Proper 11, Rite Two

God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Day: Of God the Father, Rite Two

For you are the source of light and life; you made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Genesis 28:10-19a (NRSV)
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.

Or

Isaiah 44:6-8 (NRSV)

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

Psalm 139:1-11, 22-23
Domine, probasti
1
Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
 
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
 
you discern my thoughts from afar.
 
 
2
You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
 
and are acquainted with all my ways.
 
 
3
Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
 
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
 
 
4
You press upon me behind and before *
 
and lay your hand upon me.
 
 
5
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
 
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
 
 
6
Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
 
where can I flee from your presence?
 
 
7
If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
 
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
 
 
8
If I take the wings of the morning *
 
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
 
 
9
Even there your hand will lead me *
 
and your right hand hold me fast.
 
 
10
If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
 
and the light around me turn to night,”
 
 
11
Darkness is not dark to you;
 
the night is as bright as the day; *
 
darkness and light to you are both alike.
 
 
22
Search me out, O God, and know my heart; *
 
try me and know my restless thoughts.
 
 
23
Look well whether there be any wickedness in me *
 
and lead me in the way that is everlasting.

Or

Canticle A Song of God’s Strength in Mercy
Wisdom 12:13,16-19
Your care, O God, encompasses all creation! *
Nor is there any god besides you.
To whom do you need to prove *
that your judgments are just?
For your righteousness comes from your strength, *
and your dominion makes way for your mercy;
for you show your might when mortals doubt your sovereignty; *
you rebuke those who treat it with contempt.
Although you rule in boundless power, *
you administer justice with mildness;
you govern us with great forbearance *
though you are free to act without constraint.
You have taught your people by such deeds *
that all who would be righteous must be kind.
You have filled your children with good hope *
by stirring them to repent for their

Romans 8:12-25 (NRSV)
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 (NRSV)
Another parable Jesus put before the crowds: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

O Lord, we beseech thee mercifully to receive the prayers of thy people who call upon thee, and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Genesis 25:19-34 (NRSV)

These are the descendants of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his prayer, and his wife Rebekah conceived. The children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is to be this way, why do I live?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples born of you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger.” When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, living in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he was fond of game; but Rebekah loved Jacob. Once when Jacob was cooking a stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was famished. Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stuff, for I am famished!” (Therefore he was called Edom.) Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank, and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

Or 

Isaiah 55:10-13 (NRSV)

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Psalm 119:105-112
Lucerna pedibus meis
105

Your word is a lantern to my feet *

 

and a light upon my path.

 

 

106

I have sworn and am determined *

 

to keep your righteous judgments.

 

 

107

I am deeply troubled; *

 

preserve my life, O Lord, according to your word.

 

 

108

Accept, O Lord, the willing tribute of my lips, *

 

and teach me your judgments.

 

 

109

My life is always in my hand, *

 

yet I do not forget your law.

 

 

110

The wicked have set a trap for me, *

 

but I have not strayed from your commandments.

 

 

111

Your decrees are my inheritance for ever; *

 

truly, they are the joy of my heart.

 

 

112

I have applied my heart to fulfill your statutes *

 

for ever and to the end.

Or 

Psalm 65:(1-8)9-14
Te decet hymnus
1

[You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *

 

to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.

 

 

2

To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *

 

because of their transgressions.

 

 

3

Our sins are stronger than we are, *

 

but you will blot them out.

 

 

4

Happy are they whom you choose

 

and draw to your courts to dwell there! *

 

they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house,

 

by the holiness of your temple.

 

 

5

Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness,

 

O God of our salvation, *

 

O Hope of all the ends of the earth

 

and of the seas that are far away.

 

 

6

You make fast the mountains by your power; *

 

they are girded about with might.

 

 

7

You still the roaring of the seas, *

 

the roaring of their waves,

 

and the clamor of the peoples.

 

 

8

Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *

 

you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.]

 

 

9

You visit the earth and water it abundantly;

 

you make it very plenteous; *

 

the river of God is full of water.

