This week’s Readings and Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
The Collect for This Week
Almighty God, in whose service lies perfect freedom: teach us to obey you with loving hearts and steadfast wills; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Post Communion Prayer for this week
Father of light, in whom is no change or shadow of turning, you give us every good and perfect gift and have brought us to birth by your word of truth: may we be a living sign of that kingdom where your whole creation will be made perfect in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 90, verses 1 to 6 and 13 to 17
1 Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were formed, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You turn us back to dust and say: ‘Turn back, O children of earth.’ 4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday, which passes like a watch in the night. 5 You sweep them away like a dream; they fade away suddenly like the grass. 6 In the morning it is green and flourishes; in the evening it is dried up and withered. 13 Turn again, O Lord; how long will you delay? Have compassion on your servants. 14 Satisfy us with your loving-kindness in the morning, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Give us gladness for the days you have afflicted us, and for the years in which we have seen adversity. 16 Show your servants your works, and let your glory be over their children. 17 May the gracious favour of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper our handiwork; O prosper the work of our hands.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and shall be forever. Amen
The Old Testament reading for this Sunday is taken from the Second Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 34, verses 1 to 12
1 Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. 4 The Lord said to him, ‘This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your descendants”; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.’ 5 Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. 6 He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. 7 Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigour had not abated. 8 The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab for thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
9 Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
10 Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. 11 He was unequalled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, 12 and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
The second reading for this Sunday is taken from the First Letter of St Paul to the Thessalonians, Chapter 2, verses 1 to 8
1 You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, 2 but though we had already suffered and been shamefully maltreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. 3 For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. 5 As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; 6 nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, 7 though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
The Gospel reading for this Sunday is taken from the Gospel of St Matthew, 22, verses 34 to 46
Hear the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, according to Matthew Glory to You, o Lord
345 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ 37 He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’
41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: 42‘ What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ 43 He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
44 “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”?
45 If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ 46 No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, o Christ
The Gospel reading for Bible Sunday is taken from the Gospel of St Matthew, 24, verses 30 to 35
Hear the Gospel of our Lord, Jesus Christ, according to Matthew Glory to You, o Lord
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he[g] is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, o Chris
Note :All readings are shared from the Church of England Lectionary App and are subject to copyright . © The Archbishop’s Council
The sermon this week is delivered by Rev'd Samuel Hameem
“May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you O Lord my refuge and my redeemer amen.”
Today is a significant day for this church, because today we are baptizing Maven here in our Sunday service. By baptizing her we will not only welcome her into the body of Christ, which is church, but—together with her parents, godparents, family, and the church community—we will also take on the responsibility before God for her spiritual growth and development.
But it is not just Maven’s baptism we are celebrating, today holds special significance for the Church in England for another reason, and that is, today we are observing "Bible Sunday".
In case if you do not know what is Bible Sunday and why we observe this in our churches, let me give a simple answer to this, and that is that, purpose of observing Bible Sunday in our churches is to reflect upon the Word of God and examine and to ponder on the impact the Bible has on our individual, family, church, social, and spiritual lives.
As we know we are gathering to baptize Maven, and prior to reflect briefly on the baptism taking place today, let us reflect on Bible Sunday and on the Bible itself. The word 'Bible' is derived from the Greek word 'biblia', which means 'a collection of books', which simply means "library", and if we google the meaning of Bible it will tell us that,
“In general English usage, a "bible" can refer to any publication, magazine, or manual that is considered the ultimate, most reliable source of information on a specific subject.”
Bible is a very important part and parcel of our lives as Christians, because we Christians believe that, it is God's inspiration, which he wrote through approximately forty of authors over a period of fourteen hundred years, and from then until today, even after centuries have passed, no one have not been able to find a single error in it, and that is what we just heard in last verse of today’s reading which goes like this, that,
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Bible is one of the most purchased books in the world, yet perhaps one of the least read one. Perhaps people read it so little because it acts as a mirror, reflecting our own image back to us and revealing who we truly are. The Bible consists of two testaments or parts—the Old and New Testament—and contains everything we might ever need in our day-to-day life.
If I were to begin speaking about the Bible, the entire day would pass by, and I certainly do not want that to happen. That is why let us now take a moment to reflect on the purpose for which we have gathered here today.
As long as the church has existed, baptism has been an integral part of the church worship, and if we recall the last few words of Jesus that he spoke to His disciples just before his ascension, which are written in the end of the Gospel according to Matthew, we can see the threefold instruction over there: make disciples, baptize those who believe, and teach them (new believers) His commands. That is why we as a church baptize people because it is the commanded of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that is why we are here at this to baptize Maven.
If we reflect on baptism, one thing is clear: it is an outward expression of an inward faith. Baptism signifies that we are with God, and that God is with us. And you might be wondering how this is possible. In baptism, a pastor may pour water over the person being baptized—or, in many places, the believer is immersed in water—while in other traditions, a sign of the cross is traded on the forehead with water. How, then, can this serve as an outward expression of an inward faith?
So, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to remember that whenever we undergo baptism—in whatever form—we are commemorating the redemptive work of Jesus Christ in which he gave His life for us on the cross. Because baptism visually reenacts Christ’s burial in the grave and His resurrection to life.
Now you might be thinking that, Maven is not yet even aware of any of this, so why, then, is she being baptized? Yes, I know that Maven does not understand what is happening to her today; but remember, that is precisely why we have gathered here. That is why Maven’s parents are here, and that is why the godparents are here and are about to make promises before God.
We have gathered here to pledge that as Maven grows physically and mentally; we will guide her spiritually. However, we can only fulfill this role if we remain connected to the Word of God. As long as we stay rooted in the teachings and guidance of the Bible, we are capable of guiding not only Maven but one another as well. However, if we cut our connection with the Word of God, then—bear in mind—it will become difficult for us to provide spiritual guidance to one another, and especially to Maven.
As we gather here today for this baptism, let us reflect upon our own lives—our individual, family, social, and church lives—and examine what status and place the Word of God holds within them.
While today is a significant day for Maven and for her family, it is also an important day for us; for remember that the baptism should be a time of celebration for the believer, for the family and for the church, but not just celebration for sake of celebration, rather, because God has included us in His family, and we are to glorify His name with our lives.
Now that Maven is about to join God's family through baptism, I pray that we may live such a life in front of her through the guidance of Bible that her life brings glory to God, and she can recognize Jesus and his redemptive work and be a living witness of his Word. God bless you all.
Amen.
.