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Intercessions for 2nd Sunday before Advent Year A: 16 November 2014

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The Collect

Heavenly Father, whose blessed Son was revealed to destroy the works of the devil and to make us the children of God and heirs of eternal life: grant that we, having this hope, may purify ourselves  even as he is pure; that when he shall appear in power and great glory we may be made like him in his eternal and glorious kingdom; where he 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: Zephaniah 1.7,12-18

Be silent before the Lord God!  For the day of the Lord is at hand;  the Lord has prepared a sacrifice,  he has consecrated his guests.  At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,  and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs,  those who say in their hearts,  ‘The Lord will not do good,  nor will he do harm.’  Their wealth shall be plundered,  and their houses laid waste.  Though they build houses,  they shall not inhabit them;  though they plant vineyards,  they shall not drink wine from them.  The great day of the Lord is near,  near and hastening fast;  the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior cries aloud there.  That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements. I will bring such distress upon people that they shall walk like the blind; because they have sinned against the Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them on the day of the Lord’s wrath; in the fire of his passion the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

 

Psalm 90.1-8(9-11)12

Lord, you have been our refuge * from one generation to another.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were formed, * from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
You turn us back to dust and say: * ‘Turn back, O children of earth.’
For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday, * which passes like a watch in the night.
You sweep them away like a dream; * they fade away suddenly like the grass.
In the morning it is green and flourishes; * in the evening it is dried up and withered.
For we consume away in your displeasure; * we are afraid at your wrathful indignation.
You have set our misdeeds before you * and our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
When you are angry, all our days are gone; * our years come to an end like a sigh.
The days of our life are three score years and ten, or if our strength endures, even four score; * yet the sum of them is but labour and sorrow, for they soon pass away and we are gone.
Who regards the power of your wrath * and your indignation like those who fear you?
So teach us to number our days * that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.

 

Second Reading:  1 Thessalonians 5.1-11

Concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

 

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25.14-30

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The kingdom of heaven is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”’


 

The Revd Gill Sumner, writing in ‘The Ministry of the Word‘ (p.378), says ‘Those who try to preserve ways of doing theology or worship or ministry unchanged are left with devalued currency. Faith is given to be developed, spiritual understanding to be deepened, sacrificial service to be extended, opportunities for witness to be seized.’

Jane Williams is perceptive and has a different interpretation, which is worth reading in full. (If you go to this page, you can find the passage on pp 128-129 by searching for ‘maverick’):

‘To this man, God is not ‘good news’ because he is too obsessed with his own failure…he has turned his failure into a weapon. …he cannot recognize good news because he doesn’t actually know himself at all. In order to hear good news, you have to have some idea of what would constitute good news for your situation. But this slave is only looking for the downside of everything. He doesn’t want any good news, because he’s sure there will be a drawback in it somewhere’.

Prayers of Intercession

 

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, where do we find you? We make these prayers together once again in the dominant building of our community. But it makes assumptions not borne out by experience, for prayer is made in village [city] streets and gathering places as well as the tranquility of our church, and bruised and broken people live in both spheres.  We acknowledge that you are elusive, not tame. You slip out of the fortress built to keep you safe and available on demand. You wander the streets and search the hedgerows, looking for allies willing to try the steep hill of connection. Teach us, Lord, to keep you company in work and prayer, without prescribing the time and place. *

Lord, amidst the confusions of time, may we hear the heartbeat of your eternity: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

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

Lord of the light, shine on your world. Shine that we may be given the courage to work for justice. Give us a lifeline of spirit, an injection of hope so that we may see the possibilities in the predictable and everyday. Replenish us with your vision and renew us with the power of transformative action. Dawning God, dispel all the thoughts and fears of night, and give us and all your creation refreshment and renewal that we might this day reflect your light into the lives of others.

Lord, amidst the confusions of time, may we hear the heartbeat of your eternity: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, grant us grace to discern what is right for us and pleasing to you. Draw into your service all in our community that they may become part of the building of your kingdom. Help us to hold fast to that which is good, that which is true, that which is honest, that which is  just, that which is pure and that which is lovely. Then, through your grace we may leave behind all that is unworthy within us and become truly your children of light.

Lord, amidst the confusions of time, may we hear the heartbeat of your eternity: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, we pray for all those who suffer, whether from physical pain or because they are struggling with the forces of darkness within. A pain which invades and diminishes us, a pain which makes all else difficult if not humanly impossible. A pain which dissipates prayer and melts our spirit. Help us once again to look upwards and outwards towards the light.

Lord, amidst the confusions of time, may we hear the heartbeat of your eternity: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Creator of life, of death, in the morning of our lives you shape us from clay, and as we are crumbled to earth you return us to the dust: so did you order our days. God of eternity, God beyond time, you are our refuge and our hope from one generation to another. May your grace be upon us: fill us with the spirit of your love. For in the evening of our days when we come to be judged, we shall be delivered only by love.

Lord, amidst the confusions of time, may we hear the heartbeat of your eternity: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 

*Based on ‘No easy place’ by Ann Lewin. More generally, the prayers take inspiration today from Jim Cotter’s reflections on Pslm 90 in ‘Out of the Silence’.

1. Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways.
Old now is earth, and none may count her days.
Yet thou, her child, whose head is crowned with flame,
Still wilt not hear thine inner God proclaim,
Turn back, O man, forswear thy foolish ways.

2. Earth might be fair, and all men glad and wise.
Age after age their tragic empires rise,
Built while they dream, and in that dreaming weep:
Would man but wake from out his haunted sleep,
Earth might be fair and all men glad and wise.

3. Earth shall be fair, and all her people one:
Nor till that hour shall God’s whole will be done.
Now, even now, once more from earth to sky,
Peals forth in joy man’s old undaunted cry—
Earth shall be fair, and all her folk be one!

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #6966


Copyright acknowledgement : Post Communion (2nd before Advent) © 1985 Mowbray, a Cassell Imprint:After Communion compiled by C L Macdonnell 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 Collect (2nd before Advent) © The Crown/Cambridge University Press: The Book of Common Prayer (1662)

5 comments on this post:

Joyce Hackney said...
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Thanks for posting these every week, Laura.
Unfortunately the links lead only to amazon pages for paperback editions of the books.
There’s not even a Kindle version to sample.

Lay Anglicana said...
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Sorry Joyce, but Kindle is beyond my control…
The reason I put these links in is that they lead to pages which say ‘Look inside’, which allow you to read a few pages of the book at no cost to you – if you click this and then use the search term I suggest, it should take you straight to the page concerned. In the case of Jane Williams’ books on the lectionary, you are always allowed to read the whole 2-3 pages on that particular week.

12 November 2014 08:06
11 November 2014 16:54
Yvonne Simpson said...
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Thank you for your intercessions. Your prayers help me to complete the intercessions I do for our Church. I wish I was as gifted as you are in the free flowing of your prayers. May God Bless you, Sister. Love Yvonne

Lay Anglicana said...
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Thank-you so much Yvonne – it is always a pleasure to receive feedback on these, especially such heart-warming messages.

15 November 2014 11:24
14 November 2014 21:07
Joyce Hackney said...
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If only you really were in charge of Kindle,epub and Adobe Digital Editions ! 🙂
Or even the publishers of books that still seem wedded to print-only versions.

In my post I was referring only to the links this week but couldn’t edit my post to remove the ambiguity when I noticed it after I’d posted.

I didn’t see the ‘Look Inside’ option this week. I’ll look again.

I do appreciate your weekly intercessions etc and your articles.
They come in useful in onlne church every bit as much as in a corporeal church. It’s obvious a lot of hard work goes into producing them.

14 November 2014 21:28

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