THE NINTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
‘The Lord is gracious and full of compassion.’
The God of love my shepherd is,
and he that doth me feed;
while he is mine and I am his,
what can I want or need?
He leads me to the tender grass,
where I both feed and rest;
then to the streams that gently pass:
in both I have the best.
Or if I stray, he doth convert,
and bring my mind in frame,
and all this not for my desert,
but for his holy name.
Yea, in death's shady black abode
well may I walk, not fear;
for thou art with me, and thy rod
to guide, thy staff to bear.
Surely thy sweet and wondrous love
shall measure all my days;
and, as it never shall remove,
so neither shall my praise.
The collect for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity
Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church: open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; 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.
First Reading: Isaiah 55:1-5
Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples. See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
Psalm 145: 8-9. 15-end
The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Second Reading: Romans Chapter 9:1-5
I am speaking the truth in Christ – I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading Matthew 14: 13-21
When Jesus heard that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist, he withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children. P. Reid
The Feeding of the Five Thousand is such a familiar story that it is easy overlook its context. Jesus was grieving over the murder of his cousin, John the Baptist, and was seeking space to come to terms with the barbaric way in which John had lost his life. But the crowds would not leave him alone. They followed him. Jesus could have turned away but instead he showed them compassion, attended to their needs and cured the sick. Furthermore, when evening came, he realised how hungry and thirsty they were and responded in a practical way: he looked up to Heaven and prayed that God would provide for their needs. And this God did, so much so that everyone had their fill and there were leftovers.
Sometimes it is difficult to trust in the mercy and generosity of God as we confront both our physical and spiritual needs but we too are invited to the feast. There will always be sufficient if we trust in God. This spirit of abundance and sharing is a mark of the Christian life and one that we can share with those around us.
Loving God, You are our Creator and Sustainer.
When You open Your hand, You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. And so we look to You whenever we are in need, trusting in Your love and Your abundant goodness.
As You once fed the hungry crowds with five loaves and two small fish, we ask you to provide for those who go hungry. Pour out Your Spirit on all who hunger and thirst.
We pray for those who are physically hungry—whose stomachs are empty. We think especially of the people in Somalia and Eastern Africa who are facing critical food shortages, suffering the effects of malnutrition and starvation and watching helplessly as loved ones die.
We pray for those who are empty emotionally—who are lonely and long for companionship and love, who are caught in the grip of depression, or overwhelmed with grief.
We pray for those who are spiritually empty— who are troubled, but don’t know where to turn; who long for purpose and meaning, but don’t know where to look; who need You, but do not yet know You.
Father, we praise You for Your abundant gifts in our lives. Pour out Your Spirit on us as well. Fill us with Your compassion and love, so that we willingly share some of our abundance with those in need.
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, who came so that all of humanity might come to know the abundant life that comes from You.
Amen. (Christine Longhurst, re:Worship)
Heavenly Father, we pray for those in need, asking you to heal the sick, strengthen the fearful, befriend the lonely and guide the perplexed. We pray in particular at this time for ............
We pray for the repose of the souls of those who have recently departed this world, thinking of ........................ & for strength & reassurance for those they have left behind.
We pray that each day we may reflect the love of Christ in our lives and never fail to see the image of Christ in those that we encounter along the way.
Holy Father, gather people of every race and language to share in the eternal banquet of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer from Archbishop Hosam Naoum of Jerusalem
O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.
Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths – Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all the people of the land.
While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples.
Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children, for to all of us you are our Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
A PRAYER FOR UKRAINE
Lord, you promise us a future in which the weapons of war will be transformed into instruments of peace.
Today is not such a day, as missiles rain down on Ukraine and innocent people take refuge underground..
You taught us to pray your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,
and so we pray that you will restrain the aggressor, grant courage and wisdom to the resistance, and bring peace to this part of your world.
Look with mercy on the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, and grant our leaders wisdom and courage to seek a resolution that will allow truth and freedom to return to these lands.
Grant Lord, that through this conflict that we would have thought unimaginable five years ago, we may recognise anew our need for you, and live to thank you for answering our prayers.
Amen