Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 1 September 2019, is the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity (Trinity X).
The appointed readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are in two groups: the continuous and the paired readings.
The readings are:
Continuous readings: Jeremiah 2: 4-13; Psalm 81: 1, 10-16; Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16; Luke 14: 1, 7-14 Link HERE.
Paired readings: Sirach 10: 12-18 or Proverbs 25: 6-7; Psalm 112; Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16; Luke 14: 1, 7-14. Link HERE
Introducing the readings:
The readings next Sunday are a reminder that God invites the humble and the sinful to dine with him, to be part of the Kingdom of God, or as the Collect of the Word says, ‘to take their place in the festive assembly of the new covenant.’
As that collect reminds us too, we are challenged in these readings to honour ‘the presence of the Lord in the poor and the outcast, so that we may learn to recognise each other as brothers and sisters gathered around your table.’
In addition, the Season of Creation is celebrated throughout the Christian world from 1 September, the Feast of Creation, to 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
This year, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches and the World Council of Churches have united in celebrating this special time.
Resources for Sunday and weekday services throughout the Season of Creation were posted on this site last week (21 August 2019) HERE.
Each week during this season, these pages are also offering resources and reflections on the Sunday Gospel reading related to the theme of the Season of Creation, which have been circulated by the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Revd Kenneth Kearon.
Jeremiah 2: 4-13:
In the few verses before this reading (verses 1-3), God remembers the loving relationship he had with the people during the Exodus and their wandering in the wilderness. They were the ‘first fruits’ of his creation, but their later behaviour led to disaster in the Promised Land.
Now, through the words spoken by Jeremiah, God confronts the people about this behaviour. They are asked to consider whether they were led out of Egypt and through the wilderness, through deserts and pits, through drought and deep darkness, to a land filled with fruit and good things, to defile the land, to act unjustly, and to worship false gods. Their leaders, the priests, rulers and prophets, have led them astray (verses 4-8).
God asks them to consider whether any other people, from east to west, would behave like this (verses 9-11).
God is the fountain of living water, but they have abandoned him and turned to false gods, cracked cisterns that can hold no water (verses 12-13).
Psalm 81: 1, 10-16:
Psalm may have been written to sing at the autumn harvest thanksgiving.
In this portion (verses 1, 10-16), the people are reminded that God is the same God who delivered them from slavery and oppression in Egypt, and brought them into a land of plenty (verse 10).
But they did not listen to God’s voice, and went their own ways (verses 11-12). Nevertheless, God promises that if listen to God’s word and laws once again, then he will defend them and feed them with plenty (verses 13-16).
Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16:
We have come to the end of our series of readings from the Letter to the Hebrews, which began on 11 August (Trinity VIII). In concluding this letter, the anonymous writer offers guidance to members of the Church. He urges them to welcome strangers, for them may find, like Abraham at Mamre, that when they welcome strangers they are entertaining angels … and in welcoming angels, Abraham found himself in the presence of the Lord God (see Genesis 18: 1-15).
The writer urges his readers to live an ethical life, which includes remembering those in prison, caring for those who are tortured, honouring marriage commitments, avoiding financial greed, and imitating the lifestyle of their apostolic teachers.
We are to continue to worship God, but this involves doing good and sharing what we have.
Luke 14: 1, 7-14:
In this Gospel reading, Saint Luke continues his series of Christ’s sayings about entering the Kingdom of God. He has healed a person on the sabbath (verses 2-6), and he is invited to a Sabbath meal with a prominent Pharisee.
The gathering of God’s elect at the end of time is commonly depicted as a wedding banquet, at which the host is God. The translation of the word in verses 7 and 8 as ‘guests’ in the NRSV and other versions of the New Testament fails to quite capture how the Greek word says these people have not just been invited but called specifically by their names, chosen individually.
But when we are invited to the heavenly banquet, be that the Eucharist or the Kingdom of God, we are to realise that this is an open invitation. The very people the author of the Letter of the Hebrews reminds us about, the ones we see as humble and humbled, have been invited to the banquet too.
Remembering this should be a cautionary reminder of how we behave in our homes and in our churches, at our own tables, too.
Luke 14: 1, 7-14:
1 On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.
7 When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour, he told them a parable. 8 ‘When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; 9 and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. 11 For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
12 He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’
Liturgical Resources:
Liturgical Colour: Green
The Collect of the Day:
O God,
you declare your almighty power
most chiefly in showing mercy and pity:
Mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace,
that we, running the way of your commandments,
may receive your gracious promises,
and be made partakers of your heavenly treasure;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Collect of the Word:
O God,
you invite the humble and the sinful
to take their place in the festive assembly of the new covenant:
teach your Church always to honour
the presence of the Lord in the poor and the outcast,
so that we may learn to recognise each other
as brothers and sisters gathered around your table.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Lord of all mercy,
we your faithful people have celebrated
the memorial of that single sacrifice
which takes away our sins and brings pardon and peace.
By our communion
keep us firm on the foundation of the gospel
and preserve us from all sin;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Suggested Hymns:
Jeremiah 2: 4-13:
645, Father, hear the prayer we offer
646, Glorious things of thee are spoken
553, Jesu, lover of my soul
303, Lord of the Church, we pray for our renewing
557, Rock of ages, cleft for me
Psalm 81: 1, 10-16
332, Come, let us join our cheerful songs
48, God in his love for us, lent us this planet
360, Let all the world in every corner sing
44, Praise and thanksgiving, Father, we offer
Sirach 10: 12-18:
630, Blessed are the pure in heart
294, Come down, O Love divine
638, O for a heart to praise my God
Proverbs 25: 6-7:
630, Blessed are the pure in heart
Psalm 112:
591, O happy day that fixed my choice
Hebrews 13: 1-8, 15-16:
10, All my hope on God is founded
516, Belovèd, let us love: love is of God
86, Christ is the King! O friends, rejoice
410, Dearest Jesus, at your word
350, For the beauty of the earth
525, Let there be love shared among us
103, O Christ the same, through all our story’s pages
362, O God beyond all praising
366, Praise, my soul, the King of heaven
499, When I needed a neighbour, were you there
344, When morning gilds the skies
Luke 14: 1, 7-14:
684, All praise to thee, for thou, O King divine
630, Blessed are the pure in heart
433, My God, your table here is spread
712, Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
451, We come as guest invited
Season of Creation, 2019
The Season of Creation is celebrated throughout the Christian world from 1 September, the feast of Creation, to 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
This year, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches and the World Council of Churches have united in celebrating this special time.
Resources for Sunday and weekday services throughout the Season of Creation were posted on this site last week (21 August 2019) HERE.
Each week during this season, these pages are also offering resources and reflections on the Sunday Gospel reading related to the theme of the Season of Creation, which have been circulated by the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Revd Kenneth Kearon.
Penitential Service for the Season of Creation 2019:
Introduction:
O Gracious God, Creator Spirit, you have given order, light and life to the world and you have expressed delight in your creation. You commanded us to till and care for the garden. And yet, we have trampled on the beauty of your creation and neglected to keep your Word.
And so:
We confess that the way we live today is changing the climate of our earth, polluting oceans and rivers with plastics, and interfering with the balances of the life-systems of mother earth, and hurting the poor.
Lord, have mercy.
We have been exploiting the resources of our common home, stealing the birth right of future generations, and neglecting to care for creation as a gift from God to be cultivated.
Christ, have mercy.
We acknowledge that we have neglected to protect the biodiversity of our planet, poisoned the atmosphere with toxic gases, and failed to share the resources of the earth equitably and justly.
Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, pardon us for our sins against the integrity of creation, and inspire us to work towards a new heaven and a new earth, Amen.
Homily or Gospel Reflection by Jane Mellett:
In today’s Gospel, Jesus uses the image of a Great Banquet to explain God’s vision for our world. He speaks of a place where those who consider themselves entitled to the highest seats at the table take the low seats. He urges us to invite the poor, the lame and the blind to this celebration. Jesus encourages us to turn the world upside down, a reversal, an upheaval, where the preferred option is for the poor and those considered ‘least’ in society.
Today is also an important day in the Christian calendar as we begin the Season of Creation (from 1 September until the Feast of Saint Francis on 4 October).
Pope Francis asks all Christians to embrace this season in prayer, in living more sustainably and in raising our voices in the public sphere. We are invited to think more deeply about what is happening at present to the Earth, the environmental destruction which now threatens our world, our common home. The theme this year is ‘The Web of Life.’
The most vulnerable among us are suffering most deeply as this web of life begins to unravel. Our faith calls us to respond to this crisis with urgency. Let us hear the Gospel message today where we are called to consider those on the margins, this includes those most at risk from climate breakdown, and let us commit to working towards a world where all are seated at the banquet.
Suggestion for the week: Find out more and see what you can do as a parish community during this season of creation at www.seasonofcreation.org
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)
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