"Will you strive for justice and peace, and respect the dignity of every human being?"

Dear people of Ascension,

Dear people of Ascension,

Earlier this evening, about 25 of Ascension parishioners gathered online to explore our call to dismantle white supremacy and racism, and to work for racial justice. Heartbroken and enraged by the murders of George Floyd and so many others, challenged to look deeply at our own complicity in and benefit from the ancient sins of our country, and longing to find a new way to build authentic community, we certainly did not have any easy answers to the question asked in our baptismal covenant. 

But we did share our feelings, vulnerabilities, shame, hope. It turns out many of us are already engaging in both spiritual and activist practices for racial justice. We know we need to do more. We want to learn and take responsibility for our own learning. We want to change, and help change our society. We want to be faithful to God's call to us.

We are putting together a document filled with suggestions for how we can begin and continue this work: ways to educate ourselves, donate money, be involved politically, shape our theology and more. We will meet again in 2 weeks, on Thursday, June18, and hopefully at that time will report on what we have learned and done, and what next steps we feel called to take.

This is hard, essential work, central to our vocation as Christians, and it is lifelong. I am so grateful to do it in community with you.

"I will, with God's help."

Peace,

Liz

From your computer, laptop, pad, smart phone, or other device, click this link:

https://zoom.us/j/322793633

If you do not have a device with a camera, you can still join with your phone by dialing the following number and enter the meeting ID: 929-205-6099 Meeting ID: 322 793 633

All of our online services, with their links, can be found on our public calendar, and are listed below.

Click this link to read up on some best practices for Zoom meetings.

Prelude Music

Steal Away

Traditional Spiritual arranged by Moses Hogan

Sung by the Moses Hogan Singers

Moses Hogan, Conductor

(When the prelude beings your microphone will be muted.)

Welcome

Hymn

#362 - Nicaea ; Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty

Please join in the singing of the hymn.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee:

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,

God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity.

Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore thee,

casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;

cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,

which wert, and art, and evermore shalt be.

Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee,

though the sinful human eye thy glory may not see,

only thou art holy; there is none beside thee,

perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!

All thy works shall praise thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;

Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty,

God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity.

Acclamation

Presider Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

People And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.

Collect of the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

1st Reading - Genesis 1:1-2:4a

Reader: Gretchen Dumler

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

Psalm 8 (St. Helena Psalter)

O God our Governor, *

how exalted is your Name in all the world!

Out of the mouths of infants and children, *

your majesty is praised above the heavens.

You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *

to quell the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *

the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

What are we that you should be mindful of us, *

mere mortals that you should seek us out?

You have made us but little lower than the angels; *

you adorn us with glory and honor;

You give us mastery over the works of your hands; *

you put all things under our feet:

All sheep and oxen, *

even the wild beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *

and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

O God, our Governor, *

how exalted is your Name in all the world!

2nd Reading - 2 Corinthians 13:11-13

Reader: June Fait

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.

The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to Matthew

The Holy Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ

According to Maatthew

Matthew 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Sermon

The Rev. Posey Krakowsky

Anthem

Precious Lord

Rev. Thomas Dorsey 

Kevin Deas with Keenan Boswell, Piano

Nicene Creed

The Prayers of the People - Form IV

Please send your own prayers through the chat function on Zoom, and the leader will read them at the end of the intercessions.

Deacon or other leader

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

We pray for Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Andrew, Allen and Mary, our bishops, and for all people of faith in this community, especially the Church of the Ascension. Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. We pray for all laboring to end ​racism and white supremacy and establish racial justice in our country.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation. We pray especially for Robert, Ed, Janet, Mary and Tom, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Jorge, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Amy, Patricia, Judith, Marco, Tina, Hannah, Jurek, Michael, Alice, Stacey, Michael, Jonathan, Norma, David and family, Camden, Lisa, Annabelle, Bob, Richard and Barbara, Peter, and all affected by the floods in Michigan.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

We pray for all affected by COVID-19: for the frightened and the sick, for the dying and those who mourn. We pray for all who have lost jobs and livelihood as a result of this pandemic. We pray for all healthcare workers, especially Scarlett, Madonna, Trudie, Nancy, Anna, Sarah, Endine, and Terese, for all whose labor supports our common life, sometimes at the risk of their own lives; for those developing treatment and a vaccine, and for those charged with making decisions about public health and public policy.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

We commend to your mercy all who have died, especially Donald L. Cholcher, Jerry Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, William Henry Marquess, Amy Spencer, Byrd Turner, Arthur B Whitcomb, Jane Ingenito, Andrew Slaby, Nita Pippins, George Floyd, Eugene Clark, and Jamel Floyd, that your will for them may be fulfilled. We also pray for the more than 100,000 people who have died in our country from COVID-19, and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom.

Silence

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

We offer you our other prayers, and our thanksgivings for all the blessings of this life.

Prayers received on Zoom chat are read by the intercessor.

Lord, in your mercy,

Hear our prayer.

The presider adds a concluding Collect.

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Announcements

Blessing

Hymn

#529 - McKee ; In Christ there is no east or west

Please join in the singing of the hymn.

In Christ there is no east or west,

In him no south or north,

But one great fellowship of love

Throughout the whole wide earth.

Join hands, disciples of the faith,

Whate'er your race may be!

Who serve my Father as his child

Is surely kin to me.

In Christ now meet both east and west,

In him meet south and north,

All Christly souls are one in him

Throughout the whole wide earth.

Dismissal

The people respond

Thanks be to God. Alleluia, Alleluia.

