Collect, Readings and Prayers for the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
Collect
O God,
forasmuch as without you we are not able to please you;
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit
may in all things direct and rule our hearts;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Readings
Exodus 32:1-14
The Golden Calf
32 When the people of Israel saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron and said to him, ‘Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 2 Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ 3 So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took the gold from them, formed it in a mould, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord.’ 6 They rose early the next day, and offered burnt-offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.
7 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”’ 9 The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. 10 Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.’
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, “It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth”? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, “I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.”’ 14 And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.
OR
Isaiah 25:1-9
Praise for Deliverance from Oppression
25 O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
5 the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.
6 On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-matured wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-matured wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8 he will swallow up death for ever.
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Philippians 4:1-9
1 My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
Exhortations
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Matthew 22:1-14
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
22 Once more Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees in parables, saying: 2 ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 3 He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” 5 But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. 7 The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” 10 Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11 ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, 12 and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.’
Prayers
In the Gospel reading, we hear of a King who prepares a banquet and invites all to come. Confident in God's generous love and mercy, let us bring before him our prayers of intercession.
- Loving God we hold the needs of our sisters and brothers as dearly as our own needs. Help us to love you with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds and to love our neighbours as ourselves. With these commandments before us we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions on behalf of the church and the world.
- Lord Jesus, it’s a shameful thing when You have sent invitations to all who will come but we stand at the door and turn people away. It is shameful how we find ways to justify, in Your Name, the lines we draw between us, the exclusions and suspicions, the greed and power-plays that harm the least, and protect our special interests. And so we pray: lift us above our pettiness and self-protection, and use us as Your agents of justice and mercy; may Your grace open our doors, stretch out our arms and turn our attention to the excluded, rejected and neglected ones and may Your love release our energies, ignite our abilities and inspire our action to heal those who carry the scars of abuse, war and disease, to comfort those who grieve the loss of loved ones or opportunities, to restore the ones who have failed or fallen, to nurture the life that breaks out in every person and every part of our planet. And make us heralds of Your kingdom who extend Your invitation to all who will listen. Amen.
- O God, Source of life and peace,
We turn to You in our neighbourhoods, towns, and cities across England. Bless our communities with understanding, respect, and enduring harmony.
We pray for Your protection and comfort for the Jewish community here and everywhere, and for all people who call this land home.
Heal the wounds of division, fear, and prejudice.
Replace hostility with hospitality, and suspicion with a shared desire for the common good. Amen
- Father God, our hearts break as we hear about the dreadful conditions that so many of your children around the globe have to endure. We can turn off the news or stop reading when it gets too depressing…. they have to live it day in, day out. There is no choice. Foremost in most of our minds will be the escalation of violence…. We pray for the those in areas of war and violence who are working to find peaceful solutions to the causes underlying the conflicts and to bring an end to the fighting. May your voice, your peace, your love, prevail. Amen
- While we live in comparative comfort and enjoy freedom, we are also painfully aware that many are fighting their own battles. So many in our communities, and also in our churches, are struggling with their situations: poor physical or mental health, their own or of a loved one; loneliness, financial stresses, abuse, grief…. So many live in fear and uncertainty wondering how they can carry on. Pour your strength into those who feel weak, your peace into those who are anxious, your wisdom into those with difficult decisions to make…. and may we be your hands and feet to help them along the way and in so doing, bring your good news to all in need. Amen
- Merciful God, your Son Jesus was moved to tears at the grave of Lazarus his friend. Look with compassion on those bereaved and grieving at the loss of a loved one; give to their troubled hearts the light of hope and strengthen in all of us the gift of faith, in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
- A Prayer of Pope Leo XIV for World Mental Health Day
God of life,
You know the innermost depths of our hearts –
the light and shadows within us,
the silent wounds that sometimes no one sees.
We bring before you our brothers and sisters
who struggle with challenges to their mental health,
who suffer in solitude with anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness.
You call them by name, with tenderness,
and in You they find dignity and hope.
Forgive us for the times we have looked the other way,
feeding the stigma and discrimination of persons with mental illnesses.
May your Church be an open house,
a safe space where everyone has a place –
a community that accompanies and never excludes,
that listens without judging and draws near without fear.
We pray to you, Lord, for those who care:
professionals, family members, volunteers –
men and women who, with patience and love,
build bridges of understanding and comfort.
Give them strength and compassion to sustain others.
Send your Spirit upon us,
that we may learn to welcome and integrate care for mental health
into the life and ministry of our communities and of the whole Church,
and thus become a living sign of your mercy,
which never abandons and always restores. Amen.
- Prison Week Prayer
Lord, you offer freedom to all people. We pray for those in prison. Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist. Support with your love prisoners and their families and friends, prison staff and all who care. Heal those who have been wounded by the actions of others, especially the victims of crime. Help us to forgive one another, to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly together with Christ in his strength and his Spirit, now and every day. Amen.
- For those who do not know you, who do not know the depths of your love and care, who live with poverty of spirit and understanding, confusion and denial of you. For them all, may your Spirit speak to them and may the deeds and the words and the actions of how we live, shine with your Spirit for them. For those who know you but know they fall short of what you call them to be, give them encouragement to strive more and learn more and believe more. Amen
- We pray for those who find it within them to forgive others who really repent, those who forgive for the good of others and society, those who show mercy and compassion. We pray also for those who daily, no matter what the cost to themselves, speak out your words of truth, who live lives reflecting your glory, who each day step-out to help and heal and care and show your love even in face of danger. Amen
- Faithful God, at the start of this new week and recognising your trust in us to live and preach the Gospel make us always more ready to please you rather than to seek the praise of the secular world. Amen