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
Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Old Testament Genesis 28:10-19a
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it!” And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that place Bethel.
Psalm 139: 1-9
1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
The Epistle Romans 8:12-25
Brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh – for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ – if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
The Gospel Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Jesus put before the crowd another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!”
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
As we move through Jesus' parables in Matthew's Gospel we can sense a growing darkness. This week's parable ends with flames, weeping and gnashing of teeth. But, before we get there we should notice Jesus' approach to weeds in the field.
There are many ways people deal with weeds in their garden. Now I have never been much of a gardener. I am enormously impressed with my neighbor who spends an enormous amount of time on her hands and knees removing weeds. My neighbor on the other side simply pays a lawn service. But my way was to largely ignore them. Jesus, in our Gospel today, sounds like me. “Let the weeds grow along with the good plants.
Now wait a minute. Jesus is not prescribing gardening methods for Biblical times or today but something much more important. As always, he is addressing something that is all too common for us humans. There are lots of manifestations today:
We Episcopalians & Lutherans tend to think we have a corner on the truth of Biblical teaching. Why, we even know how church life should be ordered. For some years there was a large old main-line church on Salina Street that had been purchased by a non-denominal congregation which proudly announced that they were “pastored” by “bishop” so-and-so. Passing the building, I would mutter to myself, “bishop indeed,” completely ignoring the fact that it made no difference who was called what when they were doing great work with needy people in the neighborhood. And, worship… don’t get me going on “correct” liturgical form. Just like in Biblical times, we all too often get so caught up in being correct that we ignore what God may be doing.
I know, speaking only for myself here; I am always sure I am the one driving correctly. My grandfather must have taught me this. He was never at fault but frequently had a string of accidents in his wake. When asked by my uncle why he had unusual metallic green paint on his bumper he said “oh, I bumped a light pole in the parking lot.” Never mind that no one has ever seen metallic green paint on a light pole.
The examples go on, until we get to the most urgent issue in our society. Our civil conversation has broken down into warring camps sometimes violently opposed to anyone who does not think or act like us. When was the last time you tried to understand “those people” whoever “they” are.
So, there’s the problem. Now what? For me, the “now what” is to be found in the extraordinary way the Gospel shows us God’s actions. He is NEVER quick to judge. Especially me. He is long-suffering with my faults and even my inability to see the good in those different than me. Always longing for the day when I’ll do better. More interested in the harvest of good things than the punishment of the weeds.
AND, finding that to be true, I think I am usually moved to try to act more like God: Forgiving, understanding, caring…. 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
Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Brief silence
Almighty God, we are too quick to judge Your ways and too bold to presume upon Your wisdom. Grant us grace so that we may trust in Your Word and fulfill our baptismal vocation of worship, witness, prayer and works of mercy, both to our families and to our neighbors in need. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Blessed Lord, we are stewards of Your creation, but we have often squandered its goodness and wasted its resources. Guide us to use wisely and for the benefit of all people the fruits of this good earth, and preserve its goodness for those to come. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Merciful God, we have been given new birth in Baptism. Help us to confess Your Son before the world, reflecting the glory of Your kingdom to all people. Bless all Bishops, Priests and Deacons and church workers, that they may be faithful in their callings. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Gracious Lord, we enjoy great freedom and blessing in our land. Bless our President; the Congress of these United States; our governor; and all those who make, judge and administer laws in our land. Give them wisdom in their actions for the protection of life and livelihood. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Loving God, we give You thanks for the gift of health, which we must never take for granted. Hear our prayers on behalf of the sick, the aged, the infirm, those who mourn and those near death. Grant them healing in accord with Your will and grace to sustain them in their need. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Holy Lord, we too easily forget those in nursing homes, assisted living and the homebound. Give us grace so that we may bring them Your consolation and peace, and give them the aid and comfort of Your Word and our fellowship in Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Heavenly Father, we are wounded by the sufferings of this life, and we need Your grace to sustain us in hope and equip us with patience. Give to us all that we need to pass through the day of trouble and be found faithful when Christ comes in His glory at the Last Day. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Gentle Lord, we ask You to visit the homes of Your people, that they may be places of blessing and love, where faith is nurtured and we learn to live out our new lives in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O Lord, hear us on behalf of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Grant that what we pray for, we may work toward, under the guidance of Your Holy Spirit, that at the Day of Judgment we may be found worthy to join the saints and enter into Your gift of eternal light and life forevermore. 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.
