We continue to use the Trial Use Collects and the Liturgical Psalter prepared by the Liturgy Task Force and authorized by General Synod 2016. Please note that the versification of the Psalm follows the New Revised Standard Version rather than the Book of Alternative Services.
The Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost
7 August 2016
The Gathering of the Community
Gathering Music
Announcements
The Opening Hymn
‘Christ Is Made the Sure
Foundation’ Common Praise #300
The Greeting and Litany
Blessed be God: Wisdom, Love, Might.
Blessed be God for ever and ever. [i]
May your loving kindness come to
us, O Lord,
and your salvation according to
your word:
Lord, have mercy. Lord,
have mercy.
Your word is a lantern to our feet
and a light to our path:
Christ, have mercy. Christ,
have mercy.
O let your mercy come to us so that
we may live,
for your law is our delight:
God of the prophets,
in every generation you call your
people
to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you.
Give us ears to hear you, hearts to
love you,
and hands to serve you; through
Christ your Word
The Hymn of Praise
‘Bless the Lord, My Soul’ Common Praise #360 (sung three times)
The Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
Watchful God,
kindle a new flame in our complacent hearts
and take from our hands the burden of worthless things,
so that we may be ready to receive a greater gift:
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading
A reading from the prophet Isaiah (1.1,
10-20).
1
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem
in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
10
Hear the word of the Lord, you
rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching
of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt
offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of
bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
12
When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; 13
bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of
convocation — I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. 14 Your new moons and your
appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary
of bearing them. 15 When you
stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many
prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. 16 Wash yourselves; make
yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to
do evil, 17 learn to do good;
seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
18
Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red
like crimson, they shall become like wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of
the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by
the sword; for the mouth of the Lord
has spoken.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to
the Church.
Thanks be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm 50.1-8, 22-23 (NRSV) with
refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain (sung twice): Show us
the way of salvation, O Holy One.
1 The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken
*
and has called the earth from the
rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out
of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God
reveals the divine glory.
3 Our God will come and will not keep
silence; *
before whom there is a consuming
flame,
and round about whom a raging storm.
4 God
calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to
witness the judgement of this people.
Refrain: Show
us the way of salvation, O Holy One.
5 “Gather before me my loyal followers,
*
those who have made a covenant with
me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”
6 Let
the heavens declare the rightness of the divine cause; *
for
God, God alone, is judge.
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak:
O
Israel, I will bear witness against you; *
for I am God, your God.
8 I
do not accuse you because of your sacrifices; *
your
offerings are always before me.”
Refrain: Show us the way of salvation, O Holy One.
22 Consider this well, you who forget
God, *
lest I rend you and there be none to
deliver you.
23 Whoever
offers me the sacrifice of thanksgiving honours me; *
but
to those who keep in my way will I show the salvation of God.”
Refrain: Show us the way of salvation, O Holy One.
The Second Reading
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews
(11.1-3, 8-16).
1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not
seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our
ancestors received approval. 3
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so
that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was
to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was
going. 9 By faith he stayed
for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in
tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same
promise. 10 For he looked
forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is
God. 11 By faith he received
power of procreation, even though he was too old — and Sarah herself was barren
— because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and
this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven
and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
13
All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance
they saw and greeted them. They
confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14
for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a
homeland. 15 If they had been
thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity
to return. 16 But as it is,
they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to
the Church.
Thanks be to God.
The Hymn before the Gospel
‘Adoremus Te Jesu Christe’ Common Praise
#338 (sung once in English)
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ according to Luke (12.32-40).
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
32
[Jesus said to his disciples,] “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your
Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear
out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth
destroys. 34 For where your
treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35
“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36 be like those who
are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they
may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37 Blessed are those slaves whom
the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt
and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38 If he comes during the middle
of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39
“But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was
coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, for the
Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Hymn after the Gospel
‘Adoremus Te Jesu Christe’ Common Praise
#338 (sung once in English)
The Sermon
An Affirmation of Faith
Let us declare our faith in God.
We believe in God the Creator,
from whom every family
in heaven and on earth has its being.
We believe in God the Word Incarnate,
who lives in our hearts through faith,
and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Spirit of counsel and wisdom,
who strengthens us
with power from on high.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
The Prayers of the Community
Intercessions, Petitions and Thanksgivings
The Exchange of the Peace
The peace of Christ be with you
all.
And also with you.
The Holy Communion
The Offertory Hymn
‘God Whose Giving Knows No
Ending’ Common Praise #601 (sung to #374)
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
God of mercy and grace,
the eyes of all wait upon you,
and you open your hand in blessing.
Fill us with good things at your table,
so that we may come to the help of all in need,
The Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right that we should
praise you, gracious God,
for you created all things.
You formed us in your own
image:
male and female you created
us.
When we turned away from you in sin,
you did not cease to care for us,
but opened a path of salvation for
all people.
You made a covenant with Israel,
and through your servants Abraham
and Sarah
gave the promise of a blessing to
all nations.
Through Moses you led your people
from bondage into freedom;
through the prophets you renewed
your promise of salvation.
Therefore, with them, and with all
your saints
who have served you in every age,
we give thanks and raise our voices
to proclaim the glory of your name.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. [vii]
Holy God, source of life and
goodness,
all creation rightly gives you
praise.
In the fullness of time, you sent
your Son Jesus Christ,
to share our human nature,
to live and die as one of us, to
reconcile us to you,
the God and Creator of all.
He healed the sick
and ate and drank with outcasts and
sinners;
he opened the eyes of the blind
and proclaimed the good news of
your kingdom
to the poor and to those in
need.
In all things he fulfilled your
gracious will.
On the night he freely gave himself
to death,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread,
and when he had given thanks to
you,
he broke it, and gave it to his
disciples,
and said, “Take, eat: this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”
After supper he took the cup of
wine;
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them, and said,
“Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new
covenant,
which is shed for you and for all
people for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this for
the remembrance of me.”
Gracious God,
his perfect sacrifice destroys the
power of sin and death;
by raising him to life you give us
life for evermore.
Therefore we proclaim the mystery
of faith.
Christ has died. Christ is
risen. Christ will comes again.
Recalling his death,
proclaiming his resurrection,
and looking for his coming again in
glory,
we offer you, O Holy One of Israel,
this bread and this cup.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us and
upon these gifts,
so that all who eat and drink at
this table
may be one body and one holy
people,
a living sacrifice in Jesus Christ,
our Lord.
Through Christ, with Christ, and in
Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us
pray,
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
‘I am the bread of life,’ says the
Lord.
‘Whoever comes to me will never be
hungry;
whoever believes in me will never
thirst.’
Taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are they who trust in him!
These are the gifts of God for the
people of God.
Thanks be to God.
The Communion of the Community
The Hymn after Communion
‘Jesus Calls Here to Meet Him’ Common Praise #59
The Sending Forth of the Community
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray.
Gracious God,
in this meal you have drawn us to your heart,
and nourished us at your table with food and drink,
the body and blood of Christ.
Now send us forth to be your people in the world,
and to proclaim your truth this day and evermore,
Glory to God,
whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more
than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Closing Hymn
‘The Church of Christ in Every
Age’ Common Praise #584 (sung to #541)
The Dismissal
The Deacon sends the Community
forth with an appropriate Dismissal.
[i]
Adapted from John Merriott,
‘God Whose Almighty Word’, Common Praise #560.
[ii]
Common Worship (2000), 133
alt.
[iii]
Micah 6.6-8 as adapted by the
Rev’d Dr Richard Geoffrey Leggett.
[iv]
Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use
Collects for Years A, B & C and Seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and after
Communion’ (2016), 137.
[v]
Common Worship (2000), 148
alt.
[vi]
The Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial
Use Collects for Years A, B & C and seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and
after Communion,’ 160.
[vii]
Common Praise #732.
[viii]
The Book of Alternative
Services (1985), 193-195 alt.
[ix]
The Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial
Use Collects for Years A, B & C and seasonal Prayers over the Gifts and
after Communion,’ 163.
