17th Sunday after Pentecost – 19th September 2021

16th Sunday after Trinity

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Proper 20

Year B – Track 2

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. ♫♫

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, thy great name we praise.

To all life thou givest – to both great and small;
In all life thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And whither and perish – but nought changeth thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
All laud we would render; O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee.

♫♫ 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.

Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

A Reading from the book of:

Jeremiah 11:18-20

It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew;
then you showed me their evil deeds.

But I was like a gentle lamb
led to the slaughter.

And I did not know it was against me
that they devised schemes, saying,

“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit,
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
so that his name will no longer be remembered!”

But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously,
who try the heart and the mind,

let me see your retribution upon them,
for to you I have committed my cause.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 54

Deus, in nomine

Save me, O God, by your Name; *
in your might, defend my cause.

2 Hear my prayer, O God; *
give ear to the words of my mouth.

3 For the arrogant have risen up against me,
and the ruthless have sought my life, *
those who have no regard for God.

4 Behold, God is my helper; *
it is the Lord who sustains my life.

5 Render evil to those who spy on me; *
in your faithfulness, destroy them.

6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice *
and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.

7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, *
and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.

A Reading from the book of

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

 This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

I am the light of the world, says the Lord,

Anyone who follows me will have the light of life.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

Mark 9:30-37

✝✝✝

Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

‘The first shall be last, and the last first’ – how often have we all heard and used that well-worn adage?   This phrase can be found no less than four times in the gospels, twice in Matthew and once each in Mark and Luke, although in fact two of these are references to the Parable of the Vineyard, so there are in reality only two events. Neither of these occurs in today’s gospel, although it could perfectly well have done, being so implicit in its intention.  The unifying factor however in today’s readings is surely ‘humility’, and this is particularly evident in our 2nd reading from the Letter of St. James, which states clearly that so many of the troubles in the world stem from the hatred which is engendered by over-arching ambition.  He reminds us that the root of most conflicts is selfish ambitions within us – we have an ambition which we cannot satisfy, so we fight to get our way by force!

Then, in Mark’s gospel we find the apostles arguing amongst them as to who was the greatest.  Now, of course, our Lord was fully aware of exactly what was going on, but when he asked his chosen band what they had been talking about on the road, they were all struck dumb with embarrassment, not wanting to lose face over their patent lack of humility – Jesuswanted simply to serve, whilst they wanted only to rule!  Jesus dealt with this by taking a little child and setting it in their midst, telling them that whosoever welcomes one of these in his name welcomes him, and whoever welcomes him welcomes the one who sent him.  In the innocence and lack of ambition of the child, then we see clearly a reflection of the face of God the Father himself.

Now this poses Christians with a very real dilemma.  Is Jesus really telling us that all ambition for personal advancement is wrong and therefore sinful?  No, of course not, but as so often in life it is not what is done, but how it is done that is important, and makes all the difference!

One only has to venture onto the roads here in Thailand to see countless examples of the ‘me first, me only’ attitude, with drivers showing no regard whatsoever for fellow road users, as they dart from lane to lane in a highly dangerous fashion in their determination to be first and ‘beat the traffic’, no matter how congested the highways and roads might be. They seemingly have no thought at all for the effect their reckless behaviour has on other road users, and are completely oblivious of the risks to both life and limb, not only of their fellows but also show a complete disregard for their own safety.  It seems like only last week I had to visit the Ministry of Land Transport, in order to renew my Driving Licence, and as I’m sure those of you here in Thailand all are well aware, as part of that procedure, one has to sit and watch a video in the Thai language, on a screen far too small for the room, with the rather diminutive English subtitles almost entirely illegible, due to the background being too light for the white lettering to show up with the necessary degree of clarity.  The hope is, that by inflicting this, regardless, on all drivers, in my case one with over half a century’s experience behind the wheel, the standard of driving in this country, which now has the second most dangerous roads in the entire world, will improve, and the obscene level of carnage which takes place on a daily basis, decrease to a significant degree.  Unfortunately, though, this pious hope takes no account whatsoever of the fact that many Thai believe that whether they live or die, this is entirely down to their Karma, and therefore there’s absolutely nothing which can be done to change that – what an absolutely terrifying state of affairs!  I’m sure the Lord Buddha would not agree for one moment with any such interpretation of his teaching, or the Prophet Muhammad of some of his more fanatical followers reading of the Koran.  Not that we Christians either have any cause in the slightest for self-righteousness, bearing in mind the atrocities which have been committed down the centuries, by those with a wholly misguided and in some cases totally warped view of our Faith.

