The Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost
Opening
Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
Come, let us worship God our King.
Come, let us worship Christ, our King and our God.
Come, let us worship Christ among us, our King and our God.
Holy God,
holy and mighty,
holy immortal one,
have mercy upon us. (3x)
Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
From Psalm 51
Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
A Psalm
Psalm 84
Quam dilecta!
How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
Happy are they who dwell in your house! they will always be praising you.
Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.
Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
They will climb from height to height, and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; hearken, O God of Jacob.
Behold our defender, O God; and look upon the face of your Anointed.
For one day in your courts is better than a thousand in my own room, and to stand at the threshold of the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of the wicked.
For the Lord God is both sun and shield; he will give grace and glory;
No good thing will the Lord withhold from those who walk with integrity.
O Lord of hosts, happy are they who put their trust in you!
Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
The Readings
2 Corinthians 6:1–10
Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says,
“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks Be to God
Matthew 25:14–30
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Word of the Lord
Thanks Be to God
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Examen
In God's presence, think through the day ahead:
the work you will do, the people you will encounter,
the dangers or uncertainties you face,
the possibilities for joy and acts of kindness,
any particular resolutions you need to renew,
consider what might draw you from the love of God and neighbor,
the opportunities you will have to know and serve God and to grow in virtue,
remember those closest to you and all for whom you have agreed to pray,
ask God's blessings, guidance, and strength in all that lies before you.
Gather up these thoughts and reflections in the words
Our Savior taught us to say:
The Lord’s Prayer
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, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Collects of the Day
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Closing Prayers
A Prayer of St. Chrysostom
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.
Glory be to the + Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
now and always and forever and ever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy! (3x)
God, be gracious to us and bless us and shine Your countenance upon us and have mercy on us.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!
The Father+ is my hope; the Son, my refuge; the Holy Spirit, my protection:
All-Holy Trinity, glory to You!
Amen!
Psalms from The Book of Common Prayer 1979
Scripture Readings:
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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