St.

Francis Church Biblically minded::Mission driven

The Right Reverend John C. Bauerschmidt--Bishop of Tennessee

The Reverend Joseph B. Howard--Vicar

Order of Worship

St. Francis Church is a community dedicated to the

transformation of lives through the Gospel of Jesus Christ for
the Kingdom of God.

The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 14

Year B

A congregation of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee and the world-wide Anglican Communion
A note for visitors: We’re thankful that you could join us for worship today, and we
pray God blesses you in your time here. The service is printed in your bulletin. If you
have any questions don’t hesitate to ask someone around you!

St. Francis Church we want to encourage families to worship together. In order to

be a community where all ages feel welcome, we provide coloring materials for children
to use during worship and seek to understand the specific gifts and challenges that
children bring. We encourage you, should you feel comfortable doing so, to sit toward
the front with your children, as little-ones are often more attentive if they can see what is
happening.

We understand that there may be times when it is best to take advantage of child care,
and nursury is provided.

Prayer in Preparation for worship:

O Almighty God, who pours out on all who desire it the spirit of grace and
of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw near to you, from coldness of
heart and wanderings of mind, that with steadfast thoughts and kindled
affections we may worship you in spirit and in truth; though Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.

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 The Word of God
Praise toPraise
Processional: God my soul the King of Heaven 410
H410
D/F 
Unison or harmony

 ¡
D A G D G D G D Bm Em A

¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ Ì¡ ¡ ÌÌ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡
¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ÌÌ
1 Praise, my soul, the King of hea - ven; to his feet thy tri - bute bring;
2 Praise him for his grace and fa - vor to his peo - ple in dis - tress;
3 Fa - ther - like he tends and spares us; well our fee - ble frame he knows;

Ì
4 An - gels, help us to a - dore him; ye be - hold him face to face;

"   ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡
Ì ¡ Ì

F Fm
 ¡
Bm Bm B 7 Es u s E E A D Bm E A

¡ ¡ ¡¡  ¡¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡ Ì
¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡  ¡¡ Ì
¡ ¡
ran - somed, healed, re - stored, for - giv - en, ev - er - more his prais - es sing:
praise him still the same as ev - er, slow to chide, and swift to bless:
in his hand he gen - tly bears us, res - cues us from all our foes.

¡¡  ¡¡
sun and moon, bow down be - fore him, dwell - ers all in time and space.
¡ ¡¡ ¡¡
"  ¡
¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡  ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡
¡
¡¡ Ì
Ì

 ¡ ¡ ¡
D G A Bm Em A D G Em A D

¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡
¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡
,¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ÌÌ
Al - le - lu - ia, al - le - lu - ia! Praise the ev - er - last - ing King.
Al - le - lu - ia, al - le - lu - ia! Glo - rious in his faith - ful - ness.
Al - le - lu - ia, al - le - lu - ia! Wide - ly yet his mer - cy flows.

¡K ¡ ¡
Al - le - lu - ia, al - le - lu - ia! Praise with us the God of grace.

"   ¡¡  ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡
¡
¡¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡
¡
¡ ¡ ÌÌ
¡
¡, ¡  , ¡

Words: Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847), alt.

Music: Lauda anima, John Goss (1800-1880) 87. 87. 87
From Tell Out, My Soul: Guitar Lead Sheets for Favorite Hymns, Vol. 1 Copyright ©
Opening Acclamation:
2006 by R. C. Laird. Church Publishing Incorporated. www.churchpublishing.org
All Standing

Celebrant: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Collect for Purity:

A lmighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are
hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we
may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The following is sung, all standing

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Canticle 20, Glory to God: Gloria in excelsis S 280

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Collect of the Day:
Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right,
that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your
will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever. Amen.
First Reading: 1 Kings 19:4-8
All sit.

A Reading from the first Book of Kings.

But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom
tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I
am no better than my fathers.” And he lay down and slept under a broom tree; and behold, an angel
touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” And he looked, and behold, there was at his head
a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. And he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the
angel of the Lord came again a second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, else the
journey will be too great for you.” And he arose, and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that
food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.
The Psalm of the day: 34:1-8
Benedicam Dominum

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; *
  his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
 
2 I will glory in the Lord; *
  let the humble hear and rejoice.
 
3 Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord;
  let us exalt his Name together.
 
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me *
  and delivered me out of all my terror.
 
5 Look upon him and be radiant, *
  and let not your faces be ashamed.
 
6 I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me *
  and saved me from all my troubles.
 
7 The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, *
  and he will deliver them.
 
8 Taste and see that the Lord is good; *
  happy are they who trust in him!

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Second Reading: Ephesians 4:25—5:2

Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we
are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your
anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him
labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the
occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and
anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice, and be kind to one
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be
imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself
up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.
All stand.

Sequence: Taize

Holy Gospel: John 6:35,41-51

Gospeller: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

J esus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and
he who believes in me shall never thirst. The Jews then murmured at him, because he
said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus, the
son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come
down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No one
can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I will raise him up at the
last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Every one
who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that any one has seen the
Father except him who is from God; he has seen the Father. Truly, truly, I say to you, he
who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the
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wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man
may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one
eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the
world is my flesh.”.
Gospeller: The Gospel of the Lord
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ
Children’s Sermon
Sermon: The Rev. Joseph B. Howard

Nicene Creed
All stand.

W e believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People

Leader: Let us pray

In the Diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for St. Mary’s Convent, Sewanee.

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 In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer we pray for The Diocese of Ruwenzori, in the
province of Uganda, The Rt. Rev’d Benezeri Kisembo, bishop.

Father, we pray for your holy Catholic Church;

People: That we all may be one.

Leader: Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you;
People: That your Name may be glorified by all people.

Leader: We pray for all whose hearts are being prepared by your Spirit to join in
your work through St. Francis Church;
People: That we may be a community utterly dedicated to you.

Leader: We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons;

People: That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and Sacra-
ments.

Leader: We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the
world;
People: That there may be justice and peace on the earth.

Leader: Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake;

People: That our works may find favor in your sight.

Leader: Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble;
People: That they may be delivered from their distress.

Leader: Give to the departed eternal rest;

People: Let light perpetual shine upon them.

Leader: We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy;
People: May we also come to share in your heavenly kingdom.

Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.

Silence

Celebrant adds a concluding collect.

The Confession
Celebrant: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence.

Minister and People:

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
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have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Celebrant: Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our
Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the
Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
All stand

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.

People: And also with you.
Then the Ministers and the People may greet one another in the name of the Lord.
Announcements

# The Holy Communion #

Offertory music chosen by musician
Representatives of the congregation bring the people’s offering of bread and wine, and money or other gifts, to the
celebrant. The people stand while the offerings are presented and placed on the Altar.

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. For you are the source of light and life;
you made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Therefore
we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of
heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:
The Sanctus: S129

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Please stand or kneel at this time, as best helps you to pray.

The Celebrant continues

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself; and, when we
had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus
Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us,
to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross,
and offered himself in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.
On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread;
and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said,
“Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them,
and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed
for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the
remembrance of me.”
Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts.
Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son,
the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may
faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at
the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.
All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. By him, and with him, and in him, in the
unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever.
AMEN.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed by thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread

A period of silence is kept

Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;

Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia

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The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for
you, and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

ON RECEIVING COMMUNION:
All baptized Christians who are in love and charity with their neighbors are invited to the
Lord’s table. If you do not wish to receive, you are invited to come forward for a blessing
in the name of Christ—simply cross your arms over your chest to let the servers know
that you will not be receiving.
One or more of the following prayers, or some other, may be said quietly or
silently before recieving:
We do not presume to come to this thy Table, O merciful Lord, trusting in our own
righteousness, but in thy manifold and great mercies. We are not worthy so much as to
gather up the crumbs under thy Table. But thou art the same Lord whose property is
always to have mercy: Grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of thy dear Son
Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body,
and our souls washed through his most precious blood, and that we may evermore dwell in
him, and he in us. Amen (Prayer of Humble Access from p. 82 of the 1928 BCP, a revised
version of which is found on p. 337 of the 1979 BCP)

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Be present, be present, O Jesus, our great High Priest, as you were present with your
disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread; who live and reign with the Father
and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen (a prayer before recieving communion which
can be found among the many prayers of the 1979 BCP, p. 834).
Communion music: Eat this bread

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Post-Communion Prayer

After Communion, the Celebrant says:

Let us Pray

The minister and people together, pray:

Almighty and everliving God,
we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food
of the most precious Body and Blood
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;
and for assuring us in these holy mysteries
that we are living members of the Body of your Son,
and heirs of your eternal kingdom.
And now, Father, send us out
to do the work you have given us to do,
to love and serve you
as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.
To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

657
Recessional: Love divine, all loves excelling
(Guitar Capo 3)
The Christian Life H657
(D) (A) (D) (Em) (D) (A) (D) (Em) (D)

K
F
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F C F Gm F C F Gm

D Ì ¡¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì ¡ ¡¡
¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ Ì¡ ¡ ¡¡
Ì ¡ ¡
1 Love di - vine, all loves ex - cell - ing, joy of heaven, to
2 Come, al - might - y to de - liv - er, let us all thy
3 Fi - nish then thy new cre - a - tion; pure and spot - less

