+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening sentence: God of justice and mercy – as I approach Your throne of grace, I am reminded of my unworthiness and confess my sin before You…. Please forgive me.
You raise the dead to life in the Spirit… You bring pardon and peace to the sinner… You bring light to those in darkness… and You forgive all who cry out to You. Lord, have mercy.
A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 146:7-10 (NLT)
He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are weighed down. The Lord loves the godly. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever. He will be your God, O Jerusalem, throughout the generations. Praise the Lord!
A Reading from the Prophet Amos: Amos 6:1a, 4-7 (NLT)
What sorrow awaits you who lounge in luxury in Jerusalem….
How terrible for you who sprawl on ivory beds and lounge on your couches, eating the meat of tender lambs from the flock and of choice calves fattened in the stall. You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David. You drink wine by the bowlful and perfume yourselves with fragrant lotions.
You care nothing about the ruin of your nation. Therefore, you will be the first to be led away as captives. Suddenly, all your parties will end.
A Reading from Paul’s Letter to Timothy: 1 Timothy 6:11-16 (NLT)
But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses.
And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords. He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can approach him. No human eye has ever seen him, nor ever will. All honor and power to him forever! Amen.
A Reading from the Gospel of Luke: Luke 16:19-31 (NLT)
Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores.
“Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side.
“The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’
“But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’
“Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’
“But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’
“The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’
“But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen even if someone rises from the dead.’”
Intercessions:
Lord God – You provide for all who are oppressed… the hungry… the prisoner… the blind… the distressed… the foreigner… and the widow and orphan. Gracious and meciful God – hear my prayer:
- For the godly, all who strive to be disciples of Christ, that they may be filled with faith and love…. + Lord, hear my prayer.
- For the oppressed and exploited of the earth, that they may receive their rightful justice…. + Lord, hear my prayer.
- For those who see me as rich, that I may not be blind to their needs…. + Lord, hear my prayer.
- For people in need in my community, that I may be a true friend…. + Lord, hear my prayer
- For all who mourn the loss of loved ones, that they may be comforted…. + Lord, hear my prayer.
- For all who have died, that they may be raised up at the last day…. + Lord, hear my prayer.
- For my own needs and for those who have asked for my prayer…. + Lord, hear my prayer.
All of this I ask you, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn: “There is a Hope” – Stuart Townend
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
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