book of Common Prayer or BCP for short.
Most of our music is found in the blue Hymnal. Service Music – specific music related to a part of the liturgy – is indicated in your bulletin with an ‘S’ and will be found in the front section of the blue Hymnal. Just to keep you on your toes, we sometimes sing from the green hymnal found in your pews, Wonder, Love and Praise, and that will be indicated in your bulletin with the abbreviation WLP.
About Holy Communion: You are invited to receive the blessed bread and wine. To receive the bread, hold out your hand and the priest will place the bread in it. Likewise with the wine, help the minister guide the chalice to your mouth and take a small sip, or, if you choose, dip the bread in the small ‘intinction’ cup. If you do not wish to receive the wine, cross your arms over your chest and the chalice bearer will pass by. Those not wishing to receive communion are encouraged come up and receive a blessing from the priest, and we hope you do – we love giving out blessings!
Holy Eucharist Rite II
Prelude
The Processional “Awake, arise lift up your voice” Hymnal # 212
Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ is risen!
People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Collect for Purity BCP 355
Gloria Hymnal # S278
Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
People: Amen.
First Reading: Acts 3: 12-19
Peter addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. “
And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 4 (Chanted with the Choir)
The Epistle: 1 John 3: 1-7
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.
The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
Sequence Hymn: “Christ has arisen” See below
The Gospel: Luke 24: 36b-48
Celebrant: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
Celebrant: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
Sermon The Rev. Zach Drennen
The Nicene Creed BCP 358
The Prayers of the People –Form III BCP 387
The Confession and Absolution BCP 360
The Peace (standing)
Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Announcements
The Holy Communion
Offertory
Special Music:
Doxology: “Lasst uns erfreuen” (standing)
Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him all creatures here below;
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Praise Him above, ye heav'nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
Oh praise Him, Oh praise Him! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
The Great Thanksgiving, Eucharistic Prayer A BCP 361
Sanctus: Hymnal #S128
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The Lord’s Prayer BCP 364
Breaking of the Bread
Fraction Anthem: Hymnal #S155
Distribution of Holy Communion
Communion Hymns:
“Come risen Lord” Hymnal # 306
“Children of the heavenly Father” See below
Post Communion Prayer BCP 366
The Blessing
Recessional Hymn “He is risen, He is risen” Hymnal # 180
The Dismissal
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Announcements
Join us today for Coffee Hour in the Parish Hall following the 10:30 service.
Adult Forum continues at 9:15 am on Sundays with the study of “Short Stories by Jesus” by Amy Jill Levine
St. James’ Vestry will meet next today following the 10:30 worship service.
Midweek Service– Noonday Prayer on Wednesday, April 17 at noon Keteri Tekakawitha
Celebrant: Earl Haddad
Lector: Lucie Refsland
Meditation-Earl Haddad
Spring Yard Sale—St. James’ Spring Yard Sale will be Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18. Please do not bring items until after May 6. No electronics please. We will also need volunteers to set up, price, sell and clean up. Thank you.
Confirmation Classes—Youth confirmation class for anyone ages 12 - 18 will begin on Sunday, April 14th from 4:30-6:00. Classes will meet every Sunday at that time up through May 19th. Please contact Rev. Zach and/or the Parish office if interested in attending classes.
Dedication—On Sunday, April 28th, Fr. Joseph will lead a dedication of a plaque
honoring Dorothy Smith, in the Memorial Garden following the 10:30 service. Dorothy was a beloved parishioner who passed away in 2022.
To submit a name for prayers, call or email the church at 304-645-2588 or trish@lewisburgstjames.org
We pray for our St. James’ family: Frank, Rachel, Ron, Gary, John, Helen, Sally, Kay, Judy, Nicole, Cassie, Mark B., and David H. And for friends and family of the parish– Earlene Woodman, Tim Lumsden, Wayne, Rhett, Lauryn, David, Ian, Larry B., Carolyn I., Natalie Walter, Erik, Arletta, Lynn, David,
Carol Waple, Willie, Gerry, Christy, Tommy Sheppard, Karen, Herbert, Kate, Zach B.,
Sylvia, Hannah Toler, Ruth Williams, Oretha Morgan, Marshall, Dave, Dakota, Jeff Allen, Teayre K., and Mike S.
Pray for the soul of the departed, Donna Crouthamel, and for her family.
The flowers on the altar are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of
Virginia Spring Lake, 4/24/84-5/7/84 by Susan and Frank Adkins

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