Saint Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church

The Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost — October 18, 2026

The Prelude

Improvisation and Chorale on “Kingsfold” arr. David Lasky

The Processional Hymn 362

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” Nicaea

Hymn 362 — Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty (Nicaea) — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.

Words: Reginald Heber (1783-1826), alt. Music: Nicaea, John Bacchus Dykes (1823-1876).

The Word of God

Celebrant: Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Celebrant: There is one Body and one Spirit;
People: There is one hope in God’s call to us;
Celebrant: One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;
People: One God and Father of all.

The Collect of the Day

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.

GRACIOUS AND GENEROUS GOD, we thank you for our many blessings. We know that all we have received is from your hand. Gracious and loving God, grant us opportunities to share your love, courage to speak your truth, and faithfulness to nurture your flock. Help us to always use your gifts wisely and teach us to share them generously. We pray with grateful hearts in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The First Reading — Exodus 33:12-23

¹²Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ ¹³Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” ¹⁴He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” ¹⁵And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. ¹⁶For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.” ¹⁷The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” ¹⁸Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” ¹⁹And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. ²⁰But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” ²¹And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; ²²and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; ²³then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

The Psalm — Psalm 99

¹ The Lord is King let the people tremble; *
    he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.
² The Lord is great in Zion; *
    he is high above all peoples.
³ Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
    he is the Holy One.
⁴ “O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; *
    you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”
⁵ Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and fall down before his footstool; *
    he is the Holy One.
⁶ Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
    they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.
⁷ He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
    they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.
⁸ O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
    you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their evil deeds.
⁹ Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill; *
    for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

The Second Reading — 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.

²We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly ³remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, ⁵because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake.

⁶And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, ⁷so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. ⁹For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, ¹⁰and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.

The Sequence Hymn 325

“Let us break bread together on our knees”

Hymn 325 — Let us break bread together on our knees — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.

Verse 1: Let us break bread together on our knees; let us break bread together on our knees;
Verse 2: Let us drink wine together on our knees; let us drink wine together on our knees;
Verse 3: Let us praise God together on our knees; let us praise God together on our knees;
Refrain: when I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord, have mercy on me.

Words: African-American spiritual. Music: Let Us Break Bread, Afro-American spiritual; arr. and harm. David Hurd (b. 1950).

The Gospel — Matthew 22:15-22

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

¹⁵Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. ¹⁶So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. ¹⁷Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” ¹⁸But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? ¹⁹Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. ²⁰Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?” ²¹They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²²When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon

The Reverend Mary Kay Brown

The Baptisms

The Candidates for Holy Baptism, Daphnee, Delilah, Eli and Havanna Vasquez will now be presented.
See today’s insert.

The Peace

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: WALK IN LOVE, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.

The Stewardship Moment

George Grigg

The Choral Anthem

“What Shall I Offer My God” Lloyd Larson, adapted from Micah 6:6-8

With what shall I come before the Lord? What shall I offer my God?
If I could bring a perfect offering, would the Lord be pleased with me?
If I give the best of all I possess, will I live eternally?
With what shall I come before the Lord? What shall I offer my God?

God asks that I live justly revealing truth for all to see.
God asks that I show mercy for those struggling to be free,
and to walk humbly with the one who gave life and breath to me.
God exalts those who humbly walk with the Lord.

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
take myself and I will be ever, only, all for Thee, ever, only, all for Thee.

God asks that I live justly revealing truth for all to see.
God asks that I show mercy for those struggling to be free,
and to walk humbly with the One who gave life and breath to me.
God exalts those who humbly walk with the Lord.

With what shall I come before the Lord?
My life I shall give to my God.

The Presentation of Elements and Offerings

The Doxology

Old 100th

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,
Praise God, all creatures here below.
Praise God above, ye heavenly host.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

The Eucharistic Prayer

from Enriching Our Worship, Prayer One

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 our thanks and praise.

Celebrant: It is truly right, and good and joyful, to give you thanks, all-holy God, source of life and fountain of mercy.

The Celebrant continues…

You have filled us and all creation with your blessing and fed us with your constant love; you have redeemed us in Jesus Christ and knit us into one body. Through your Spirit you replenish us and call us to fullness of life.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. In fulfillment of his true promise, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven, lighting upon the disciples, to teach them and to lead them into all truth; uniting peoples of many tongues in the confession of one faith, and giving to your Church the power to serve you as a royal priesthood, and to preach the Gospel to all nations.

Therefore, joining with Angels and Archangels and with the faithful of every generation, we lift our voices with all creation as we sing:

The Sanctus MHSO 38

“Holy, Holy, Holy Lord” John Bell

MHSO 38 — Holy, Holy, Holy Lord (John Bell) — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.

Words: from The Book of Common Prayer (1979) of the Episcopal Church USA. Music: John L. Bell (b. 1949) © WGRG The Iona Community (Scotland) (admin. GIA Publications, Inc., 7404 S. Mason Ave., Chicago, IL 60638 [www.giamusic.com].) All rights reserved. Used by permission.

The Celebrant continues…

BLESSED ARE YOU, gracious God, creator of the universe and giver of life. You formed us in your own image and called us to dwell in your infinite love.

You gave the world into our care that we might be your faithful stewards and show forth your bountiful grace.

But we failed to honor your image in one another and in ourselves; we would not see your goodness in the world around us; and so we violated your creation, abused one another, and rejected your love. Yet you never ceased to care for us, and prepared the way of salvation for all people.

Through Abraham and Sarah you called us into covenant with you. You delivered us from slavery, sustained us in the wilderness, and raised up prophets to renew your promise of salvation. Then, in the fullness of time, you sent your eternal Word, made mortal flesh in Jesus. Born into the human family, and dwelling among us, he revealed your glory. Giving himself freely to death on the cross, he triumphed over evil, opening the way of freedom and life.