Coffee Hour

Pour yourself a cup of coffee, tea, or your favorite juice, grab a slice of banana bread, piece of fruit, or a peanut butter & jelly sandwich , and feel free to "hang out" with us online to chat!

We offer you this form for your prayers in this time of global crisis and personal anxiety, adapted from the Prayers of the People used at Washington Cathedral on Sunday, March 15, the first Sunday after our church suspended in person services.

Sunday Meditation with Prayers & Music is available on our Facebook page: facebook.com/ascensionnyc

Stay Connected in Prayer. Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer and discussion. To join , follow this link: https://zoom.us/j/770597201 . To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

Forum This Sunday, June 7- Our beloved parishioner Stacey Carpenter has finished her first year at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. She will spend the summer in Olympia, Washington doing Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) as a hospital chaplain. Next Sunday June 7, after the 11 AM service, she will join us via Zoom to tell us what this past year has been like, how her sense of vocation has grown and developed, and what she is learning and looking forward to in the next few months. Please join us!

Letters from our Bishops!

" The Beloved Community Faces White Supremacy"

" On the President's use of St. John's Lafayette Square as a political prop"

Meditation for the Wednesday after Pentecost by the Rt. Rev. Allen K. Shin, Bishop Suffragan of New York

The LGBTQ+ Working Group of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island is pleased to invite you to a conversation with the Rev. Deon K. Johnson on June 7th at 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time).

When consecrated, Bishop-elect Deon will not only be our youngest bishop, but will also be the first openly gay and Caribbean-born Bishop in the Episcopal Church. Born in Barbados, Bishop-elect Deon has deep social and family ties to our Diocese, which is largely comprised of parishioners who hail from the Caribbean.

The Q&A style conversation will be moderated by our Mother Cecily P. Broderick y Guerra and Darren J. Glenn, the Programs Director of the Caribbean Equality Project, which serves LGBTQ people of Caribbean descent here in NYC and beyond. The event is being co-sponsored by the Transgender Resource Center of Long Island, the Caribbean Equality Project, and is being hosted and co-sponsored by our Pro-Cathedral (St. Ann & the Holy Trinity) in Brooklyn Heights.

Please register at this link: http://www.dioceseli.org/Pride2020

Ascension Art Show! Next Sunday, June 14, we will have the first of a series of Ascension artists forums. Three of our talented parishioners have offered to share some of their artwork with us in small groups during coffee hour. The artworks they present may have been done during this time of quarantine — or may not. After a general coffee hour time, we will be sorted into three breakout rooms, one for each artist. After 10 minutes, the artists will move to a different room, and then they will move a 3rd time. That way, all participants can interact with each of the 3 artists. On June 14, we welcome Liz Hill, Sara Jones, and Phoebe Norcross. We are so appreciative of their talent and their willingness to share! “Loving God, who has filled the world with beauty. Open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand in all thy works!” BCP

Zoom Wizards Needed! We need to build a guild of people who can moderate our Sunday services. John Thompson has been doing this work for eight weeks, and has done a phenomenal job; it's time for others to step forward and share the ministry. It involves acting as "host" in the Zoom meetings that are our Sunday services: muting and unmuting participants, sharing slides and one's screen, and trouble-shooting any difficulties that arise. We are looking for folks who are comfortable with Zoom and technology in general, and able to commit to brief Saturday afternoon rehearsals as well as Sunday mornings. John is able to help you learn what you need to know, and offer some support as you begin. He assures me that it is easier than it sounds! You just need reliable technology and attention to detail. If you would like to help us in this vital way, please contact Mother Liz at egmaxwell@ascensionnyc.org. Everlasting gratitude!

Rector's Discretionary Fund - How to give in honor of Mother Liz's fifth anniversary as Rector. You can make your donations in one of the following ways:

Mother Posey's Art Quilting Website - At last Sunday's Zoom coffee hour, some of the members of the Needlework guild asked Mother Posey to send a link to her art quilting website. You will find photographs of many of her beautiful quilts there!

Ongoing Financial Support - During this time of suspended social gatherings, we are having to be a bit creative. Since we aren’t able to pass around the offering plate at a Zoom service, here are some ways you can continue to give :

Give while shopping - We all seem to be relying on online shopping more and more these days. The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5 percent of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the nonprofit you choose. Even these small sums can add up for us. Click here to find out how.

Sunday – June 7

Church Service ( Zoom); 11:00 a.m.

Ascension Forum (Zoom); following the 11:00 service

Meditation with Prayers and Music ( Available on our Facebook page)

Monday – June 8

Evening Prayer ( Zoom); 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday – June 9

Evening Prayer ( Zoom); 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday – June 10

Finance Committee Meeting (Zoom); 12:00 noon

Evening Prayer ( Zoom); 5:30 p.m.

Thursday – June 11

Evening Prayer ( Zoom); 5:30 p.m.

Friday – June 12

Evening Prayer ( Zoom); 5:30 p.m.

Saturday – June13

Rehearsal for Sunday Service (Zoom) 2:00 p.m.

Sunday – June 14

Church Service ( Zoom); 11:00 a.m.

Ascension Forum (Zoom); following the 11:00 service

Meditation with Prayers and Music ( Available on our Facebook page)

If you need information to connect to one of our Zoom events please call the church office at 212-254-8620 or email us at info@ascensionnyc.org

The Church of the Ascension -- Fifth Avenue and Tenth Street

212-254-8620 | info@ascensionnyc.org | www.ascensionnyc.org

We are working from home, but we will respond to emails and phone calls

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