The Liturgy of the Word

Seventh Sunday After Pentecost

Processional Hymn #432: O Praise Ye the Lord

1 O praise ye the Lord! Praise him in the height;

rejoice in his word, ye angels of light;

ye heavens, adore him by whom ye were made,

and worship before him, in brightness arrayed.

2 O praise ye the Lord! Praise him upon earth,

in tuneful accord, all ye of new birth;

praise him who hath brought you his grace from above,

praise him who hath taught you to sing of his love.

3 O praise ye the Lord! All things that give sound;

each jubilant chord reecho around;

loud organs, his glory forth tell in deep tone,

and sweet harp, the story of what he hath done.

4 O praise ye the Lord! Thanksgiving and song

to him be outpoured all ages along!

For love in creation, for heaven restored,

for grace of salvation, O praise ye the Lord!

Music: Copyright © 1990 Henshaw Music. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission under One License #FBC-A017889. All rights reserved 

The Opening Acclamation

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever. Amen.

The Confession of Sin

Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16)

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Silence may be kept. All pray together, kneeling, as they are able,

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

The Deacon or Lay Celebrant says:

Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.

LEV #243: Glory To God

The Collect of the Day                                 

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

Let us pray. 

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Reading from the Book of Genesis 18:20-32

The Lord said to Abraham, "How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know." So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham came near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" And the Lord said, "If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake." Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there." Again he spoke to him, "Suppose forty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." He said, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." Then he said, "Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it."

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Psalm 138

1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *

before the gods I will sing your praise.

2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your Name, * 

because of your love and faithfulness;

3 For you have glorified your Name * 

and your word above all things.

4 When I called, you answered me;* 

you increased my strength within me.

5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, * 

when they have heard the words of your mouth.

6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, * 

that great is the glory of the Lord.

7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly;*

he perceives the haughty from afar.

8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *

you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.

9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; * 

O Lord, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands.

A Reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Colossians 2:6-15(16-19)

As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; when you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in it. [Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking, and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth that is from God.]

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Sequence Hymn: LEV #122 Close To Thee (Verse 1-2)

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, according to St. Luke 

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, `Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' And he answers from within, `Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sequence Hymn: LEV #122 Close To Thee (Final Verse)

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People, Form IV

Let us pray for the Church and for the world.

Grant, Almighty God, that all who confess your Name may be united in your truth, live together in your love, and reveal your glory in the world. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Guide the people of this land, and of all the nations, in the ways of justice and peace; that we may honor one another and serve the common good. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Give us all a reverence for the earth as your own creation, that we may use its resources rightly in the service of others and to your honor and glory. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Bless all whose lives are closely linked with ours, especially _____ on their birthdays and _____ on their anniversaries; and grant that we may serve Christ in them, and love one another as he loves us. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

Comfort and heal all those who suffer in body, mind, or spirit, especially the people on our Parish Prayer List: _____; give them courage and hope in their troubles, and bring them the joy of your salvation. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

We commend to your mercy all who have died, [especially _____,]  that your will for them may be fulfilled; and we pray that we may share with all your saints in your eternal kingdom. [Silence]

Lord, in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

The Celebrant concludes with the following or some other suitable Collect:

Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Peace

The peace the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Parish Announcements

The Offertory

Ascribe to the Lord the honor due his Name; bring offerings and come into his courts.

Offertory Hymn: LEV #111 Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

The Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow!

Praise him all creatures here below!

Praise him above ye heavenly hosts!

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Grace

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen.

The Recessional Hymn: LEV #181 Amazing Grace

The Dismissal

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]

Thanks be to God! [Alleluia! Alleluia!]