16th Sunday after Pentecost – 12th September 2021

15th Sunday after Trinity

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Proper 19

Year B – Track 2

Watch the service on Twitch

ORDER OF SERVICE

You can click to expand or minimize the order of service below.

All are requested to join in wherever text is GREEN or when instructed by Fr. David.

Where the ✝ is shown, all are encouraged to make the sign of the cross.

Where the ✊ is shown all are encouraged to strike their breast with a closed hand following the actions of Fr. David.

Where the ✋ is shown all are encouraged to tap their breast with an open hand following the actions of Fr. David.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

Glorious things of thee are spoken
Sion, city of our God;
He whose word cannot be broken
Formed thee for his own abode:
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s walls surrounded,
Thou may’st smile at all thy foes.

See, the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:
Who can faint, while such a river
Ever flows their thirst to assuage?
Grace, which like the Lord the giver,
Never fails from age to age.

Saviour, if of Sion’s city
I though grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name:
Fading is the worldling’s pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show;
Solid joys and lasting treasure
None but Sion’s children know.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ✝

And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen

 

From Easter to Pentecost:

Allelulia. Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia

 

In Lent and other penitential occasions:

Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins;

His mercy endures for ever.

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Let us pray:

Almighty God, to whom all hearts be open, all desires known and from whom no secrets are hidden: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

This prayer is omitted during Lent and Advent:

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to God’s people on earth.  Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.  Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us; you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

 Holy God, holy and mighty ✝, holy and immortal, have mercy on us.

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. 

Amen.

A Reading from the book of:

Isaiah 50:4-9a

The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,

that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.

Morning by morning he wakens–
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.

The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.

I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;

I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.

The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;

therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
he who vindicates me is near.

Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.

Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.

It is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 116:1-8

Dilexi, quoniam

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.

2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.

3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *
“O Lord, I pray you, save my life.”

4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *
our God is full of compassion.

5 The Lord watches over the innocent; *
I was brought very low, and he helped me.

6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *
for the Lord has treated you well.

7 For you have rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling.

8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in the land of the living.

A Reading from the book of

James 3:1-12

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue– a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

 This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord,

Through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

Mark 8:27-38

✝✝✝

Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they answered him, “John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Messiah.” And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Who is Jesus?  Have you ever been asked that question?   Have we even asked it of ourselves?  Or does this seem like nonsense?  It would seem natural to think that after 2,000 years of Christian history, we should not have to pose such an inquiry.  We might add that it’s obvious – Jesus is our Lord and Saviour, the son of God, the second person of the Trinity, to whom we pledge our faith through the creed every Sunday.

Still, the question presents itself to us today: Who is Jesus?  St. Mark takes us back to the very heart of the gospel.  It was a critical time in Jesus’ relationship with his closest followers, a moment when the truth of what God was doing, in and through Jesus, came into sharpest focus.  It was an encounter that clarified once and for all the answer to the question “Who is Jesus?”

Certainly, for each of us – as for every generation of Christians – an understanding of who Jesus is cuts to the core of our personal faith. What Peter and the others experienced so long ago is what we go through again and again, as we decide whether we are willing to match what we say we believe with how we follow Jesus in the actions of our lives.

Today we find Jesus with his disciples, in a decisive moment of teaching and of a gut-wrenching reality check.  Near the end of his public ministry, Jesus sought an evaluation of its effectiveness.   And he needed his closest allies to understand, really understand, what God was doing in and through him, to know where it all led, for the sake of the world.  He asked the disciples what people were saying about him. Who was he in their eyes?   He received several answers: John the Baptist, Elijah come back to life again, or maybe a modern prophet.

But that was just the warm up.  What Jesus really wanted to know, was who his disciples thought he was.   Peter, always quick to act, spoke boldly for them: “You are the Messiah.” Peter had come to understand him as the one who would fulfil God’s promises, the one whom God had sent to save the world.

