Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And blessed be his kingdom, now and forever. Amen.
Jesus said, "The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel:
The Lord your God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:29-31
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is
faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9
We confess our sins against God and others.
Silence may be kept.
Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.
May Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.
The Gloria
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to his 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.
The Collect
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.
Old Testament Genesis 29: 15-28
Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were lovely, and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.
Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.” So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” Laban said, “This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years.” Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.
Psalm 128
1 Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *
and who follow in his ways!
2 You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *
happiness and prosperity shall be yours.
3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *
your children like olive shoots round about your table.
4 The man who fears the Lord *
shall thus indeed be blessed.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion, *
and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 May you live to see your children's children; *
may peace be upon Israel.
The Epistle 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.
The Gospel Matthew 13:31-33, 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.”
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us how something so small that it is invisible to the eye can grow rapidly and exponentially into a destructive force that consumes all our attention and resources, as individuals, communities, nations and as a world.
The passage from the Gospel today offers a counter-image to this destructive force. The parables describe how the kingdom of heaven emerges from something almost invisible to the eye and grows exponentially, offering us sustenance, a treasure worthy of all our attention and resources.
We find this week what may look like a “pile” of parables. One on top of another without much relationship. But, of course, you suspect this is not the case.
· We begin with two parables that draw attention to remarkable growth arising from insignificant beginnings. When I was quite young my parents owned a summer place – actually a nearly abandoned farm house. Out near the road there was large bush – some years taller than me. It was my job to keep it trimmed. Most years it got the best of me by fall. It was stronger, more persistent than me. By the way. It produced magnificent yellow flowers with tiny seed. YES, a mustard bush. A sign of the kingdom of God that is stronger, more persistent then anything the world can do to overcome it. Good to remember in an age when evil seems to be winning and God’s rule seems about to be overcome.
· Moving on to the next two parables. And back to that old farm house. We would go there any time my father could get away and he and my mother would work on “projects.” I never quite understood that. Why work all week just to get a little time to go work somewhere else? It was only years later that I understood. They were building what we now call “sweat equity.” That old house finally sold for much more than they paid for it and they used the money to purchase another “project” closer to the village and with more prospects. When they sold that house they used the money to purchase a rather nicer house “in the village.” That house became their retirement home. They lived there very comfortable for a decade after my father retired. Then, when my father died, it then sold for enough to keep my mother comfortable the rest of her life. That run-down farm house turned out to be a pearl of great worth. I could not see it but my father could. The kingdom of God is like that. It’s great worth may be hidden, but we are assured that it is not only there but can’t be stopped.
Surprise. Our parables fit together after all. Have a blessed week as you search for the great worth of the kingdom. I’ll let you ponder the message of the rest of the parables but be sure – they are related.
Amen.
THE NICENE CREED
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:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
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.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He 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.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
O Lord, we are Your people, chosen by Your grace to be Your own possession and granted mercy upon mercy. Hear Your people who cry to You in need, and remember us according to the favor You have shown to us in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Brief silence
That the Lord may open our hearts to prayer and guide us in this holy conversation so that we may know those things for which we ought to pray and seek them according to His grace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That the Church may prosper, the good news of Jesus Christ go forth unhindered, and the Spirit bring many into the fellowship of the redeemed, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That the Lord may grant to us good and faithful pastors, Bishops and Deacons to preach and teach the Word, and that we may receive their instruction with joy and thanksgiving, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That we may remember our Baptism into Christ and live boldly in our vocation as His children no matter the difficulties of this fallen world, within our families, in our neighborhoods and throughout the world, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That the Lord may bless our nation and those who govern us, and that we may use the gift of freedom to live holy, upright and godly lives, to the praise of His glory, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That the Lord may bless all lawful occupations and professions, and that we may pursue honesty and virtue in all things, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That the sick may be healed, the troubled granted peace, the grieving comforted and the dying kept in peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
That the Lord may watch over our comings and goings and deliver us safely into the arms of His mercy, in the blessed rest of the faithful, to receive with all the dead in Christ the gift of life everlasting, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
Holy God, mighty Lord, endless is Your mercy and eternal Your reign. Hear the prayers of Your people who cry to You in their need and who plead to You in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by the 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, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing
God, the Source of glory,
God, the Word of life,
God, the Spirit of truth + bless us all,
now and forever.
Amen.
We go forth into the world to serve God with gladness;
to be of good courage;
To hold fast to that which is good; to render to no one evil for evil;
To strengthen the fainthearted; to support the weak; help the afflicted; to honor all people.
To love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
