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Image: "Mary, Martha and Jesus," (21st century), Kathleen Peterson, print. Spring City, UT, United States.

Theme of the Day

To love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind is to reflect God’s mercy in responding to one’s neighbor. That mercy found its most profound expression in the “gospel that has come to you”—namely the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That gospel mercy comes to us again today: at the font, at the table, and from the pulpit. It is very near to you.

The Collect for Sunday

O Lord God, your mercy delights us, and the world longs for your loving care. Hear the cries of everyone in need, and turn our hearts to love our neighbours with the love of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reign for ever, one God. Amen.

Prayer Intentions

The prayers of the church are offered especially:

  • for the renewal of creation;
  • for peace in the world and especially for an end to the war in Ukraine;
  • for all refugees who flee war and violence;
  • for the needs of the world, especially at this time global pandemic;
  • for those who are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus;
  • for those who are sick and those awaiting surgeries postponed;
  • for the healing of racial inequality, prejudice, bigotry, systemic racism, injustice, and hatred;
  • for all who grieve for lost children, for the survivors of Indian Residential Schools, and for generational healing;
  • for those who are homeless;
  • for all those who mourn, who are lonely, or suffer from depression;
  • for all those who work for reconciliation and the common good;
  • for Elizabeth our Queen and all those set in authority under her, for Justin, the Prime Minister of Canada and all members of parliament; Doug, the Premier of Ontario and all member of the legistlature; Fred, the mayor of Hamilton and those who serve on city council;
  • for the whole church: for Susan, our Diocesan Bishop; for David and Brian, our priests; for all bish­ops, priests and dea­cons; and for all the bap­tized: that God may accomplish God's work in and through us for the sake of the world;
  • for our parish in this time of transition;
  • for all for whom we have been asked to pray, especially Olga, Jane, Barb;
  • for those who are dying and all those who have departed from this life and are at rest. 

In our cycles of prayer:

  • With the worldwide Anglican Communion, we pray for The Episcopal Church (USA).
  • In our diocese, we pray St. John, St. Catharines, the Reverend Robert Towler, Rector and the people of that parish.
  • In our neighbourhood we pray for Melrose United Church, the Reverend Sonya Iverson and the people of that congregation.
  • In our parish cycle of prayer we pray for Lydell, Ann, Liska, Emory, Arza, Eileen, Pam, Wendy, Alvaro, Koko, and Kai. We pray also for all of our children and for our ministry to Children: especially for our Children’s Church and the 147th Hamilton Scouting program.

Prayer requests to be included on the following Sunday can be submitted here by the Thursday morning before.

The Readings for Sunday

First Reading: Deuteronomy 30:9-14

Moses calls the people who are about to enter the promised land to renew the covenant God made with their ancestors. Through this covenant God gives life and asks for obedience. God’s commandment is neither burdensome nor too far off, but dwells in the people’s hearts.

9The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, 10when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
 11Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” 14No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.

Psalm: Psalm 25:1-10

Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths. (Ps. 25:4)

 1To | you, O Lord,
  I lift | up my soul.
 2My God, I put my trust in you; let me not be | put to shame,
  nor let my enemies triumph | over me.
 3Let none who look to you be | put to shame;
  rather let those be put to shame | who are treacherous.
 4Show me your | ways, O Lord,
  and teach | me your paths. R
 5Lead me in your | truth and teach me,
  for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all | the day long.
 6Remember, O Lord, your compas- | sion and love,
  for they are from | everlasting.
 7Remember not the sins of my youth and | my transgressions;
  remember me according to your steadfast love and for the sake of your good- | ness, O Lord.
 8You are gracious and up- | right, O Lord;
  therefore you teach sinners | in your way.
 9You lead the low- | ly in justice
  and teach the low- | ly your way.
 10All your paths, O Lord, are steadfast | love and faithfulness
  to those who keep your covenant and your | testimonies. R

Second Reading: Colossians 1:1-14

The letter to the Colossians was written to warn its readers of various false teachings. The first part of the letter is an expression of thanks for the faith, hope, and love that mark this community, including a prayer for strength and courage.

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
 2To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
  Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

 3In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
 9For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Gospel: Luke 10:25-37

Jesus is challenged to explain what is involved in obeying the greatest commandment. He tells a parable rich in surprises: those expected to show pity display hard hearts while the lowly give and receive unexpected and lavish mercy.

25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.”
 29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” 37He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Semicontinuous First Reading: Amos 7:7-17

Amos, a shepherd from the southern village of Tekoa, is called by God to preach against Israel, the Northern Kingdom, in a time of economic prosperity. Today’s reading illustrates how Amos’s stinging criticism of Israel alienated him from those in authority, including King Jeroboam and the priest Amaziah.

7This is what [the Lord God] showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said,
 “See, I am setting a plumb line
  in the midst of my people Israel;
  I will never again pass them by;
 9the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
  and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
  and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”
 10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. 11For thus Amos has said,
 ‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
  and Israel must go into exile
  away from his land.’ ”
12And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; 13but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”
 14Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son; but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycamore trees, 15and the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
 16“Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
 You say, ‘Do not prophesy against Israel,
  and do not preach against the house of Isaac.’
 17Therefore thus says the Lord:
 ‘Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city,
  and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
  and your land shall be parceled out by line;
 you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
  and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.’ ”

Semicontinuous Psalm: Psalm 82

Arise, O God, and rule the earth. (Ps. 82:8)
 1God stands to charge the divine coun- | cil assembled,
  giving judgment in the midst | of the gods:
 2“How long will you | judge unjustly,
  and show favor | to the wicked?
 3Save the weak | and the orphan;
  defend the hum- | ble and needy;
 4rescue the weak | and the poor;
  deliver them from the power | of the wicked. R
 5They do not know, neither do they understand; they wander a- | bout in darkness;
  all the foundations of the | earth are shaken.
 6Now I say to you, | ‘You are gods,
  and all of you children of | the Most High;
 7nevertheless, you shall | die like mortals,
  and fall like | any prince.’ ”
 8Arise, O God, and | rule the earth,
  for you shall take all nations | for your own. R

This Week in Holy Time

  • Sunday (17): Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, The Lord's Day.
  • Monday (18): Feria.
  • Tuesday (19): Feria.
  • Wednesday (20): Feria.
  • Thursday (21): Feria.
  • Friday (22): St. Mary Magdalene, Holy Day.
  • Saturday (23): Feria, Eve of Sunday.
  • Sunday (24): Seventh Sunday after Pentecost, The Lord's Day.
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