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Intercessions for Ninth Sunday after Trinity Year A (Proper 15 ) 17 August 2014

The Spirit of Christianity by George Frederic Watts

The Spirit of Christianity
by George Frederic Watts

The Collect

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. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Genesis 45.1-15

Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there – since there are five more years of famine to come – so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’ Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, while Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Psalm 133

Refrain: Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Behold how good and pleasant it is * to dwell together in unity.
It is like the precious oil upon the head, * running down upon the beard,
Even on Aaron’s beard, * running down upon the collar of his clothing.
It is like the dew of Hermon * running down upon the hills of Zion.
For there the Lord has promised his blessing: * even life for evermore.
Refrain: Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

Second Reading: Romans 11.1-2a,29-32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 15.(10-20)21-28

Then Jesus called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ Then he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’ Jesus went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ He answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.‘ And her daughter was healed instantly.


This is one of the most difficult set of lectionary readings in the three-year cycle, at least I find it so. I, for one, am quite relieved on this occasion not to be allowed, as a lay person, to preach on it. But even choosing suitable prayers is not without its pitfalls. On the Gospel text, Jeffrey John gives an illuminating explanation on pp 111-118 of The Meaning in the Miracles. (searching ‘crumbs’ will take you to p.111). It is a strange week to be reminded that the Gentiles are dogs in comparison to the Children of Israel, who are supposed to suffer for the sake of the world – let’s not go there. There is a strong nudge for the Church of England’s ‘facilitated conversations’ in the message that it is what comes from the heart that is unclean, not neglect of the rules in Leviticus. So, before you start, I recommend listening to this Ambrosian Chant version of the psalm, Ecce quam bonum et jocundum, which is the great treat from today’s readings. 

Prayers of Intercession

Lord, as we come before you to pray for the needs of others, we ask you in turn to tell us what you would have from us.

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we long to dwell together in unity, and we know that nothing would gladden your heart more. Yet we seem unable to achieve this. As each one of us continues on our pilgrim way, let us at least rest together, sharing the stories and meals that refresh us. Let us share our griefs, our fears and our anger. But let us share also our joys and our laughter. And if our paths should diverge again, let us each bring to our next encounter the experience of the road we have chosen to travel . Then, endeavouring to be faithful and true servants, may we delight in your blessing.

Lord, open our hearts to the riches of your grace: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

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

Lord, these are the times that try men’s souls. We, your children, are bewildered by the human cruelty we see in the world. But we are also overwhelmed by the generosity of those who seek to mitigate the damage that is being done. We cry out to you in the trouble of our whole planet, for we have exhausted our imaginations in seeking a peaceful resolution of the conflicts. We ask you to confront the forces of chaos and to bring us out from our distress.

Lord, open our hearts to the riches of your grace: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, as relations between those we live amongst become occasionally fractious, let us not hurl insults at each other.  We know only too well that to be human is to be flawed. We know that we are born bruised, limping a little along the path of life. But we know also that redemption does not mean starting again from pristine perfection. Redemption enfolds us complete with the scars of life. Redemption enables us to enfold each other, through your love.

Lord, open our hearts to the riches of your grace: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, where the ground is arid, cause new springs of living water to arise. Where no bird sings and no blade of grass can grow, breathe new creation into that world. Where the only sound is the cacophony of distant thunder, may the tumult fall silent and the sound of the turtledove be heard in that land. Where walls are broken down, build them anew. Where lives are in ruins, make them whole once more.

Lord, open our hearts to the riches of your grace: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

We pray for all those who are now beyond the conflicts of this world. May they rest in peace and rise in glory, in your presence for ever and ever.

Lord, open our hearts to the riches of your grace: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above): Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000

3 comments on this post:

minidvr said...
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Thanks Laura

13 August 2014 07:04
Ann Collyer said...
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I am so grateful, Laura, for your intercessions. I find them very helpful and I give you the credit and thank God for your gift and generosity, when I use them, as I shall tomorrow. Peace be with you.

admin said...
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Thank-you so very much Ann. I do appreciate feedback, especially kind comments like your own. :>)

16 August 2014 19:51
16 August 2014 19:49

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