 

 

10

You prepare the grain, *

 

for so you provide for the earth.

 

 

11

You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *

 

with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.

 

 

12

You crown the year with your goodness, *

 

and your paths overflow with plenty.

 

 

13

May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *

 

and the hills be clothed with joy.

 

 

14

May the meadows cover themselves with flocks,

 

and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *

 

let them shout for joy and sing.

Romans 8:1-11 (NRSV)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 (NRSV)

Jesus went out and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Let anyone with ears listen! Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

O God, who hast taught us to keep all thy commandments by loving thee and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to thee with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Day: Of God the Father, Rite One

Creator of the light and source of life, who hast made us in thine image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 (NRSV)

The man said to Rebekah and her household, “I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. My master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.’ I came today to the spring, and said, ‘O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, “Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,” and who will say to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’ Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, ‘Please let me drink.’ She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, ‘Drink, and I will also water your camels.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.” And they called Rebekah, and said to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “I will.” So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.” Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant, “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Or 

Zechariah 9:9-12 (NRSV)

Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Psalm 45:11-18
11

“Hear, O daughter; consider and listen closely; *

 

forget your people and your father’s house.

 

 

12

The king will have pleasure in your beauty; *

 

he is your master; therefore do him honor.

 

 

13

The people of Tyre are here with a gift; *

 

the rich among the people seek your favor.”

 

 

14

All glorious is the princess as she enters; *

 

her gown is cloth-of-gold.

 

 

15

In embroidered apparel she is brought to the king; *

 

after her the bridesmaids follow in procession.

 

 

16

With joy and gladness they are brought, *

 

and enter into the palace of the king.

 

 

17

“In place of fathers, O king, you shall have sons; *

 

you shall make them princes over all the earth.

 

 

18

I will make your name to be remembered

 

from one generation to another; *

 

therefore nations will praise you for ever and ever.”
Or

Canticle The Song of My Beloved
Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Hear the voice of my belovèd! *

Over the mountains he comes leaping,

bounding over the hills *

like a young stag or a gazelle.

See where he stands behind our wall, *

gazing in at the windows,

peeking through the lattice.

My belovèd calls to me: *

Rise up, my love, my beauty, come away;

for now the winter is past, *

the rains are over and gone.

Flowers appear on the earth *

and the time of singing has come;

the voice of the turtle-dove *

is heard throughout our land.

The fig trees bend with scented fruit; *

and all the squash-vines blossom,

sending forth their sweet perfume. *

Rise up, my love, my beauty, come away.

Romans 7:15-25a (NRSV)

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 (NRSV)

Jesus said, “To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.” At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Proper 8, Rite One

O Almighty God, who hast built thy Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their doctrine, that we may be made an holy temple acceptable unto thee; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Genesis 22:1-14
22:1 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”22:2 He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”22:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.22:4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away.22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.”22:6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 22:8 Abraham said, “God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So the two of them walked on together.22:9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.22:11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”22:12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”22:13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.22:14 So Abraham called that place “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”
Psalm 13

13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?13:2 How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?13:3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 13:4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.13:5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.13:6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
Jeremiah 28:5-9

28:5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD;28:6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles.28:7 But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people.28:8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms.

28:9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet.”

Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

89:1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.89:2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens. 89:3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:89:4 ‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.'” Selah89:15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance; 89:16 they exult in your name all day long, and extol your righteousness.89:17 For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.89:18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Romans 6:12-23

6:12 Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.6:13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.6:15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?6:17 But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted,6:18 and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.6:20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.6:21 So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Matthew 10:40-42

10:40 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.10:41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;10:42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple — truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Ordinary Time, Proper 7

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord’s Day: Of God the Father, Rite One

Creator of the light and source of life, who hast made us in thine image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Genesis 21:8-21 (NRSV)

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Or

Jeremiah 20:7-13 (NRSV)

O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, “Violence and destruction!” For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, “I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name,” then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. For I hear many whispering: “Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!” All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. “Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him.” But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
, Domine

1
Bow down your ear, O Lord, and answer me, *

 for I am poor and in misery.