So far so good, Jesus must have thought.  But no doubt, he knew that they didn’t fully understand what he meant.   Jesus knew that Peter and the others still interpreted the meaning of Messiah according to the old order.  They saw him as the one who would usher in a climactic day of God’s deliverance as a mighty warrior – one capable of returning Israel to independence, free from Roman oppression.

The truly revolutionary nature of what Jesus was doing, required him to continue to teach, and perhaps test them further – to tell them what it meant for him to be the Messiah, what it would take for the world to be saved.   He revealed what would result in the events of Holy Week – his trial and death, before rising again.

Proving that he really didn’t get it, and with his usual impetuousness, Peter responded to this news by reprimanding Jesus for having said it. He didn’t like what he heard.  It didn’t fit his view of how God would save the world. Imagine how much it must have troubled Jesus to experience such treatment from his most trusted follower.  So challenging was this rebuke that Jesus had to take the strongest of measures, to make sure he was not misunderstood. He called Peter “Satan,” and insisted that his view was one of human thinking and not of God.

Jesus might have expected this.  It is probably why he told the disciples not to tell the people about their knowing him as the Messiah.  The people would surely have more trouble understanding than the twelve.  They had to know that the gift of God in him – the love, grace and forgiveness poured out through him – would come at a price, not only to Jesus but to his followers, as well.  To follow Jesus, to walk the way of God, would require going against the most basic urges of human nature.  It would require that they deny their own needs and desires and – speaking words they would only truly grasp after his death – they would have to take up crosses of their own, like the one he would bear on his way to die on the cross of Calvary.   It would not work to focus on saving one’s life – that would be the surest way to lose it spiritually.   Every value of the world, he said, pales in comparison to what one could have in living a life with God.

That is the nature of “who Jesus is.”  That is what it means to know him as Saviour.  That is what it means to follow him in the way of God. That is how it becomes personal for us.  That is how we match what we say we believe with how we follow Jesus in the actions of our lives.

To say that Jesus is our Saviour is to follow him willingly into salvation. Today’s gospel reminds us that to do so is to deny ourselves – to lose self, to let go of the ego, to put ourselves aside for the sake of greater values.  It is giving up ourselves for others, in the way of sacrifice and unselfishness.  It is giving up particular interests, or time or possessions, when the purposes of God require it.  It is letting the will of God take the place of our own will.  It is putting God, not ourselves, at the centre of life.  It is, in the words of the Baptismal Covenant, renouncing all sinful desires that draw us from the love of God.

The figurative cross that we carry following Jesus represents the price we pay for our Christianity, the cost of discipleship, the way we remain connected with God, the answer to the question “Who is Jesus?”

Though the answer – the response of losing our selfishness for the sake of God – is highly personal, we do not act upon it alone.   We are lucky to be able to carry crosses in the company of a faithful band of followers of Jesus.  We stand beside one another as we meet Christ at the Eucharist, where we relive Jesus’ sacrificial death.  Together we gain sustenance for the difficult challenge Jesus sets before us, as we eat and drink with him and of him.  We take what he is into our bodies and our spirits, as we become renewed and empowered by the spiritual energy that is Christ.  So empowered, we go forth into our weekday, workaday world, as we act out the answer to the question “Who is Jesus?”   Amen

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.

Let us together affirm the faith of the Church. ✝

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,

eternally begotten of the Father,

God from God, Light from Light,

true God from true God,

begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father.

Through him all things were made.

For us and for our salvation

he came down from heaven:

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,

and became truly human.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;

he suffered death and was buried.

On the third day he rose again

in accordance with the Scriptures;

he ascended into heaven

and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We look for the resurrection of the dead,

✝ and the life of the world to come.  Amen.

PROPER 19 – YEAR B – p92-93

16th Sunday after Pentecost

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

a. Let us pray to the Father, who has called us to follow his son, Jesus Christ,  in all things.

b. Empower your Church with courage to face the hard demands of the Gospel…Save your peaople from idle gossip and evil speaking, that the purity of their witness shall not be corrupted.

We pray for the welfare of your church here on earth;  guide and govern it by your Spirit,  so that all Christians may be led in the way of truth,  and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.

We ask your blessing on +Vsevolod our Bishop,  on this, our parish of St. George – for its work,  its worship and its witness.  We pray particularly for Fr. David in his ministry to us as he embarks on the 79th year of his life,  and for all members of our congregation,  be they near or far.

1 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

c. Fill with the love of truth those who influence the minds of others, who speak where many listen, and write what many read…Give to journalists and broadcasters the desire to make known the good just as much as the bad, and to avoid anything that can mislead the innocent.

d. Guard our speaking as we meet with others…Shield us in our families and in all our relationships from hasty words and disregard of truth.

We pray for the leaders of all the nations of this world,  most particularly for the King and Government of Thailand at this time of unrest,  and also in the countries from which we come. We remember also all the people in countries that have had problems of any kind during this past week, most particularly the tragic situation in Afghanistan.

Grant wisdom to all those in authority in every land,  and give to all people a desire for righteousness and peace,  the will to work together in trust,  to seek the common good,  and to share with justice and equity the limited resources of the earth.

2 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

e. We pray for all who are suffering from slander and false accusations…For those unjustly accused through malice or error…Give courage to those who are called to witness to their faith in peril or persecution.

We pray for all who are prevented from,  or persecuted for practising their faith,  wherever they may be.  We pray for our fellow Christians, both here in Thailand,  and also in our own home countries.

3 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

We pray for all those who suffer in body,  mind and spirit;  the sick;  the poor;  the depressed;  the lonely;  the afraid, the unloved;  the persecuted;  the unemployed and those who care for them. Those who grieve;  and those who have nobody to pray for them.

4 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

We remember all those who have been touched by the COVID 19 pandemic;  particularly here in Pattai-Ya,  where so many lives and livelihoods have been senselessly destroyed;   and where there is such heavy dependence on the hotel, hospitality and tourist industry,  now given added urgency as the outbreak continues at a high level of intensity. We pray for the on-going vaccination programme here in Thailand,  that greater numbers might be safeguarded more speedily,  and then be spared  the worst  of the unpleasant side-effects.

Amongst the sick we remember;

Fr. Tom, Brian, Kyoko, Colin, Mavis, Patricia,  Eric, Kent, Graham, Elizabeth, Conrad, Griselda, Jun,  Maurice,  Martyn, and any others known personally to each and every one of us…

5 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

f. We pray that the souls of the departed who loved this world too much may be pardoned in the Kingdom where true joys are to be found…May no evil report harm the memory of those who are at rest.

We bring to you all who have died in the hope of the resurrection,   especially the millions who have perished in the COVID pandemic – ,  for all whose anniversary occurs at this time,  particularly the innocent victims of the ‘9-11’ atrocity, and for all those known personally to us, collectively or individually…

Give them joy in the fellowship of  your heavenly Kingdom,  where Christ reigns for ever.

6 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

[DAVID] – g. As those who trust in Christ, the true Messiah, we pray in his name.

Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

THE CONFESSION:

God is steadfast in love and infinite in mercy, welcoming sinners and inviting them to the Lord’s table.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith, confident in God’s forgiveness.

Merciful God, our maker and our judge, we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, and in what we have failed to do: we have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves; we repent and are sorry ✊ for all ✊ our sins ✊, Father forgive us, strengthen us to love and obey you in newness of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

**(Note: all are encouraged to strike their breast 3 times following the lead of Fr. David as he utters the words: ‘sorry for all our sins’)**

Almighty God, who has promised forgiveness to all who turn to him in faith, pardon you ✝ and set you free from all your sins, strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

THE PEACE:

The congregation stands.

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

 

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Please greet each other with a sign of peace.

Just as I am, without one plea
But that thy blood was shed for me,
And that thou bidd’st me come to thee,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, though tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings within, and fears without,
O Lamb of God, I come.