None of us are free to trample over the rights and feelings of others in the realisation of our personal ambitions.  This is what James tries to define very clearly, in that our expectations must be reasonable and pursued with fairness, gentleness and without envy.  We must not regard ourselves more highly than we should, and seek for ourselves a status which is unjustified by our capabilities – in other words, allow ourselves to become too big for our boots!  Judgements must be fair and impartial so that they do not create enmity and ill-will amongst those around us, because all such actions come not from divine wisdom, but rather from the devil himself!

To revert now to the opening of today’s gospel passage, Jesus was once again wanting to be incognito and in low profile, so as not to be disturbed whilst he sought for the second time (we heard of the previous attempt last week and of Peter’s reaction to it) to prepare the disciples for the wholly inescapable fate that awaited him – betrayal, death and resurrection, but they did not understand and were simply too afraid to ask him.  Did this lack of understanding too stem from their own pride and lack of humility, being infinitely more interested in their own standing and status?  There are none so deaf as those who don’t wish to listen, and Peter’s reaction previously was ample proof of the disciples’ unwillingness to take on board facts they simply did not wish to hear!

Arrogance is the subject of our first reading from a very self-righteous and hard-done-by Jeremiah, who was constantly bewailing what the ungodly had inflicted upon him, as they tried constantly to destroy him for his upholding of ‘the truth’.  Hardly surprising then that he wanted to see the Lord take his revenge upon them!

The psalmist too is seeking to be saved from ‘the ungodly’ in their arrogance, with due retribution being exacted from them for their many evil deeds.  Persecution has existed from the earliest times until now, as we have seen almost on our own doorstep in the treatment of minorities, whether these be the Rohinga in Myanmar or LGBT people, not only in India, but in a number of other places across the globe.

This rather brings us back to ‘me first, me only’; ‘my way is right and yours is wrong’; thinking of ourselves more highly than we should, and a general lack of humility, which, as I suggested at the outset, is what binds today’s readings together, and is the cause of so much trouble and disunity in the world.  We should try to focus sincerely and solely on the things that unite us, rather than the ones which divide us and separate us from the love of God.  We all desire harmonious relationships with other people, yet many communities, families and homes are marked by frequent disagreements.  Although conflicts are unfortunately inevitable in this life, we must never allow these to tear us apart.  Let us pray then that God will give us all humility of mind, meekness of heart and sincerity of purpose, so that our ears will be open to his word as we seek to do his will here in the all-too-often rather uncongenial environment of this city of Pattaya.  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 20 – YEAR B – p93

17th Sunday after Pentecost

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

a. Let us pray to the Father, whose Son suffered betrayal and death for the salvation of the world.

b. O Lord, cleanse the Church from temptation to worldly ambition and false triumphalism…In childlike simplicity, may your people follow you without fear, in loving one another.

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,  and for all members of our congregation,  be they near or far.

1 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

c. O Lord, bring peace to the troubled places of the world, where war destroys both human life and the beauty of your creation….Make peaceful the minds of those who contend for power, that they may know the freedom of your service.

d. Bless the children of our families,  and those in our community…Let their innocence teach us to avoid all that may destroy the harmony of  living.

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 all those caught up in 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 in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

e. Have mercy on the victims of war and violence…Those who have lost their loved ones, and been driven from their homesGrant them a safe refuge, with a warm welcome and a place to rebuild their lives.

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

3 Lord in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

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 in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

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 still persists 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, Fr. Michael, 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 in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

f. We pray for those who have died in war, or through human violence….Grant mercy to those who died unprepared and impenitent, by the love Christ who served others even in death….Grant them the peace that they were denied in their last hour.

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 Graham, Robert, Rick…. for Peter and all whose anniversary occurs at this time,  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 in your mercy – Hear our prayer.

[DAVID] – g. As servants of Christ, we humbly offer our prayers 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,

Just as I am, thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve:
Because thy promise I believe,

Just as I am (thy love unknown
Has broken every barrier down),
Now to be thine, yea thine alone,

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.

King of glory, King of peace,
I will love thee;
And that love may never cease,
I will move thee.
Thou hast granted my request,
Thou hast heard me;
Thou didst note my working breast,
Thou hast spared me.

Wherefore with my utmost art
I will sing thee,
And the cream of all my heart
I will bring thee.
Though my sins against me cried,
Thou didst clear me;
And alone, when they replied,
Thou didst hear me.

Seven whole days, not one in seven,
I will praise thee;
In my heart, though not in heaven,
I can raise thee.
Small it is, in this poor sort
To enrol thee:
E’en eternity’s too short
To extol thee.

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

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 Sonata No. 6 Chorale & Variations 1 & 2 – Mendelssohn.