2.27.22 National Cathedral Sunday Online Worship

hmm [Music] [Music] [Music] hey [Music] um [Music] [Music] so [Music] when the glory of the lord fills his holy [Music] temple he will and an angel's wings will rise to the [Music] [Laughter] when his glory this place [Music] when his glory fills this place [Music] hello [Music] bye [Music] hey [Music] shall let the glory of the lord fill his holy temple let him [Music] and [Applause] his spirit fills this place [Music] this place [Music] fill this place let thy glory [Music] this place [Music] thank you [Music] the weight of your glory is bringing me to my knees in the holy of holies this moment and help me to change let me be clean with trembling lips and hands i can barely stand because of the weight of your glory the weight of your glory me the weight of your glory is bringing me to my knees in the holy of holies and help me to change let me be clean with the trembling lips and hands and i can barely stand because of the weight of your glory the weight of your glory [Music] because of the weight of your glory i can say is holy holding your grace and mercy we bow down because of the weight of your glory all i can say is holy holy we bow down because of the way [Music] i'm oh yeah [Music] hello [Music] good morning cathedral family my name is randy hollarth i'm the dean of the cathedral and on behalf of marianne buddy the bishop of the diocese of washington and all of us here at the cathedral welcome how many of you were visiting with us today raise your hand if you're visiting welcome thank you for being with us i know we have a uh the brookwood school from thomasville georgia is back with us you guys raise your hands back there big crowd of you welcome so glad you all are with us this cathedral is your cathedral no matter where you come from no matter what your religious background is the national cathedral is your cathedral and you are all very much a part of our cathedral family so thank you for being with us this morning i also want to welcome the families and those being baptized this morning it's always a joyful thing when we can welcome uh new people into the body of christ so that's a very special aspect of the liturgy this morning so welcome to all of them and a reminder that believe it or not this wednesday is ash wednesday and the beginning of lent and i've always believed that you really can't appreciate easter unless you have walked the way of lent so i hope you will begin your lenten journey with us on ash wednesday we will have services at noon and at 7 00 pm both and you are welcome at one or either they will also be live streamed so all of you who join us from home from around the country and around the world we hope you will join us as well and so that we can begin our way to the cross and the empty tomb over these next 40 days now i invite you all to take a deep breath with me and just let it out slowly and settle yourself open your heart to god's presence and let us prepare to worship thank you so [Music] that's my soul [Music] sweet [Music] oh [Music] uh [Music] grace [Music] three [Music] three [Music] is [Music] is is [Music] [Music] last foreign [Music] the challenge is [Music] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] um [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] so [Music] blessed be god father son and holy spirit one lord one faith one baptism one father of all the lord be with you let us pray oh god who before the passion of your only begotten son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain grant to us that we beholding by faith the light of his countenance may be strengthened to bear our cross and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory through jesus christ our lord who lives and reigns with you and the holy spirit one god forever and ever a reading from the book of exodus moses came down for mount sinai as he came down from the mountain with two tablets of the covenant in his hand moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with god when aaron and all the israelites saw moses the skin of his face was shining and they were afraid to come near him but moses called to them and aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him and moses spoke with them afterward all the israelites came near and he gave them in commandment all that the lord had spoken with him on mount sinai when moses had finished speaking with them he put a veil on his face but whenever moses went in before the lord to speak with him he would take the veil off until he came out and when he came out and told the israelites what he had been commanded the israelites would see the face of moses the skin of his face was shining and moses would put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with him this is the word of the lord oh [Music] is [Music] foreign [Music] righteousness [Music] oh [Music] is [Music] oh [Music] oh oh [Music] me [Music] a reading from the second letter of saint paul to the corinthians since then we have such a hope we act with great boldness not like moses who put a veil over his face to keep the people of israel from gazing at the end of glory that was being set aside but their minds were hardened indeed to this very day when they hear the reading of the old covenant that same veil is still there since only in christ is it set aside indeed to this very day whenever moses is read a veil lies over their minds but when one turns to the lord the veil is removed now the lord is the spirit and where the spirit of the lord is there is freedom and all of us with unveiled faces seeing the glory of the lord as though reflected in a mirror are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another for this comes from the lord the spirit therefore since it is by god's mercy that we are engaged in this ministry we do not lose heart we have renounced the shameful things that one hides we refuse to practice the cunning or to falsify god's word but by the open statement of truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of god the word of the lord [Music] [Music] on me me [Music] me [Music] oh [Music] me [Music] god fall afresh [Music] santo visto jesus took with him peter john and james and went up on the mountain to pray and while he was praying the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became dazzling white suddenly they saw two men moses and elijah talking to him they appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure which he was about to accomplish at jerusalem now peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep but since they had stayed awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him just as they