27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Opening prayer:

Yours, O God, is the vineyard and its harvest, Yours the kingdom of justice and peace. You call Your people to tend its growth. Bless the work entrusted to our hands, that we may offer You an abundance of just works, a rich harvest of peace. 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: Isaiah 5:1-7 (NLT)

Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.

Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?

Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it. I will make it a wild place where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it.

The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence.
__________

A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 80:9, 12, 13-14, 15-16, 19-20 (NLT)

You cleared the ground for us, and we took root and filled the land.
_____

But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit? The wild boar from the forest devours it, and the wild animals feed on it. Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven’s Armies. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Take care of this grapevine that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown.
_____

Turn us again to yourself, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.
__________

__________

A Reading from the Letters: Philippians 4:6-9 (NLT)

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me — everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
__________

A Reading from the Gospels: Matthew 21:33-43 (NLT)

“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.

“Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

“But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.

“When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”

The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”

Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see.’ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit.”
__________

__________

Intercessions:

Lord God of Heaven’s Armies – You promise peace to those who pray. Hear our prayers and grant us Your peace.:

+ For all Christians – that we may be thankful and content with what we have been given….
Lord, hear us.

+ For those who lead countries and governments – that they may respect human life and work to defend it….
Lord, hear us.

+ For all men and women of goodwill – that they may uphold the sacredness of human life from beginning to end….
Lord, hear us.

+ For those who make decisions over life and death – that they may opt for life, and hope, and peace….
Lord, hear us.

+ For our communities and fellowships – that we may respect and honour each other, as people created in the likeness of God….
Lord, hear us.

+ For people who worry, and for all who suffer – that the peace of God may fill them….
Lord, hear us.

+ For those who have died, especially at the hands of evil people – that eternal peace and comfort may be theirs….
Lord, hear us.

Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, You turn Your face to Your people: let Your grace fill us according to our needs, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
__________

__________

Benediction:

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen