THE FIFTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY (SEPT. 28TH)

CHRIST TEACHING ON THE MOUNTAIN OF THE BIRDS & LILLIES

INTROIT

PSALM 86

Bow down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me: my God, save thy servant, that putteth his trust in thee. Be merciful unto me, O Lord, for I will call daily upon thee. Comfort the soul of thy servant, for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

COLLECTS 

Keep, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with thy perpetual mercy; and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALMIGHTY FATHER, whose holy Son Jesus Christ was born of a pure and Sinless Virgin, grant that like as we do pray once more for the renewal and conversion of England, so may she whose dowry England is, provide her intercession with thy son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O ALMIGHTY GOD, who didst raise up thy servant St. Silouan to the heights of humility and unceasing prayer: Grant us grace, we beseech thee, to keep our minds in thy holy presence, even in times of trial, and to trust in thy boundless mercy; that following his example, we may love our enemies, pray for the world, and find in Thee our eternal rest; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O GRACIOUS LORD, who didst endue thy holy servant Thecla with boldness to proclaim thy Gospel and with steadfastness to endure all manner of trials: Grant us, we beseech thee, a like courage and devotion, that, being inspired by her example, we may with unshaken faith bear witness to thy truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who gavest to the Blessed Bishop Lancelot Andrewes many gifts of Thy Holy Spirit, forming him into a man of prayer, a brave pastor, and a leader towards catholicity within the English Church: perfect in us that which is lacking in our faith, to increase it, of hope, to establish it, of love, to kindle it, that we may live in the light of Thy grace and glory, and express the fullness of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Faith within the Anglican Patrimony; through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast revealed unto thy holy Apostle and Evangelist Saint John the deep things of thy Word, and through him hast borne witness unto the Eternal Word made flesh, thy Son Jesus Christ: Grant, we beseech thee, that we, being illumined by the light of his doctrine, and inflamed with the fire of his love, may ever hold fast the truth of the Gospel, and walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON

NUMBERS 6:1-27

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head, until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. All the days that he separateth himself unto the Lord he shall come at no dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because the consecration of his God is upon his head. All the days of his separation he is holy unto the Lord.

And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it. And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day. And he shall consecrate unto the Lord the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering, but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.

And this is the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and he shall offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings, and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their drink offerings. And the priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering, and he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread, the priest shall offer also his meat offering, and his drink offering.

And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven. And the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord, this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and heave shoulder, and after that the Nazarite may drink wine. This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get, according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them, The Lord bless thee, and keep thee. The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

EPISTLE

GALATIANS 6:11-18

Ye see how large a letter I have written unto you with mine own hand. As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised, only lest they should suffer persecution for the cross of Christ. For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From henceforth let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

GRADUAL

PSALM 92

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy Name, O Most Highest. To tell of thy lovingkindness early in the morning, and of thy truth in the night-season.

ALLELUIA

PSALM 95

Alleluia, alleluia. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. Alleluia.

THE HOLY GOSPEL

ST. MATTHEW 6:24-34

No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they toil not, neither do they spin. And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

OFFERTORY

PSALM 40

I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me. He heard my calling, and he hath put a new song in my mouth, even a thanksgiving unto our God.

SECRET

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that this saving Victim may effectually avail, both for the cleansing of our souls from all their sins, and for the obtaining of the favour of thine almighty power. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

COMMUNION

ST. JOHN 6:51

The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

POSTCOMMUNION

Grant, O Lord, we pray thee, that this holy Sacrament may in such wise cleanse and defend us, that we may thereby attain to the fulfilment of everlasting salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.