Today Is: Proper 23

Collect for: Proper 23
Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament
Isaiah 25:1-9

1 O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. 2 For You have made a city a ruin, A fortified city a ruin, A palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt. 3 Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You. 4 For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. 5 You will reduce the noise of aliens, As heat in a dry place; As heat in the shadow of a cloud, The song of the terrible ones will be diminished. 6 And in this mountain The LORD of hosts will make for all people A feast of choice pieces, A feast of wines on the lees, Of fat things full of marrow, Of well-refined wines on the lees. 7 And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. 9 And it will be said in that day: 'Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'

Officiant: The Word of the Lord.
The People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm
Psalm 106

1 Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. 2 Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? Who can declare all His praise? 3 Blessed are those who keep justice, And he who does righteousness at all times! 4 Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people; Oh, visit me with Your salvation, 5 That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, That I may glory with Your inheritance. 48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, 'Amen!' Praise the LORD!

*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
Philippians 4:4-7

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Officiant: The Word of the Lord.
The People: Thanks be to God.

Gospel
Matthew 22:1-14

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 Matthew.
People: Glory to You, Lord Christ.
Deacon: We are reading from Matthew's Gospel chapter 22, beginning at verse 1.

1 And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said: 2 The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, 3 and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. 4 Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, 'See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding.' ' 5 But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business. 6 And the rest seized his servants, treated them spitefully, and killed them. 7 But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy. 9 Therefore go into the highways, and as many as you find, invite to the wedding.' 10 So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests. 11 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. 12 So he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?' And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.'

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 23

Brothers and sisters, let us ask God to look upon us with mercy as we lift up our prayers for ourselves and for those of the whole world.

That the Patriarch, all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons will live holy and righteous lives for the Glory of God and be an example to His people.
Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

That the witness of those who are persecuted for Christ's sake will lead to the conversion of their oppressors.
Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

That the Church will take seriously Her call to be a household of prayer for all nations.
Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

That the Jewish people will come to know Jesus as their promised Messiah.

Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

That we will set our minds and hearts on the things above and not on the things of this world.
Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

That we would have eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to respond to what the Holy Spirit is saying and doing in our lives.
Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

For our own special intentions. (Pause)
Lord in Your mercy,            Hear our prayer.

Most Merciful God, You have called us to be a kingdom of priests unto our God.
Hear our prayer and give us the grace to be fruitful for the sake of Your Kingdom.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN