Welcome to
Saint Francis by the Sea
Episcopal Church
June 21, 2026
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
The Prelude: “Come Down, O Love Divine” Ralph Vaughan Williams
The Processional Hymn 537 “Christ for the world we sing” (Moscow)
Hymn 537 “Christ for the world we sing” — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.
1. Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with loving zeal;
the poor, and them that mourn,
the faint and overborne,
sin-sick and sorrow-worn,
whom Christ doth heal.
2. Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost
from dark despair.
3. Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with one accord;
with us the work to share,
with us reproach to dare,
with us the cross to bear,
for Christ our Lord.
4. Christ for the world we sing!
The world to Christ we bring
with joyful song;
the new-born souls, whose days,
reclaimed from error’s ways,
inspired with hope and praise,
to Christ belong.
Words: Samuel Wolcott (1813-1886). Music: Moscow, melody Felice de Giardini (1716-1796); harm. The New Hymnal, 1916 based on Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1875, and Lowell Mason (1792-1892).
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 and People: Collect for Purity
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.
The Gloria S278 “Glory to God in the highest” (William Mathias)
Gloria S278 “Glory to God in the highest” — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.
1. Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
2. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.
3. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, 4. you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us;
5. you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer.
6. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
7. 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
Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Celebrant: Let us pray.
O LORD, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your lovingkindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Reading Genesis 21:8-21
8The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.”
14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. 20God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. 21He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
The Psalm Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
1 Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, *
for I am poor and in misery.
2 Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; *
save your servant who puts his trust in you.
3 Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; *
I call upon you all the day long.
4 Gladden the soul of your servant, *
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, *
and great is your love toward all who call upon you.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, *
and attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *
for you will answer me.
8 Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *
nor anything like your works.
9 All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, *
and glorify your Name.
10 For you are great; you do wondrous things; *
and you alone are God.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant; and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.
The Second Reading Romans 6:1b-11
1Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For whoever has died is freed from sin. 8But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
The Sequence Hymn 655 “O Jesus, I have promised” (Nyland)
Hymn 655 “O Jesus, I have promised” — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.
1. O Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end;
be thou forever near me, my Master and my friend;
I shall not fear the battle, if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway, if thou wilt be my guide.
2. O let me hear thee speaking in accents clear and still,
above the storms of passion, the murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me, to hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen, thou guardian of my soul.
3. O Jesus, thou hast promised to all who follow thee,
that where thou art in glory there shall thy servant be;
and, Jesus, I have promised to serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow, my Master and my friend.
The Gospel Matthew 10:24-39
Deacon: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.
24“A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; 25it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! 26“So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30And even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32“Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; 33but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. 34“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.
Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon The Reverend Mary Kay Brown
The Nicene Creed Please stand, if able.
WE 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 from “Hear our Prayer” by Jon White and Lisa Graves
The Deacon says: IN PEACE, we pray to you, Lord God.
HEAR NOW our prayers most Holy God and throw open the doors of our hearts as we say, Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
GUIDE your church into courageous witness on behalf of Christ, whose example shows us the only path that can lead us away from our fears and hatred and into the glory land of love and reconciliation. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
GRANT wisdom to leaders and open their hearts that they might, in confidence and courage, make decisions that lead to mutual flourishing and true peace. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
OPEN our eyes to injustice in our midst, enliven us so that we may never become numb to the suffering of our neighbors. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
GRANT us the perseverance and commitment to make difficult choices and to choose sustainable ways of life that honor your creation, provide safety for all people, and lead us into understanding and reconciliation. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
REMEMBERING our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Trinity Center, Pine Knoll Shores, and St. Thomas Church, Windsor. We also pray for Bishop Sarah as she begins her ministry in our diocese. In our Ecumenical Cycle of Prayer, we give thanks for Emmanuel Baptist Church, Cedar Point, and Encounter 61 Church, Emerald Isle. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
BE PRESENT and bring your healing power to all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit. Especially we pray for [today’s petitions]. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
WELCOME the dying into your loving presence and grant them growth in your love. Comfort the grieving and show us how to honor the legacy of your saints and live into the promise granted us in Christ’s death. Today, we remember [today’s petitions]. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
WE GIVE THANKS today for all our blessings in life Lord, only made possible by You including [today’s petitions]. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
The Celebrant concludes with this collect:
OPEN our eyes and ears to see your justice unfolding in our midst; grant us wisdom and courage to be agents of your love and fulfill our hopes as may be best for us. But always to your glory. All this we ask through Jesus Christ, our only Lord and redeemer who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and always. Amen.
The Confession of Sin and Absolution
The Deacon says: Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor:
HAVE MERCY UPON US, most merciful Father; in your compassion forgive us our sins, known and unknown, things done and left undone; and so uphold us by your Spirit that we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the honor and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Rector stands and says...
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.
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 Choral Anthem Joseph M. Martin
“A Prayer for Healing”
For the healing of the world, Lord, we lift a fragile prayer.
Kneeling, pleading, Lord, we yearn, speak Your Peace to our despair.
In the shadows of this time, shine on us Your Light design.
Lord of life, Lord of grace, Lord of all, we pray to you.
For the healing of this wrong, Lord, we whisper in the night.
We are listening for Your song. Sing unto the morning light.
In the silence help us hear words of hope and promise clear.
Teach us not to live in fear. Lord of life, Lord of grace,
Lord of all, we pray to you.
For the healing of the heart, Lord, we seek Your touch of grace.
Let Your work of mercy start; help us find our hiding place.
Humbly Lord, we lift our cry, wounded sparrows seeking sky.
Teach us again to fly. Lord of all, we pray to You. Amen.
