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Intercessions for 2nd Sunday before Lent (Proper 3) Year A: 23 February 2014

Mikalojus_Konstantinas_Ciurlionis_-_CREATION_OF_THE_WORLD_(II)_-_1905_-_6,_Varsuva

The Collect

Almighty God,  you have created the heavens and the earth and made us in your own image: teach us to discern your hand in all your works and your likeness in all your children; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit reigns supreme over all things, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Genesis 1.1-2.3

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. And God said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.’ And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. God made the two great lights – the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night – and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. And God said, ‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’ So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.’ And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.’ And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.’ And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation.

Psalm 136

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is gracious, *for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of gods, *for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who alone does great wonders, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who by wisdom made the heavens, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who laid out the earth upon the waters, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who made the great lights, *for his mercy endures for ever;
The sun to rule the day, *for his mercy endures for ever;
The moon and the stars to govern the night, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who smote the firstborn of Egypt, *for his mercy endures for ever;
And brought out Israel from among them, *for his mercy endures for ever;
With a mighty hand and outstretched arm, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who divided the Red Sea in two, *for his mercy endures for ever;
And made Israel to pass through the midst of it, *for his mercy endures for ever;
But Pharaoh and his host he overthrew in the Red Sea, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who led his people through the wilderness, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who smote great kings, *for his mercy endures for ever;
And slew mighty kings, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Sihon, king of the Amorites, *for his mercy endures for ever;
And Og, the king of Bashan, *for his mercy endures for ever;
And gave away their land for a heritage, *for his mercy endures for ever;
A heritage for Israel his servant, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who remembered us when we were in trouble, *for his mercy endures for ever;
And delivered us from our enemies, *for his mercy endures for ever;
Who gives food to all creatures, *for his mercy endures for ever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven, *for his mercy endures for ever.
Remember us, O God, and shape our history,form our inward eyes to see the shadow of the life-giving cross in the turbulence of our time; for his sake who died for all, Christ our Lord.

Second Reading: Romans 8.18-25

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 6.25-34

Jesus said: “I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”


The theme for today is surely: The glory of God is humankind fully alive.

Less poetically, ‘The Ministry of the Word’ amplifies:

“The dominion that humankind is given consists not in exploitation but in continuing God’s work of creativity, fruitfulness and order. God, who has brought chaos to cosmos in orderly sequence, takes the risk of putting this responsibility in the hands of human beings, seeking their free co-operation. But there are limits set: humankind belongs on the earth, a creature who cannot usurp the role of the Creator. Human beings turning in upon themselves, instead of being open to God, will destroy this harmony. But the God who creates intends salvation and he will recreate.”

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Father, we give you all praise; in the house where we heard your promises we give thanks for all your blessings. Inheritors as we are of an ancient story, let us not be dazzled by displays of silver and gold or fall into the grip of false gods. Let us not feed these idols till they grow tall and slowly destroy us. Instead help us to live lightly on the earth and set our minds on things above, not on things below. Help us to use this time in church to ponder anew whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure and whatsoever things are of good report. Then may we learn to be content in all things.

Lord, whose glory is reflected in the abundance of life offered us by your son: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

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

Father, we thank you for your Spirit which surrounds us, in the air we breathe, the glory that transports us in wonder, the light by which we see all that you have created, the fruitfulness of the earth and the joy of its creatures. Thank-you for making us part of the web of life, depending on the rhythms and fruits of the earth for our existence. As you have granted us our daily bread, teach us how to receive it, and grant us one thing more, O Lord, and that is grateful hearts.

Lord, whose glory is reflected in the abundance of life offered us by your son: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, in the words of John Wesley, we ask you to help us, as we have the opportunity, to do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, to all the people we can, as long as ever we can.

Lord, whose glory is reflected in the abundance of life offered us by your son: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, we pray for those who are going through a time of darkness, a time of trouble, a time when there is not enough light to see the path ahead. We thank you for those people whose courage and hope have lightened our darkness during difficult times, and ask you to be that light now for those who are suffering. Send your power to protect us, your joy to heal us and your grace to bless us and keep us living always by your truth, now and for evermore.

Lord, whose glory is reflected in the abundance of life offered us by your son: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Father, we remember before you now all who are now delivered from the troubles of this world and are at peace, all those whose time of fear and anxiety is over and are now at rest.

Lord, whose glory is reflected in the abundance of life offered us by your son: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Copyright acknowledgement: Matthew 6.25-34 © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Pub. Hodder & Stoughton Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA Collect (2nd before Lent) © Oxford University Press: The Book of Common Worship of the Church of South India Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000

7 comments on this post:

Philip Manktelow said...
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Dear Laura,

My name is Philip Manktelow, and I am a retired Anglican Priest, who prepares our weekly Pew Bulletin. Our parish is in Mornington, Victoria, Australia. Allow me to compliment your website as being an absolute gem. Last week’s intercessions brought tears to some people’s eyes, so moved were they by the content. It is refreshing that your intercessions are by lay members of the Anglican Communion. Sometimes we clergy forget our laity are wonderfully gifted people. This coming Sunday 23rd February we are celebrating St Matthias, and I was wondering if some intercessions might be available for this feast via your website?

Yours in Christ,

Fr Philip Manktelow

Lay Anglicana said...
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Dear Father Philip
Flattery will get you everywhere! :>)
Seriously, I am of course very touched by what you say – I haven’t done intercessions by request before, but see no reason why not. I will have a go some time today and see if I can come up with anything useful. At any rate, I will get back to you
Laura

18 February 2014 09:52
18 February 2014 01:01
minidvr said...
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Thanks laura

18 February 2014 07:57
Sandra said...
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Thanks Laura. Your prayers of intercession are very inspiring.

Laura Sykes said...
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That’s very kind – I’m so glad you find them helpful :>)

21 February 2014 12:12
21 February 2014 12:05
Cliff said...
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Dear Laura
I’ve been referring your Intercessory site for insipiration for almost a year. I’m so grateful for these insightful, lectionary sensitive intercessions. It’s also very useful to have the lectionary texts and collect to print out at the same time. All very much appreciated. Thank you so much.

Lay Anglicana said...
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Thank-you :>)

22 February 2014 13:18
22 February 2014 12:54

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