On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, Governor Bullock announced a tentative plan for reopening our economy. The plan, “Reopening the Big Sky: Phased Approach,” lays out three stages to reopening our economy and society. Houses of worship have been given permission to resume worship on Sunday, April 26; however, the Episcopal Diocese of Montana will not be opening at that time. This will be a slow and gradual process that takes into consideration the safety of all people, including the most vulnerable. For the time being, online worship will be the norm. But, expect more information in the coming days.
Author: Father Stephen
Father Stephen started serving as the rector of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church on January 10, 2020. Prior to that position he served as priest-in-charge in Miles City and Forsyth, Montana. He is originally from West Virginia and has experience in youth ministry, mission work and more.
Morning Prayer observing the Second Sunday of Easter, 2020
Technical problems with this recording, my apologies. I have linked the sermon from Saturday night’s service below, though. Sorry! – Fr. Stephen
Morning Prayer: Rite II
Sunday, April 18, 2020 at 10 am (Mountain Time) LIVE on YouTube
Observing the Second Sunday of Easter – Fifth Sunday of the Quarantine
Opening Sentence BCP 77
Invitatory and Psalter BCP 80
Jubilate BCP 82
Psalm 16 BCP 599
First Reading – Acts 2:14a,22-32
Canticle 13 – A Song of Praise BCP 90
Gospel – John 20:19-31
Homily
The Apostles Creed BCP 96
The Prayers BCP 97
Suffrages A BCP 97
Collect of the Day BCP 224
Collect(s) BCP 99
Prayer for Mission BCP 100
Invitation for Prayers BCP 101
General Thanksgiving BCP 101
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom BCP 102
Closing BCP 102
Evening Prayer observing the Second Sunday of Easter, 2020
Evening Prayer: Rite I
Saturday, April 18, 2020 at 5 pm (Mountain Time) LIVE on YouTube
Observing the Second Sunday of Easter – Fifth Sunday of the Quarantine
Opening Sentence(s) BCP 61
Invitatory and Psalter BCP 63
Psalm 16 BCP 599
First Reading – Acts 2:14a,22-32
Gospel – John 20:19-31
Homily
The Apostles Creed BCP 66
The Prayers BCP 67
Suffrages B BCP 68
Collect of the Day BCP 172
Collect(s) BCP 69
Prayer for Mission BCP 70
Invitation for Prayers BCP 71
General Thanksgiving BCP 71
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom BCP 72
Closing BCP 73
New Tax Deduction Opportunity!
A few weeks ago in one of my sermons I quoted the great theologian Benjamin Franklin, who said that one of the two things that are certain in this life is death. Well, the other thing he said was certain is TAXES.
Well, it turns out that the recently enacted CARES Act includes a small change to tax laws. Simply put, even if you do not itemize your deductions Americans will be able to deduct $300 in charitable giving on their 2020 taxes. More information is available below courtesy of the Episcopal Church Foundation:
CARES ACT CHARITABLE GIVING INCENTIVES
Most Episcopal organizations rely on generous donors to support their mission and ministry. Stewardship can be deeply spiritual, rooted in a desire to reorient our lives towards God, but it also has a practical side. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, signed into law on March 27, 2020, includes several provisions that may affect charitable giving this year. We encourage churches to talk about these opportunities with their congregations.
New charitable deduction for taxpayers who do not itemize. Beginning in 2020, individuals can deduct $300 in charitable contributions from their gross income even if they do not itemize their deductions. Donations must be made in cash to a charity. Gifts of appreciated securities, and gifts to a donor advised fund or supporting organization, do not qualify. Although the permissible amount is modest, it is a new benefit available to many of your donors.
Opportunity: Let the entire congregation know that donors can get a tax deduction even if they do not itemize and that this is intended to encourage contributions at a time of great need. Talk online or by email about what your church is doing directly to help others. Encourage special gifts for these efforts.
No cap on charitable deductions for taxpayers who do itemize. Donors who itemize their deductions can usually deduct cash contributions up to 60% of their adjusted gross income. For 2020, that cap is lifted, and donors contributing cash to charity may deduct up to 100% of their income, a significant tax savings for anyone able to contribute larger amounts. Again, this is only for gifts of cash, and only for gifts made directly to charity (not to donor-advised funds or supporting organizations).
Opportunity: Let your larger donors know that they may be able to offset significant amounts of income if they are able to make cash gifts this year. This may be useful for donors with unusual income in 2020.
No required minimum distributions, but qualified charitable distributions still possible.The CARES Act eliminates required minimum distributions (RMDs) from many retirement plans in 2020. Some donors have been using their RMDs for tax-advantaged charitable gifts by making a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) directly to charity. Under the CARES Act it is still possible for donors who are 70½ or over to contribute up to $100,000 directly to a charity without paying tax on the distribution. This remains a beneficial way for donors to make gifts to your church.
Opportunity: Let your older donors know that they may still make a tax-advantaged qualified charitable distribution from an IRA this year. This might be useful for donors who have cash set aside in an IRA for an RMD that is no longer required.
The CARES Act is a complex new law. This memo is intended only as a summary of provisions that may be important for church stewardship efforts. Donors should always consult with their own professional advisors before making a gift.
Easter 2020 Message
Local organizations to consider supporting:
o Tumbleweed Program (505 N 24th St., Billings, MT 59101)
o Billings Food Bank (2112 4th Ave N, Billings, MT 59101)
o The backpack meals program for school children (Billings Education Foundation, 415 North 30th St., Billings, MT 59101 or (406) 245-4133)
Easter Sunday 2020
Video will go live at 9 am on Easter Sunday.
Morning Prayer: Rite II
Sunday, April 12, 2020
Easter Sunday – Fourth Sunday of the Quarantine
Opening Sentence BCP 77
Invitatory and Psalter BCP 80
Christ our Passover Pascha nostrum BCP 83
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 BCP 760
First Reading: Acts 10:34-43
Canticle 19 BCP 94
Epistle: Colossians 3:1-4
Canticle 21 BCP 95
Gospel – John 20:1-18
Sermon by Mother Melinda
The Apostles Creed BCP 96
The Prayers BCP 97
Suffrages A BCP 97
Collect of the Day BCP 222
Collect(s) BCP 99
Prayer for Mission BCP 100
Invitation for Prayers BCP 101
A Litany for Thanksgiving BCP 837
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom BCP 102
Blessing
Closing BCP 102
Good Friday Liturgy – 2020
Video of service will go live Friday at noon.
Opening Acclamation BCP 276
Collect of the Day BCP 276
Lesson – Isaiah 52:13-53:12
The Passion of our Lord – John 18:1-19:37
Solemn Collects BCP 277
Anthems BCP 281
The Lord’s Prayer BCP 364
Closing Prayer BCP 282
Compline for Maundy Thursday 2020
Videos should go live at 8 pm daily.… but today it’s late…
Collect for Maundy Thursday
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 116:1, 10-17 – BCP Pg. 759
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *
is the death of his servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the Lord’s house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord–and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, `Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Compline for Wednesday of Holy Week 2020
Videos should go live at 8 pm daily.
Collect for Wednesday of Holy Week
Lord God, whose blessed Son our Savior gave his body to be whipped and his face to be spit upon: Give us grace to accept joyfully the sufferings of the present time, confident of the glory that shall be revealed; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 70 – BCP Pg. 682
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *
O Lord, make haste to help me.
2 Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether dismayed; *
let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
draw back and be disgraced.
3 Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back, *
because they are ashamed.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *
let those who love your salvation say for ever,
“Great is the Lord!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy; *
come to me speedily, O God.
6 You are my helper and my deliverer; *
O Lord, do not tarry.
John 13:21-32
At supper with his friends, Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, “Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples– the one whom Jesus loved– was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, “Lord, who is it?” Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.”
Compline for Tuesday of Holy Week 2020
Videos should go live at 8 pm daily.
Collect for Tuesday of Holy Week
O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 71:1-14 – BCP Pg. 683
1 In you, O Lord, have I taken refuge; *
let me never be ashamed.
2 In your righteousness, deliver me and set me free; *
incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe; *
you are my crag and my stronghold.
4 Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, *
from the clutches of the evildoer and the oppressor.
5 For you are my hope, O Lord God, *
my confidence since I was young.
6 I have been sustained by you ever since I was born;
from my mother’s womb you have been my strength; *
my praise shall be always of you.
7 I have become a portent to many; *
but you are my refuge and my strength.
8 Let my mouth be full of your praise *
and your glory all the day long.
9 Do not cast me off in my old age; *
forsake me not when my strength fails.
10 For my enemies are talking against me, *
and those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together.
11 They say, “God has forsaken him;
go after him and seize him; *
because there is none who will save.”
12 O God, be not far from me; *
come quickly to help me, O my God.
13 Let those who set themselves against me be put to shame and be disgraced; *
let those who seek to do me evil be covered with scorn and reproach.
14 But I shall always wait in patience, *
and shall praise you more and more.
John 12:20-36
Among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say– `Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, “We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains forever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” Jesus said to them, “The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.”
After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.