the green of Jesus

is breaking the ground

and the sweet

smell of delicious Jesus

is opening the house and

the dance of Jesus music

has hold of the air and

the world is turning

in the body of Jesus and

the future is possible

If you do not have a device with a camera, you can still join with your phone by dialing the following number: 929-205-6099, and enter the 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.

My Shepherd will supply my need,

Jehovah is his Name;

in pastures fresh he makes me feed

beside the living stream.

He brings my wandering spirit back

when I forsake his ways,

and leads me, for his mercy’s sake,

in paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death,

thy presence is my stay;

one word of thy supporting breath

drives all my fears away.

Thy hand, in sight of all my foes,

doth still my table spread;

my cup with blessings overflows,

thy oil anoints my head.

The sure provisions of my God

attend me all my days;

oh, may thy house be mine abode

and all my work be praise.

There would I find a settled rest,

while others go and come;

no more a stranger or a guest,

but like a child at home.

Celebrant:   Alleluia. Christ is risen.

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is `the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

Psalm 23   (St. Helena Psalter)

The Holy One is my shepherd; *

   I shall not be in want.

You make me lie down in green pastures *

   and lead me beside still waters.

You revive my soul *

   and guide me along right pathways for the sake of your Name.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil; *

   for you are with me;

   your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *

   you have anointed my head with oil,

   and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *

   and I will dwell in the house of God for ever.

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us-- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

O nobilissima viriditas,

que radicas in sole

et que in candida

serenitate

luces in rota

quam nulla terrena excellentia

comprehendit:

Tu circumdata es

amplexibus

divinorum ministeriorum.

Tu rubes ut aurora et ardes

ut solis flamma.

“O most honored Greening Force,

You who roots in the Sun;

You who lights up, in shining serenity, within a wheel

that earthly excellence fails to comprehend.

You are enfolded

in the weaving of divine mysteries.

You redden like the dawn

and you burn: flame of the Sun.”

Intercessor:   Let us pray for the revealing of the reign of God in the world, now and always.

Intercessor:   Creator of earth, sea, and sky, kindle the fire of your Spirit within us that we may be bold to heal and defend the earth, and pour your blessing upon all who work for the good of the planet.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Breath of life, receive our thanks for the beauty of our local habitat and all who dwell in it, and grant us the wisdom and will to conserve it.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Source of life, heal and redeem the wounds of your creation, and visit the places and people who suffer from our indifference, neglect, and greed.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Lover of all you have made, we thank you for the wondrous diversity of your creatures, and we pray for their well-being.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Author of the book of nature, receive our gratitude for places of restoration and healing, and continue to bless those places and beings that feed our lives and spirits.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer. 

Wise Creator, whose works are full of mystery, give us wonder and appreciation for your creatures with whom we find ourselves in conflict.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Giver of all good gifts, awaken us daily to our dependence upon your bounty, and make us always thankful for the abundance of your blessings.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Divine Physician, heal our communities, especially those where neglect, greed, or violence inflict suffering upon people and other creatures.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Comforter of all the earth, sustain the people of this congregation who desire or need your presence and help especially Robert, Ed, Janet, Ellen, Joseph, Brielle, Lucas, Holly, Allejandro and Jesus, Nancy, Barbara, Dorothy, Stewart, Patricia, Judith, Hannah, Jurek, Alice, Michael, Soren, Mary Ann, Stephen, Larry, and Kenneth.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Rock and refuge of all your creatures, receive into everlasting mercy all those who have died especially Paul LoBello, Liz Hill, Christine Dupre, Fr. Jack Smith, Patty Tuck, Duante Wright, Adam Toledo, Ma'Khai Bryant, Andrew Brown, Jr., and George Floyd.

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Holy One of Blessing, we offer you our other prayers and thanksgivings. (prayers from the chat are included here.)

God, Giver of life, Hear our prayer.

Concluding Collect:

Eternal God, the Good Shepherd of all that you have made, come and fill our hearts with your love that we may care in turn for our neighbors of all flesh. Help us speak when many keep silent, help us stand for what is right when many sit in indifference. Increase our awareness of our kinship with all your beloved creation, until your kin-dom comes, and heaven and earth rejoice in everlasting glory; through our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 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.

Good Christians all, rejoice and sing!

Now is the triumph of our King!

To all the world glad news we bring:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord of life is risen today!

Sing songs of praise along his way;

let all the earth rejoice and say:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Praise we in songs of victory

that love, that life which cannot die,

and sing with hearts uplifted high:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Your Name we bless, O risen Lord,

and sing today with one accord

the life laid down, the life restored:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

To God the Father, God the Son,

to God the Spirit, always One,

we sing for life in us begun:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

This Sunday - Earth Day, April 25, Welcome Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes! This Sunday we are delighted to welcome the Rev. Dr. Claudio Carvalhaes as our guest preacher and forum leader at Ascension. Dr. Carvalhaes, ordained in the Presbyterian Church, is Associate Professor of Worship at Union Theological Seminary. He works at the intersection of liturgy, justice and the arts. Two years ago he led a service at UTS that became known as "Plantgate", in which participants confessed to plants their sins against the natural world. This Earth Day, in the forum following the service we will explore how our liturgies and theology help or hinder our connections with the whole community of creation, and our work of ecological love and justice. Click here to read an article about the chapel service. Dr. Carvalhaes' website can be found here.

Presentation on Developing a Rule of Life, Last Sunday's Forum- Click here to read seminarian Linda Brandt's presentation from last Sunday's Forum. The series concludes next Sunday. Join us!

The Church Cracked Open- Over the next several weeks in forums and other settings, we will be exploring Stephanie Spellers' new book, The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline and New Hope for Beloved Community. Spellers serves on the Presiding Bishop's staff as Canon for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation, and she has written a prophetic word of challenge and hope for our church in exactly this moment. A launch event for the book was held this past week, featuring poetry, music and a panel discussion as well as comments from Canon Spellers herself. For our racial justice session on Thursday, April 29 at 6:30 we invite you to watch it through the link here, and join us for a lively and provocative conversation. Then buy the book (which is widely available) and begin reading!

Please check us out at ascensionnyc.org/give to find out how easy and secure it is. Click the envelope on the right to go the Ascension Website for more information and to give, whether a one-time donation, pledge payment, or make a new pledge.

(If you experience any issues with Abundant Giving, please email us at websexton@ascensionnyc.org)

A Note about Using Abundant Giving: When you donate and pledge through the Abundant Giving app or go through the website, you need to direct your donation to the correct category. Presently there are five categories:

These categories change as we update categories during the year. (An example would be when we delete the Easter flowers category after Easter and add Christmas flowers for the weeks leading up to Christmas.)

To donate through your app or the website, click the link above. The next screen will prompt you: "How Much Do You Want To Give?" Next to that, is a drop-down list of categories. Offering plate is always listed first. Click on the little arrow and the list will appear. Click on which ever category you want your donation to be credited. It is important to identify which category you are donating to so that your year end statement will be correct.

You should have received your year-end statement for 2020. Please review it carefully and contact the parish office immediately if there are any issues.

In-Person Midweek Eucharist Resumes, As we cautiously take steps toward reopening the church during this time of pandemic we are opening the church on Wednesday evenings for in-person Eucharist. To reserve a seat, please click the button below, or visit us at Ascensionnyc.org/Reservations/.

Open Church, Tuesdays & Fridays, Noon to 3. The church is open for private prayer and meditation. Attendance is limited to a maximum of 20 people at one time and all safety precautions (properly worn masks, physical distancing, hand sanitizing, and contact tracing) will be followed.

Join us each weeknight at 5:30 for Evening Prayer & discussion. Click this link to join: ascensionnyc.org/eveningprayer. To call in (voice, no camera), dial 929-205-6099; the meeting ID is 770 597 201.

Sunday Paper Junior - The lectionary, our yearly schedule of Bible readings, carries us through Jesus’s life and teachings. The Church of The Ascension subscribes to the Sunday Paper Junior and we offer it to you and your family as a fun, creative way to study the lessons each week. Click here to access this week's paper. Please feel free to print out the pages each week and use as you desire. Check out this section each week for the current Sunday Paper Junior!

Vaccine Registration Assistance? Do you need help scheduling your vaccine appointment? Are you a tech-savvy and patient person who would like to help register people? Please contact Madonna Stack-Barker at m.stack@rcn.com for more information.

Beware of Fraudulent Emails Purporting to be from the Ascension clergy! Several people received scam emails today pretending to be from Fr. Ed, using a Gmail account under a user name that appears to be him. Click here to read more and learn what you can do.

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

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

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

(Speak to Sibyl Piccone if you are interested in this group)

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

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

Midweek Eucharist (Reservation Required) 6:00 p.m.

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

Racial Justice Discussion Group (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.

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

Food Pantry (12 W. 11th Street) 8:30 a.m.

(If you are in need or would like to volunteer, please contact Fr. Ed.)

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

Sunday Service, (Zoom) 11:00 a.m.

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

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