On the night before he died for us, Our Savior Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his friends, and said: “Take, eat: This is my Body which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

As supper was ending, Jesus 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 poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Celebrant and People:

Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.

The Celebrant continues…

Remembering his death and resurrection, we now present to you from your creation this bread and this wine. By your Holy Spirit may they be for us the Body and Blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. Grant that we who share these gifts may be filled with the Holy Spirit and live as Christ’s Body in the world. Bring us into the everlasting heritage of your daughters and sons, that with St. Francis, St. Clare, and all your saints, past, present, and yet to come, we may praise your Name for ever. Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray,

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 forever, and ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread

a period of silence is kept

The Fraction Anthem WLP 867

“The bread which we break” Carl Haywood

WLP 867 — The bread which we break (Carl Haywood) — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.

The bread which we break is a sharing in the Body of Christ. We being many are one bread, one body, for we all share in the one bread.

Music: Carl Haywood (b. 1949), from Fraction Anthems, Canticles, and Chants. Copyright © 1997 Carl Haywood.

Celebrant continues: 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.

WE INVITE ALL to join us and receive the Body and Blood of Christ at his table. If you desire to receive a blessing, please come to the altar with hands crossed over your chest. Gluten-free communion wafers and chalice are available upon request.

The Communion Response

“Prayer of St. Francis” Sebastian Temple

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there is hatred; let me bring your love,
where there is injury, your pardon, Lord,
and where there’s doubt, true faith in you.

Make me a channel of your peace.
Where there’s despair in life, let me bring hope,
where there is darkness only light,
and where there’s sadness ever joy.

Oh, Master, grant that I may never seek
so much to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love, with all my soul.

Make me a channel of your peace.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
in giving of ourselves that we receive,
and in dying that we are born to eternal life.

The Post-Communion Prayer

After Communion, the Celebrant says: All stand. Let us pray together: Celebrant and People:

ETERNAL GOD, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing

The Recessional Hymn 391

“Before the Lord’s eternal throne” Winchester New
Sing verses 1-3.

Hymn 391 — Before the Lord’s eternal throne (Winchester New) — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.

Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), alt.; para. of Psalm 100. Music: Winchester New, melody from Musicalishes Hand-Buch, 1690; harm. William Henry Monk (1823-1889).

The Dismissal

Deacon: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
           Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
People: Thanks be to God.
           Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

The Postlude

“Festive Postlude” Richard A. Williamson

Reprint/podcast/streamed with permission under One License #A-730274 and RitePlanning. All rights reserved.

St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church Welcomes You

Happy Birthday: Ann Grigg (23^rd), Kay Brackins (24^th).

Welcome! If you are new to St. Francis or visiting for the first time, we especially welcome you to our community of faith. We ask that you sign our guest register located at the back of the church.

Our Stewardship Season continues through October. Please prayerfully consider how you can share your treasures, time, and talents in support of St. Francis by the Sea and our ministry together. Please turn in Pledge Cards and Lay Ministry Roles by November 1st for budgeting purposes.

Celebration of New Ministry — Sunday, October 18: Join us at 6:00 p.m. for the Celebration of New Ministry for our rector, the Rev. Mary Kay Brown. Bishop Sarah Fisher will officiate, with area clergy in attendance. More details to come.

Meals on Wheels: The Meals Ministry Team continues to serve our community. Our remaining October date is October 20 (chicken broccoli casserole). Thank you for your wonderful support of this ministry. We are able to serve 180 needy folks each month, as well as parishioners who are in need of meals. Remember that Love Meals are always available to anyone at any time; share the love with someone who would enjoy a meal!

The Way of St. Francis. Join us for a three-session exploration of St. Francis of Assisi—his life, theology, and legacy, and what his teachings can mean for us today. Our remaining Wednesdays are October 21 and 28. Potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m., with the program beginning at 6:00 p.m. Come learn more about the saint whose example is at the heart of our parish.

All Saints’ Day In-Gathering — Sunday, November 1: Join us for All Saints’ Day worship followed by a special in-gathering luncheon. We will remember those who have gone before us, give thanks for our blessings, and bless the pledges received during Stewardship Season.

All Saints Remembrance please see the insert in today’s bulletin and submit names by October 25^th to be remembered at our All Saints Service on November 1^st.

Men’s Fellowship Breakfast generally meets on the third Saturday of the month. Our next scheduled meeting begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, November 21. All men of the church are welcome to attend. We look forward to opportunities for service, prayer, study, and fellowship.

Coffee Hour: We encourage everyone to gather downstairs following our Sunday service for refreshments and to enjoy Christian fellowship. Please also wear your name tag to coffee hour. You may place your name tag on the Parish Administrator's desk at the end of coffee hour and the tags will be returned to the file in the sanctuary. Visitors are especially welcome, and a special note of thanks to our members who host coffee hour every Sunday!

Communion is available to our local homebound parishioners. If interested, please email layministrysfbts@gmail.com and include your preferred contact number. A lay minister will call to schedule a time that is convenient for a visit.

Alter Flowers are given today by the Choir of Saint Francis in honor of our rector, Rev. Mary Kay Brown for this evening’s celebration of New Ministry.

We prayerfully ask that you keep your offerings and pledges to Saint Francis by the Sea up-to-date. Thank you for your faithfulness to our church and to our Lord, Jesus Christ. You can support our ministries by donations via scanning the QR code below which will take you to our PayPal. We thank you for your attendance today and look forward to seeing you again!

[Image: QR code linking to the parish PayPal]