Leave a comment

Sunday 14 July 2019 4th Sunday after Trinity Proper 10 Year C

by
Collect

O God, the protector of all who trust in you,

without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:

increase and multiply upon us your mercy;

that with you as our ruler and guide

we may so pass through things temporal

that we lose not our hold on things eternal;

grant this, heavenly Father,

for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Gracious Father,

by the obedience of Jesus

you brought salvation to our wayward world:

draw us into harmony with your will,

that we may find all things restored in him,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Readings
Continuous:
Amos 7.7-end

7 This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. 8And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said,
‘See, I am setting a plumb-line
   in the midst of my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by; 
9 the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
   and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
   and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’ 

10 Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very centre of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11For thus Amos has said,
“Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
   and Israel must go into exile
   away from his land.” ’ 
12And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’

14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, ‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore trees, 15and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel.” 
16 ‘Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
You say, “Do not prophesy against Israel,
   and do not preach against the house of Isaac.” 
17 Therefore, thus says the Lord:
“Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city,
   and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
   and your land shall be parcelled out by line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
   and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.” ’ 

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Psalm 82

1  God has taken his stand in the council of heaven; •
   in the midst of the gods he gives judgement:
2  ‘How long will you judge unjustly •
   and show such favour to the wicked?
3  ‘You were to judge the weak and the orphan; •
   defend the right of the humble and needy;
4  ‘Rescue the weak and the poor; •
   deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5  ‘They have no knowledge or wisdom;
      they walk on still in darkness: •
   all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6  ‘Therefore I say that though you are gods •
   and all of you children of the Most High,
7  ‘Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals •
   and fall like one of their princes.’
8  Arise, O God and judge the earth, •
   for it is you that shall take all nations for your possession.

Colossians 1.1-14

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 

3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Related:
Deuteronomy 30.9-14

9and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, 10when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

11 Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?’ 14No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Psalm 25.1-10

1  To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
      O my God, in you I trust; •
   let me not be put to shame;
      let not my enemies triumph over me.
2  Let none who look to you be put to shame, •
   but let the treacherous be shamed and frustrated.
3  Make me to know your ways, O Lord, •
   and teach me your paths.
4  Lead me in your truth and teach me, •
   for you are the God of my salvation;
      for you have I hoped all the day long.
5  Remember, Lord, your compassion and love, •
   for they are from everlasting.
6  Remember not the sins of my youth
      or my transgressions, •
   but think on me in your goodness, O Lord,
      according to your steadfast love.
7  Gracious and upright is the Lord; •
   therefore shall he teach sinners in the way.
8  He will guide the humble in doing right •
   and teach his way to the lowly.
9  All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth •
   to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
10  For your name’s sake, O Lord, •
   be merciful to my sin, for it is great.

Colossians 1.1-14

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father. 

3 In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
AllGlory to you, O Lord.
Luke 10.25-37

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 27He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ 28And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ 30Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ 37He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
AllPraise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion

Eternal God,

comfort of the afflicted and healer of the broken,

you have fed us at the table of life and hope:

teach us the ways of gentleness and peace,

that all the world may acknowledge

the kingdom of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leave a comment

Sunday 7 July 2019 3rd Sunday after Trinity Proper 9 Year C

by

Almighty God,

you have broken the tyranny of sin

and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father:

give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,

that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God;

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 saviour,

look on this wounded world

in pity and in power;

hold us fast to your promises of peace

won for us by your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Readings
Continuous:
2 Kings 5.1-14

5Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ 4So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’

He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’ 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’

8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’ 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Psalm 30

1  I will exalt you, O Lord,
      because you have raised me up •
   and have not let my foes triumph over me.
2  O Lord my God, I cried out to you •
   and you have healed me.
3  You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; •
   you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit.
4  Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; •
   give thanks to his holy name.
5  For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,
      his favour for a lifetime. •
   Heaviness may endure for a night,
      but joy comes in the morning.
6  In my prosperity I said,
      ‘I shall never be moved. •
   You, Lord, of your goodness,
      have made my hill so strong.’
7  Then you hid your face from me •
   and I was utterly dismayed.
8  To you, O Lord, I cried; •
   to the Lord I made my supplication:
9  ‘What profit is there in my blood,
      if I go down to the Pit? •
   Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
10  ‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; •
   O Lord, be my helper.’
11  You have turned my mourning into dancing; •
   you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;
12  Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; •
   O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Galatians 6. [1-6] 7-16

[

6My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 3For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5For all must carry their own loads.

