Holy Eucharist for [Anna Ellison Butler Alexander], Deaconess and Teacher, 1947
24 September 2025
according to the Book of Common Prayer (p. 355ff.)
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We Gather in God’s Name
BCP 355
The people stand as able.
Greeting
Officiant:
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People:
And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
The Collect for Purity
Officiant:
Almighty 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.
BCP 356
Kyrie
Officiant:
Kyrie, eleison.
People:
Christe, eleison.
Officiant:
Kyrie, eleison.
(translated: Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.)
The Collect of the Day
Officiant:
The Lord be with you.
People:
And also with you.
Officiant:
Let us pray.
Loving God, who called Anna Alexander as a deaconess in your church: Grant us the wisdom to teach the gospel of Christ to whomever we meet, by word and by example, that all may come to the enlightenment that you intend for your people; through Jesus Christ, our Teacher and Savior.
People:
Amen.
The people are seated.
We Hear God’s Word
The First Lesson: Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Lector:
A reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
This reading can be found at Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Lector:
The word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 78
Part I
Attendite, popule
1 Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
3 That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
4 We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
and the wonderful works he has done.
5 He gave his decrees to Jacob
and established a law for Israel, *
which he commanded them to teach their children;
6 That the generations to come might know,
and the children yet unborn; *
that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
7 So that they might put their trust in God, *
and not forget the deeds of God,
but keep his commandments;
8 And not be like their forefathers,
a stubborn and rebellious generation, *
a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, *
turned back in the day of battle;
10 They did not keep the covenant of God, *
and refused to walk in his law;
11 They forgot what he had done, *
and the wonders he had shown them.
12 He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13 He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
he made the waters stand up like walls.
14 He led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.
15 He split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.
16 He brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like rivers.
17 But they went on sinning against him, *
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18 They tested God in their hearts, *
demanding food for their craving.
19 They railed against God and said, *
“Can God set a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the gullies overflowed; *
but is he able to give bread
or to provide meat for his people?”
21 When the LORD heard this, he was full of wrath; *
a fire was kindled against Jacob,
and his anger mounted against Israel;
22 For they had no faith in God, *
nor did they put their trust in his saving power.
23 So he commanded the clouds above *
and opened the doors of heaven.
24 He rained down manna upon them to eat *
and gave them grain from heaven.
25 So mortals ate the bread of angels; *
he provided for them food enough.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens *
and led out the south wind by his might.
27 He rained down flesh upon them like dust *
and wingèd birds like the sand of the sea.
28 He let it fall in the midst of their camp *
and round about their dwellings.
29 So they ate and were well filled, *
for he gave them what they craved.
30 But they did not stop their craving, *
though the food was still in their mouths.
31 So God’s anger mounted against them; *
he slew their strongest men
and laid low the youth of Israel.
32 In spite of all this, they went on sinning *
and had no faith in his wonderful works.
33 So he brought their days to an end like a breath *
and their years in sudden terror.
34 Whenever he slew them, they would seek him, *
and repent, and diligently search for God.
35 They would remember that God was their rock, *
and the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths *
and lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him, *
and they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 But he was so merciful that he forgave their sins
and did not destroy them; *
many times he held back his anger
and did not permit his wrath to be roused.
39 For he remembered that they were but flesh, *
a breath that goes forth and does not return.
Part II
Quoties exacerbaverunt
40 How often the people disobeyed him in the wilderness *
and offended him in the desert!
41 Again and again they tempted God *
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power *
in the day when he ransomed them from the enemy;
43 How he wrought his signs in Egypt *
and his omens in the field of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers into blood, *
so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies among them, which ate them up, *
and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar, *
the fruit of their toil to the locust.
47 He killed their vines with hail *
and their sycamores with frost.
48 He delivered their cattle to hailstones *
and their livestock to hot thunderbolts.
49 He poured out upon them his blazing anger: *
fury, indignation, and distress,
a troop of destroying angels.
50 He gave full rein to his anger;
he did not spare their souls from death; *
but delivered their lives to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt, *
the flower of manhood in the dwellings of Ham.
52 He led out his people like sheep *
and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them to safety, and they were not afraid; *
but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 He brought them to his holy land, *
the mountain his right hand had won.
55 He drove out the Canaanites before them
and apportioned an inheritance to them by lot; *
he made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
56 But they tested the Most High God, and defied him, *
and did not keep his commandments.
57 They turned away and were disloyal like their fathers; *
they were undependable like a warped bow.
58 They grieved him with their hill-altars *
they provoked his displeasure with their idols.
59 When God heard this, he was angry *
and utterly rejected Israel.
60 He forsook the shrine at Shiloh, *
the tabernacle where he had lived among his people.
61 He delivered the ark into captivity, *
his glory into the adversary’s hand.
62 He gave his people to the sword *
and was angered against his inheritance.
63 The fire consumed their young men; *
there were no wedding songs for their maidens.
64 Their priests fell by the sword, *
and their widows made no lamentation.
65 Then the LORD woke as though from sleep, *
like a warrior refreshed with wine.
66 He struck his enemies on the backside *
and put them to perpetual shame.
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph *
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;
68 He chose instead the tribe of Judah *
and Mount Zion, which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights of heaven, *
like the earth which he founded for ever.
70 He chose David his servant, *
and took him away from the sheepfolds.
71 He brought him from following the ewes, *
to be a shepherd over Jacob his people
and over Israel his inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them with a faithful and true heart *
and guided them with the skillfulness of his hands.
The people stand as able.
The Holy Gospel: Matthew 11:25-30
Deacon:
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
People:
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Deacon:
This reading can be found at Matthew 11:25-30
Deacon:
The Gospel of the Lord.
People:
Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The people are seated.
A brief homily, spiritual conversation, or moment of silence may be placed here.
Silence follows the homily.
We Respond in Faith
BCP 387
Form III
Leader:
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 bishops, priests, and deacons;
People:
That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and Sacraments.
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.
Leader:
Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.
Silence
The People may add their own petitions.
The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect.
BCP 360
Confession of Sin
Deacon:
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
The people kneel or stand as able. Silence may be kept. Officiant 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,
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.
Priest:
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.
People:
Amen.
The Peace
Presider:
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:
And also with you.
We greet one another in the name of the Lord.
The people are seated.
The Announcements
We Offer Ourselves To God
The altar is prepared
The people stand as able.
BCP 367
The Great Thanksgiving: Eucharistic Prayer B
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 God thanks and praise.
The Celebrant continues:
It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.
A Proper Preface may be used here.
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:
Sanctus
Celebrant and People:
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 Celebrant continues:
We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.
On the night before he died for us, 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, according to his command, O Father,
Celebrant and People
We remember his death,
We proclaim his resurrection,
We await his coming in glory;
The Celebrant continues:
And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine.
We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with blessed Thomas, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all your saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.
Celebrant:
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.
People:
AMEN.
BCP 364
The Lord’s Prayer
Presider:
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
Officiant and People:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be 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
Presider:
Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
People:
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
Presider:
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.
pb
We Receive the Gift of God
“If a person desires to receive the Sacrament, but, by reason of extreme sickness or physical disability, is unable to eat and drink the Bread and Wine, the Celebrant is to assure that person that all the benefits of Communion are received, even though the Sacrament is not received with the mouth.” (BCP, 457)
The ministers receive the Sacrament in both kinds, and then immediately deliver it to the people. All are welcome to receive at Christ’s table. If you would prefer to receive a verbal blessing instead of communion, cross your arms over your chest to indicate this.
BCP 366
The Post-communion Prayer
Presider:
Let us pray.
People:
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.
The Blessing
BCP 366
The Dismissal
Deacon:
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.