Eighth Sunday after Pentecost

23th July 2023

Seventh Sunday after Trinity

Year A

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ORDER OF SERVICE

You can click to expand or minimize the order of service below.

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN or when instructed by Fr. David.

Where the is shown, all are encouraged to make the sign of the cross. The people respond with confidence everywhere which is in bold type

O happy band of pilgrims,
If onward ye will tread
With Jesus as your fellow
To Jesus as you head!

O happy if ye labour
As Jesus did for men;
O happy if ye hunger
As Jesus hungered then!

The trials that beset you,
The sorrows ye endure,
The manifold temptations
That death alone can cure.

O happy band of pilgrims,
Look upward to the skies,
Where such a light affliction
Shall win you such a prize!

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player, where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

Blessed be God:  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Allelulia. Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia

 

In Lent and other penitential occasions:

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;

His mercy endures for ever.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE PENITENTIAL RITE

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy, welcoming sinners and inviting them to the Lord’s table.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry for all our sins , Father forgive us, strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

**(Note: all are encouraged to strike their breast 3 times following the lead of the Celebrant as he utters the words: ‘sorry for all our sins’)**

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you and set you free from all your sins, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy,

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy,

Lord, have mercy.

(This prayer is omitted during Advent and Lent)

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, h in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A reading from the book of

ISAIAH

Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:

I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.

Who is like me? Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.

Who has announced from of old the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.

Do not fear, or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old and declared it?
You are my witnesses!

Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Psalm 86

Inclina, Domine

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to you that I may fear your Name.

12 I will thank you, O Lord my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.

13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.

14 The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent men seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.

15 But you, O Lord, are gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.

16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.

17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the:

Romans

Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh– for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For 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!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and 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.

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and the Gospel reading.

(Response outside of Lent: “Alleluia!”)

Response during Lent: “Praise to you, O Christ, King of Eternal Glory.”

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

Let anyone with ears listen!

Alleluia!

A reading from the Holy Gospel, according to

MATTHEW:

Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

It is not easy to reconcile this parable with the Sermon on the Mount. How is it that Christ, the same Lord who tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, also seems to portray God as a violent judge, willing to throw His enemies into the flames? Should we conclude from this that God is a hypocrite and that He commands us to love our enemies while He is busy incinerating His? Or should we conclude that God’s standards of judgment are different from our own, thus wrapping the issue in an aura of mystery?
Neither option is very compelling. After all, the Sermon on the Mount is clear: in showing unconditional love, we are not just obeying God; we are imitating the Father. He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. And it is also clear that God’s judgments have to be full of love; otherwise, the whole Christian faith is reduced to nonsense. Is our faith meaningful at all if we say on the one hand that “God is love” and, on the other, that God’s enemies are no more valuable than weeds thronging a field?
I have wrestled with Matthew’s gospel for years and in quite existential ways. I always liked the parable of the lost sheep, but I never knew that what to do with the judgment parables. Only fairly recently have I been able to make peace with this book. And this is because I came to two separate realizations.
First, a parable is a parable. The fire of judgment is a metaphor, and the meaning is not as clear and obvious as we usually suppose.
If Christ wanted us to take this story as a literal description of judgment, He would have spoken plainly and not resorted to dark sayings and the play of symbols.
Second, the Sermon on the Mount comes first in Matthew’s gospel, and thus it seems that we are supposed to read the parable through the lens of that Sermon, and not the other way around—which is often done. It is a hermeneutical key to the rest of the book. And after all, in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ gives us a vivid and clear impression of God’s character, and this is not something we can dispense with casually or throw to the side merely because a parable seems at first glance to contradict it. Christ says that God loves evil men as well as the good. We must read every parable in light of this and in the light of a God whose mercy is boundless and whose love is unconditional.
And so, what can it look like to read the parable of the weeds through the lens of the Sermon on the Mount? First, we can notice a pattern, a rhythm, that underlies the whole Sermon: Christ presents us with a duality and then subverts it with the love of God. He encourages us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us and, in doing so, he dissolves the boundary that separates friends and enemies. He says that God sends rain on the just and the unjust and that the same refreshing waters fall on all, regardless of their deeds, and here we see God’s unconditional love resolving the tension between good and evil men. Every person is valuable to God, no action—not even evil actions—can erase that value.
Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners; he did not separate himself from them or draw back.
In the parable of the weeds, Christ speaks of the righteous, the wicked, and a judgment that separates them. And so, we can ask ourselves: How is this duality overcome by the love of God? It is not the wicked who burn in the fires of judgment; it is their feeling of separateness. This is the best answer I can offer. Evil starts with a feeling of distance from others. When I feel anger and hatred toward another person, I place him at a distance, a feeling of separateness rushes in, and then I attack, and evil is done. And in this moment, I forget that creation is one. But without my neighbour, creation is incomplete.
We all fall into the illusion of separateness from time to time. But Christ shows us the Father, and we come to know that God is our creator, and by His light we see and experience all of creation as one. All are God’s children. The light revealing oneness… This is judgment.
We become wicked if we entertain the feeling of separateness so often that it becomes a part of our identity, our sense of self. But this is a false identity, and the light of God’s love ultimately burns away the artificial boundaries of the ego. Because creation is one. And as the fire and light of God’s judgment awaken us from the dream and illusion of a divided creation, a world of two camps—self and other, friend and enemy—this oneness finally begins to shine through. This is a restoration of life, not a punishment.
We know this because, in a letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul talks about the fire of judgment and explains, clearly, that it is only our deeds that burn, and not ourselves. We are saved, as though by fire. And he also says that one day, after the general resurrection, Christ will be all in all. We know this because, in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the parables of the lost sheep and the prodigal son, Christ teaches us that God loves all His children, regardless of what they have done.
And we know this from St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Isaac the Syrian, who say that the fire of God’s judgement is a symbol of love and of restoration, and never of vengeance. And we know this because, deep in our hearts, we already know. We merely need permission to hope.
And so, at the end of the day, judgment is about the revelation of the Father and of His omnipresence in creation. The love of the Trinity and the oneness of all things.
This is what we see in the fires.
Amen.

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.  Let us individually affirm the faith of the Church.

I believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Let us pray for the world and for the Church:

(Prayers of intercession are now said, and at the end of each petition the intercessor says:)

Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

or

Lord hear us,
Lord graciously hear us.

(At the conclusion of the prayers the priest says:)
Almighty God, who has promised to hear our prayers:
Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE PEACE:

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our sins, but the faith of your Church, And grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom Where you live for ever and ever. Amen.

Please stand for the greeting of peace

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace, in the traditional Thai way, with a ‘wai’.

The Son of God proclaim,
The Lord of time and space;
The God who bade the light break forth
Now shines in Jesus’ face.

He, God’s creative Word,
The Church’s Lord and head,
Here bids us gather as his friends
And share his wine and bread.

The Lord of life and death,
With wondering praise we sing:
We break the bread at his command
And name him God and King.

We take this cup in hope;
For he, who gladly bore
The shameful cross, is risen again
And reigns for evermore

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

THE OFFERTORY

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness, we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and the service of your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever.

 

Let us pray

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

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 thanks and praise.

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people.

Proper Preface

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

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.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,

which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:

Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice, made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father, as our Saviour has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever.
Amen.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to tap their breast three times following the example of Fr. David as he utters the words ‘…have mercy, …have mercy and …grant us peace’)**

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This is the Lamb of God , who takes away the sins of the world;

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to strike breast following the example of the Celebrant as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

Please approach the altar with cradled hands if you wish to receive the sacrament, or with the hands behind your back if you wish to receive a blessing. Each communicant responds ‘Amen’ when receiving communion in either kind.

After Communion, there is time for silent prayer and meditation.

THE THANKSGIVING

Let us pray.

Father of all we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. 

Keep us in this hope that we have grasped; so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name.

Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit , be amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us blaze his name abroad,
For of gods he is the God:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

All things living he doth feed,
His full hand supplies their need:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us, with a gladsome mind,
Praise the Lord, for he is kind:
For his mercies ay endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR WORK

Music – use hymns from the same week last year

Here is the music for this week’s hymns, if you would like to practice beforehand.

Performed by Fr. David Price

NOTE: The introductory music is ”Minuet Gothique’ (Suite Gothique) – Boellmann”.