After Pentecost Week 21
Pentecost 21
22 October 2023
A Service of Praise, Prayer and Proclamation
Sentence
Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar ’s, and to God the things that are God’s. Matthew 22.21
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Gracious God, we humbly thank you for life and health and safety, for freedom to work, leisure to rest, and for all that is beautiful in creation and human life. But, above all, we praise you for our Saviour, Jesus Christ, for his death and resurrection; for the gift of your Spirit; and for the hope of sharing in your glory. Fill our hearts with all joy and peace in believing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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O God,
whose beauty is beyond our imagining
and whose power we cannot comprehend:
show us your glory,
as far as we can grasp it,
and shield us from knowing more than we can bear,
until we may look upon you without fear,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Ministry of the Word
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12 Moses said to the LORD , ‘See, you have said to me, “Bring up this people”; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favour in my sight.” 13 Now if I have found favour in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ 14 He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ 15 And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.’ 17 The LORD said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.’ 18 Moses said, ‘Show me your glory, I pray.’ 19 And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The LORD ”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ 21 And the LORD continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’
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1 The Lord is king, let the nations tremble: he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake.
2 The Lord is great in Zion: he is high above all nations.
3 Let them praise your great and terrible name: for holy is the Lord.
4 The Mighty One is king and loves justice: you have established equity, you have dealt righteousness and justice in Jacob.
5 O exalt the Lord our God: and bow down before his footstool, for he is holy.
6 Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his name: they called to the Lord and he answered.
7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud: they kept to his teachings and the law that he gave them.
8 You answered them, O Lord our God: you were a forgiving God to them, and pardoned their wrongdoing.
9 O exalt the Lord our God: and bow down towards his holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy.
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1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. 2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place where your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.
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15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ 21 They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away. 23 The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, 24 ‘Teacher, Moses said, “If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.” 25 Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. 26 The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. 27 Last of all, the woman herself died. 28 In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her.’ 29 Jesus answered them, ‘You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 32 “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”? He is God not of the dead, but of the living.’ 33 And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.
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I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
from there he will come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen. -
Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4.16
Let us now confess our sins to almighty God.
Heavenly Father,
you have loved us with an everlasting love, but we have broken your holy laws and have left undone what we ought to have done.
We are sorry for our sins and turn away from them. For the sake of your Son who died for us, forgive us, cleanse us and change us.
By your Holy Spirit, enable us to live for you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.God desires that none should perish, but that all should turn to Christ, and live. In response to his call we acknowledge our sins. God pardons those who humbly repent, and truly believe the gospel. Therefore we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Ministry of Prayer
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SEASON OF CREATION 2023 PRAYER
Creator of All,
From your communion of love life sprung forth like a mighty river and the whole cosmos came into being.
On this Earth of overflowing love, the Word was made flesh and went forth with
the life-giving waters proclaiming peace and justice for all creation.
You called human beings to till and keep your garden. You placed us into right
relationship with each creature, but we failed to listen to the cries of the Earth
and the cries of the most vulnerable. We broke with the flowing communion of
love and sinned against you by not safeguarding the conditions for life.
We lament the loss of our fellow species and their habitats, we grieve the loss
of human cultures, along with the lives and livelihoods that have been displaced
or perished, and we ache at the sight of an economy of death, war and violence
that we have inflicted on ourselves and on the Earth.
Open our ears to your creative, reconciling and sustaining Word that calls to us
through the book of Scripture and the book of creation. Bless us once again
with your life-giving waters so that the Creator Spirit may let justice and peace
flow in our hearts and overflow into all creation.
Open our hearts to receive the living waters of God’s justice and peace, and to
share it with our suffering brothers and sisters, all creatures around us, and all
creation.
Bless us to walk together with all people of good will so that the many streams
of the living waters of God’s justice and peace may become a mighty river all
over the Earth.
In the name of the One who came to proclaim good news to all creation,
Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Link to Pray Daily from ACSQ
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Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sin
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
The Sending out of God’s People
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Loving God, we thank you for hearing our prayers, feeding us with your word, and encouraging us in our meeting together.
Take us and use us to love and serve you and all people, in the power of your Spirit and in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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May the God of peace equip you with everything good for doing his will, working in you what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.