6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.]

7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 

11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Forneither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Related:
Isaiah 66.10-14

10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
   all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
   all you who mourn over her— 
11 that you may nurse and be satisfied
   from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
   from her glorious bosom. 

12 For thus says the Lord:
I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
   and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
   and dandled on her knees. 
13 As a mother comforts her child,
   so I will comfort you;
   you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
   your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
   and his indignation is against his enemies.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Psalm 66.1-8

1  Be joyful in God, all the earth; •
   sing the glory of his name;
      sing the glory of his praise.
2  Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! •
   Because of your great strength
      your enemies shall bow before you.
3  ‘All the earth shall worship you, •
   sing to you, sing praise to your name.’
4  Come now and behold the works of God, •
   how wonderful he is in his dealings with humankind.
5  He turned the sea into dry land;
      the river they passed through on foot; •
   there we rejoiced in him.
6  In his might he rules for ever;
      his eyes keep watch over the nations; •
   let no rebel rise up against him.
7  Bless our God, O you peoples; •
   make the voice of his praise to be heard,
8  Who holds our souls in life •
   and suffers not our feet to slip.

Galatians 6. [1-6] 7-16

[

6My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 3For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5For all must carry their own loads.

6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.]

7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 

11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15Forneither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
AllGlory to you, O Lord.
Luke 10.1-11, 16-20

10After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11“Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”

16 ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ 18He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
AllPraise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion

O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining

and whose power we cannot comprehend:

show us your glory as far as we can grasp it,

and shield us from knowing more than we can bear

until we may look upon you without fear;

through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Leave a comment

July 4th week rethinking America

by

Greetings in the name of the Lord,

As we come to the 4th of July this year in 2019 we must ponder what it means to be American again. We are not a nation of ethnic heritage but I nation that came to agree of 51 states and originally just 13 colony. We have done a long way from being just hire male Protestant nation build on the lie of equity for all, when we had Africans stolen from there land bring over here to be slaves. To my best research my ancestors did not come to American until 1859 and beyond. My people came from Ireland and Germany and Switzerland and Greek-Italians. None of my people that I known of were never own slaves, but maybe the Roman one did. My Irish ancestors came to America because we persecuted in Ireland for being Catholic. My people were Smith, McCarthy , mcCqbe, McNamara , McGovern and O’ Brian. I know for sure John McCabe and his wife Ann McCall came over with Mary. They from Co Cavan. My ancestor had to fight for everything in America they were not welcome, nor sadly modern refugee. Who are just trying to survive in Central America by leaving their homes and families behind. As of now were under a hateful admiration who cares more and the rich and white. When more and more Americans getting darker. This being call the browning of America. This will change America hopefully for the better. Only time will tell. There will be painful changes and some even unknown by most. American will go on and the great experiment is evolving. Trump will not define Us by his hatred of people of colour. Jesus was not what you call an tradition Western European, he was from south west Asia. So he also pass as a Egyptian and Moses tool we know at least two of Lord Jesus ancestors were Africa and most like Nergo in Origin. So if you hate people of color you hate God. As a white man a privilege I do not know what is like to be on minor in America. The hundred year ago my people work a consider second-class, because we were catholic and sadly many people of that age were bigots toward us. We were call paddy and mick and niggers turn insider out. We were not welcome and we had to fight for our rights and these new Hispanic in grants will most likely have to do the same. For they more just catholic, but of colour. Mind you race is myth and a person should just die by their character and behavior. You want to change the world look at your and make that change. Maybe when see someone who is lost or confuse offer them help. Remember for those who claim to be Christ followers we are to love all even our enemies. I pray for Trump and the republican can party to change their hateful ways and to be part who believe slavery was wrong.. Dr Michael Luther King Jr once said ” I have dream that one day my children with white children will be treat as equals and will be judge by their character then their skin pigment. Right now people of colour are being shot and killed by the police for just being black. This most stop and we as society need to d mind changes. It not just the politicians and government people jobs, but are as well. You do not believe in gay marriage do not have one, but not your place to force this on others. If gay couple ask you to make them cake, why not? Why are you being so petty? God bless you and your love ones

Leave a comment

Sunday 7 July 2019 3rd Sunday after Trinity Proper 9 Year C

by

Almighty God,

you have broken the tyranny of sin

and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father:

give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,

that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God;

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 saviour,

look on this wounded world

in pity and in power;

hold us fast to your promises of peace

won for us by your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Readings
Continuous:
2 Kings 5.1-14

5Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’4So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’

He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. 6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’ 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’

8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’ 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Psalm 30

1  I will exalt you, O Lord,
      because you have raised me up •
   and have not let my foes triumph over me.
2  O Lord my God, I cried out to you •
   and you have healed me.
3  You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; •
   you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit.
4  Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; •
   give thanks to his holy name.
5  For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye,
      his favour for a lifetime. •
   Heaviness may endure for a night,
      but joy comes in the morning.
6  In my prosperity I said,
      ‘I shall never be moved. •
   You, Lord, of your goodness,
      have made my hill so strong.’
7  Then you hid your face from me •
   and I was utterly dismayed.
8  To you, O Lord, I cried; •
   to the Lord I made my supplication:
9  ‘What profit is there in my blood,
      if I go down to the Pit? •
   Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
10  ‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; •
   O Lord, be my helper.’
11  You have turned my mourning into dancing; •
   you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;
12  Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; •
   O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.

Galatians 6. [1-6] 7-16

[

6My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 3For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5For all must carry their own loads.

6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.]

7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 

11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.13Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Related:
Isaiah 66.10-14

10 Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
   all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
   all you who mourn over her— 
11 that you may nurse and be satisfied
   from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
   from her glorious bosom. 

12 For thus says the Lord:
I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
   and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
   and dandled on her knees. 
13 As a mother comforts her child,
   so I will comfort you;
   you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

14 You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
   your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
   and his indignation is against his enemies.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Psalm 66.1-8

1  Be joyful in God, all the earth; •
   sing the glory of his name;
      sing the glory of his praise.
2  Say to God, ‘How awesome are your deeds! •
   Because of your great strength
      your enemies shall bow before you.
3  ‘All the earth shall worship you, •
   sing to you, sing praise to your name.’
4  Come now and behold the works of God, •
   how wonderful he is in his dealings with humankind.
5  He turned the sea into dry land;
      the river they passed through on foot; •
   there we rejoiced in him.
6  In his might he rules for ever;
      his eyes keep watch over the nations; •
   let no rebel rise up against him.
7  Bless our God, O you peoples; •
   make the voice of his praise to be heard,
8  Who holds our souls in life •
   and suffers not our feet to slip.

Galatians 6. [1-6] 7-16

[

6My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ. 3For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work, will become a cause for pride. 5For all must carry their own loads.

6 Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.]

7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 10So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. 

11 See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.13Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! 16As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
AllGlory to you, O Lord.
Luke 10.1-11, 16-20

10After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.2He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11“Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”

16 ‘Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’

17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ 18He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
AllPraise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion

O God, whose beauty is beyond our imagining

and whose power we cannot comprehend:

show us your glory as far as we can grasp it,

and shield us from knowing more than we can bear

until we may look upon you without fear;

through Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Leave a comment

Sunday 23 June 2019 1st Sunday after Trinity Proper 7 Year C

by

O God,

the strength of all those who put their trust in you,

mercifully accept our prayers

and, because through the weakness of our mortal nature

we can do no good thing without you,

grant us the help of your grace,

that in the keeping of your commandments

we may please you both in will and deed;

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 of truth,

help us to keep your law of love

and to walk in ways of wisdom,

that we may find true life

in Jesus Christ your Son.

Readings
Continuous:
1 Kings 19.1-4 [5-7] 8-15a

19Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, ‘So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow.’ 3Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.

4 But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.’[ 5Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, ‘Get up and eat.’ 6He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. 7The angel of the Lord came a second time, touched him, and said, ‘Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you.’] 8He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food for forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. 9At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 10He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’

11 He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. 13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ 14He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ 15Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Psalms 42, 43

1  As the deer longs for the water brooks, •
   so longs my soul for you, O God.
2  My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; •
   when shall I come before the presence of God?
3  My tears have been my bread day and night, •
   while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’
4  Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul: •
   how I went with the multitude
      and led the procession to the house of God,
5  With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, •
   among those who kept holy day.
6  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •
   and why are you so disquieted within me?
7  O put your trust in God; •
   for I will yet give him thanks,
      who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
8  My soul is heavy within me; •
   therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
      and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar.
9  Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; •
   all your breakers and waves have gone over me.
10  The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; •
   through the night his song will be with me,
      a prayer to the God of my life.
11  I say to God my rock,
      ‘Why have you forgotten me, •
   and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?’
12  As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; •
   while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’
13  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •
   and why are you so disquieted within me?
14  O put your trust in God; •
   for I will yet give him thanks,
      who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

1  Give judgement for me, O God,
      and defend my cause against an ungodly people; •
   deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.
2  For you are the God of my refuge;
      why have you cast me from you, •
   and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?
3  O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, •
   and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,
4  That I may go to the altar of God,
      to the God of my joy and gladness; •
   and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God.
5  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •
   and why are you so disquieted within me?
6  O put your trust in God; •
   for I will yet give him thanks,
      who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

[or Psalm 42

1  As the deer longs for the water brooks, •
   so longs my soul for you, O God.
2  My soul is athirst for God, even for the living God; •
   when shall I come before the presence of God?
3  My tears have been my bread day and night, •
   while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’
4  Now when I think on these things, I pour out my soul: •
   how I went with the multitude
      and led the procession to the house of God,
5  With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, •
   among those who kept holy day.
6  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •
   and why are you so disquieted within me?
7  O put your trust in God; •
   for I will yet give him thanks,
      who is the help of my countenance, and my God.
8  My soul is heavy within me; •
   therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
      and from Hermon and the hill of Mizar.
9  Deep calls to deep in the thunder of your waterfalls; •
   all your breakers and waves have gone over me.
10  The Lord will grant his loving-kindness in the daytime; •
   through the night his song will be with me,
      a prayer to the God of my life.
11  I say to God my rock,
      ‘Why have you forgotten me, •
   and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?’
12  As they crush my bones, my enemies mock me; •
   while all day long they say to me, ‘Where is now your God?’
13  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •
   and why are you so disquieted within me?
14  O put your trust in God; •
   for I will yet give him thanks,
      who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

or Psalm 43]

1  Give judgement for me, O God,
      and defend my cause against an ungodly people; •
   deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.
2  For you are the God of my refuge;
      why have you cast me from you, •
   and why go I so heavily, while the enemy oppresses me?
3  O send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, •
   and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling,
4  That I may go to the altar of God,
      to the God of my joy and gladness; •
   and on the lyre I will give thanks to you, O God my God.
5  Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul, •
   and why are you so disquieted within me?
6  O put your trust in God; •
   for I will yet give him thanks,
      who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

Galatians 3.23-end

23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.24Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Related:
Isaiah 65.1-9

65I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
   to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am’,
   to a nation that did not call on my name. 
2 I held out my hands all day long
   to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
   following their own devices; 
3 a people who provoke me
   to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
   and offering incense on bricks; 
4 who sit inside tombs,
   and spend the night in secret places;
who eat swine’s flesh,
   with broth of abominable things in their vessels; 
5 who say, ‘Keep to yourself,
   do not come near me, for I am too holy for you.’
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
   a fire that burns all day long. 
6 See, it is written before me:
   I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their laps 
7   their iniquities and their ancestors’ iniquities together, 

says the Lord;
because they offered incense on the mountains
   and reviled me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
   full payment for their actions. 
8 Thus says the Lord:
As the wine is found in the cluster,
   and they say, ‘Do not destroy it,
   for there is a blessing in it’,
so I will do for my servants’ sake,
   and not destroy them all. 
9 I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
   and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;
my chosen shall inherit it,
   and my servants shall settle there.

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Psalm 22.19-28

19  Be not far from me, O Lord; •
   you are my strength; hasten to help me.
20  Deliver my soul from the sword, •
   my poor life from the power of the dog.
21  Save me from the lion’s mouth,
      from the horns of wild oxen. •
   You have answered me!
22  I will tell of your name to my people; •
   in the midst of the congregation will I praise you.
23  Praise the Lord, you that fear him; •
   O seed of Jacob, glorify him;
      stand in awe of him, O seed of Israel.
24  For he has not despised nor abhorred the suffering of the poor;
      neither has he hidden his face from them; •
   but when they cried to him he heard them.
25  From you comes my praise in the great congregation; •
   I will perform my vows
      in the presence of those that fear you.
26  The poor shall eat and be satisfied; •
   those who seek the Lord shall praise him;
      their hearts shall live for ever.
27  All the ends of the earth
      shall remember and turn to the Lord, •
   and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.
28  For the kingdom is the Lord’s •
   and he rules over the nations.

Galatians 3.23-end

23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.24Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

This is the word of the Lord.
AllThanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
AllGlory to you, O Lord.
Luke 8.26-39

26 Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’— 29for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

32 Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

34 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country.35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39‘Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
AllPraise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion

Eternal Father,

we thank you for nourishing us

with these heavenly gifts:

may our communion strengthen us in faith,

build us up in hope,

and make us grow in love;

for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Leave a comment

Sunday 16 June 2019 Trinity Sunday or Year C

by

Almighty and everlasting God,

you have given us your servants grace,

by the confession of a true faith,

to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity

and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity:

keep us steadfast in this faith,

that we may evermore be defended from all adversities;

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

Holy God,

faithful and unchanging:

enlarge our minds with the knowledge of your truth,

and draw us more deeply into the mystery of your love,

that we may truly worship you,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Readings
Proverbs 8.1-4, 22-31

8Does not wisdom call,
   and does not understanding raise her voice? 
2 On the heights, beside the way,
   at the crossroads she takes her stand; 
3 beside the gates in front of the town,
   at the entrance of the portals she cries out: 
4 ‘To you, O people, I call,
   and my cry is to all that live.

22 The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
   the first of his acts of long ago. 
23 Ages ago I was set up,
   at the first, before the beginning of the earth. 
24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,
   when there were no springs abounding with water. 
25 Before the mountains had been shaped,
   before the hills, I was brought forth— 
26 when he had not yet made earth and fields,
   or the world’s first bits of soil. 
27 When he established the heavens, I was there,
   when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 
28 when he made firm the skies above,
   when he established the fountains of the deep, 
29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,
   so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 
30   then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
   rejoicing before him always, 
31 rejoicing in his inhabited world
   and delighting in the human race. 

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Psalm 8

1  O Lord our governor, •
   how glorious is your name in all the world!
2  Your majesty above the heavens is praised •
   out of the mouths of babes at the breast.
3  You have founded a stronghold against your foes, •
   that you might still the enemy and the avenger.
4  When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, •
   the moon and the stars that you have ordained,
5  What is man, that you should be mindful of him; •
   the son of man, that you should seek him out?
6  You have made him little lower than the angels •
   and crown him with glory and honour.
7  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands •
   and put all things under his feet,
8  All sheep and oxen, •
   even the wild beasts of the field,
9  The birds of the air, the fish of the sea •
   and whatsoever moves in the paths of the sea.
10  O Lord our governor, •
   how glorious is your name in all the world!

Romans 5.1-5

5Therefore, 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.

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
All Glory to you, O Lord.
John 16.12-15

12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion

Almighty and eternal God,

you have revealed yourself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

and live and reign in the perfect unity of love:

hold us firm in this faith,

that we may know you in all your ways

and evermore rejoice in your eternal glory,

who are three Persons yet one God,

now and for ever.

Leave a comment

Sunday 9 June 2019 Pentecost / Ordinary Time Year C

by

God, who as at this time

taught the hearts of your faithful people

by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:

grant us by the same Spirit

to have a right judgement in all things

and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort;

through the merits of Christ Jesus our Saviour,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

or

Holy Spirit, sent by the Father,

ignite in us your holy fire;

strengthen your children with the gift of faith,

revive your Church with the breath of love,

and renew the face of the earth,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Readings
Acts 2.1-21†

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 
17 “In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams. 
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy. 
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
† The reading from Acts must be used as either the first or second reading.
or Genesis 11.1-9

11Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2And as they migrated from the east,they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3And they said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.’ And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.’ 5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6And the Lord said, ‘Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.’ 8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Psalm 104.26-36, 37b

26  O Lord, how manifold are your works! •
   In wisdom you have made them all;
      the earth is full of your creatures.
27  There is the sea, spread far and wide, •
   and there move creatures beyond number, both small and great.
28  There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan •
   which you have made to play in the deep.
29  All of these look to you •
   to give them their food in due season.
30  When you give it them, they gather it; •
   you open your hand and they are filled with good.
31  When you hide your face they are troubled; •
   when you take away their breath,
      they die and return again to the dust.
32  When you send forth your spirit, they are created, •
   and you renew the face of the earth.
33  May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; •
   may the Lord rejoice in his works;
34  He looks on the earth and it trembles; •
   he touches the mountains and they smoke.
35  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; •
   I will make music to my God while I have my being.
36  So shall my song please him •
   while I rejoice in the Lord.
37  Let sinners be consumed out of the earth
      and the wicked be no more. •
   Bless the Lord, O my soul.
      Alleluia.

[or Psalm 104.26-end]

26  O Lord, how manifold are your works! •
   In wisdom you have made them all;
      the earth is full of your creatures.
27  There is the sea, spread far and wide, •
   and there move creatures beyond number, both small and great.
28  There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan •
   which you have made to play in the deep.
29  All of these look to you •
   to give them their food in due season.
30  When you give it them, they gather it; •
   you open your hand and they are filled with good.
31  When you hide your face they are troubled; •
   when you take away their breath,
      they die and return again to the dust.
32  When you send forth your spirit, they are created, •
   and you renew the face of the earth.
33  May the glory of the Lord endure for ever; •
   may the Lord rejoice in his works;
34  He looks on the earth and it trembles; •
   he touches the mountains and they smoke.
35  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; •
   I will make music to my God while I have my being.
36  So shall my song please him •
   while I rejoice in the Lord.
37  Let sinners be consumed out of the earth
      and the wicked be no more. •
   Bless the Lord, O my soul.
      Alleluia.

Romans 8.14-17

14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For 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!’ 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and 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.

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
or Acts 2.1-21†

2When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ 12All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ 13But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. 16No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 
17 “In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
   and your old men shall dream dreams. 
18 Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
   in those days I will pour out my Spirit;
     and they shall prophesy. 
19 And I will show portents in the heaven above
   and signs on the earth below,
     blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 
20 The sun shall be turned to darkness
   and the moon to blood,
     before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. 
21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

This is the word of the Lord.
All Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
AllGlory to you, O Lord.
John 14.8-17 [25-27]

8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ 9Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. 12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask mefor anything, I will do it.

15 ‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.[

25 ‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.]

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
All Praise to you, O Christ.
Post Communion

Faithful God,

who fulfilled the promises of Easter

by sending us your Holy Spirit

and opening to every race and nation

the way of life eternal:

open our lips by your Spirit,

that every tongue may tell of your glory;

through Jesus Christ our Lord.