Sunday readings and prayers

THE EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

The collect for the Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity

Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us your gift of faith that, forsaking what lies behind and reaching out to that which is before, we may run the way of your commandments and win the crown of everlasting joy; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Our readings  speak of the need for perseverance. Jacob wrestles all night long and prevails. Jesus tells about a vulnerable woman who persists in her quest for justice and gets what she needs. Faithfulness in prayer and commitment are marks of the Christian life.

First Reading:  Genesis 32: 22-31                                                                                               

Jacob got up, took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the day is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’ Then the man said, ‘You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.’ Then Jacob asked him, ‘Please tell me your name.’ But he said, ‘Why is it that you ask my name?’ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.’ The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.                                                                                          Jacob wrestles with the angel   Maurice Denis

Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be movedand he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;

5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,

6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.

8 The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.

Second Reading - 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 

Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully. 

Gospel Reading -  Luke 18:1-8 

Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, ‘In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?’

Parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge

At the time of Jesus, widows had no rights and were left to the mercy of the community. The  corrupt judge would have had little interest in her plight. The implication is that if such a wicked man will give in when he tires of the widow's pleas, then surely a just, merciful, and loving God will not hesitate to answer our prayers. When we pray, real lasting change can take place – though not always in the way we expect.

Almighty God,

You are a God of compassion and love.

Time after time we have experienced your care and provision.

Time after time You have answered our prayers and met our needs—

often in ways we could never have dreamed possible.

We praise You for Your faithful love toward us.

Because we have known Your love,

we come to You with confidence,

offering our prayers for the world that You love.

We see so much pain and suffering;

so much anger and frustration and despair.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the needs around us.

But we continue to bring our prayers to You in faith,

because we know that nothing is impossible for You.

You are the God who rained down bread from heaven,

and made water flow from a rock in the desert;

the God who resurrected Jesus Christ from the dead,

and who brings new life and hope to all who believe.

For You, all things are possible.

Hear our prayers.                                                    Christine Longhurst    re-worship.blogspot

- Heavenly Father, we pray  for those in high positions across the world who have the influence to  bring peace and eradicate poverty.  We pray too for our own country at this time of political tension. Guide our elected leaders and inspire them to act with integrity, putting the common good before personal ambition. May they  be given true discernment and vision to act justly and to do what is right, knowing that only you can give that true peace that we seek for our country and our neighbours.                     

- We pray for families who are struggling with the cost of living crisis and  for those whose financial worries have completely taken over their lives. May they find new hope and  a helping hand along the way.  Lord, open our eyes to your loving presence in the world  and show us how we can respond wholeheartedly and with generosity to the needs of others.                                                                  

-We pray for those who are unwell, thinking especially of ............................................................................................