The Collect

Almighty God, you have broken the tyranny of sin and have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father: give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service, that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God; 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 24.34-38,42-49,58-67

The servant whom Abraham had sent said to Laban: ‘I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female slaves, camels and donkeys. And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has given him all that he has. My master made me swear, saying, “You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live; but you shall go to my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for my son.” I came today to the spring, and said, “O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, if now you will only make successful the way I am going! I am standing here by the spring of water; let the young woman who comes out to draw, to whom I shall say, ‘Please give me a little water from your jar to drink,’ and who will say to me, ‘Drink, and I will draw for your camels also’ – let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.” Before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her water jar on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring, and drew. I said to her, “Please let me drink.” She quickly let down her jar from her shoulder, and said, “Drink, and I will also water your camels.” So I drank, and she also watered the camels. Then I asked her, “Whose daughter are you?” She said, “The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.” So I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her arms. Then I bowed my head and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to obtain the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son. Now then, if you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the right hand or to the left.’ And they called Rebekah, and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ She said, ‘I will.’ So they sent away their sister Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, ‘May you, our sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring gain possession of the gates of their foes.’ Then Rebekah and her maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man; thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way. Now Isaac had come from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb. Isaac went out in the evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw camels coming. And Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped quickly from the camel, and said to the servant, ‘Who is the man over there, walking in the field to meet us?’ The servant said, ‘It is my master.’ So she took her veil and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Psalm 45.10-17

Hear, O daughter; consider and incline your ear; *forget your own people and your father’s house.
So shall the king have pleasure in your beauty; *he is your lord, so do him honour.
The people of Tyre shall bring you gifts; *the richest of the people shall seek your favour.
The king’s daughter is all glorious within; *her clothing is embroidered cloth of gold.
She shall be brought to the king in raiment of needlework; *after her the virgins that are her companions.
With joy and gladness shall they be brought *and enter into the palace of the king.
‘Instead of your fathers you shall have sons *whom you shall make princes over all the land.
‘I will make your name to be remembered through all generations; *therefore shall the peoples praise you for ever and ever.’

Second Reading:Romans 7.15-25a

I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Gospel Reading: Matthew 11.16-19,25-30

At that time Jesus said, ‘To what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds. I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Jane Williams makes good sense  of the epistle and gospel (searching ‘sulk’ will take you to pp 88-89):

‘Paul understands perfectly well that the children are rejecting happiness…they have deliberately cut themselves off from what they want. Nobody else made them do it…they chose to be miserable when they wanted to be happy…And now he has foud what he was looking for all his life – a way to forget himself and so be what he wants to be. Julian of Norwich writes of this experience in her ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ – God, of your goodness, give me yourself…if I ask anything less, I shall always be in want. Only in you do I have it all’

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we long to serve you as one people united in your truth and love. But we have woven a tangle of distractions and difficulties, which seem more daunting each time we look at them. Ignoring them seems no longer possible either. Lord, give us grace to extract from this complex knot just one obstacle that by grace might be tamed. Let us look there for some filament on which to pull. Let us find the way to unloosen the window and let in light and air. Give us the grace to do the difficult thing today. *

Lord of your goodness, give us of yourself: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

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

Lord, whose beauty is beyond our imagining and whose power we cannot comprehend: show us your glory as far as we can grasp it, and shield us from knowing more than we can bear until we may look upon you without fear. Help us to understand that all humans with temporal power, who deck themselves with the trappings of wealth and influence, do but hide their naked humanity. And clothe us, we pray, with the splendour and glory that shine through justice, mercy and humility.

Lord of your goodness, give us of yourself: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The local community

Lord, teach us again the great lesson of service: help us to devote ourselves to our community and our families as well as to ourselves, so that through all we may serve you. Through your love for us, save us from half-heartedness. In the depth of your mercy, pick us up when we fall. Be close to us when we face difficulty or distress. And dance in our lives with your light and delight.

Lord of your goodness, give us of yourself: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶Those who suffer

Lord, when darkness falls on our lives, and paths and signposts are lost in doubt; when the mist swirls around us so that we can no longer see; when we feel loveless, unfulfilled and useless to ourselves and others; reach us, we pray in that darkness. Though we may feel forsaken, keep us through the aching night till new dawns awaken, bringing fresh hope.

Lord of your goodness, give us of yourself: in your mercy, hear our prayer.

¶The communion of saints

Lord of eternity, whose power is infinite, whose days are without number and whose mercy is beyond our fathoming: keep our faces turned always towards you, so that each day we may remember that life is your gift and the hour of death unknown. And when finally we meet you face to face, transform us in the fire of your love and receive us into your eternal kingdom  with all the company of saints.

Lord of your goodness, give us of yourself: 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 Post Communion (3rd after Trinity) © 1992 Janet Morley: All Desires Known (SPCK) Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000

*From an idea by Stephen Cherry in his prayer for Maundy Thursday, Too Difficult.