were leaving him peter said to jesus master it is good for us to be here let us make three dwellings one for you one for moses and one for elijah not knowing what he said while he was saying this a cloud came and overshadowed them and they were terrified as they entered the cloud then from the cloud came a voice that said this is my son my chosen listen to him when the voice had spoken jesus was found alone and they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen the gospel of the lord [Music] [Music] may the lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you amen along with the baptism sunday today is also transfiguration sunday the summit if you will of the liturgical season we call epiphany for weeks we've caught glimpses of the holy and jesus as he walks this earthly plane a dove descending from the heavens water becoming fine wine a fishing net nearly bursting from a miraculous catch but today we see jesus in his unveiled glory we see the view from the mountaintop and try to grasp the meaning of a luminous story of a mystical encounter i must confess i've always had a hard time grasping what transfigured means and then translating the theology of jesus's transfiguration without getting overcome by churchy academic language perhaps we're to surrender to the mysticism of it and allow our minds to cross over the threshold to what the poet and priest malcolm gart describes as that one moment in and out of time on that one mountain where all moments meet the daily veil that covers the sublime in darkening glass fell dazzled at his feet there were no angels full of eyes and wings just living glory full of truth and grace the love that dances at the heart of things shone out upon us from a human face a sudden blaze of long extinguished hope trembled and tingled through the tinder skin nor can this blackened sky this darkened scar eclipse that glimpse of how things really are it's beautiful simply the transfiguration is the divine touch of god witnessed in an earthly visible form radiant with divinity jesus is revealed as god's revealer as incandescent and as mystery this mystery is alluring it draws us in just as it alludes our full comprehension to whit peter james and john who witnessed this extraordinary event but still can't fully comprehend it i don't know perhaps their groggy brains couldn't process it fast enough you know if we were on that mountaintop we'd all pull out our phones and start taking pictures and videos some falling all over themselves to get a selfie with the law and the prophets me i'd miss the whole darn thing because i couldn't type in my password fast enough to unlock my phone so now come with me to the mountaintop just for a moment i want you to get lost in your imagination and conjure what was shared between moses elijah and jesus luke's gospel tells us that they too appeared in splendor and were conferring about jesus's imminent death as he turned his face toward jerusalem we have no idea how long this holy trinity carried on about such earth-shattering events jesus crucifixion and resurrection but in no way was it fleeting i have a hard time imagining how these elders could possibly have comforted jesus when they died in one piece during their twilight years moses was 120 years old when he finally reached the promised land god allowed him to see canaan from a vista but forbade him to cross into it the 34th chapter 5th verse of deuteronomy reads then moses servant of the lord died there in the land of moab at the lord's command curiously the bible notes that god buried him in an undisclosed location elijah on the other hand elijah's death was spectacular chariots of fire led by horses of fire descended and swept him up into heaven in a whirlwind certainly they could share their perspectives on living and dying for god but to prepare jesus for the horrific cruelty that awaited him would be almost impossible but who knows my mind is finite do they give him a pep talk and assure him that it would all be worth it did they remind him that he was begotten for such a time as this that he is the universe's fulfillment of their lives and work that he is love in the flesh and what will befall him as a testament to the father's love for humanity that they will be there at the foot of the cross to carry him across the threshold i think it was all of that and perhaps also buddy we're here for you you can do it as all of this was going on peter understands enough to want to memorialize the theophany with tents just as the hebrews did on mount sinai when moses came down with the ten commandments but just then a cloud engulfs them a cloud that is more than weather it is alive pulsating and smells like lightning we have no idea how long the disciples tremble and the presence of the almighty god's time is not our time barbara brown taylor describes this as the cloud of the unknowing where faith has more to do with staying fully present to what is happening right in front of us than being certain of what it all means my friends i believe that we are in a moment such as this the world is reeling from russia's unprovoked invasion of ukraine this madness provokes fear anger and bewilderment what are we to do but tremble in this cloud of unknowing it is heartbreaking and numbing to imagine the suffering loss of life in the depth of trauma such war will perpetuate in the coming days or even years in a few moments we will renew our baptismal promises along with the parents and god-parents speaking on behalf of their children at the core of these vows lie promises to strive for justice reconciliation and peace we are called in very real ways to engage these promises as the body of christ we are called to renounce this evil because our very existence which for was forged through a resurrection which overcame the root powers of this world our faith is calling us to abide in this cloud of unknowing amid the midst of chaos we arm ourselves with the weapon of love and encourage others to do the same we climb those mountain tops together to pray and then pray some more pray until we are weighed down with sleep when we pray in solidarity for love at midnight we are always on the threshold of a new dawn we must pray until the prince of peace dissipates the cloud and brings light to the whole world john o'donoghue the irish mystic theologian and philosopher was poetic about the possibility of creating our own inner landscapes of beauty to keep us sane and our souls intact in the midst of bleak and dangerous times o'donoghue believed that god is beauty god is beauty he wrote that beauty can be kind of an antidote even to our most pressing global crises he gave voice to the connection between beauty and those edges of life thresholds was the word he left a threshold is not simply a boundary it is a frontier that divides two different territories of spirit rhythms and atmospheres he said to understand we must go back to the etymology of the word that comes from threshing wishes to separate the grain from the husk so a threshold in a way is a place where one moves into more critical and challenging and worthy fullness released or stripped from one's own armor to abide in the trust of the holy spirit o'donoghue wrote this becomes essential when a threshold opened suddenly in front of you one for which you had no preparation this could be illness suffering or loss because we are so engaged with the world we usually forget how fragile life can be and how vulnerable we always are it takes only a couple of seconds or a dreaded phone call for a life to change irreversibly suddenly you stand on completely strange ground and a new course of life has to be embraced you look back at the life you have lived up to a few hours before and it suddenly seemed so far away think for a moment how across the world someone's life has just changed irrevocably permanently not necessarily for the better and everything that was once so steady so reliable must now find a new way of unfolding end quote i think that merely being in the company of jesus the disciples were forced to cross new thresholds every day and the transfiguration must have just blown their minds jesus his faith and clothing aglow conversing with dead men come back to life and god's own glory lighting up the night a voice booming from a cloud commanding that they listen to jesus his chosen wow as we sit in the safety of the sanctuary and you listen from the sanctuaries of your own home may our hopes and dreams for the people around the world who were shrouded in war poverty and oppression may they be blessed and carried as they cross over and may the beauty of god transfigure what has hardened or become wounded and please know that whatever comes the great sacrament of life will remain faithful to us blessing us with visible signs of invisible grace we merely need to trust we can trust in this whether on the brightest mountain or in the darkest valley jesus is there even as he blazes with holy light his hand remains warm and steady as he guides us across the threshold even when everything else we're counting on disappears and the ground trembles below our feet jesus welcomes us and those we embrace in prayer with open arms we merely need to trust amen [Music] [Music] [Music] the candidates for holy baptism will now be present presented michelle to receive the sacramento baptist do you desire to be baptized yes to receive the sacrament of baptism do you desire to be to baptized the sacrament of baptism i present lyra to receive the sacrament of baptism will you be responsible for seeing that the child you present is brought up in the christian faith and life will you by your prayers and witness help this child to grow into the full stature of christ do you renounce satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against god do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of god do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of god do you turn to jesus christ and accept him as your savior [Music] do you put your whole trust in his grace and love do you promise to follow and obey him as your lord to the congregation here gathered and online will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in christ let us join with those who are committing themselves to christ and renew our own baptismal covenant do you believe in god the father do you believe in jesus christ the son of god foreign do you believe in god the holy spirit will you continue in the apostles teaching and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in the prayers will you persevere and resisting evil and whenever you fall into sin repent and return to the lord will you proclaim by word and example the good news of god in christ will you seek and serve christ in all persons loving your neighbor as yourself will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being let us now pray for these persons who are to receive the sacrament of new birth deliver them oh lord from the way of sin and death lord hear our prayers open their hearts to your grace and truth lord hear our prayer fill them with your holy and life-giving spirit keep them in faith and communion of your holy church teach them to love others in the power of the spirit send them into the world in witness to your love bring them to fullness of your peace and glory grant o lord that all who are baptized into the death of jesus christ your son may live in the power of his resurrection and look for him to come again in glory who lives and reigns now and forever the lord be with you let us give thanks to the lord our god we thank you almighty god for the gift of water over it the holy spirit moved in the beginning of creation through it you led the children of israel out of their bondage in egypt into the land of promise in it your son jesus received the baptism of john and was anointed by the holy spirit as the messiah the christ to lead us through his death and resurrection from the bondage of sin into everlasting life we thank you father for the water of baptism in it we are buried with christ in his death by it we share in his resurrection through it we are reborn by the holy spirit therefore in joyful obedience to your son we bring into his fellowship those who come to him in faith baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit now sanctify this water we pray you by the power of your holy spirit that those who hear our cleanse from sin and born again may continue forever in the risen life of jesus christ our savior to him to you and to the holy spirit be all honor and glory now and forever oh name this child jamie michelle jamie michelle i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit you were sealed by the holy spirit in baptism and mark just christ's own forever amen give me five give me five receive the light of christ and carry it into the world amen name this child francis theodore i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen you were sealed by the holy spirit in baptism and marked as christ's own forever amen amen receive the light of christ and carry it into the world amen name this child peter george peter george i baptize you in the name of the father and of this and of the son and of the holy spirit you are sealed by the holy spirit in baptism and marked as christ's own forever amen receive the light of christ and carry it into the world amen congratulations name this child lyra ivy lyra ivy i baptize you in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit you were sealed by the holy spirit in baptism and marked as christ's own forever amen amen receive the light of christ and carry it into the world amen let us pray heavenly father we thank you that by water and the holy spirit you have bestowed upon these your servants the forgiveness of sin and have raised them to the new life of grace sustain them o lord in your holy spirit give them an inquiring and discerning heart the courage to will and to persevere a spirit to know and to love you and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works amen amen let us welcome the newly baptized we receive you into the household of god confess the faith of christ crucified proclaim his resurrection and share with us in his eternal priesthood [Music] bye [Music] the peace of christ be always with you please be seated once again welcome to washington national cathedral and how about we give a special welcome to all those baptized this morning congratulations it is the most joyful thing we do in the church and they did a wonderful job this morning thank you all for being here we move now from the sacrament of baptism into the sacrament of the eucharist or the lord's supper holy communion it goes by many names please know that everyone is invited to take part in communion today if you would like to it doesn't matter your church affiliation or lack thereof if you desire to know our lord jesus then you are invited to come forward and be fed the ushers will show you where to go at the appropriate time we are just giving bread this morning there will be no wine because of covid but we have gluten-free bread if you need it so please don't hesitate to ask if you'd rather not receive communion that's quite all right you're welcome to stay in your seat or i hope you'll come forward when other people come forward but just cross your arms over your chest like this and that way we'll know you'd rather not receive communion and we'll just offer you a prayer and a blessing instead but please know everyone is welcome at christ's table finally if you're able to support this cathedral in our mission in our ministry we are most grateful so many people think that we're funded by the federal government or by the national church but we are not every dollar that we raise for the mission and the ministry and the work of this cathedral comes from private donation from good people just like you you can give online you'll see here on the screens information for giving by text or online there are also boxes near the back of the cathedral as you go through the glass doors if you'd like to leave a donation there any help that you can give us in our ministry would be most appreciated and for all of you at home thank you for your ongoing support and please remember to support your own local religious community first and foremost and then and only then if you can support the cathedral we hope you will walk in love as christ loved us and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to god oh [Music] lord if i find favor in your sight lord please hear my cry i'm desperately waiting to be where you were [Music] i'll cross the hottest desert i'll travel near afar for your glory [Music] i will do anything just to see you to behold you as my key for your glory i will do anything just to see you to behold you as my king [Music] lord if i find favor in your sight lord please hear my hearts cry cause i'm desperately waiting to be where you are i'll cross the hardest desert i'll travel near afar for your glory i will do anything just to see you to behold you as my king for your glory [Music] i will do anything just to see you to behold you as my king i wanna be where you are gotta be where you are i wanna be where you are i gotta be where you are i wanna be where you are i'm gonna be where you are [Music] [Music] i wanna be gotta be one of you have to be need to be loved to be wanna be where you are [Applause] we offer this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to the glory of god's holy name and with special intentions this day for the people of ukraine and for peace in that land the lord be with you lift up your hearts we lift them to the lord let us give thanks to the lord our god it is right and a good and joyful thing always and everywhere to give thanks to you father almighty creator of heaven and earth because in jesus christ our lord you have received us as your sons and daughters made us citizens of your kingdom and given us the holy spirit to guide us into all truth therefore we praise you joining our voices with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven who forever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your name oh [Music] filled with [Music] me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] loves [Music] we give thanks to you oh god for the goodness and love which you have made known to us in creation in the calling of israel to be your people and your words 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 commando father we remember his death we proclaim his resurrection we await his coming in glory 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 and 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 our patrons the apostles peter and paul 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 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 forever amen and now as our savior christ has taught us we are bold to say 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 [Music] so is oh [Music] the gifts of god for the people of god right the body of christ the bread of heaven the body of christ so so [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] so [Music] oh [Music] good oh [Music] jesus [Music] jesus [Music] [Applause] [Music] good news [Music] oh [Music] [Music] so [Music] [Music] [Music] praying together almighty and ever living 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 forever may christ the son of righteousness draw you to himself that you may live in his light and share in his glory and the blessing of god almighty the father the son and the holy spirit be with you this day and remain with you always amen [Music] oh [Music] so [Music] champions me [Music] let's foreign he knows [Music] foreign yeah [Music] [Music] two [Music] two [Music] let us go in the peace of christ thanks be to god [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so you

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Length: 101min 25sec (6085 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 27 2022