Collect, Readings and Prayers for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

Collect

Almighty God,

you have made us for yourself,

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

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

and so bring us at last to your heavenly city

where we shall see you face to face;

through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Exodus 17:1-7

Water from the Rock

17 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. ² The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, ‘Give us water to drink.’ Moses said to them, ‘Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?’ ³ But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?’ ⁴ So Moses cried out to the Lord, ‘What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.’ ⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. ⁶ I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. ⁷ He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’

OR

Ezekiel 18:1-4; 25-32

Individual Retribution

18 The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel: ² What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? ³ As I live, says the Lord God, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. ⁴ Know that all lives are mine; the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die.

²⁵ Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? ²⁶ When the righteous turn away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it; for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. ²⁷ Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. ²⁸ Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live; they shall not die. ²⁹ Yet the house of Israel says, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’ O house of Israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?

³⁰ Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. ³¹ Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? ³² For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord God. Turn, then, and live.

Philippians 2:1-13

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

⁶ who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
⁷ but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross.

⁹ Therefore God also highly exalted him
    and gave him the name
    that is above every name,
¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus
    every knee should bend,
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue should confess
    that Jesus Christ is Lord,
    to the glory of God the Father.

Shining as Lights in the World

¹² Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; ¹³ for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Matthew 21:23-32

The Authority of Jesus Questioned

²³ When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ ²⁴ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” ²⁶ But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ ²⁷ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons

²⁸ ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” ²⁹ He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. ³² For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

Prayers

In the power of the Spirit, and in union with Christ,

let us pray to the Father.

• The Patron Saint of Appleby church, one of the churches in the Woodfield Team, is St Michael. In a week in which the feast of St Michael and All Angels is celebrated we pray:

Father in heaven,

the angels sing by day and night around your throne:

    ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty.’

With Michael, prince of the angels, who contends by our side,

with Gabriel, your herald, who brings glad tidings,

with Raphael, the protector, who ministers your healing,

and with the whole company of heaven,

we worship you, we give you glory,

we sing your praise and exalt you for ever. Amen

• Lord, in sorrow and in joy you meet us.
  In despair and in hope,
  feeling ignored or fully known.
  Help each of us to do the same:
  to weep with those who mourn,
  to be alongside the wounded,
  to reach out to all,
  to listen and not be quick to move away.
  In this moment – whoever, wherever, however we are –
  be our centre, grounding us,
  opening our hearts to your grace and bidding. Amen.

• Everlasting God, you want us to be a generous people offering our time, talents and money to your service. Guard us, Lord, from holding back when we should be letting go and honouring you as Lord of all we have. Holy God, we thank you for your creation and remember that you entrusted it to our care as stewards.  As we live each day, help us to treat our world fairly whilst receiving its goodness gratefully. Help us to remember that you are the giver of all we have.  Give us wisdom to manage our money and personal finances well and to practice heartfelt generosity.  Amen

• Creator God, we pray especially for the world’s politicians and business leaders, those who manage economies and have responsibility to care for the environment. We also pray that all businesses, large and small pay their taxes in a fair and honest way rather than seeking to dodge their responsibilities. Amen

• In Fairtrade Fortnight we pray O Lord for farm workers in all countries who rely for survival on the exports of their products;

for those who supply us with our staples of rice, sugar, bananas, coffee, tea, chocolate, cotton and many other products, who are often on minimal incomes and working long hours in hard conditions, that they may receive just reward for their labour and true recognition of their contribution to world food supply.

We pray for the governments of developing countries struggling to repay international debt whilst facing inequality in global trade deals; for the work of the Fairtrade Foundation and its partners as they fight for the rights of small producers and highlight the inequity between rich and poor nations.

And finally, Lord, we pray for ourselves that we may appreciate the value of our food and the worth of those who produce it for us. Amen

• Our Archbishops encourage us to continue to pray for Ukraine.

God of peace and justice, we pray for the people of Ukraine today. 

We pray for those with power – that they actively work for peace and seek peaceful solutions to dispute and disagreement and that there may be a recognition of common and shared humanity and God’s promise of flourishing life for all people. We pray for a ceasefire, for a withdrawal of Russian forces and for peace to prevail

We pray for the innocent people of Ukraine, for the women, men and children who are displaced, those whose lives have been turned upside down, those who live in fear of the atrocities of war

  As requested by the Bishop in Europe, we pray for the Christian chaplaincy in Kyiv and the churches that serve Ukraine that they may know your courage and strength at this time and be able to witness in love and service to those around them in these so difficult times. May they place their hope and trust in you and may they be aware that we are upholding them and their whole nation in prayer to our Heavenly Father whose love never fails. Amen.

• God of sorrow and joy, we bring before you the ache of our world and the wounds of our own communities.
  Hold in your tender mercy all who live with the memory of violence and loss, and all places where fear and harm overshadow daily life.
  In Christ, who promises that pain will turn into joy,
  stand with those who serve your Church in challenging and fragile times.
  By your Spirit, guide us in the work of healing, reconciliation and peacemaking.
  Renew our courage, deepen our compassion,
  and weave our lives into your great tapestry of hope,
  that your risen joy may yet be known among us. Amen.

• As we remember Wilson Carlile, founder of the Church Army, on the anniversary of his death, we thank you Lord for his courage and passion for the fact that, after the example of your Son, he sought new ways to open your Church to diverse leaders as beacons of the Gospel of Christ. We thank you for the Church Army and their long heritage of bringing the good news of Jesus outside traditional church walls.

  Lord, we pray your blessing on all evangelists, pioneers, youth ministers, and support teams as they serve on the frontline of    ministry. Grant them wisdom, courage, and a deep sense of your presence.

  Quicken our hearts to give bold witness to Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, now and    for ever. Amen.

• Father God, your word promises all the material things that we need to live but we find it hard to trust. We pray now for all those who struggle with the burden of personal debt: for those too frightened to face the problem, for couples who cannot talk about it, for children who cannot understand but live with the worry. We pray also for those who are consumed by money worries, anxious about jobs or homes or the future; those who feel they have lost control of money and cannot cope. Amen

• Loving God, we pray for all who bear the burdens of pain, bereavement, anxiety and depression. We pray for those whose illness stems from financial problems. We pray that they may have an awareness of your presence and an understanding that you are bearing those burdens with them and always working towards their healing and wholeness. Amen

• Merciful God, we remember with thankfulness and gratitude all those who have left their mark on our lives by giving us love and laughter, but who have now gone before us to be with Christ. We hold them in our hearts, knowing that you, Lord, hold them in yours. Amen

• Gracious God, you have called and chosen us to spread the Good News of your Son to the world. As we go out to another week help us to give the message to all we meet, at home, at work, in our leisure time and in our community. Amen

• Gracious God, you give the water of eternal life through Jesus Christ your Son. May we always turn to you, the spring of life and source of goodness: through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen "My God, do not abandon me”.