16TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
Opening prayer:
Holy Spirit: Call us to worship and teach us to pray – that we might glorify the name of the Lord.
O God, patient and forbearing, You alone know fully the goodness of what You have made. Strengthen our spirit when we are slow and temper our zeal when we are rash, that in Your own good time You may produce in us a rich harvest from the seed You have sown and tended. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
__________
__________
A Reading from the Old testament: Exodus 34:5-7 (NLT)
Then the Lord came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected — even children in the third and fourth generations.”
__________
A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16 (NLT)
O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry.
_____
All the nations you made will come and bow before you, Lord; they will praise your holy name. For you are great and perform wonderful deeds. You alone are God.
_____
But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. Look down and have mercy on me. Give your strength to your servant; save me, the son of your servant.
__________
__________
A Reading from the Letters: Romans 8:26-27 (NLT)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
__________
A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 13:24-30 (NLT)
Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.
“The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’
“‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed.
“‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked.
“‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”
__________
__________
Intercessions:
Holy Spirit guide us as we bring our needs to the Father:
+ For all who try to live as Christians – that they may receive the grace and power required to rise above the evil around them….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those who have never known faith – that the Good News of Your saving mercy may transform their lives….
Lord, hear us.
+ For people who are finding life difficult at the moment – that the kindness of believing friends may reassure them of God’s care….
Lord, hear us.
+ For the young, as they search for truth – that the seeds of faith sown in them may bear abundant fruit….
Lord, hear us.
+ For those whose earthly journey is over – that our forgiving God may welcome them to their eternal home….
Lord, hear us.
God of love and compassion, You do marvellous deeds: hear the cries of our hearts today, especially for those we love, and hasten to fulfill Your perfect will in all our lives – we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.
__________
__________
+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen
The Peanut Gallery 