July 5th 2020 -The 4th Sunday after Trinity
Prayer for this time
Heavenly Father,
our ever present help in trouble,
our fortress and our God:
calm the anxious fears of all who turn to you;
give strength and healing to those who are sick,
and courage and skill to those who care for them;
grant wisdom and clarity to those in authority;
and humble us all to call upon you,
that we may be saved not only in this life,
but also for that which is to come.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
A Simple Order of Morning Prayer in Ordinary Time
O Lord open our lips,
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
We sing to you, O Lord, and bless your name,
And tell of your salvation from day to day.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be for ever. Amen.
Worship the Lord.
All praise to his name.
Silent prayer/reflection on the coming day. :
Eternal God,
we praise and thank you for the day
on which you created light
and saw that it was good;
the day on which the disciples
discovered the empty tomb
and met the risen Christ.
This is the day that you have made;
we rejoice and are glad in it.
Blessed be God for ever.
Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100)
The Lord is gracious, his steadfast love is everlasting.
O be joyful in the Lord, all the earth:
serve the Lord with gladness
and come before his presence with a song.
Know that the Lord is God:
it is he that has made us and we are his;
we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise:
give thanks to him and bless his name.
For the Lord is gracious; his steadfast love is everlasting:
and his faithfulness endures from generation to generation.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Lord is gracious, his steadfast love is everlasting.
Bible Reading
FIRST READING Zechariah 9.9–1
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem!
Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war horse
from Jerusalem, and the battle-bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope.
today I declare that I will restore to you double.
PSALM 145.8–15
R I will exalt you, O God my king,
and bless your name for ever.
The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The Lord is loving to everyone and his compassion is over all his works.
All your works praise you, O Lord, and your faithful servants bless you. R
They make known the glory of your kingdom and speak of your power.
That the peoples may know of your power
and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
your dominion endures throughout all ages. R
The Lord is faithful in all his words and merciful in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all those who fall.
he lifts up those who are bowed down. R
SECOND READING Romans 7.15–25
I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So, I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
The Gospel of Christ according to Matthew 11.16-19,25-30
Glory to you, O Lord.
‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’
At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
Praise to you, O Christ.
Reflection:
Our reflection for this week comes from Revd Suzan Williams Rector of St John the Baptist, Whittington and St Michaels, West Felton with St Chads, Haughton.
Bible Reading: Isaiah 51:1-3
“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many.
The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.”
On reading our passage from Isaiah for this week’s reflection, I sensed God speaking these words over our communities, encouraging us to keep doing what we feel called by God to do; provide and facilitate in the communities in which we live and have access to.
In a meeting just last week a colleague reflected that very early on in this pandemic, a number of us had identified that what we were about to embark on should be likened to a marathon. Something would potentially sap all of our energy, challenge what we’ve been used to doing and the means by which we deliver it and also stretch our resources, physically and emotionally too. How true that has proven to be!
But the question that arose during that time of reflection was why, then, had we not taken that on board and were we still running this race set before us. To quote the Apostle Paul, like a sprint!
I, like many of you I am sure, had not taken any time off since the beginning of the year and hit a point in May where I knew I needed a break. I really cannot encourage enough to do the same. Our reading from Isaiah this week also speaks of the God we serve being the one through whom things will be lovingly and with compassion restored.
Yes, some of that restoration by God’s grace takes place through us. But what good will we be if we’re exhausted and burnt out?
It is the same for many in our communities, as our churches begin – if they are – to initially re-open for private prayer and slowly and safely resume services, however different they may be. We will be able to provide a place of refuge for those who are worn out to come and be refreshed by Holy Spirit. Put back together piece by piece after what has been an extremely challenging and difficult season in the lives of those around us and whom we seek to serve.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, would you the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and discernment, the one from whom, and through whom all blessings flow, give us the courage to face the coming days, knowing that we have the resources of heaven on our side. If we would but ask, seek, and know. Would you equip us to see our communities as you see them. and give us a Spirit of compassion as we seek to be your hands and feet, your eyes and ears, your mouthpiece. As we go about our daily tasks and seek to be a source of hope, life and peace to those we meet. Amen
The Benedictus
In your tender compassion, O God,
the dawn from on high shall break upon us.
Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel
for he has come to his people and set them free.
The Lord has raised up for us a mighty Saviour
born of the house of his servant David.
Through his holy prophets God promised of old
to save us from our enemies
from the hands of all who hate us.
To show mercy to our forebears
and to remember his holy covenant.
This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear
holy and righteous before him all the days of our life.
And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
by the forgiveness of their sins.
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness
and the shadow of death
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and shall be for ever. Amen.
In your tender compassion, O God,
the dawn from on high shall break upon us.
Prayers
Holy and mysterious God, we raise our prayers to you in the power of the Spirit. We humbly ask that you draw close to us. Help us to understand you, dance to your tune, and bear your yoke, for you assure us that your yoke is easy, and your burden light. (Short Silence)
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Faithful God, we pray for all people who seek to follow your way in their lives. Let your church speak your word of truth with confidence and in unity. May those who are searching, and listening, clearly see and hear clearly your message of love and peace. (Short Silence)
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
O God, our inspiration and hope, we give you thanks that you have called Daniel Frett to be our next spiritual guide.
By your will, may the Holy Spirit rest and strengthen both Daniel and all in this, our Benefice. Fill us all with visions, energy and faithfulness: in worship, in prayer, and in the following of your most holy Word.
We pray that Daniel be a wise and gentle shepherd, building us in faith, and leading us in the steps of Jesus, your Son, our Saviour. (Short Silence)
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Father God, we pray for the people around us in our neighbourhoods and our places of work and leisure. Give us sensitivity and insight into the needs and vulnerabilities of all of those with whom we come into contact, that we may love our neighbours as ourselves.
Lord God, we know the current pandemic is far from over. Until a vaccination has become widely available, help us to be responsible and sensible in all our interactions with those around us. Help us all to see the benefits of minimising the risk of infecting, or being infected, by those we meet. (Short Silence)
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Merciful God, coinciding with the coronavirus, another devastating natural disaster has been afflicting East Africa, parts of the Middle East, Iran and Pakistan – namely, a plague of locusts.
Lord we recall that you answered Moses’ prayers and blew away the locusts in Egypt long ago. We ask that you look in pity on those who are suffering this pestilence, and all the ravages that war, terrorism, and discrimination has brought to the peoples of this region. Not forgetting the drought, and the famine that results.
We pray for all food agencies. We pray too that your church rises in love, understanding and generosity for all who suffer, both here and abroad. (Short Silence)
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Lord Jesus, you said ‘Come unto me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’
Eternal Father, we pray for all who we know who are laid low by bereavement, illness, life-threatening conditions, or any other difficulty. [We pray especially for; (add names of those we know)]
May they find strength in knowing they are sharing the sufferings known to your Son, our Saviour. Be close to them, and grant them your strength and peace. (Short Silence)
Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Into your loving hands, O Lord, we commit all those who have recently passed from this life. [We pray especially for (add names of the recently departed)]
We pray too for all who we have loved and see no more; (Short Silence) and especially those whose anniversary of their parting falls at this time. (add names on Anniversary list)
Grant them eternal rest and peace. (Short Silence)
Lord in your mercy: hear our prayer
Loving God, we offer ourselves to you in faith and confidence. Show us, as we go out into the world, how we can best prepare ourselves to be part of your response to our prayers. Fill us with the Spirit of life which was in Christ Jesus, your Son and our Saviour.
Merciful Father: Accept these prayers for the sake of your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer is said.
The Collect for Trinity 4
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 finally lose not the 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.
Amen
The second collect, for peace.
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord,
to know you is eternal life,
to serve you is perfect freedom:
defend us in all assaults of our enemies,
that we, surely trusting in your protection,
may not fear the power of any adversaries;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The third collect, for grace.
Eternal God and Father,
by your power we are created
and by your love we are redeemed:
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves to you
in love and service of one another;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit
be with us all, evermore. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God.