"D ÌÌ ¡¡ ¡Ì  ¡K ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ÌÌ ¡¡
¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

(Bm) (A) (D) (A) (D) (A) (D) (A) (D) (Em)

K¡
Dm C F C F C F C F Gm

D ¡Ì Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì
¡ ¡¡ Ì Ì ¡
¡ ¡Ì  ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡
Ì
earth come down, fix in us thy hum - ble dwell - ing, all thy
life re - ceive; sud - den - ly re - turn, and nev - er, nev - er -
let us be; let us see thy great sal - va - tion per - fect -
K¡
" ¡Ì ¡ ¡ ÌÌ  Ì ¡ ¡Ì  ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡
D ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡

(D) (Bm) (A) (D) (F  m) (Bm) (Em) (A)

F Dm C F m7 Am Dm Gm C

D ÌÌ ¡¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì Ì ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡
Ì ¡ ¡
faith - ful mer - cies crown. Je - sus, thou art all com - pas - sion,
more thy tem - ples leave. Thee we would be al - way bless - ing,
ly re - stored in thee: changed from glo - ry in - to glo - ry,

Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ÌÌ  Ì ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡
"D Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì ¡
¡ 12
 (D) (Bm) (A) (D) (F  m) (Bm) (Em) (A)
F Dm C F m7 Am Dm Gm C

D ÌÌ ¡¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì Ì ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡
Ì ¡ ¡
faith - ful mer - cies crown. Je - sus, thou art all com - pas - sion,
more thy tem - ples leave. Thee we would be al - way bless - ing,
ly re - stored in thee: changed from glo - ry in - to glo - ry,

Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ÌÌ  Ì ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡
"D Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡ Ì ¡
¡
657b
(D) (Bm) (Em) (Bm) (Asus) (A) (D/A) (Em/A)
F Dm Gm D m C sus C F/C G m/C

D ÌÌ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡¡
From Tell Out, My Soul: Guitar Lead Sheets for Favorite Hymns, Vol. 1 Copyright ©
¡¡ ¡¡
2006 by R. C. Laird. Church Publishing Incorporated. www.churchpublishing.org
ÌÌ ¡ Ì ¡
pure, un - bound - ed love thou art; vis - it us with
serve thee as thy hosts a - bove, pray, and praise thee
till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our

¡ ¡ Ì ¡ Ì ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡¡ Ì¡
" D ¡Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡
Ì
Ì  ¡ ¡¡
¡ Ì Ì Ì ,

B D(Csus)
(D/A) (A) (D) (G) (D/A) (A) (D)

¡ ¡ ¡
F/C C F F/C C F (Csus)

D ¡¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Ì ¡ ¡ ÌÌ ¡¡
¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Ì
thy sal - va - tion, en - ter ev - ery trem - bling heart.
with - out ceas - ing, glo - ry in thy per - fect love.
crowns be - fore thee, lost in won - der, love, and praise.

¡
" D ÌÌ  ¡ ¡ ¡Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Ì ¡ ÌÌ 
¡ ¡ Ì ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ Ì ¡

Words: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Music: Hyfrydol, Rowland Hugh Prichard (1811-1887) 87. 87. D

Celebrant says the dismissal

People: Thanks be to God.

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From Tell Out, My Soul: Guitar Lead Sheets for Favorite Hymns, Vol. 1 Copyright ©
2006 by R. C. Laird. Church Publishing Incorporated. www.churchpublishing.org

13
 A Note on Today’s Readings
Proper 14, Year B
Welcome to St. Francis Church. We continue to hear Jesus’ discourse on the bread of life today.
Continuing last week’s theme of Jesus himself as the source of nourishment for our new life in him,
a further level of meaning is introduced. This was astounding to Jesus’ hearers (and would be to us
if we were not already so used to it), for he is not simply speaking of a “spiritual” communion with
him. He is speaking of his own flesh, his own life. He is the food of eternal life.
The first reading tells of Elijah the prophet fleeing through the wilderness. He is starving and begs
God to let him die. But God instead provides food for him in the wilderness and Elijah is able to
complete his pilgrimage to the mount of God.
Today’s reading from the Letter to the Ephesians continues from last week’s discussion of our unity
in the Spirit, to the new way of living which is the result of that unity, and to its deepest and most
profound implication: namely, our new life is one identity, both as individuals and as a people, with
Jesus himself. What he is, we are becoming.
In the Eucharist we take the material things of this world and, in giving thanks over them, we offer
them to be taken up into the life of God. And this is true also of our selves who are represented by
the bread and wine. We are part of a people whose story goes back to the ancient Hebrews: a people
who have at the center of our existence God calling us to be bearers of the divine presence in the
world.
From The Rite Light: Reflections on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2007 by Michael W.
Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York.

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 Good News Daily
(
Volume IX August 9-15, 2009 Number 31
Sunday, August 9
Psalm 66 Praise our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard; he has preserved our lives
and kept our feet from slipping. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love
from me. (vv.8-9, 20 NIV)
I have been passing through a time of trouble and grief—a husband with life threatening illness, my
own health issues, and a friendship in conflict. Those brought me physically down to a point where
my body ached with pain and fatigue. I began to despair that at age 68 the “good stuff” was over!
I began to read the Psalms, drinking them in with my heart, learning I didn’t know what the “good
stuff” really is! The Psalms take us from an alien in despair of loneliness to assurance that we may be
attacked but not kept down. Our God never sleeps. Now I: “Praise our God… He has preserved my
life and kept my feet from slipping. Praise be to God, who had not rejected my prayer or withheld His
love from me.” I am learning that, as Larry Crabb writes in Shattered Dreams (page 3), “The greatest
blessing is no longer the blessing of a good life. It never was. It is the blessing of an encounter with
God. It always has been.”
2 Samuel 13:1-22; Psalm 67; Romans 15:1-13; John 3:22-36

Monday, August 10
Psalms 89:1-18 “Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise, who shout on parade
in the bright presence of God. Delighted they dance all day long; they know who you are, what you
do—they can’t keep it quiet! Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—you’ve been so good to us!
We’re walking on air.” (vv.15-17 The Message)
I have just returned from a family visit with my children and grandchildren. Some of them know the
“passwords of praise and shout on parade.” I watched and celebrated in my heart as their children
said their lines in their Christian Montessori School play. I attended a Bible study with another and
thanked God for that. Being part of their lives for that time, I could see the “radiant beauty” of Jesus
in their community as they lovingly serve each other and worship him. I pray to the Holy God of
Israel, our King, to woo to Him family members and others who do not yet know the “passwords of
praise.” Some have said the words and thought the thoughts of salvation, but don’t yet recognize the
joy of having His vibrant beauty inside them. I wait with the joy of anticipation for the day they do!
“Your love, God, is my song, and I’ll sing it! I’m forever telling anyone how faithful you are” (vv.1-
2).
2 Samuel 13:23-39; Acts 20:17-38; Mark 9:42-50
Tuesday, August 11
2 Samuel 14:1-20 “Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die.
But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain
estranged from him.” (v.14 NIV)
Someone dear to me will “banish” himself when he feels shame. He will often stay banished—
withdrawn—until someone else lovingly makes a gesture inviting him to come back into relationship.
Until I read this Scripture, I struggled with the question of whether I was enabling another’s immature
behavior. Reading 2 Samuel 14:14 showed me God’s way. If God “devises ways that a banished
person may not remain estranged…” can I not follow Him?
15
Keep reading today’s lesson, friend! Psalm 100:3-5 continues to teach us: “It is he who made us,
and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his
courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures
forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Our Shepherd will show us the way—His
way!
Psalms 97, 99, 100; Acts 21:1-14; Mark 10:1-16

Wednesday, August 12
Mark 10:17-31 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go and sell
everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me.” (v.21)
Jesus asks me too to give up what I already claim as mine to receive what he has for me, to follow
him instead of my own inclinations—instead of leaning on my own understanding. What keeps me
from totally, absolutely giving my all? Time, energy, resources? Heart, mind, body? What do I resist
losing that could compare to the gain! No—none of those. I realize my greatest barrier between me
and my Savior’s will has been fear. And my greatest fear was fear of men: “Fear of men will prove
to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe” (Proverbs 29:25). Jesus already knew how
the rich, young man would respond; yet he “looked at him and loved him.” What a blessing to have
a God who, even in our fear, stubbornness, and willfulness, looks at us and loves us!
2 Samuel 14:21-33; Psalms 101, 109; Acts 21:15-26

Thursday, August 13
2 Samuel 15:1-18 A messenger came and told David, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with
Absalom.” Then David said to all his officials with him in Jerusalem, “Come! We must flee, or none
of us will escape from Absalom.” (vv.13-14)
What despair David, a father, must have felt at his son Absalom’s treachery! When I am discouraged
or let down by men, I can look to another of our readings for today, Psalm 105, to give me a path to
find hope and restoration in the Lord.
Look and Remember:
Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always (v.4).
Remember His wonders, miracles, and judgments (v.5).
Remember His covenants; He remembers them forever (v.8).
Remember He confirms (v.10).
Remember He protects; He allowed no one to oppress them (v.14).
Remember He sends ahead of us (v.17).
Psalm 105:1-22; Acts 21:27-36; Mark 10:32-45