Just as I am, of that free love
The breadth, length, depth and height to prove,
Here for a season then above,
O Lamb of God, I come.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

THE OFFERTORY

Blessed are you, God of all creation. Through your goodness we have these gifts to share. Accept and use our offerings for your glory and the service of your kingdom.

Blessed be God forever.

 Let us pray

We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose nature is always to have mercy. Grant us, therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of your dear son Jesus Christ, and to drink his blood, that we may evermore dwell in him and he in us.  Amen.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER C

The Lord be with you.

and also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Father, we give you thanks and praise through your beloved Son Jesus Christ, your living Word, through whom you have created all things; who was sent by you in your great goodness to be our Saviour.

By the power of the Holy Spirit he took flesh; as your Son, born of the blessed Virgin, he lived on earth and went about among us; he opened wide his arms for us on the cross; he put an end to death by dying for us; and revealed the resurrection by rising to new life; so he fulfilled your will and won for you a holy people.

Proper Preface

Therefore with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we proclaim your great and glorious name, for ever praising you and saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest. ✝  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  Hosanna in the highest.

Lord, you are holy indeed, the source of all holiness; grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit, and according to your holy will, these gifts of bread and wine may be to us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; who, in the same night that he was betrayed, took bread and gave you thanks; he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take, eat; this is my body ✝ which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.

In the same way, after supper he took the cup and gave you thanks; he gave it to them, saying: Drink this, all of you; this is my blood ✝ of the new covenant,

which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it,

in remembrance of me.

Great is the mystery of faith:

Christ has died:

Christ is risen:

Christ will come again.

And so, Father, calling to mind his death on the cross, his perfect sacrifice, made once for the sins of the whole world; rejoicing in his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension, and looking for his coming in glory, we celebrate this memorial of our redemption.

As we offer you this our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, we bring before you this bread and this cup and we thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your presence and serve you. Send the Holy Spirit on your people and gather into one in your kingdom all who share this one bread and one cup, so that we, in the company of [N and] all the saints, may praise and glorify you for ever, through Jesus Christ our Lord; by whom, and with whom, and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all honour and glory be yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Let us pray with confidence to the Father, as our Saviour has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.  ✋

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.✋

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace.✋

**(Note:  All are encouraged to tap their breast three times following the example of Fr. David as he utters the words ‘…have mercy, …have mercy and …grant us peace’)**

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.

Though we are many, we are one body, because we all share in one bread.

This is the Lamb of God ✝, who takes away the sins of the world;

Happy are those who are called to his supper.

Lord, I am not worthy ✊ to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.

**(Note:  All are encouraged to strike breast following the example of Fr. David as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

After Communion the celebrant and the congregation say

 

Let us pray.

Father of all we give you thanks and praise that when we were still far off you met us in your Son and brought us home. Dying and living, he declared your love, gave us grace, and opened the gate of glory. May we who share Christ’s body live his risen life; we who drink his cup bring life to others; we whom the Spirit lights give light to the world. 

Keep us in this hope that we have grasped; so we and all your children shall be free, and the whole earth live to praise your name.

Father, we offer ourselves to you as a living sacrifice through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord: and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ✝, be amongst you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord:

In the name of Christ.  Amen.

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth;
At Bethlehem I had my birth.
Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, whoever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,
But they would not dance and they wouldn’t follow me.
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John –
They came with me and the dance went on.
Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, whoever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
The holy people said it was a shame.
They whipped and they stripped and they hung me high;
They left me there on a cross to die.
Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, whoever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

They cut me down and I leapt up high;
I am the life that will never, never die;
I’ll live in you if you live in me-
I am the Lord of the dance, said he.
Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, whoever you may be,
And I’ll lead you all in the dance, said he.

♫♫ Scroll to the bottom of the page for the media player where you can hear the music and practice your singing. ♫♫

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR WORK

Music

Here is the music for this week’s hymns, if you would like to practice beforehand.

Performed by Fr. David Price

NOTE: The introductory music is Voluntary in C minor (Lento; Vivace) – Greene