 2

Keep watch over my life, for I am faithful; *

 save your servant who puts his trust in you.

 3

Be merciful to me, O Lord, for you are my God; *

 I call upon you all the day long.

 4

Gladden the soul of your servant, *

 for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

 5

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, *

 and great is your love toward all who call upon you.

 6

Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer, *

 and attend to the voice of my supplications.

 7

In the time of my trouble I will call upon you, *

 for you will answer me.

 8

Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord, *

 nor anything like your works.

 9

All nations you have made will come and worship you, O Lord, *

 and glorify your Name.

10

For you are great;

 you do wondrous things; *

 and you alone are God.

 16

Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *

 give your strength to your servant;

 and save the child of your handmaid.

 17

Show me a sign of your favor,

 so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *

 because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

Or

Psalm 69:8-11(12-17)18-20

8
Surely, for your sake have I suffered reproach, *

 and shame has covered my face.

 9

I have become a stranger to my own kindred, *

 an alien to my mother’s children.

 10

Zeal for your house has eaten me up; *

 the scorn of those who scorn you has fallen upon me.

 11

I humbled myself with fasting, *

 but that was turned to my reproach.

 12

[I put on sack-cloth also, *

 and became a byword among them.

 13

Those who sit at the gate murmur against me, *

 and the drunkards make songs about me.

 14

But as for me, this is my prayer to you, *

at the time you have set, O Lord:

 15

“In your great mercy, O God, *

 answer me with your unfailing help.

 16

Save me from the mire; do not let me sink; *

 let me be rescued from those who hate me

 and out of the deep waters.

 17

Let not the torrent of waters wash over me,

 neither let the deep swallow me up; *

 do not let the Pit shut its mouth upon me.]

 18

Answer me, O Lord, for your love is kind; *

 in your great compassion, turn to me.’

 19

“Hide not your face from your servant; *

 be swift and answer me, for I am in distress.

  20 Draw near to me and redeem me; *

 because of my enemies deliver me.

Romans 6:1b-11 (NRSV)

Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)

Jesus said to the twelve apostles, “A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household! So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven. Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Reading 1 DT 8:2-3, 14B-16A
Moses said to the people:

“Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God,

has directed all your journeying in the desert,

so as to test you by affliction

and find out whether or not it was your intention

to keep his commandments. 

He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger,

and then fed you with manna,

a food unknown to you and your fathers,

in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live,

but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD.
“Do not forget the LORD, your God,

who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

that place of slavery;

who guided you through the vast and terrible desert

with its saraph serpents and scorpions,

its parched and waterless ground;

who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock

and fed you in the desert with manna,

a food unknown to your fathers.”

Responsorial PsalmPS 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R. (12) Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;

praise your God, O Zion.

For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;

he has blessed your children within you.

R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.

He has granted peace in your borders;

with the best of wheat he fills you.

He sends forth his command to the earth;

swiftly runs his word!

R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,

his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.

He has not done thus for any other nation;

his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

R. Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

or:

R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 COR 10:16-17
Brothers and sisters:

The cup of blessing that we bless,

is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?

The bread that we break,

is it not a participation in the body of Christ?

Because the loaf of bread is one,

we, though many, are one body,

for we all partake of the one loaf.

Sequence — Lauda Sion
Laud, O Zion, your salvation,

Laud with hymns of exultation,

Christ, your king and shepherd true:
Bring him all the praise you know,

He is more than you bestow.

Never can you reach his due.
Special theme for glad thanksgiving

Is the quick’ning and the living

Bread today before you set:
From his hands of old partaken,

As we know, by faith unshaken,

Where the Twelve at supper met.
Full and clear ring out your chanting,

Joy nor sweetest grace be wanting,

From your heart let praises burst:
For today the feast is holden,

When the institution olden

Of that supper was rehearsed.
Here the new law’s new oblation,

By the new king’s revelation,

Ends the form of ancient rite:
Now the new the old effaces,

Truth away the shadow chases,

Light dispels the gloom of night.
What he did at supper seated,

Christ ordained to be repeated,

His memorial ne’er to cease:
And his rule for guidance taking,

Bread and wine we hallow, making

Thus our sacrifice of peace.
This the truth each Christian learns,

Bread into his flesh he turns,

To his precious blood the wine:
Sight has fail’d, nor thought conceives,

But a dauntless faith believes,

Resting on a pow’r divine.
Here beneath these signs are hidden

Priceless things to sense forbidden;

Signs, not things are all we see:
Blood is poured and flesh is broken,

Yet in either wondrous token

Christ entire we know to be.
Whoso of this food partakes,

Does not rend the Lord nor breaks;

Christ is whole to all that taste:
Thousands are, as one, receivers,

One, as thousands of believers,

Eats of him who cannot waste.
Bad and good the feast are sharing,

Of what divers dooms preparing,

Endless death, or endless life.
Life to these, to those damnation,

See how like participation

Is with unlike issues rife.
When the sacrament is broken,

Doubt not, but believe ’tis spoken,

That each sever’d outward token

doth the very whole contain.
Nought the precious gift divides,

Breaking but the sign betides

Jesus still the same abides,

still unbroken does remain.
The shorter form of the sequence begins here.
Lo! the angel’s food is given

To the pilgrim who has striven;

see the children’s bread from heaven,

which on dogs may not be spent.
Truth the ancient types fulfilling,

Isaac bound, a victim willing,

Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,

manna to the fathers sent.
Very bread, good shepherd, tend us,

Jesu, of your love befriend us,

You refresh us, you defend us,

Your eternal goodness send us

In the land of life to see.
You who all things can and know,

Who on earth such food bestow,

Grant us with your saints, though lowest,

Where the heav’nly feast you show,

Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.

Alleluia JN 6:51
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

I am the living bread that came down from heaven, says the Lord;

whoever eats this bread will live forever.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel JN 6:51-58
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven;

whoever eats this bread will live forever;

and the bread that I will give

is my flesh for the life of the world.”
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,

“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 

Jesus said to them,

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,

you do not have life within you. 

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

has eternal life,

and I will raise him on the last day. 

For my flesh is true food,

and my blood is true drink. 

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood

remains in me and I in him. 

Just as the living Father sent me

and I have life because of the Father,

so also the one who feeds on me

will have life because of me. 

This is the bread that came down from heaven. 

Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,

whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

Second Sunday after Pentecost
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Occasion: Proper 6

Sunday, June 18, 2017

Year (cycle): A

The Collect: 

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament: Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) [Alternate: Exodus 19:2-8a]

1 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. 2He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. 3He said, ‘My lord, if I find favour with you, do not pass by your servant. 4Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. 5Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ 6And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures* of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ 7Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. 8Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
9 They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ 10Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?’ 13The Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh, and say, “Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?” 14Is anything too wonderful for the Lord? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son.’ 15But Sarah denied, saying, ‘I did not laugh’; for she was afraid. He said, ‘Oh yes, you did laugh.’
[1 The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. 2Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Now Sarah said, ‘God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ 7And she said, ‘Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’]
Alternate:
2They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, ‘Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: 4You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.’
7 So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8The people all answered as one: ‘Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.’
Psalm: Psalm 116:1,10-17 [Alternate: Psalm 100]

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!
Alternate:
1 Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *

       serve the Lord with gladness

       and come before his presence with a song.

2 Know this: The Lord himself is God; *

       he himself has made us, and we are his;

       we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

3 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;

  go into his courts with praise; *

       give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

4 For the Lord is good;

  his mercy is everlasting; *

       and his faithfulness endures from age to age.
Epistle: Romans 5:1-8

1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. 8But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
Gospel: Matthew 9:35—10:8,(9-23)

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; 38therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’
1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim the good news, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” 8Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for labourers deserve their food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the house, greet it. 13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgement than for that town.
16 ‘See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; 18and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; 20for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; 22and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

The Old Testament, New Testament and Gospels readings are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Collects, Psalms and Canticles are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.