14th Sunday after Pentecost – 29th August 2021

13th Sunday after Trinity

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Proper 17

Year B – Track 2

Watch the service on Twitch

ORDER OF SERVICE

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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. ♫♫

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 dids’t 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. ♫♫

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.

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; 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:

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9

Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.

You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, “Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!” For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children.

This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

Psalm 15

Domine, quis habitabit?

1 Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
who may abide upon your holy hill?

2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
who speaks the truth from his heart.

3 There is no guile upon his tongue;
he does no evil to his friend; *
he does not heap contempt upon his neighbour.

4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
but he honours those who fear the Lord.

5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
and does not take back his word.

6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.

7 Whoever does these things *
shall never be overthrown.

A Reading from the book of

James 1:17-27

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

 This is the Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and Gospel reading.

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

By his own choice the Father made us his children

by the message of the truth,

so that we should be a sort of first-fruits

of all that he created.

Alleluia!

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

✝✝✝

When the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,
teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Most people, and Christians are no exception, are easily distracted, and so they become unable, as we say, to see the wood for the trees!

In the seventh chapter of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah, describing the way God looks into the human heart.  God sees the many ways people become distracted by appearances, and human traditions that fall short of connecting them to what really matters.  In this particular case, the religious leaders were criticising Jesus and his followers for failing to follow a tradition of ritually washing their hands before eating.  They were eating with what was termed, “defiled hands.”  This rule was related to the kosher laws, but Jesus challenged them and quoted Isaiah, saying, “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me… You abandon the commandment of God, and hold to human tradition.”  In other words, they were paying ‘lip service’, their focus was all wrong.  In focusing on human traditions, and looking only at the outward appearance of things, they had failed actually to honour God, because it is what is in the human heart that matters to God.  Somewhere along the way, the entire meaning and purpose of what they were doing had been lost.  And just as this demonstrates, it is all too easy to mistake the appearance of things for the meaning itself.  At that point, distraction reigns supreme, and the focus on what matters is lost.  And it is certainly all too easy to get distracted these days!

Indeed, distractions abound in our world today.  One of those distractions is the preoccupation with one’s outward appearance. Americans, it turns out, on average, spend nearly a quarter of a million dollars on grooming and beauty products in the course of their lifetime – that equates to hundreds of dollars per month.  And what about time usage?  There’s a fascinating study, called the “American Time Use Survey” that was conducted in 2014.   It studied the time habits of Americans in a wide variety of activities. Researchers learned that Americans spend an average of 45 to 55 minutes, in other words nearly an hour, on grooming every day.  They also spend an average of 4 to 6 hours per day on leisure activities.  And how much time does the average American spend on spiritual, or religiously-related activities, like prayer? An average of 2 to 15 minutes per day! That’s quite a contrast, and appears to underscore Jesus’ point!

Distractions abound.  A new skincare line describes in its literature various skincare “concerns”, that ranged from wrinkles to skin tone, to blemishes to discoloration, to firmness and even included a method to “map” the size of one’s pores.   Imagine it: we’re now mapping the size of people’s pores?   Americans spend an incredible amount of money on plastic surgery, and products that promise to make them better or younger, even though it’s a losing battle: everyone must age and will eventually die.   While there is nothing inherently wrong with trying to look one’s best, the ultimate purpose in life, including the legacy one leaves, has nothing to do with such things.  Of course, most people know this deep down, but may be too distracted to make substantial changes to their daily routine!

Indeed, people are bombarded with images every day of what they should be, do, and look like according to the ways of the world.  Western culture and human tradition proscribe “rules” that include being thin, attractive, strong, wealthy, owning nice cars, having big homes, owning the right tech gadgets, smelling good, wearing the right clothes (with colours to match one’s skin tone), having straight and white teeth, having plenty of shiny thick hair, and flawless skin, presumably with extremely tiny pores!  In addition, people seem to be required to marry a good-looking spouse, or have a good-looking partner, have 2.5 children, and not have any real deficits, either physically, financially, or mentally.  One should appear youthful, no matter our age. And so, when people fall short of these rules, because absolutely everyone will, one may feel inadequate, and believe their value and purpose in life has somehow been diminished.

But this is not the way of Jesus or the Scriptures.  These are not the rules or traditions of God, or the standards for one’s life according to God’s Word.  These are truly vain, human traditions.   Jesus invites his followers to let go of human rules and obsessions, so they can focus on having a heart that is pure, and filled with love for God and others. Jesus’ invitation leads to a life that is more than just going through the motions – a life centred on the precepts of God!

So, what if we all spent more time on what really matters, on cultivating our hearts and lives to be in accord with God’s will for us and the world,  and less time worrying about what others thought about us, or how we seemed, thereby freeing up our time, focus, and energy for what really matters?  For the things of God!

One unnoticed problem with a preoccupation over outward appearances is that it can lead to a failure to notice the more important aspects of our character – the truly beautiful things about ourselves that God has blessed us with, including their inner gifts and qualities that shine the light of Christ.  Could it be that in the desperate desire to be perceived as attractive, successful, or appearing to have it “all together”, that we no longer notice, or simply forget to utilize our deeper, spiritual gifts?   And, in turn, could it be that we may not notice the true beauty and spiritual gifts in others either?  That is a deep and meaningful loss!
There is a Chinese saying: “You can’t measure the sea with a pot.”  It’s similar to “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  Judging by the “cover” always fails.   God is interested in the heart, not words or mere appearances.  In the Jewish tradition, the heart is viewed as the seat of the will, not just the place of emotions.  In order to align our heart and mind with God’s will and purpose, we begin simply by asking God for this grace. “Not my will be done, but Thine.”

This decision requires letting go of the distractions, and no longer doing things for empty, outward appearances, but embracing the truth that when our heart shines with love for God and others, then we are truly beautiful and successful.  Our lives can have ultimate meaning and purpose when we choose to let go of the “human traditions” that have distracted and dictated our lives thus far.  And once our hearts are focused on God’s will and purpose, life becomes worth living and purposeful, no matter the circumstances.   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 17 – YEAR B – p90-91

14th Sunday after Pentecost

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let us pray to the Lord, who knows all the secrets of our hearts.

Give grace to the Church to be steadfast in faith, firm in your word, and zealous in good work…Keep your people strong when their discipleship is costly,  and the burden heavy.

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 hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

Have mercy on your human creation,  that does not recognise its true identity…restore the world to knowledge of the truth, and lead it out of the slavery of errors into the perfect law of liberty.

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, and 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.

Fill us with thankfulness for the gifts that you have given to us in families and friends…Give us grace to use them in your service for the good of others.

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.

Visit and relieve all who suffer from cruelty and injustice under evil laws…Through the sufferings of Christ, grant them release, and turn the hearts of their persecutors.

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 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 severity. 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, Alex, Colin, Mavis, Patricia,  Eric, Kent, Graham, Elizabeth, Conrad, Griselda, Jun, Ying,  Maurice and any others known personally to each and every one of us…

5 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

We give thanks for the peace of the departed, whose suffering is over and who rest in your care…grant them a place in the glory of heaven.

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 Chintana, 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 the heavenly church,  where Christ reigns for ever.

6 Lord hear us – Lord graciously hear us.

[DAVID] – We pray that our petitions may be pure and acceptable in the sight of God.

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.

O Jesus, I have promised
To serve thee to the end;
Be thou for ever near me,
My Master and my Friend;
I shall not fear the battle
If thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If thou wilt be my guide.

O let me hear thee speaking
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will;
O speak to reassure me,
To hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
Thou guardian of my soul.

O let me see thy footmarks,
And in them plant mine own;
My hope to follow duly
Is in thy strength alone;
O guide me, call me, draw me,
Uphold me to the end;
And then in heaven receive me,
My Saviour and my Friend.

♫♫ 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.

The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at thy behest;
To thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank thee that thy Church unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

So be it, Lord, thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away;
Thy kingdom stands, and grows for ever,
Till all thy creatures own thy sway.

♫♫ 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 ‘Rhosymedre’ – Vaughan Williams