August 11, 2024
12th Sunday after Pentecost Proper 14, Year B – Bill Harkins
The Collect
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.
The Gospel: John 6:35, 41-51:
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus answered them, “Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life.
August 4, 2024
11th Sunday after PentecostProper 13, Year B – Bill Harkins
The Collect
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Gospel: John 6:24-35
The next day, when the people who remained after the feeding of the five thousand saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
…Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”
In the Name of the God of Creation who loves us all, Amen.
Good morning, and welcome to Holy Family on this 11th Sunday after Pentecost. Thank you, to each of you, for being here this morning as we take another step together on the journey toward finding our next rector.
July 28, 2024
10th Sunday after Pentecost
Proper 12, Year B – Bill Harkins
The Collect
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.Amen.
The Epistle: Ephesians 3:14-21
I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
July 21, 2024
9th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 11, Year B – Bill Harkins
The Collect
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In the name of the God of Creation who loves us all, Amen. Grace to you and peace, good morning, and welcome to Holy Family on this Ninth Sunday after Pentecost. If you are visiting with us this morning give us a chance to say howdy, and get to know you. This is a parish filled with grace and hospitality, and we are so glad you are here!
And speaking of hospitality, some of you may find the phrase “Come rest awhile” from today’s Gospel reading to be familiar. It was the name of the ministry offered for many years by Diane and Don Wells, who opened their home for rest, reflection, and recreation. When I was a full-time professor I taught a course called “Men in Ministry” which included a retreat at Chez Wells. Diane was a wonderful cook and together she and Don provided lovely meals for our cohort of seminarians. Their ministry was a perfect embodiment of what I hoped the class would instill in these young men—appropriate self-care,