Friday, August 14
Psalm 102 Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry for help come to you. Do not hide your face from me
when I am in distress. Turn you ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. For my days vanish like
smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. My heart is blighted and withered like grass” (vv.1-4a)
Recently criticized harshly by someone close to me, I withdrew—blinded by pain. I turned inward
with only the very weakest cries for the Lord. I laid awake; I became like a bird alone on a roof
(v.7).
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Today’s readings continue from Psalm 102 to Acts by telling of two men struck by blindness. Each
case was a tale of steadfast faith in times of darkness. Bartemaus called out. Jesus healed him. Even
my weak cry was answered with the comfort of his presence.
Lord, “In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your
hands” (Psalm 102:25). So too, are we, the work of Your hands. So too, have You laid a foundation
of hope and faith in our hearts. You take the blindfolds off our eyes. We can see you in our lives. You
will “respond to prayer of the destitute” and not “despise” our pleas (v.17).
2 Samuel 15:19-37; Acts 21:37—22:16; Mark 10:46-52

Saturday, August 15
Psalm 107:33-43, 108 He gave the poor a safe place to live, treated their clans like well-cared-for
sheep. Good people see this and are glad; bad people are speechless, stopped in their tracks. If you
are really wise, you’ll think this over—it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love. (vv.40b-43 The
Message)
A song comes to mind. It begins, “Your deep, deep love washes over me. Your deep, deep love fills
my every need. How I long to hear Your voice call out my name. It draws me to your deep, deep
love… cleanses my sin…. brings a peace within.” Lord, “Your deep, deep love” is an antidote for
sleepless nights, the aches and pains of growing older. It brings peace in the midst of relationship
strife and sanity when I’m overwhelmed by the expectations of others and my own commitments. In
those times when I want to stop the world and get off, I can stop myself, be still, receive the washing
over of His deep, deep love, and let Him recalibrate my day, my week, my life. Like a “well-cared-for
sheep,” I can follow my Shepherd.
2 Samuel 16:1-23; Acts 22:17-29; Mark 11:1-11
by Barbara “Bobbie” Maybee

Used with permission from the BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP

P. O. Box 380, Winter Park, FL 32790

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 Announcements
August 20, 2009, 6:00-8:00 PM: Faith and Film night, “Gran Torino” (R), staring
Clint Eastwood. We will discuss the film together at 9:15 on August 23rd. If you can’t
make it to see the movie on Thursday, try to rent it and watch it when you can. Also,
please note the rating of each film. Some of them are only appropriate for adults because
of the topics they deal with ot how they depict them. For the purposes of our Sunday
morning discussion I will show clips from the film that I thought were particularly thought
provoking.

August 26, 2009, 6:00 pm: We will have our first prep time for the parish yard sale.
We will begin organizing items and preparing signs etc...

August 27, 2009, 6:00-8:00 PM: Faith and Film night, “Shadlowlands” (PG). Join us
as we continue our faith and film program with “Shadowlands,” about the later life of C.S.
Lewis, staring Anthony Hopkins.

September 2, 2009 @ 6:00 pm: our second prep meeting for the congregational yard
sale.

September 12, 2009: Congregational Yard Sale. Please gather any items you’d like to
donate and bring them to church by the end of August.

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 Bishop of Tennessee
The Rt. Rev. John C. Bauerschmidt

Vicar
The Rev. Joseph B. Howard

Mission Council
Thom Chittom
Linda Palmer
Shelley Sircy
Kim Waltenbaugh

Accompanist
Anna Howard

Schedule of Ministry:
Celebrant & Preacher: The Rev. Joseph B. Howard Reader: Thom Chittom
Acolyte/Crucifer: Prayer Station: Shelley Sircy
Oblationers: Chalicist: Adam Waltenbaugh
To check the schedule online, visit:
http://stfrancis-tn.net and go to congregational resources-->ROTA: service schedule

To get in touch with Fr. Jody for any reason, you can reach him at 615-440-6492 or via email at frjody@stfrancis-tn.
net.
_______________________________________________________________________________

St. Francis Church

Biblically minded. Mission driven.
812 Meadowlark Ln
PO Box 697
Goodlettsville, TN 37072
Phone: 851-0790
http://stfrancis-tn.net

Cover Image: early Christian mosaic of bread and fish.

Wood cuts from: Pitts Theological Library Digital Image Archive

Color images from: Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN, https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-search.pl

CCLI License No. 2334637 Oneliscence.net No. A-714717