Today Is: Proper 18
Sun, 04 Sep 2022 -- The Lectionary Cycle is: C

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Collect for: Proper 18 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. Old Testament Deuteronomy 30:15-20 15 See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, 16 in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, 18 I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; 20 that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.' 1 Officiant: The Word of the Lord. The People: Thanks be to God. Psalm Psalm 139 1 O LORD, You have searched me and known me. 2 You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 3 You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. 4 For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 5 You have hedged me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 11 If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,' Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Everything we owe, everything we give; for You have given us life. *At the end of the Psalms this is sung or said Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: * as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. New Testament Philemon 2:4-16 4 I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, 5 hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, 6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. 8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you -- being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ -- 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. 15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave -- a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. Officiant: The Word of the Lord. The People: Thanks be to God. Gospel Luke 14:26-33 Introduction to the Gospel: Deacon:The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Or And with your spirit Deacon: May the Lord be on our minds, on our lips, and on our hearts as we hear His Holy Gospel. The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke. People: Glory to You, Lord Christ. Deacon: We are reading from Luke's Gospel chapter 14, beginning at verse 26. 26 If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. After the Gospel reading, the deacon elevates the book and says: Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to You, Lord Christ. Prayers of the People Prayers of the People for: Proper 18 Brothers and sisters, having been encouraged by God's Word, let us confidently lift up our hearts to Him in prayer for our needs and those of the whole world. That the Church will be filled with the wisdom of the Holy Spirit able to distinguish what the Will of the Lord is. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That nations ravaged by violence and oppression will enter a new era of peace, freedom, and prosperity. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That our school and universities will become centers for sound learning and the pursuit of wisdom and where Jesus is taught to be the source of all truth. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That we will have the same attitude as God toward brothers and sisters who repent, that is 'to remember their sins no more'. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That those who are making important life-changing decisions will acknowledge God in all their ways and trust Him for guidance. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That those who are preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony will understand the importance of forgiveness and sacrificial living. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. That we will desire God above all else and forsake all for His Kingdom. Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer. God of all the ages, You concern Yourself with our going out and our coming in. Hear our prayer and give us the grace to remain in Your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN