The Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity
Collect
O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers of your people who call upon you;
and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;
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. Amen.
Readings
Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4
1 The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.
The Prophet’s Complaint
2 O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,
and you will not listen?
Or cry to you ‘Violence!’
and you will not save?
3 Why do you make me see wrongdoing
and look at trouble?
Destruction and violence are before me;
strife and contention arise.
4 So the law becomes slack
and justice never prevails.
The wicked surround the righteous—
therefore judgement comes forth perverted.
God’s Reply to the Prophet’s Complaint
2 I will stand at my watch-post,
and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
and what he[a] will answer concerning my complaint.
2 Then the Lord answered me and said:
Write the vision;
make it plain on tablets,
so that a runner may read it.
3 For there is still a vision for the appointed time;
it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it;
it will surely come, it will not delay.
4 Look at the proud!
Their spirit is not right in them,
but the righteous live by their faith.[b]
2 Timothy 1: 1-14
Salutation
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
2 To Timothy, my beloved child:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
3 I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4 Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher,[a] 12 and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.[b] 13 Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.
Luke 17:5-10
5 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ 6 The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a[a] mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea”, and it would obey you.
7 ‘Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? 8 Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? 9 Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’
Prayers
Let us pray for the church and for the world and let us thank God for his goodness.
At this harvest time we pray for every Christian person, that learning from creation, we may allow God to work in us and grow in our faith and trust in him, We pray for the world, that there may be a more just distribution of the good gifts of creation, that none may go hungry and all may be satisfied. May we generously support causes that distribute aid and support those with influence who lobby for greater equity across societies.
We pray Father for your grace to world leaders. Restore peace where there is continuing strife, not only in Ukraine, but in Africa, the Far East, & the Middle East. In particular, we pray for the success of the negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza and for a just and fair permanent resolution of the hostilities. At home we pray for wisdom for our government and police in the light of the atrocity in Manchester and for communities affected by racial and cultural tensions where some of their citizens live in constant fear. May we all learn that violence and hatred are not the way to manage conflicting beliefs and political ideas and be willing to listen to one another, respect one another, love one another.
Lord we pray today for your Church, carrying a gospel of forgiveness and freedom which is so much needed in our world. Thank you for those with a gift of sharing this good news in evangelism; thank you for those with a gift of sharing this good news in the way they live. We pray for the leaders of our own local churches, give them strength, energy and wisdom. Give us all the courage and the willingness to be your witnesses in ways that are generous and respectful, and which come for an overflow of our love and delight in you
In the light of the appointment of Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, as the next Archbishop of Canterbury, we pray,
Almighty and everlasting God,
the only worker of great marvels,
send down upon your servant Sarah,
called to be Archbishop of Canterbury
and all who are committed to her care,
the spirit of your saving grace,
and that they may truly please you,
pour upon them the continual dew of your blessing.
Grant this, O Lord,
for the honour of our advocate and mediator,
Jesus Christ. Amen
Lord, help us please always to make a home for you in our hearts and to receive within that home the neighbours and friends and especially the strangers whom we meet. We bring to you the joys and worries, the frustrations and accomplishments of this week in the lives we have met and shared. As we pray, let your light shine into all these lives for fresh directing and lasting good. We bring to you also those we know who are ill or suffering in any way. Give them healing, restore them in body, mind and spirit, and may they know the comfort of your indwelling Spirit.
Holy Spirit, light up grace within us. Let us be kindling. Let us burn with love. Stir into flames your acts of love in our lives.
Amen
You may also wish to include the following in your prayers:
Woodfield Team Prayer
God our Father,
You long to draw all people into your love;
increase in number your church here
and throughout the Woodfield Team,
deepen us as followers and learners of Christ and give us courage to share
the good news of your kingdom.
We pray this in the power of your Spirit,
to the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen