Collect, Readings & Prayers for the Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity

Collect

O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers

of your people who call upon you;

and grant that they may both perceive and know

what things they ought to do,

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

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Readings

Exodus 16:2-15

² The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³ The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. ⁵ On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’ ⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷ and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?’ ⁸ And Moses said, ‘When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.’

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.”’ ¹⁰ And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ¹¹ The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ¹² ‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.”’

¹³ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴ When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, ‘It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

OR

Jonah 3:10-4:11

¹⁰ When God saw what they the people of Nineveh did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Jonah’s Anger

4 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry. ² He prayed to the Lord and said, ‘O Lord! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing. ³ And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.’ ⁴ And the Lord said, ‘Is it right for you to be angry?’ ⁵ Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

⁶ The Lord God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush. ⁷ But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. ⁸ When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’

Jonah Is Reproved

⁹ But God said to Jonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’ And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’ ¹⁰ Then the Lord said, ‘You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labour and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. ¹¹ And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?

Philippians 1:21-30

²¹ For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. ²² If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. ²³ I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; ²⁴ but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. ²⁵ Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, ²⁶ so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

²⁷ Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God’s doing. ²⁹ For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well— ³⁰ since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Matthew 20:1-16

The Labourers in the Vineyard

20  Jesus said to his disciples ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; ⁴ and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. ⁵ When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. ⁶ And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” ⁷ They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” ⁸ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” ⁹ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. ¹⁰ Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. ¹¹ And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, ¹² saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” ¹³ But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. ¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

Prayers

Let us pray to the God who has loved us and cherished us all our lives.

• God of miracles and of mercy, all creation sings your praise. Like the vineyard owner, your grace is extravagant and unexpected. Lead us to repentance and the acceptance of your grace, that we may witness to your love, which embraces both those we call friend and those we call stranger. Amen. 

• For the Church and its Mission

Faithful God, you call your Church to be fervent in the fellowship of the Gospel. Strengthen our local community and Christians everywhere to live out Christ's command to love. Forgive us when our love grows cold or divided. Help us to share the good news not just with words, but through acts of genuine kindness and justice. Amen

• Almighty God, we pray for your Church; for Bishops, Priests and Deacons; for Readers and Lay Ministers; for Churchwardens and PCC’s; that they will know how to strike the right balance between their work and family lives. We pray that You will give them courage when they need to resist being controlled by others, and will teach them to take control with understanding, always reflecting the love of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

• God our Redeemer, we hold up our smallness to your greatness, our fear to your love, our tiny act of giving to your generosity, ourselves to you. You called your church to witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: help us so to proclaim the goodness of your love, that all who hear it may be reconciled to you. Amen 

• September 21^st is observed as The United Nations International Day of Peace

They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2.4

We pray for the victims of wars and conflicts throughout the world; for all who are suffering in the Middle East – in Palestine, Lebanon, Israel - and also in Ukraine, Russia and Sudan, and in the many parts of the world whose wars do not appear on our television screens.

We pray for all who work, locally and internationally, for peace and justice; for all who will not be silent in the face of injustice or suffering; for all who take risks for peace.

We pray for all Christians, that we will recognise our calling as peacemakers, using our God-given talents to build a culture of peace

Pour into our hearts and into our world, O Lord, the Dove of Peace, the Spirit of dialogue and reconciliation. Amen
 

• Creator God, refugees continue to flee from crisis throughout the world, and over half of them are children. Lord God we pray for all those who have willingly invested their time and energy in serving the most vulnerable in the world, that they will find opportunities to rest, and will be strengthened for their work.  We also remember aid workers throughout the rest of the world working in places and situations that are no longer newsworthy; give them the encouragement to continue their invaluable contribution of love and care for those people rebuilding their lives after man-made or natural disasters. Amen

• At the time of year when ordinations are taking place

God our Father, Lord of all the world,
through your Son you have called us into the fellowship
of your universal Church:
hear our prayer for your faithful people
that in their vocation and ministry
each may be an instrument of your love,
and give to your servants now to be ordained
the needful gifts of grace;
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,                                                     who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen
 

• As 100 years since the creation of the Diocese of Leicester is celebrated

Centenary Prayer
Eternal and ever-living God,
who created all things and breathes life into all peoples,
hold in your loving gaze this Diocese of Leicester and Cathedral Church,
with all your living stones, built on Jesus Christ the Cornerstone:
that we may stand firm on the ground of your being
and be nourished for the journey to come
with the bread of life and water of the Spirit;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen

• Loving Father God, we thank You for the farmers who nurture the land and provide for our needs. We lift them up to You at this time of harvest, conscious how difficult the exceptionally hot weather this summer has been for them.  We pray that you will bless them in all their endeavours, give them strength to endure challenges, protect them and their animals from harm.  Grant them peace in times of uncertainty and renew their spirits as they care for Your creation. Surround them with supportive communities, and may they feel Your presence with them and be mindful of Your love and care.  We pray for their families, their health, and their livelihoods.  We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen

• Loving God, we pray for abundant life for anyone we know who has recently been given bad news about their health or the health of a loved-one. Lord, help us know what to say and when to speak. May we always be ready to give practical help whenever we can and to ensure that those on their own are able to manage and cope with the day-to-day life. Amen

• Holy God, as we prepare for the week to come, help us to know Christ and the power of his resurrection day by day and in the sharing of his sufferings to become more like him in his death. Amen

• Give to us, Lord, the peace of those who have learnt to serve you, the joy of those who are glad to obey you and the delight of those who rejoice in your praise; through Christ our Lord. Amen. Aidan of Lindisfarne (d. 651)