The Collect

O God, forasmuch as without you we are not able to please you; mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; 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.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Lamentations 1.1-6

How lonely sits the city that once was full of people! How like a widow she has become, she that was great among the nations! She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal. She weeps bitterly in the night, with tears on her cheeks; among all her lovers she has no one to comfort her; all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they have become her enemies. Judah has gone into exile with suffering and hard servitude; she lives now among the nations, and finds no resting-place; her pursuers have all overtaken her in the midst of her distress. The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the festivals; all her gates are desolate, her priests groan; her young girls grieve, and her lot is bitter. Her foes have become the masters, her enemies prosper, because the Lord has made her suffer for the multitude of her transgressions; her children have gone away, captives before the foe. From daughter Zion has departed all her majesty. Her princes have become like stags that find no pasture; they fled without strength before the pursuer.

Psalm: Lamentations 3.19-26

I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1.1-14

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I am grateful to God – whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did – when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Gospel Reading: Luke 17.5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Increase our faith!’ The Lord replied, ‘If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,” and it would obey you. Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from ploughing or tending sheep in the field, “Come here at once and take your place at the table”? Would you not rather say to him, “Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink”? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!”’

It’s one of those weeks when the commentaries differ widely in their interpretation of the readings and suggestions of a theme. David Adam goes for healing (probably on the basis that whingeing disciples are clearly in need of something). Jane Williams has the following:

So, perhaps not unnaturally, the disciples ask Jesus to ‘increase our faith’. A perfectly reasonable request, you might say. If they are going to have to face such conflict they will need all the faith they can get. But Jesus’ reply to them is rather short. They don’t need more faith, they just need to use what they have already got. The smallest possible amount of faith can work wonders, Jesus tells them. Why are they asking for more?…This seems rather a harsh response to the disciples. You can imagine them raising their eyebrows at each other and thinking that life with Jesus just isn’t as much fun as it used to be…Perhaps what Jesus senses and responds to is that the disciples are asking for faith to act as a kind of strong drug. They want not to feel fear or pain but just to be on a high that will enable them to be unaffected by the tension and conflict around them…Unfortunately, faith doesn’t work like that. Jesus suggests that they already have enough faith to get on with what they are actually being asked to do.

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, as cracks split the walls of the houses of prayer; as we betray you by destroying one another in your name, whether that be literally or metaphorically; as the Spirit of the ages moves on, challenge us again, mysterious God, in delving within, expecting to be changed – in anger and truth changing the world – that we may see beyond the convictions with which we bind and cage both you and one another. Empower us, we pray, to build the new Jerusalem for which we dream and long wherever we are.

Lord, stiffen our sinews to do your will: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

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

Lord, teach us to be in the world but not of it. We are on the same journey from birth to death as all of humanity, but guard us from falling into traps like the search for power and prestige, for money and for baubles. Help us to keep focussed on the spiritual dimension of life, and not let materialism overcome us. We follow too much the fashions of the day, and the latest appeal to our own selfish interests. In the interests of harmony here on earth, as well as fitting us for the world to come, free us from these snares, good Lord, to see your way and to do your will.

Lord, stiffen our sinews to do your will: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, we give you thanks for our lives, and all that we find ourselves able to do with the time and talents that you have given us. We pray for our community and ask for your help in discovering where we might be of use in your service. We pray for our neighbours, both those that mourn and those that celebrate: may we share in their sufferings and their hopes, that by love we may serve one another in your name.

Lord, stiffen our sinews to do your will: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord of forgiveness and love, even when our faith is shaken, your faithfulness remains a constant comfort and lodestar. We ask you to give light to our footsteps as we attempt to follow in your way. Heal our wounds and lead us towards the certainty of your truth. Wherever we can, show us how we can in turn stand with our friends who are enduring a time of trial, as you have promised to stand with us. For we know that both love and light can be shed on the darkness of our world even from the deepest sorrow, when it is transfigured by your loving hands.

Lord, stiffen our sinews to do your will: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Lord, we pray for those whom we love, but see no longer. Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and in your loving wisdom and almighty power work in them the good purpose of your perfect will.

Lord, stiffen our sinews to do your will: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Instead of the psalm, we are offered a second extract from Lamentations; but Psalm 137 is also a possible choice. Jim Cotter offers prayers: ‘in solidarity with those whose homes have been devastated by…human conflict and those who rebuild, across the boundaries of creed or race.’ Our prayer for the Church is based on one of his (p.411)

The image (1507) of the Theological Virtues (Faith) is by Raphael via Wikimedia