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 the Book of Common Prayer, Prayer C.
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.
Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds:
GOD OF ALL POWER, Source and Sustainer of the Universe, you are worthy of glory and praise.
People: Glory to you for ever and ever.
At your command all things came to be: shining light and enfolding dark; the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, and this fragile earth, our island home.
People: By your will they were created and have their being.
From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with the capacity for memory, reason, and skill. You made us the stewards of your creation. But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another.
People: Have mercy, Lord, for we are sinners in your sight.
Again and again, you called us to return. Through prophets and sages you revealed your righteous Law. And in the fullness of time you sent your eternal Word, born of your servant Mary, to fulfill your Law, opening for us the way of freedom and peace.
People: By his blood, he reconciled us. By his wounds, we are healed.
And therefore we praise you, joining with the heavenly chorus, with prophets, apostles, and martyrs, and with all those in every generation who have looked to you in hope, to proclaim with them your glory, in their unending hymn:
The Sanctus S125 “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord” (Richard Proulx)
Sanctus S125 “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord” — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest.
The Celebrant continues:
Therefore, O God, we who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ, and made a new people by water and the Spirit, now bring before you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Savior.
On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, 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.”
After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”
Remembering now his work of redemption and offering to you this sacrifice of thanksgiving,
People: We celebrate Christ’s death and resurrection as we await the day of his coming.
God of our ancestors; Redeemer and Mother of Israel; God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ: Open our eyes to see your hand at work in the world about us. Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only and not for strength; for pardon only and not for renewal. Let the grace of this Holy Communion make us one body, one spirit in Christ, that we may worthily serve the world in his name.
People: Risen Lord, be known to us in the breaking of the Bread.
Accept these prayers and praises, Almighty God, through Jesus Christ our great High Priest, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, your Church gives honor, glory, and worship, from generation to generation. Amen.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to pray,
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 S163 “Lamb of God” Robert Powell
Fraction Anthem S163 “Lamb of God” — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.
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.
After Communion, the Celebrant says: All stand. Let us pray together: Celebrant and People:
GOD OF ABUNDANCE, you have fed us with the bread of life and cup of salvation; you have united us with Christ and one another; and you have made us one with all your people in heaven and on earth. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue for ever in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.
The Blessing
The Recessional Hymn 524 “I love thy kingdom, Lord” (St. Thomas)
Hymn 524 “I love thy kingdom, Lord” — please paste a MusicXML score or upload the music image.
1. I love thy kingdom, Lord,
the house of thine abode,
the Church our blest Redeemer saved
with his own precious blood.
2. For her my tears shall fall;
for her my prayers ascend;
to her my cares and toils be given,
till toils and cares shall end.
3. Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heavenly ways,
her sweet communion, solemn vows,
her hymns of love and praise.
4. Jesus, thou friend divine,
our Savior and our King,
thy hand from every snare and foe
shall great deliverance bring.
5. Sure as thy truth shall last,
to Zion shall be given
the brightest glories earth can yield,
and brighter bliss of heaven.
Words: Timothy Dwight (1725-1817). Music: St. Thomas (Williams), melody Aaron Williams (1731-1776); harm. Lowell Mason (1792-1872).
The Dismissal
Deacon: Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
People: Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
The Postlude: Postlude on “Hyfrydol” arr. David Lasky
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: Mary Hartman (23rd), Mary Kurek (26th).
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.
A Service of Remembrance and Thanksgiving for the life of Tim Bradford will be held here at St. Francis Saturday, June 27th, beginning at 3 p.m. All are welcome.
Men’s Fellowship Breakfast generally meets on the third Saturday of the month. Our next scheduled meeting begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, July 18. All men of the church are welcome to attend. We look forward to opportunities for service, prayer, study, and fellowship.
Meals on Wheels: The Meals Ministry Team continues to serve our community. Our remaining June date is June 30 (summer chili). 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!
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.
Prayers of the People: For those watching our services on-line, we invite you to send in your prayer requests, praises, and death notices, to be included in the weekly E-bulletins and also during the service. Please email or call the church office with names of people you want to include by 10 a.m. each Thursday. For those attending in person, you may add names to our Prayers of the People list before the service begins. The list is located at the back of the sanctuary, near the visitor registry.
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 for PayPal Donations]
Worship Leaders
Rector: The Rev. Mary Kay Brown
Priest in Residence: The Rev. Chris Carlin
Deacon: The Rev. Deacon Robin Smith
Lector: Kelly Sheeks
Prayers for the People: Kay Brackins
Torchbearers: Kay Brackins, Scott Shelton
Altar Guild: Laura Leslie
Greeters: Melanie and Scott Hum
Music Director: Craig Everett
Bells: Libba Shelton
Audio: Stover Morris
Videographer: Skip Kemp
Chalice: Sarah Criddle, Jami Turner
Crucifer: Tim Owens
Vestry of the Day: Bruce Jobe
Sunday School: Elizabeth Jobe, George Grigg
Coffee Hour: Ann Hines, Jean Smith
Vestry Members
Vestry Class of 2026
Pam Ball, Senior Warden
Sharon Birmingham
Terry Smith
Vestry Class of 2027
John Clarke, Junior Warden
Laura Leslie
Terry Parrish
Vestry Class of 2028
Kathy Driver
Bruce Jobe
Mary Kurek
Saint Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church
920 Salter Path Road • Salter Path, NC 28512
(252) 240-2388 • www.stfrancisbythesea.org • stfrancisbts@gmail.com
A parish of the Diocese of East Carolina • The Rt. Rev. Sarah K. Fisher, Bishop
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