THE TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

October 11, 2026

11:00 AM

RECTOR, PRESIDER & PREACHER: The Rev. Martin Pommerenke

MUSIC DIRECTOR and ORGANIST: Stephen Kennedy 

VANDELINDER FELLOW and ASSISTANT ORGANIST: Jimmy Jeffery

VANDELINDER FELLOW and ORGANIST: Dominic Fiacco

We seek to serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves.
We strive for justice and peace among all people,
respecting the dignity of every human being

Welcome We seek to mirror the love of God and the hospitality of Jesus in our worship and our service to others. We are a community welcoming all races, ethnicities, faiths, genders, orientations, and abilities. Our worship is open to all, and every person is invited to receive communion

‍VOLUNTARY   Straf mich nicht in deinem Zorn (O Lord, Rebuke Me Not in Thine Anger), HoWV VII.46 Gottfried August Homilius (1714–1785)

THE ENTRANCE RITE

INTROIT In voluntate tua

HYMN 408 Sing praise to God who reigns above

OPENING ACCLAMATION

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS Christ Church Mass - Stephen Kennedy (b. 1962)

The Word of God

Presider: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Presider: Let us pray.

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

THE FIRST READING: Exodus 32:1-14

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.” They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.

The Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Gradual Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23

Confitemini Domino, Et fecerunt vitulum

Cantors:

1 Hal-le-lujah! Give thanks to the Lord, for / he is good, *
for his mercy en-/dures for ever.

All:

2 Who can declare the mighty acts of the / Lord *
or / show forth all his praise?

3 Happy are those who act with / justice *
and / always do good.

4 Remember me, O Lord, with the favor you have for your / people, *
and visit me / with your saving help;

5 That I may see the prosperity of your elect and be glad with the gladness of your / people, *
that I may glory with / your inheritance.

6 We have sinned as those who went be / fore us; *
we have done wrong / and dealt wickedly.

19 Israel made a bull-calf at / Horeb *
and worshiped a / molten image;

20 And so they exchanged their/  Glory *
for the image of an / ox that feeds on grass.

21 They forgot God their / Savior, *
who had done great / things in Egypt,

22 Wonderful deeds in the / land of Ham, *
and fearful things / at the Red Sea.

23 He would have destroyed them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him / in the breach, *
to turn away his wrath / from consuming them.

SECOND READING: Philippians 4:1-9

My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

ALLELUIA VERSE Confitemini Domino

GOSPEL: Matthew 22:1-14

Gospeler: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Gospeler: The Gospel of the Lord

People : Praise to you, Lord Christ

THE SERMON The Rev. Martin W. Pommerenke III

Please take a moment for silent reflection.

THE NICENE CREED

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,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary

and became truly human.

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,

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

who 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.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Form III, BCP 387

All remain standing or kneel

Father, we pray for your holy catholic Church;

That we all may be one.

Grant that every member of the Church may truly and humbly serve you;

That your Name may be glorified by all people.

7We pray for all bishops, priests, and deacons;

That they may be faithful ministers of your Word and Sacraments.

We pray for all who govern and hold authority in the nations of the world;

That there may be justice and peace on the earth.

Give us grace to do your will in all that we undertake;

That our works may find favor in your sight.

Have compassion on those who suffer from any grief or trouble;

That they may be delivered from their distress.

Give to the departed eternal rest;

Let light perpetual shine upon them.

We praise you for your saints who have entered into joy;

May we also come to share in your heavenly kingdom.

Let us pray for our own needs and those of others.

Silence. The People may add their own petitions.

The Celebrant adds a concluding Collect:

Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CONFESSION OF SIN

The Celebrant says

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Minister and People

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Celebrant:

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

Parish announcements and offertory sentence

OFFERTORY- To donate electronically, please scan this QR code.

Donate here

Your monetary offering- whether given in the offering plate or by online donation- supports the worship, pastoral care, and outreach of Christ Church as we seek to love and serve God and our neighbors. Thank you for your generosity.

PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE HOLY COMMUNION

OFFERTORY HYMN 339 Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness

SURSUM CORDA

Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

SANCTUS    

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, 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.

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holySacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom. All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ. 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 for ever.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Fraction Anthem

Parish Notices

Pledge season begins TODAY

Today and over the next three Sundays, we’ll be hearing stories from parishioners about what makes Christ Church Rochester so important to them. Within the next few weeks, we’ll be mailing out giving commitment cards - “pledge cards” - to everyone who’s made a donation to CCR. Please consider how you can give generously to support the many ministries here. If you don’t get a card in the mail, send a message to office@christchurchrochester.org so we can make sure we have your contact information. While we accept – and are grateful for – pledge cards at any time of the year, our annual fund drive will conclude in early November with our annual All Saints Gala dinner on Friday, November 6 at 6 p.m.

TODAY: FREE ADMISSION TO ROCO FOR CHRIST CHURCH PARISHIONERS

Christ Church parish members are invited (free admission) to attend a joint exhibition, titled Sanctuary: Borders and Belonging in 2026 at 12:30 p.m. next door at Rochester Contemporary Art Center. Visit https://www.rochestercontemporary.org/

ALL SAINTS’ DAY - Sunday, November 1

We'll celebrate the apostles, martyrs, teachers, and other heroes of the Church throughout history who have shaped our faith on this major feast of the church year. At the 11 a.m. Mass, we’ll have incense, especially festive music, and the renewal of baptismal vows with asperges (sprinkling).  If you'd like your child to be baptized, email martin@christchurchrochester.org.

Monthly Tuesday Lunch with the Rector - STARTS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3

Bring a brown bag lunch and eat with Fr. Martin monthly each first Tuesday at 1 p.m. (Enjoy Tuesday Pipes first at 12:10.) No agenda, just an informal get-together and unstructured discussion about whatever comes up.

All Soul’s Mass – Thursday, November 5 AT 6:45 p.m.

The official name of All Souls Day in the Episcopal Church is the Commemoration of all Faithful Departed, always celebrated on November 2. (We’re observing it a few days later on November 5.) Mass that evening at 6:45 p.m. will feature a memorial censing and a reading of names of our loved ones who have died. This will be the first of the worship services offered on Thursdays.

OUR BELOVED DEAD – WRITE THEIR NAMES

Please use the All Souls’ Name Registry binder located at the back of the church to add your loved ones’ names to the list of our beloved dead to be read out at our All Souls Mass on Thursday, November 5. You can also email office@christchurchrochester.org with those.

CELEBRATION OF A NEW MINISTRY FOR FR. MARTIN

Saturday, November 21, Bishop Kara Wagner Sherer will preside at the Celebration of New Ministry between us and our new rector.  The service will start at 11:00 am and a reception will follow in the Guild Room for all.

THURSDAY EVENINGS AT CHRIST CHURCH start in November

Starting Thursday, November 5, we’ll have worship and adult formation each Thursday, through Advent (no worship or class on Thanksgiving). Our worship time together at 6:45 will usually be Evensong – sung evening prayer – with Mass offered on some saint days and transferred feasts of the church year. Afterwords, we’ll have class from 7:30 to 8:45. We’ll see how these times work in November and December and tweak the schedule in January depending on how things go. We’ll be glad to see you there.

Volunteers needed to host the post-Compline 1st Sunday receptions; if you can help, please email office@christchurchrochester.org Volunteers are needed for the monthly receptions to help with the cookie and punch arrangements after Compline on the first Sunday of the month. We'd like to find teams who can serve one Sunday each year, and the next opening is in November. Deb Vanderbilt can show you how to do it, and this is a beautiful way to show hospitality to visitors - many of them young people – and help build community and connection among those for whom Compline is their only experience of church.

