Ninth Sundy after Pentecost

30th July 2023

Eighth Sunday after Trinity

Year A

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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. The people respond with confidence everywhere which is in bold type

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home;

Under the shadow of thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the same.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten as a dream
Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be thou our guide while troubles last,
And our eternal home.

♫♫ 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.

THE PENITENTIAL RITE

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 the Celebrant 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, confirm and strengthen you in all goodness and keep you in eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, have mercy

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy,

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy,

Lord, have mercy.

(This prayer is omitted during Advent and Lent)

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, h in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

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

THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

THE COLLECT OF THE DAY

O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; 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 first book of

Kings

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?”

It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.”

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

PSALM 119

129-136

Mirabilia

129 Your decrees are wonderful; *
therefore I obey them with all my heart.

130 When your word goes forth it gives light; *
it gives understanding to the simple.

131 I open my mouth and pant; *
I long for your commandments.

132 Turn to me in mercy, *
as you always do to those who love your Name.

133 Steady my footsteps in your word; *
let no iniquity have dominion over me.

134 Rescue me from those who oppress me, *
and I will keep your commandments.

135 Let your countenance shine upon your servant *
and teach me your statutes.

136 My eyes shed streams of tears, *
because people do not keep your law.

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the:

Romans

8:26-39

The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

All stand for the Acclamation and the Gospel reading.

(Response outside of Lent: “Alleluia!”)

Response during Lent: “Praise to you, O Christ, King of Eternal Glory.”

Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took

mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened

Alleluia!

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to

MATTHEW:

31-33,44-52

Jesus put before the crowds another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

After the Gospel reading

This is the Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Here is our homily delivered; 30th July;
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart; be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.
The whole chapter 13 of Matthew talks about parables and today’s Gospel contains five brief parables put in one setting to describe and explain the Kingdom of God/Heaven. It’s a descriptive explanation of the Kingdom of Heaven but using a figure of speech. This is just a bite of the Kingdom of Heaven. As of last week’s readings, we follow some parables about the Sower and seed and weeds; now, it is a good arrangement by the liturgist to continue with the momentum to complete our picture of the Kingdom of Heaven. Though it is just a bite, hopefully, we can taste it. So today, we heard Jesus telling the people saying the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, Yeast, hidden treasure, a merchant who searches for fine pearls, and finally, the Net.
The common word in all these parables is the Kingdom of God/heaven; by these parables, may we understand God’s Kingdom. This is a very important topic in the life of Christ and His teaching.
The teachings of Jesus Christ center on the Kingdom of God. Other names in the Bible for the Kingdom of God are the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of Light. This is the central theme of Jesus Christ’s preaching: the Kingdom of God. Aside from these parables, he has some words of encouragement in Matthew 6:33 “But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
We will try to take a look at these parables, and hopefully, we can have a glimpse of that picture of the Heavenly Kingdom and have a bite of that Kingdom of heaven. We cannot fully comprehend the thoughts of God and understand the meaning of these parables. We ask:
“Why does Jesus speak to them in parables?”
The disciples also ask this, and Jesus answered somehow in a very deep meaning, as you can follow in the earlier part of our Gospel in Matthew. 13:10-16. He said, the reason I speak to them in parables is that:
“Seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.”
So, from that perspective, I want to set out what Jesus is trying to say about these parables. We can have our understanding of these parables since it is in parables. As Fr. Zach said last week, a parable is a parable.
So, it allows us to seek hidden treasures or more profound meaning. And from this view, it also draws the attention of common people from different walks of life.
Verse 34: Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; he told them nothing without parables. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet “I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.”
The parables in 13:31-33, had been omitted from last Sunday’s Gospel and then continue to read on verses 44-52. We have 5 parables to think about within these verses.
I divided these 5 parables mentioned today into 3 groups.
1st The parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the Yeast.
2nd The parable of the hidden treasure and the parable of the merchant in search for fine pearls.
And 3rd The parable of the Net.
It is noteworthy that Jesus is using similes as a comparison method based on our figure of speech, but the most important here is that He refers to the same Kingdom of Heaven in all these parables.
We begin with the typical characteristics of the first group with 2 parables. Jesus draws attention from ordinary people like farmers, fishers or workers by comparing the Kingdom of Heaven to the mustard seed and Yeast, there is room to grow and potential to serve our purpose even if we are just a small one like a seed and what is also encouraging here Jesus mentioned the woman, remember in those days, woman were not equal and of less value, but here in the Kingdom of God, Jesus is giving importance to women by citing them in the parable, giving them the equal rights and privileges and seeing their value in the development.
So, this Kingdom of Heaven is more inclusive, and the atmosphere is welcoming. With the Yeast it is easily understood by the people back then because they usually ate bread and Yeast is an important ingredient when mixed with flour; it transforms. We can say that the Kingdom of Heaven is not only growing but also transforming. We can see this in the context that Jesus is speaking to a large crowd with probably of different backgrounds or classes by that time.
Some of these people may already have known Jesus and followed him until to this very remote area outside of a populated place and by the lake, and many of these people might be an observer with an initial attraction to the words and teaching of Jesus; they want to learn more and follow him. This might be referring to the “smallest of all seeds,” the mustard seed grows into a tree (Matthew 13:32).
But it is a good and fertile seed to be able to grow, which may refer to the humble beginning to an immense kingdom of heaven and to be realized here on earth.
The 2nd group with another 2 parables, the hidden treasure and the merchant searching for fine pearls, point to discovering something of great value. The Kingdom of Heaven is a real treasure and will bring us so much joy that we are willing to sell all that we have to possess it. This is about equipping his followers to carry the great task of giving up everything for the sake of the Kingdom of God. To be ready for the great trials and possible persecution.
Like the man who finds a hidden treasure, the merchant searching for a fine pearl sells everything he has to purchase it. If they have this kind of faith, they will become irrevocable and the concrete example of the small seeds, facing martyrdom for the sake of the Kingdom of God. And much ready to go to the world. Jesus teaches perseverance in finding the Kingdom of Heaven as a treasure; It is not easily obtained; it must be sought. Jesus knew his followers and trusted them for the continuity of his work.
It is not just the people or followers who put their trust in Jesus, but most importantly, Jesus put his trust in you, his followers. If they find this Kingdom of Heaven as their treasure, no one can take it away from them, even death.
And so today, in our generation, we rose from the ashes of our martyrs and saints; they kept their promise of proclaiming the Kingdom of heaven without hesitation.
Their aspiration becomes our reality because today, we enjoyed so much from our faith, the freedom to express our faith in Jesus Christ, and we will continue to do so.
And the 3rd is the NET.
Somehow, a different comparison leads to our eschatological expectation, the judgement for all. Jesus says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net. The net “caught fish of every kind, when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad” (Matthew 13:47-48). The Net is not the one that judges what is good or bad fish; it collects all, it gathers all of every kind. So, we must be happy if we are caught in that kind of Net of the Kingdom of God; as for the judgement, I think it is not our concern.
We must trust God to render the judgement accordingly, for he is the judge but for us, we have our duty and work to do, we must strive to seek the Kingdom of heaven here on earth, and this is not about finding a political territorial jurisdiction or a well-organized and established church, may we find it in every heart of people of different nationalities, cultures and even beliefs or status in life and if you find it very hard, we must start to cultivate our own heart like the mustard seed.
Take care of the joy that you have, and hopefully, that joy in your heart is the Kingdom of Heaven and worth sharing for we only live once; we must bring out the goodness in us.
The scribe is still within us, and we continue writing our stories. May we be guided by God’s wisdom of both old and new as we live our life in the realization of the Kingdom of God here on earth.
Amen!

Please stand for the Nicene Creed.  Let us individually affirm the faith of the Church.

I believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
I 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.
I 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.
I believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Let us pray for the world and for the Church:

(Prayers of intercession are now said, and at the end of each petition the intercessor says:)

Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

or

Lord hear us,
Lord graciously hear us.

(At the conclusion of the prayers the priest says:)
Almighty God, who has promised to hear our prayers:
Grant that what we have asked in faith we may by your grace receive, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE PEACE:

Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles:
I leave you peace, my peace I give you.
Look not on our sins, but the faith of your Church, And grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom Where you live for ever and ever. Amen.

Please stand for the greeting of peace

We are the Body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.

And also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of God’s peace, in the traditional Thai way, with a ‘wai’.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To his feet thy tribute bring.
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Who like me his praise should sing?
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise him for his grace and favour
To our fathers in distress;
Praise him still the same for ever,
Slow to chide and swift to bless.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in his faithfulness.

Father-like, he tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame he knows;
In his hands he gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely as his mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore him;
Ye behold him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before him;
Dwellers all in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.

♫♫ 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.

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 the Celebrant as all utter the words ‘not worthy’)** 

Please approach the altar with cradled hands if you wish to receive the sacrament, or with the hands behind your back if you wish to receive a blessing. Each communicant responds ‘Amen’ when receiving communion in either kind.

After Communion, there is time for silent prayer and meditation.

THE THANKSGIVING

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.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord god Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

Holy, Holy, Holy! All the saints adore thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before thee,
Which wert, and art, and evermore shall be.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful man thy glory may not see,
Only thou art holy, there is none beside thee
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy name in earth and sky and sea;
Holy, Holy, Holy! Merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

♫♫ 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 – use hymns from the same week last year

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 “A Fugue in E flat (BWV 552 (1st. section) – Bach”.