St George's Rod And Staff St George The Martyr KR

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost | Children's Ministry Day | Month of Compassion | Women's Month

Theme: It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him

COLLECT
O God, Architect of our faith: build in us the assurance of our hope, and the conviction of your faithfulness, that we will be ready to receive the treasure of Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


READING from Isaiah 1: 1, 10-20
10 Jerusalem, your rulers and your people are like those of Sodom and Gomorrah. Listen to what the Lord is saying to you. Pay attention to what our God is teaching you.
11 He says, “Do you think I want all these sacrifices you keep offering to me? I have had more than enough of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the fat of your fine animals. I am tired of the blood of bulls and sheep and goats.
18 The Lord says, “Now, let's settle the matter. You are stained red with sin, but I will wash you as clean as snow. Although your stains are deep red, you will be as white as wool.
19 If you will only obey me, you will eat the good things the land produces.
20 But if you defy me, you are doomed to die. I, the Lord, have spoken.”

READING from Hebrews 11: 1-3, 8-16
8 It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him. He left his own country without knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him. He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God.
10 For Abraham was waiting for the city which God has designed and built, the city with permanent foundations.

GOSPEL according to Luke 12: 32-40
32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.
33 Sell all your belongings and give the money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy them.
34 For your heart will always be where your riches are.
35 “Be ready for whatever comes, dressed for action and with your lamps lit,
36 like servants who are waiting for their master to come back from a wedding feast. When he comes and knocks, they will open the door for him at once.


BENEDICTION
Go now like those prepared for the Lord to return.
Cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, rescue the oppressed.
Give freely to those in need
and let your treasure be in the things of heaven.

And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.

Eigth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: Set your hearts on the things that are in heaven.

COLLECT
Generous God, you give us all things in abundance:
help us to hold lightly the fading things of this earth
so that we may grasp tightly the lasting things of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


READING from Hosea 11: 1-11
The Lord says, “When Israel was a child, I loved him and called him out of Egypt as my son.
2 But the more I called to him, the more he turned away from me.
My people sacrificed to Baal;
they burned incense to idols.
3 Yet I was the one who taught Israel to walk.
I took my people up in my arms,
but they did not acknowledge that I took care of them.

READING from Colossians 3: 1-11
5 You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry).
6 Because of such things God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him.
7 At one time you yourselves used to live according to such desires, when your life was dominated by them.
8 But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips.
9 Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self wit

GOSPEL according to Luke 12: 13-21
19 And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'

20 But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?'

21 So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."


BENEDICTION
Go now as those raised with Christ,
wondering at God’s great love
and telling the story of your salvation.
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed
and set your minds on the ways of heaven.


We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.

Incompatible schedules means there's no fresh episode, but the Archdeacon and Lindsey will return next week for more exploration of faith during this time of crisis.

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: Intimacy with you/Lord, is the better part

COLLECT
Lord Jesus Christ, you are the image of the invisible God:
empower us to proclaim you, so that all the world will choose the better part, intimacy with you; for you live and reign in the Unity of the Blessed Trinity, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READING from Amos 8: 1-12
I had another vision from the Sovereign Lord. In it I saw a basket of fruit.
2 The Lord asked, “Amos, what do you see?”
“A basket of fruit,” I answered.
The Lord said to me, “The end has come for my people Israel. I will not change my mind again about punishing them.
3 On that day the songs in the palace will become cries of mourning. There will be dead bodies everywhere. They will be cast out in silence.”

READING from Colossians 1: 15-28
15 Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things.
16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him.
17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.
18 He is the head of his body, the church; he is the source of the body's life. He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things.
25 And I have been made a servant of the church by God, who gave me this task to perform for your good. It is the task of fully proclaiming his message,
26 which is the secret he hid through all past ages from all human beings but has now revealed to his people.
27 God's plan is to make known his secret to his people, this rich and glorious secret which he has for all peoples. And the secret is that Christ is in you, which means that you will share in the glory of God.

GOSPEL according to Luke 10: 38-42
40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me."
41 But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;
42 there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.



BENEDICTION
Go now, trusting in God’s love forever
and always giving thanks.
Do not be worried or distracted,
nor shift from the hope promised in the gospel,
but choose the better way,
uprooting injustice
and proclaiming Christ with all wisdom.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.


James Webb Space Telescope images: https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2022/news-2022-028

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: "The gospel keeps bringing blessings and is spreading throughout the world? True, false or you don’t know?”

COLLECT
O God of compassion and mercy: open our hearts to the needs of our neighbours that we may serve Christ in them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

READING from Amos 7: 7-17
14 Amos answered, “I am not the kind of prophet who prophesies for pay. I am a herdsman, and I take care of fig trees.
15 But the Lord took me from my work as a shepherd and ordered me to come and prophesy to his people Israel.
16 So now listen to what the Lord says. You tell me to stop prophesying, to stop raving against the people of Israel.

READING from Colossians 1: 1-14
4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all God's people.
5 When the true message, the Good News, first came to you, you heard about the hope it offers. So, your faith and love are based on what you hope for, which is kept safe for you in heaven.
6 The gospel keeps bringing blessings and is spreading throughout the world, just as it has among you ever since the day you first heard about the grace of God and came to know it as it really is.

GOSPEL according to Luke 10: 25-37
25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

26 He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?"

27 He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself."

28 And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."


BENEDICTION
God has rescued us from the power of darkness
and brought us safe into the Kingdom of Christ Jesus.
In him, and through him we have redemption
and the forgiveness of sins; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.


We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Theme: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few"

COLLECT
O God, you make all things new: make us ministers of your transforming power that all may share in the healing Christ brings; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

READING from 2 Kings 5: 1-14
13 His servants went up to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?”
14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child.

READING from Galatians 6: 7-16
12 The people who are trying to force you to be circumcised are the ones who want to show off and boast about external matters. They do it, however, only so that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
13 Even those who practice circumcision do not obey the Law; they want you to be circumcised so that they can boast that you submitted to this physical ceremony.
14 As for me, however, I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; for by means of his cross the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world.
15 It does not matter at all whether or not one is circumcised; what does matter is being a new creature.
16 As for those who follow this rule in their lives, may peace and mercy be with them—with them and with all of God's people!

GOSPEL according to Luke 10: 1-11; 16-20
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.

2 He said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.

4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road.

5 Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!'

6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you.

7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!"

18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.

19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you.

20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."


BENEDICTION
Go now, and proclaim that the reign of God is near.
Travel lightly, but bear one another’s burdens,
and so, fulfil the law of Christ.
Work for the good of all,
avoid temptation,
and pray that God will send more labourers into the harvest.

And may God give you mercy and peace;
May Christ Jesus give you power over all that would harm you;
And may the Holy Spirit produce within you
a rich harvest of joy and life.

We go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
In the name of Christ. Amen.