CANDLELIGHT CONCERT SERIES

First Sunday concerts preceding Compline at 8:30 p.m. Receptions

follow 9:00 p.m. on these evenings

OCTOBER 4: Elinor Freer and Andrew Harley pianists

NOVEMBER 1: William Porter organist

DECEMBER 6: Malcolm Matthews organist

JANUARY 5: Andrew Johnson organist

FEBRUARY 2: Dominic Fiacco organist

MARCH 2: James Jeffery organist

APRIL 6: Noah Fields and Chris Petit, Arvo Pärt Fratras and more

TUESDAY ZOOM BOOK GROUP

The Tuesday morning book group on Zoom at 9:30-10:15, has just started Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright.  "Wright draws attention to Paul the man--the man who survived assassination attempts, imprisonments, and shipwrecks all while inventing new language and concepts for faithfully translating Jesus's story for the Gentile world" If you'd like to join us, please email Shirley Ricker, and a link will be sent to you to join.

Name tags for everyone

Please fill out a name tag at the table at the back of the church to get acquainted with everyone who enters. Peel-and-stick name tags welcome newcomers and help everyone, even long-timers, remember names.

Rector's Discretionary Fund

Open plate cash offerings on the fourth Sunday of the month will be designated to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. We use these monies to provide financial assistance to those connected to our parish who speak to Fr. Martin about their needs. Donations to the fund electronically or by check are welcome – memo: Rector’s Discretionary Fund.

A MEAL AND MORE

This twice-weekly feeding ministry always welcomes volunteers to serve lunches to the hungry on Wednesdays and especially on Sundays when you can dash in after church. Contact Debra Nelson at amam.volunteers@gmail.com to sign up.

COFFEE HOUR HOSTS

We now have a sign-up board for those who would like to host coffee hour following the 11 a.m. Mass. This is an important time for congregants to connect with one another. For details on what’s involved, see Fred Scipione.  

GIFTS - ROCHESTER RAPID RESPONSE NETWORK

has a fund to support our immigrant neighbors

in urgent need: things like grocery shopping, rent relief, and other financial needs. This fund comes entirely

from individual contributions via Venmo. If you would like to contribute, their Venmo handle is

@rocrapidresponse.

OFFICE INFORMATION

Lori Frank, Office Administrator office@christchurchrochester.org

The Rev. Martin Pommerenke, Rector martin@christchurchrochester.org

Office Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday

Phone: (585)-454-3878

Sexton’s Hours: Sundays: 6:30 - 1 and 3:30 - 5 / Mon to Thurs: 7:30 to 3:30

Rector’s Workdays: Sunday to Thursday (Saturday work make-up day: Monday)

PARISH LEADERSHIP

Rector- The Rev. Martin W. Pommerenke III

Wardens- Val Jutsum, Deb VanderBilt Vestry- Jeremy Cooney, Jim Kurmis, Norma Hopcraft,

Kristy Liddell, Nancy Norwood, Shirley Ricker, Craig Smith, Jim Ford, Fred Scipione

MONTHLY EVENTS

Vestry Meeting - 3rd Tuesday Monthly @ 6:30 – 8:00 pm – Guild Room

Writer’s Circle at Christ Church – 1st Saturday of the month @ 3:00-5:00 pm contact John Cedarleaf.

PARISH PRAYER LIST

Please keep these people and intentions in your prayers this week -

Our new rector, Martin Pommerenke, the wardens, and vestry. The sick and the suffering, John D’Amanda,

Norma Kurmis, Bob Brennan, Cora McCallum, Kevin Finnigan, Ellen Iaia (Steve’s mother), Adele (John

D’Amanda’s 9 yr old niece) Kina Knight (Kristy Liddel’s mom), Antonio Taylor, Judy (Kevin Finnigan’s

cousin), John Ford, David Tinkelman, Meg Love’s brother, Tim, Hugh Gray’s sister who lost her home in a

flood, Tom, a friend of Jim Ford, Kat’s roommate, and Capt. Charles Lewis, deployed to the Middle East; for

refugees and immigrants, those lacking housing, employment, and the necessities of life. Those affected by

poverty, bigotry, violence, war, and oppression. In thanksgiving for the many blessings, we have been given.