Almighty and everlasting God,

increase in us your gift of faith

that, forsaking what lies behind

and reaching out to that which is before,

we may run the way of your commandments

and win the crown of everlasting joy;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

God, our judge and saviour,

teach us to be open to your truth

and to trust in your love,

that we may live each day

with confidence in the salvation which is given

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Continuous:

Esther 7.1-6, 9-10, 9.20-22

7

1So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, ‘What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.’ 3Then Queen Esther answered, ‘If I have won your favour, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me—that is my petition—and the lives of my people—that is my request. 4For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king.’ 5Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, ‘Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?’ 6Esther said, ‘A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!’ Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 9Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, ‘Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.’ And the king said, ‘Hang him on that.’ 10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

20 Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, 22as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 124

1  If the Lord himself had not been on our side, •

now may Israel say;

2  If the Lord had not been on our side, •

when enemies rose up against us;

3  Then would they have swallowed us alive •

when their anger burned against us;

4  Then would the waters have overwhelmed us

and the torrent gone over our soul; •

over our soul would have swept the raging waters.

5  But blessed be the Lord •

who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

6  Our soul has escaped

as a bird from the snare of the fowler; •

the snare is broken and we are delivered.

7  Our help is in the name of the Lord, •

who has made heaven and earth.

Related:

Numbers 11.4-6, 10-16, 24-29

4 The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! 5We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.’

10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. 11So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child”, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? 13Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” 14I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. 15If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’

16 So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you.

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27And a young man ran and told Moses, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ 28And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ 29But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’

This is the word of the Lord.

Al Thanks be to God.

Psalm 19.7-end

7  The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; •

the testimony of the Lord is sure

and gives wisdom to the simple.

8  The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; •

the commandment of the Lord is pure

and gives light to the eyes.

9  The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; •

the judgements of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than gold,

more than much fine gold, •

sweeter also than honey,

dripping from the honeycomb.

11  By them also is your servant taught •

and in keeping them there is great reward.

12  Who can tell how often they offend? •

O cleanse me from my secret faults!

13  Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins

lest they get dominion over me; •

so shall I be undefiled,

and innocent of great offence.

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight, •

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

New Testament Reading

James 5.13-end

13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. 14Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. 17Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, 20you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

All Glory to you, O Lord.

Mark 9.38-end

38 John said to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’ 39But Jesus said, ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. 40Whoever is not against us is for us. 41For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

42 ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

49 ‘For everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

We praise and thank you, O Christ, for this sacred feast:

for here we receive you,

here the memory of your passion is renewed,

here our minds are filled with grace,

and here a pledge of future glory is given,

when we shall feast at that table where you reign

with all your saints for ever.

Collect

Almighty God,

you have made us for yourself,

and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:

pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself,

and so bring us at last to your heavenly city

where we shall see you face to face;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Gracious God,

you call us to fullness of life:

deliver us from unbelief

and banish our anxieties

with the liberating love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Continuous:

Proverbs 31.10-end

10 A capable wife who can find?

She is far more precious than jewels.

11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,

and he will have no lack of gain.

12 She does him good, and not harm,

all the days of her life.

13 She seeks wool and flax,

and works with willing hands.

14 She is like the ships of the merchant,

she brings her food from far away.

15 She rises while it is still night

and provides food for her household

and tasks for her servant-girls.

16 She considers a field and buys it;

with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

17 She girds herself with strength,

and makes her arms strong.

18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.

Her lamp does not go out at night.

19 She puts her hands to the distaff,

and her hands hold the spindle.

20 She opens her hand to the poor,

and reaches out her hands to the needy.

21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows,

for all her household are clothed in crimson.

22 She makes herself coverings;

her clothing is fine linen and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the city gates,

taking his seat among the elders of the land.

24 She makes linen garments and sells them;

she supplies the merchant with sashes.

25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,

and she laughs at the time to come.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,

and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

27 She looks well to the ways of her household,

and does not eat the bread of idleness.

28 Her children rise up and call her happy;

her husband too, and he praises her:

29 ‘Many women have done excellently,

but you surpass them all.’

30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,

and let her works praise her in the city gates.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 1

1  Blessed are they who have not walked

in the counsel of the wicked, •

nor lingered in the way of sinners,

nor sat in the assembly of the scornful.

2  Their delight is in the law of the Lord •

and they meditate on his law day and night.

3  Like a tree planted by streams of water

bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither, •

whatever they do, it shall prosper.

4  As for the wicked, it is not so with them; •

they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

5  Therefore the wicked shall not be able to stand in the judgement, •

nor the sinner in the congregation of the righteous.

6  For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, •

but the way of the wicked shall perish.

Related:

Wisdom 1.16-2.1, 12-22

16 But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;

considering him a friend, they pined away

and made a covenant with him,

because they are fit to belong to his company.

2

For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,

‘Short and sorrowful is our life,

and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,

and no one has been known to return from Hades.

12 ‘Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,

because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;

he reproaches us for sins against the law,

and accuses us of sins against our training.

13 He professes to have knowledge of God,

and calls himself a child of the Lord.

14 He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;

15 the very sight of him is a burden to us,

because his manner of life is unlike that of others,

and his ways are strange.

16 We are considered by him as something base,

and he avoids our ways as unclean;

he calls the last end of the righteous happy,

and boasts that God is his father.

17 Let us see if his words are true,

and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;

18 for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him,

and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.

19 Let us test him with insult and torture,

so that we may find out how gentle he is,

and make trial of his forbearance.

20 Let us condemn him to a shameful death,

for, according to what he says, he will be protected.’

21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,

for their wickedness blinded them,

22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God,

nor hoped for the wages of holiness,

nor discerned the prize for blameless souls;

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

or Jeremiah 11.18-20

18 It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;

then you showed me their evil deeds.

19 But I was like a gentle lamb

led to the slaughter.

And I did not know it was against me

that they devised schemes, saying,

‘Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,

let us cut him off from the land of the living,

so that his name will no longer be remembered!’

20 But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,

who try the heart and the mind,

let me see your retribution upon them,

for to you I have committed my cause.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 54

1  Save me, O God, by your name •

and vindicate me by your power.

2  Hear my prayer, O God; •

give heed to the words of my mouth.

3  For strangers have risen up against me,

and the ruthless seek after my life; •

they have not set God before them.

4  Behold, God is my helper; •

it is the Lord who upholds my life.

5  May evil rebound on those who lie in wait for me; •

destroy them in your faithfulness.

6  An offering of a free heart will I give you •

and praise your name, O Lord, for it is gracious.

7  For he has delivered me out of all my trouble, •

and my eye has seen the downfall of my enemies.

New Testament Reading

James 3.13-4.3, 7-8a

13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. 15Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. 16For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

4

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? 2You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

All Glory to you, O Lord.

Mark 9.30-37

30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, ‘The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.’ 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

33 Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ‘Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.’ 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

A This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us,

and make us continually to be given to all good works;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear

the prayers of your people who call upon you;

and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do,

and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Lord of creation,

whose glory is around and within us:

open our eyes to your wonders,

that we may serve you with reverence

and know your peace at our lives’ end,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Continuous:

Proverbs 1.20-33

20 Wisdom cries out in the street;

in the squares she raises her voice.

21 At the busiest corner she cries out;

at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22 ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools hate knowledge?

23 Give heed to my reproof;

I will pour out my thoughts to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,

have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,

25 and because you have ignored all my counsel

and would have none of my reproof,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when panic strikes you,

27 when panic strikes you like a storm,

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

and did not choose the fear of the Lord,

30 would have none of my counsel,

and despised all my reproof,

31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way

and be sated with their own devices.

32 For waywardness kills the simple,

and the complacency of fools destroys them;

33 but those who listen to me will be secure

and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 19

1  The heavens are telling the glory of God •

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2  One day pours out its song to another •

and one night unfolds knowledge to another.

3  They have neither speech nor language •

and their voices are not heard,

4  Yet their sound has gone out into all lands •

and their words to the ends of the world.

5  In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, •

that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber

and rejoices as a champion to run his course.

6  It goes forth from the end of the heavens

and runs to the very end again, •

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7  The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; •

the testimony of the Lord is sure

and gives wisdom to the simple.

8  The statutes of the Lord are right and rejoice the heart; •

the commandment of the Lord is pure

and gives light to the eyes.

9  The fear of the Lord is clean and endures for ever; •

the judgements of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

10  More to be desired are they than gold,

more than much fine gold, •

sweeter also than honey,

dripping from the honeycomb.

11  By them also is your servant taught •

and in keeping them there is great reward.

12  Who can tell how often they offend? •

O cleanse me from my secret faults!

13  Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins

lest they get dominion over me; •

so shall I be undefiled,

and innocent of great offence.

14  Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight, •

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

or Psalm [ 19.1-6]

[

1  The heavens are telling the glory of God •

and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

2  One day pours out its song to another •

and one night unfolds knowledge to another.

3  They have neither speech nor language •

and their voices are not heard,

4  Yet their sound has gone out into all lands •

and their words to the ends of the world.

5  In them has he set a tabernacle for the sun, •

that comes forth as a bridegroom out of his chamber

and rejoices as a champion to run his course.

6  It goes forth from the end of the heavens

and runs to the very end again, •

and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

]

or Wisdom 7.26-8.1

26 For she is a reflection of eternal light,

a spotless mirror of the working of God,

and an image of his goodness.

27 Although she is but one, she can do all things,

and while remaining in herself, she renews all things;

in every generation she passes into holy souls

and makes them friends of God, and prophets;

28 for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom.

29 She is more beautiful than the sun,

and excels every constellation of the stars.

Compared with the light she is found to be superior,

30 for it is succeeded by the night,

but against wisdom evil does not prevail.

8

She reaches mightily from one end of the earth to the other,

and she orders all things well.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Related:

Isaiah 50.4-9a

4 The Lord God has given me

the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain

the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens—

wakens my ear

to listen as those who are taught.

5 The Lord God has opened my ear,

and I was not rebellious,

I did not turn backwards.

6 I gave my back to those who struck me,

and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face

from insult and spitting.

7 The Lord God helps me;

therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,

and I know that I shall not be put to shame;

8   he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?

Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?

Let them confront me.

9 It is the Lord God who helps me;

who will declare me guilty?

All of them will wear out like a garment;

the moth will eat them up.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 116.1-8

1  I love the Lord,

for he has heard the voice of my supplication; •

because he inclined his ear to me

on the day I called to him.

2  The snares of death encompassed me;

the pains of hell took hold of me; •

by grief and sorrow was I held.

3  Then I called upon the name of the Lord: •

‘O Lord, I beg you, deliver my soul.’

4  Gracious is the Lord and righteous; •

our God is full of compassion.

5  The Lord watches over the simple; •

I was brought very low and he saved me.

6  Turn again to your rest, O my soul, •

for the Lord has been gracious to you.

7  For you have delivered my soul from death, •

my eyes from tears and my feet from falling.

8  I will walk before the Lord •

in the land of the living.

New Testament Reading

James 3.1-12

3

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. 2For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. 3If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. 4Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! 6And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, 8but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. 10From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. 11Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? 12Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

All Glory to you, O Lord.

Mark 8.27-end

27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ 28And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ 29He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Almighty God,

you have taught us through your Son

that love is the fulfilling of the law:

grant that we may love you with our whole heart

and our neighbours as ourselves;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit

upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:

grant that your people may be fervent

in the fellowship of the gospel

that, always abiding in you,

they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Lord God,

defend your Church from all false teaching

and give to your people knowledge of your truth,

that we may enjoy eternal life

in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Continuous:

Proverbs 22.1-2, 8, 9, 22, 23

22

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favour is better than silver or gold.

2 The rich and the poor have this in common:

the Lord is the maker of them all.

8 Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

9 Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

22 Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate;

23 for the Lord pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 125

1  Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, •

which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.

2  As the hills stand about Jerusalem, •

so the Lord stands round about his people,

from this time forth for evermore.

3  The sceptre of wickedness shall not hold sway

over the land allotted to the righteous, •

lest the righteous turn their hands to evil.

4  Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, •

and to those who are true of heart.

5  Those who turn aside to crooked ways

the Lord shall take away with the evildoers; •

but let there be peace upon Israel.

Related:

Isaiah 35.4-7a

4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

‘Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.

He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.

He will come and save you.’

5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

7 the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 146

1  Alleluia.

Praise the Lord, O my soul:

while I live will I praise the Lord; •

as long as I have any being,

I will sing praises to my God.

2  Put not your trust in princes,

nor in any human power, •

for there is no help in them.

3  When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth; •

on that day all their thoughts perish.

4  Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help, •

whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5  Who made heaven and earth,

the sea and all that is in them; •

who keeps his promise for ever;

6  Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong •

and bread to those who hunger.

7  The Lord looses those that are bound; •

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

8  The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; •

the Lord loves the righteous;

9  The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;

he upholds the orphan and widow; •

but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

10  The Lord shall reign for ever, •

your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.

Alleluia.

New Testament Reading

James 2.1-10 [11-13] 14-17

2

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favouritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8 You do well if you really fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.[ 11For the one who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, also said, ‘You shall not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgement will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgement.]

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

All Glory to you, O Lord.

Mark 7.24-end

24 From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. 26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, ‘Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ 28But she answered him, ‘Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.’ 29Then he said to her, ‘For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.’ 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Keep, O Lord, your Church, with your perpetual mercy;

and, because without you our human frailty cannot but fall,

keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful,

and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Collect

Almighty God,

whose only Son has opened for us

a new and living way into your presence:

give us pure hearts and steadfast wills

to worship you in spirit and in truth;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Merciful God,

your Son came to save us

and bore our sins on the cross:

may we trust in your mercy

and know your love,

rejoicing in the righteousness

that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings

Continuous:

Song of Solomon 2.8-13

8 The voice of my beloved!

Look, he comes,

leaping upon the mountains,

bounding over the hills.

9 My beloved is like a gazelle

or a young stag.

Look, there he stands

behind our wall,

gazing in at the windows,

looking through the lattice.

10 My beloved speaks and says to me:

‘Arise, my love, my fair one,

and come away;

11 for now the winter is past,

the rain is over and gone.

12 The flowers appear on the earth;

the time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtle-dove

is heard in our land.

13 The fig tree puts forth its figs,

and the vines are in blossom;

they give forth fragrance.

Arise, my love, my fair one,

and come away.

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 45.1-2, 6-9

1  My heart is astir with gracious words; •

as I make my song for the king,

my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2  You are the fairest of men; •

full of grace are your lips,

for God has blest you for ever.

6  Your throne is God’s throne, for ever; •

the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.

7  You love righteousness and hate iniquity; •

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

8  All your garments are fragrant with myrrh, aloes and cassia; •

from ivory palaces the music of strings makes you glad.

9  Kings’ daughters are among your honourable women; •

at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.

or Psalm [ 45.1-7]

[

1  My heart is astir with gracious words; •

as I make my song for the king,

my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

2  You are the fairest of men; •

full of grace are your lips,

for God has blest you for ever.

3  Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one; •

gird on your majesty and glory.

4  Ride on and prosper in the cause of truth •

and for the sake of humility and righteousness.

5  Your right hand will teach you terrible things; •

your arrows will be sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies,

so that peoples fall beneath you.

6  Your throne is God’s throne, for ever; •

the sceptre of your kingdom is the sceptre of righteousness.

7  You love righteousness and hate iniquity; •

therefore God, your God, has anointed you

with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

]

Related:

Deuteronomy 4.1-2, 6-9

4

So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. 2You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you. 6You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ 7For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? 8And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

9 But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children—

This is the word of the Lord.

All Thanks be to God.

Psalm 15

1  Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? •

Who may rest upon your holy hill?

2  Whoever leads an uncorrupt life •

and does the thing that is right;

3  Who speaks the truth from the heart •

and bears no deceit on the tongue;

4  Who does no evil to a friend •

and pours no scorn on a neighbour;

5  In whose sight the wicked are not esteemed, •

but who honours those who fear the Lord.

6  Whoever has sworn to a neighbour •

and never goes back on that word;

7  Who does not lend money in hope of gain, •

nor takes a bribe against the innocent;

8  Whoever does these things •

shall never fall.

New Testament Reading

James 1.17-end

17 Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18In fulfilment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

19 You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

22 But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

26 If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

This is the word of the Lord.

All

Thanks be to God.

Gospel Reading

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

All Glory to you, O Lord.

Mark 7.1-8, 14, 15, 21-23

7

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 2they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 3(For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 4and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) 5So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ 6He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

“This people honours me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

7 in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.”

8You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’

14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.’ 21For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, 22adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, O Christ.

Post Communion

Lord God, the source of truth and love,

keep us faithful to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship,

united in prayer and the breaking of bread,

and one in joy and simplicity of heart,

in Jesus Christ our Lord.