The Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the Church is governed and sanctified: hear our prayer which we offer for all your faithful people, that in their vocation and ministry they may serve you in holiness and truth to the glory of your name; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: 2 Kings 2.1-2,6-14

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they went down to Bethel. Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.’ He responded, ‘You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.’ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, ‘Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!’ But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.

Psalm 77.1-2,11-20

I cry aloud to God; * I cry aloud to God and he will hear me.
In the day of my trouble I have sought the Lord; *by night my hand is stretched out and does not tire; my soul refuses comfort.
I will remember the works of the Lord * and call to mind your wonders of old time.
I will meditate on all your works * and ponder your mighty deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy; * who is so great a god as our God?
You are the God who worked wonders * and declared your power among the peoples.
With a mighty arm you redeemed your people, * the children of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw you, O God; the waters saw you and were afraid; * the depths also were troubled.
The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; * your arrows flashed on every side;
The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the ground; * the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was in the sea, and your paths in the great waters, * but your footsteps were not known.
You led your people like sheep * by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Second Reading: Galatians 5.1,13-25

For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another. Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Gospel Reading: Luke 9.51-62

When the days drew near for him be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for him; but they did not receive him, because his face was set towards Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?’ But he turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village. As they were going along the road, someone said to him, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ To another Jesus said, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.’ Jesus said to him, ‘No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’

What should be our theme for today, where there are several messages in the readings? Margaret Killingray in ‘The Ministry of the Word’ (p.239) says: ‘Following Jesus is not easy and involves sacrifices and conflicts of priorities. Compare [Luke 9.51-62] with Luke 14.25-34. One offers to follow him, and is warned of the hardships. Another is called to follow and wants to be a part-time disciple. Jesus is warning against facile, unassessed enthusiasm, and half-hearted, foot-in-both-camps, partial commitment. The Church of today, and sometimes the same kind of people, show both tendencies.’ I also recommend Jane Williams’ interpretation, which you can read here, pp 86-87. And Angela Ashwin summarises it as ‘The Cost of Discipleship‘pp 37-40.

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we pray for your Church that her ministers may be faithful and her flock loyal, her war spiritual and her weapons heavenly, and her lamp burning and shining. Let us not count it a hard thing to give up all for him who paid so great a price for us.  Draw your Church together, O God, into one great company of disciples, together following our Lord Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving him in his mission to the world, and together witnessing to his love on every continent and island.

We have put our hands to the plough; O Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Blessed are you, God of the universe. You have created us and given us life. Blessed are you, God of the planet earth. You have set our world like a radiant jewel in the heavens and filled it with beauty and struggle, challenges and hope. Help us to make and keep this country a home for all its different peoples, and grant to those in authority wisdom, imagination and energy.  Lord, in the course of this busy life give us times of refreshment and tranquility; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation.

We have put our hands to the plough; O Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

¶The local community

Lord, we bless you for all the people that we live amongst, for the lessons we have learned and that they teach us, and for all that remains for us to do. We give you thanks for all that we have achieved together as a community and ask you to increase our trust in one another. Blessed are you because you ask us to aim beyond that which is within our reach, because you give us people to love and work to do, a purpose in living for your universe, for your world and for ourselves.

We have put our hands to the plough; O Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

¶Those who suffer

Lord of this uncertain world, you sent Jesus to bring comfort and good news to the troubled and the suffering. Lord of the present moment, who in Jesus stills the storm and soothes the anguished heart, bring hope and courage, we pray, to all those who suffer, or who wait in uncertainty for the outcome. Be with them, and bring them hope that they will be the equal of whatever lies ahead and find the courage to endure whatever cannot be avoided.

We have put our hands to the plough; O Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

¶The communion of saints

Lord, our creator and our end, give us grace to bear bravely the changes we must undergo to come to our home with you. Give us the courage to welcome that unimaginable moment awaiting us; give us trust and confidence in your loving goodness; and at the last enfold us in your peace as we come to your everlasting kingdom.

We have put our hands to the plough; O Lord, in your mercy hear our prayer

The illustration is copyright: Kevin Eng via Shutterstock

The prayers today are based on those used by The Church of the Province of New Zealand in their prayer book of 1988. I have taken these from ‘Give us Grace: An Anthology of Anglican Prayers‘, but there is also an online version.

Courage, brother, do not stumble,
Though thy path be dark as night;
There’s a star to guide the humble:
Trust in God and do the right.
Let the road be rough and dreary,
And its end far out of sight,
Foot it bravely; strong or weary,

Refrain

Trust in God, trust in God,
Trust in God and do the right.

Perish policy and cunning,
Perish all that fears the light!
Whether losing, whether winning,
Trust in God and do the right,
Some will hate thee, some will love thee,
Some will flatter, some will slight;
Cease from man, and look above thee:
Trust in God and do the right.

Refrain

Simple rule, and safest guiding,
Inward peace and inward might,
Star upon our path abiding,
Courage, brother, do not stumble,
Though thy path be dark as night;
There’s a star to guide the humble:
Trust in God and do the right.

Refrain

The text of this hymn was written by Norman Macleod, for the Edinburgh Christian Magazine, in AD1857. The tune was composed by Arthur. S. Sullivan in AD1871. This arrangement performed by the Scottish Festival Singers.