21 September 2025
10:30 | 
Posted by
Dr Platts |
A beautiful sunny day greeted us for Matins in church and Crafty Communion in the parish hall.
Fr Roger preached today about Matthew, apostle and evangelist. He also explined that Matthew the tax collector turned disciple would not be the same as the writer of the gospel according to Matthew. He also explained many similarities in the gospel between Moses and Jesus, but with the emphasis on Jesus being just a little bit better.
There is no said Eucharist on Thursday as Fr Chris is on holiday until 1st October. Mary's Place will go ahead as normal. All welcome for tea, coffee, cake and most of all, a jolly good chat!
The first weekend of October is our Harvest celebration with things happening over the weekend.
A reading from the book of Proverbs.
Happy are those who find wisdom
and those who get understanding,
for her income is better than silver
and her revenue better than gold.
She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honour.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.
2 Corinthians 4:1-6
A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
Since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry,
we do not lose heart.
We have renounced the shameful things that one hides,
we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word,
but by the open statement of the truth
we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.
And even if our gospel is veiled,
it is veiled to those who are perishing.
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers,
to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,
who is the image of God.
For we do not proclaim ourselves;
we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord
and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’s sake.
For it is the God who said,
“Light will shine out of darkness,”
who has shone in our hearts
to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 9:9-13
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mathhew.
As Jesus was walking along,
he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth,
and he said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
And as he sat at dinner in the house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and were sitting with Jesus and his disciples.
When the Pharisees saw this,
they said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
But when he heard this, he said,
“Those who are well have no need of a physician,
but those who are sick.
Go and learn what this means,
‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’
For I have not come to call the righteous but sinners.”
14 September 2025
A grey day outside but not inside as we celebrated our Patronal Festival. The children stayed with us rather than go to do their stuff in the Parish rooms so the homily was a question and answer affair aimed at the children first then the adults. We learnt about the meaning of a Patronal Festival, Pilgrimage and Shrine, all about a journey to bring us closer to God.
Father Chris told us about the modern 'Pilgrims' who visited our church on their way to the recently resurrected 'Pilgrim's Trail' , between the site of the original Cathedral and Abbey at Selsey and the current Chichester Cathedral. The trail has been created by the Cathedral as it celebrates its 950th anniversary, and is in partnership with the British Pilgrimage Trust. It’s approximately 14.5 km long and is known as the Chichester 950 Way.
Join us at 5.30pm for a Festal Evensong with nibbles and drinks afterwards.
A reading from the book of the prophet Micah.
Now you are walled around with a wall;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the ruler of Israel
upon the cheek.
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure,
for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth.
Galatians 4:4-7
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Galatians.
When the fullness of time had come,
God sent his Son, born of a woman,
born under the law,
in order to redeem those who were under the law,
so that we might receive adoption as children.
And because you are children,
God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying,
“Abba! Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a child,
and if a child then also an heir through God.
Luke 1:26-38
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God
to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and said,
“Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.”
But she was much perplexed by his words
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
The angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favour with God.
And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you will name him Jesus.
He will be great
and will be called the Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be, since I am a virgin?”
The angel said to her,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
therefore the child to be born will be holy;
he will be called Son of God.
And now,
your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son,
and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.
For nothing will be impossible with God.”
Then Mary said,
“Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
07 September 2025
Unfortunately, Fr Chris was not present due to Covid infection, so we had Fr Roger instead. We hope he gets better soon. The choir was back from their August break and sang Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus as the anthem.
A reading from the book of Deuteronomy.
“See, I have set before you today
life and prosperity, death and adversity.
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God
that I am commanding you today,
by loving the Lord your God,
walking in his ways, and observing his commandments,
decrees, and ordinances,
then you shall live and become numerous,
and the Lord your God will bless you
in the land that you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you do not hear
but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,
I declare to you today that you shall certainly perish;
you shall not live long in the land
that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today
that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses.
Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
loving the Lord your God,
obeying him, and holding fast to him,
for that means life to you and length of days,
so that you may live in the land
that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors,
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
Philemon 1-21
A reading from the letter of Paul to Philemon.
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus,
and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon, our dear friend and coworker
to Apphia our sister,
to Archippus our fellow soldier,
and to the church in your house:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
When I mention you in my prayers,
I always thank my God
because I hear of your love for all the saints
and your faith toward the Lord Jesus.
I pray that the partnership of your faith
may become effective when you perceive all the good
that we share in Christ.
I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother.
For this reason,
though I am more than bold enough in Christ to command you to do the right thing,
yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love—
and I, Paul, do this as an old man
and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus.
I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus,
whose father I have become during my imprisonment.
Formerly he was useless to you,
but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.
I am sending him,
that is, my own heart,
back to you.
I wanted to keep him with me
so that he might minister to me in your place
during my imprisonment for the gospel,
but I preferred to do nothing without your consent
in order that your good deed might be voluntary
and not something forced.
Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while,
so that you might have him back for the long term,
no longer as a slave but more than a slave,
a beloved brother—
especially to me but how much more to you,
both in the flesh and in the Lord.
So if you consider me your partner,
welcome him as you would welcome me.
If he has wronged you in any way
or owes you anything, charge that to me.
I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand:
I will repay it.
I say nothing about your owing me even your own self.
Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord!
Refresh my heart in Christ.
Confident of your obedience,
I am writing to you,
knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
Luke 14:25-33
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and said to them,
“Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
yes, and even life itself,
cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me
cannot be my disciple.
For which of you,
intending to build a tower,
does not first sit down and estimate the cost,
to see whether he has enough to complete it?
Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish,
all who see it will begin to ridicule him,
saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Or what king,
going out to wage war against another king,
will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand
to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
If he cannot, then while the other is still far away,
he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.
So therefore, none of you can become my disciple
if you do not give up all your possessions.
31 August 2025
Jeremiah 2:4-13
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.
Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob,
and all the families of the house of Israel.
Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your ancestors find in me
that they went far from me,
and went after worthless things,
and became worthless themselves?
They did not say,
“Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that no one passes through,
where no one lives?”
I brought you into a plentiful land
to eat its fruits and its good things.
But when you entered you defiled my land,
and made my heritage an abomination.
The priests did not say,
“Where is the Lord?”
Those who handle the law did not know me;
the rulers transgressed against me; t
he prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after things that do not profit.
Therefore once more I accuse you, says the Lord,
and I accuse your children’s children.
Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look,
send to Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has ever been such a thing.
Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for something that does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this,
be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water,
and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns that can hold no water.
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Let mutual love continue.
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
Remember those who are in prison,
as though you were in prison with them;
those who are being tortured,
as though you yourselves were being tortured.
Let marriage be held in honour by all,
and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled;
for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.
Keep your lives free from the love of money,
and be content with what you have;
for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”
Remember your leaders,
those who spoke the word of God to you;
consider the outcome of their way of life,
and imitate their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Through him, then,
let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God,
that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Do not neglect to do good
and to share what you have,
for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Luke 14:1, 7-14
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
On one occasion
when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees
to eat a meal on the sabbath,
they were watching him closely.
When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honour,
he told them a parable.
“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not sit down at the place of honour,
in case someone more distinguished than you
has been invited by your host;
and the host who invited both of you
may come and say to you,
‘Give this person your place,’
and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.
But when you are invited,
go and sit down at the lowest place,
so that when your host comes,
he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’;
then you will be honored
in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.
For all who exalt themselves will be humbled,
and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
He said also to the one who had invited him,
“When you give a luncheon or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers
or your relatives or rich neighbors,
in case they may invite you in return,
and you would be repaid.
But when you give a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.
And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you,
for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
24 August 2025
Jeremiah 1:4-10
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.
The word of the Lord came to me saying,
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
Then I said, “Ah, Lord God!
Truly I do not know how to speak,
for I am only a boy.”
But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you,
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.”
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth;
and the Lord said to me,
“Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.”
Hebrews 12:18-29
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
You have not come to something that can be touched,
a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom,
and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet,
and a voice whose words made the hearers beg
that not another word be spoken to them.
(For they could not endure the order that was given,
“If even an animal touches the mountain,
it shall be stoned to death.”
Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said,
“I tremble with fear.”)
But you have come to Mount Zion
and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,
and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven,
and to God the judge of all,
and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect,
and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,
and to the sprinkled blood
that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking;
for if they did not escape
when they refused the one who warned them on earth,
how much less will we escape
if we reject the one who warns from heaven!
At that time his voice shook the earth;
but now he has promised,
“Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.”
This phrase, “Yet once more,”
indicates the removal of what is shaken—
that is, created things—
so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,
let us give thanks,
by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe;
for indeed our God is a consuming fire.
Luke 13:10-17
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
And just then there appeared
a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years.
She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight.
When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said,
“Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”
When he laid his hands on her,
immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath,
kept saying to the crowd,
“There are six days on which work ought to be done;
come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.”
But the Lord answered him and said,
“You hypocrites!
Does not each of you on the sabbath
untie his ox or his donkey from the manger,
and lead it away to give it water?
And ought not this woman,
a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years,
be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?”
When he said this,
all his opponents were put to shame;
and the entire crowd
was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.
17 August 2025
Isaiah 5:1-7
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:
My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;
he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;
he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.
And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?
When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?
And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard.
I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;
I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;
righteousness, but heard a cry!
Hebrews 11:29-12:2
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea
as if it were dry land,
but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell
after they had been encircled for seven days.
By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish
with those who were disobedient,
because she had received the spies in peace.
And what more should I say?
For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah,
of David and Samuel and the prophets—
who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice,
obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,
quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword,
won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.
Women received their dead by resurrection.
Others were tortured, refusing to accept release,
in order to obtain a better resurrection.
Others suffered mocking and flogging,
and even chains and imprisonment.
They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two,
they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats,
destitute, persecuted, tormented—
of whom the world was not worthy.
They wandered in deserts and mountains,
and in caves and holes in the ground.
Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith,
did not receive what was promised,
since God had provided something better
so that they would not, apart from us,
be made perfect.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith,
who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
disregarding its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
Luke 12:49-56
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus said to his disciples,
“I came to bring fire to the earth,
and how I wish it were already kindled!
I have a baptism with which to be baptized,
and what stress I am under until it is completed!
Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division!
From now on five in one household will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
they will be divided:
father against son and son against father,
mother against daughter and daughter against mother,
mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
He also said to the crowds,
“When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say,
‘It is going to rain’;
and so it happens.
And when you see the south wind blowing, you say,
‘There will be scorching heat’;
and it happens.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky,
but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
10 August 2025
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah.
The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz,
which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah,
Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.
When you come to appear before me,
who asked this from your hand?
Trample my courts no more;
bringing offerings is futile;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
When you stretch out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves;
make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
learn to do good;
seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be devoured by the sword;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
A reading from the letter to the Hebrews.
Faith is the assurance of things hoped for,
the conviction of things not seen.
Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval.
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God,
so that what is seen
was made from things that are not visible.
By faith Abraham obeyed
when he was called to set out for a place
that he was to receive as an inheritance;
and he set out,
not knowing where he was going.
By faith he stayed for a time
in the land he had been promised,
as in a foreign land, living in tents,
as did Isaac and Jacob,
who were heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked forward to the city that has foundations,
whose architect and builder is God.
By faith he received power of procreation,
even though he was too old—
and Sarah herself was barren—
because he considered him faithful who had promised.
Therefore from one person,
and this one as good as dead,
descendants were born,
“as many as the stars of heaven
and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
All of these died in faith
without having received the promises,
but from a distance they saw and greeted them.
They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth,
for people who speak in this way
make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.
If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind,
they would have had opportunity to return.
But as it is, they desire a better country,
that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God;
indeed, he has prepared a city for them.
Luke 12:32-30
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus said to his disciples,
“Do not be afraid, little flock,
for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions, and give alms.
Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out,
an unfailing treasure in heaven,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit;
be like those who are waiting for their master
to return from the wedding banquet,
so that they may open the door for him
as soon as he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those slaves
whom the master finds alert when he comes;
truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt
and have them sit down to eat,
and he will come and serve them.
If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn,
and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
“But know this:
if the owner of the house
had known at what hour the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be ready,
for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”
03 August 2025
A slightly overcast day welcomed Tim and Kate and their son Charlie Harry along with friends and family for the occasion of Charlie's baptism. His uncle was also our organist for this morning. August is officially a holiday for the choir, but we had many choir ladies who sang with gusto.
Charlie was a very well behaved baby, who at the font was reaching towards Fr Chris, looking eager to be baptised.
This afternoon at 5.30pm will be Choral Evensong, with the Magnificat and Nunc Dimitis sung to a setting by C V Stanford in b flat. Do come and join us.
Hosea 11:1-11
A reading from the book of prophet Hosea.
Hear the word of the Lord, O people.
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the more they went from me;
they kept sacrificing to the Baals,
and offering incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
I took them up in my arms;
but they did not know that I healed them.
I led them with cords of human kindness,
with bands of love.
I was to them like those
who lift infants to their cheeks.
I bent down to them and fed them.
They shall return to the land of Egypt,
and Assyria shall be their king,
because they have refused to return to me.
The sword rages in their cities,
it consumes their oracle-priests,
and devours because of their schemes.
My people are bent on turning away from me.
To the Most High they call, but he does not raise them up at all.
How can I give you up, Ephraim?
How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah?
How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me;
my compassion grows warm and tender.
I will not execute my fierce anger;
I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and no mortal,
the Holy One in your midst,
and I will not come in wrath.
They shall go after the Lord,
who roars like a lion;
when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west.
They shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria;
and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord.
Colosssians 3:1-11
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
If you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above,
where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things that are above,
not on things that are on earth,
for you have died,
and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ who is your life is revealed,
then you also will be revealed with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly:
fornication, impurity, passion,
evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).
On account of these
the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.
These are the ways you also once followed,
when you were living that life.
But now you must get rid of all such things—
anger, wrath, malice, slander,
and abusive language from your mouth.
Do not lie to one another,
seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices
and have clothed yourselves with the new self,
which is being renewed in knowledge
according to the image of its creator.
In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian,
slave and free;
but Christ is all and in all!
Luke 12:13-21
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
“Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”
But he said to him,
“Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”
And he said to the crowd,
“Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;
for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable:
“The land of a rich man produced abundantly.
And he thought to himself,
‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’
Then he said, ‘I will do this:
I will pull down my barns and build larger ones,
and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
And I will say to my soul,
‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years;
relax, eat, drink, be merry.’
But God said to him,
‘You fool!
This very night your life is being demanded of you.
And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’
So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves
but are not rich toward God.”
27 July 2025
Hosea 1:2-10
A reading from the book of the prophet Hosea.
When the Lord first spoke through Hosea,
the Lord said to Hosea,
‘Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom,
for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.’
So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim,
and she conceived and bore him a son.
And the Lord said to him,
‘Name him Jezreel;
for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel,
and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.
On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.’
She conceived again and bore a daughter.
Then the Lord said to him,
‘Name her Lo-ruhamah,
for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them.
But I will have pity on the house of Judah,
and I will save them by the Lord their God;
I will not save them by bow, or by sword,
or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.’
When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah,
she conceived and bore a son.
Then the Lord said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi,
for you are not my people and I am not your God.’
Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea,
which can be neither measured nor numbered;
and in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not my people’, it shall be said to them,
‘Children of the living God.’
Colossians 2:6-19
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
continue to live your lives in him,
rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,
just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit,
according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe,
and not according to Christ.
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
and you have come to fullness in him,
who is the head of every ruler and authority.
In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision,
by putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ;
when you were buried with him in baptism,
you were also raised with him
through faith in the power of God,
who raised him from the dead.
And when you were dead in trespasses
and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
God made youe alive together with him,
when he forgave us all our trespasses,
erasing the record that stood against us with its legal demands.
He set this aside, nailing it to the cross.
He disarmedf the rulers and authorities
and made a public example of them,
triumphing over them in it.
Therefore do not let anyone condemn you
in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals,
new moons, or sabbaths.
These are only a shadow of what is to come,
but the substance belongs to Christ.
Do not let anyone disqualify you,
insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels,
dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way of thinking,
and not holding fast to the head,
from whom the whole body, nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews,
grows with a growth that is from God.
Luke 11:1-13
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Jesus was praying in a certain place,
and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him,
‘Lord, teach us to pray,
as John taught his disciples.’
He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.’
And he said to them,
‘Suppose one of you has a friend,
and you go to him at midnight and say to him,
“Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;
for a friend of mine has arrived,
and I have nothing to set before him.”
And he answers from within,
“Do not bother me;
the door has already been locked,
and my children are with me in bed;
I cannot get up and give you anything.”
I tell you,
even though he will not get up and give him anything
because he is his friend,
at least because of his persistence
he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
‘So I say to you,
Ask, and it will be given to you;
search, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened for you.
For everyone who asks receives,
and everyone who searches finds,
and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
Is there anyone among you who,
if your child asks for a fish,
will give a snake instead of a fish?
Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?
If you then, who are evil,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’
20 July 2025
Amos 8:1-12
A reading from the book of the Prophet Amos.
This is what the Lord God showed me—
a basket of summer fruit.
2He said, ‘Amos, what do you see?’
And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’
Then the Lord said to me,
‘The endc has come upon my people Israel;
I will never again pass them by.
The songs of the templed shall become wailings on that day,’ says the Lord God;
‘the dead bodies shall be many, cast out in every place.
Be silent!’
Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying, ‘When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
and practise deceit with false balances,
buying the poor for silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals,
and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’
The Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
Surely I will never forget any of their deeds.
Shall not the land tremble on this account,
and everyone mourn who lives in it,
and all of it rise like the Nile, and be tossed about and sink again,
like the Nile of Egypt?
On that day, says the Lord God,
I will make the sun go down at noon,
and darken the earth in broad daylight.
I will turn your feasts into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation;
I will bring sackcloth on all loins,
and baldness on every head;
I will make it like the mourning for an only son,
and the end of it like a bitter day.
The time is surely coming, says the Lord God,
when I will send a famine on the land;
not a famine of bread, or a thirst for water,
but of hearing the words of the Lord.
They shall wander from sea to sea,
and from north to east; they shall run to and fro,
seeking the word of the Lord,
but they shall not find it.
Colossians 1:15-28
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
Jesus is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn of all creation;
for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—
all things have been created through him and for him.
He himself is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have first place in everything.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things,
whether on earth or in heaven,
by making peace through the blood of his cross.
And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,
he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death,
so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him—
provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith,
without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard,
which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.
I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.
I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake,
and in my flesh
I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions
for the sake of his body, that is, the church.
I became its servant
according to God’s commission that was given to me for you,
to make the word of God fully known,
the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages
and generations but has now been revealed to his saints.
To them God chose to make known
how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
It is he whom we proclaim,
warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom,
so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.
Luke 10:38-42
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
Now as Jsus and his disciples went on their way,
he entered a certain village,
where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home.
She had a sister named Mary,
who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.
But Martha was distracted by her many tasks;
so she came to him and asked,
‘Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?
Tell her then to help me.’
But the Lord answered her,
‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things;
there is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part,
which will not be taken away from her.’
13 July 2025
A beautiful sunny day (again) but it does show the church at its best.
Fr Chris and Carolyn were absent as they are running the family camping experience over the weekend. Fr Roger stood in and caused a few chuckles during his homily when he preached on gospel reading about the good Samaritan. There were only three children in the Sunday School, (were all the rest camping with Fr Chris) but produced excellent work. It is so large I had to take three separate photographs so you can see the detail. Because it is also Sea Sunday, the choir sang "Crossing The Bar".
A reading from the book of the prophet Amos.
This is what he showed me:
the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line,
with a plumb-line in his hand.
And the Lord said to me,
‘Amos, what do you see?’
And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’
Then the Lord said,
‘See, I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel;
I will never again pass them by;
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’
Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel,
sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying,
‘Amos has conspired against you in the very centre of the house of Israel;
the land is not able to bear all his words.
For thus Amos has said,
“Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
and Israel must go into exile away from his land.” ’
And Amaziah said to Amos,
‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah,
earn your bread there, and prophesy there;
but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary,
and it is a temple of the kingdom.’
Then Amos answered Amaziah,
‘I am no prophet, nor a prophet’s son;
but I am a herdsman, and a dresser of sycomore trees,
and the Lord took me from following the flock,
and the Lord said to me,
“Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
‘Now therefore hear the word of the Lord.
You say, “Do not prophesy against Israel,
and do not preach against the house of Isaac.”
Therefore, thus says the Lord:
“Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city,
and your sons and your daughters shall fall by the sword,
and your land shall be parcelled out by line;
you yourself shall die in an unclean land,
and Israel shall surely go into exile away from its land.” ’
Colossians 1:1-14
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
and Timothy our brother,
To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and of the love that you have for all the saints,
because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.
You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth,
the gospel that has come to you.
Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world,
so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it
and truly comprehended the grace of God.
This you learned from Epaphras,
our beloved fellow-servant.
He is a faithful minister of Christ on yourc behalf,
and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
For this reason, since the day we heard it,
we have not ceased praying for you
and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord,
fully pleasing to him,
as you bear fruit in every good work
and as you grow in the knowledge of God.
May you be made strong
with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,
and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully
giving thanks to the Father,
who has enablede youf to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
He has rescued us from the power of darkness
and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption,
the forgiveness of sins.
Luke 10:25-37
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus.
‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’
He said to him, ‘What is written in the law?
What do you read there?’
He answered,
‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your strength,
and with all your mind;
and your neighbour as yourself.’
And he said to him,
‘You have given the right answer;
do this, and you will live.’
But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus,
‘And who is my neighbour?’
Jesus replied,
‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho,
and fell into the hands of robbers,
who stripped him, beat him, and went away,
leaving him half dead.
Now by chance a priest was going down that road;
and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan while travelling came near him;
and when he saw him, he was moved with pity.
He went to him and bandaged his wounds,
having poured oil and wine on them.
Then he put him on his own animal,
brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
The next day he took out two denarii,
gave them to the innkeeper, and said,
“Take care of him;
and when I come back,
I will repay you whatever more you spend.”
Which of these three, do you think,
was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’
He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’
06 July 2025
The church was still full of flowers from the wedding on Saturday. Rather than the sermon in the middle of the service, Fr Chris robed in front of the altar and explained the meaning of each piece of his liturgical garb, along with the accompanying prayer. As he fitted his microphone, he told us there was no prayer for that, but I am sure something could be put together about "speaking the Lord's word truthfully". Not many of us knew the names of the mostly hidden pieces of vestments, I only knew of the stole and chasuble. (I once made matching stoles and chasubles for a friend when he got his first church). An interesting start to our service.
A reading form the book of Kings.
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram,
was a great man and in high favour with his master,
because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram.
The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.
Now the Arameans on one of their raids
had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel,
and she served Naaman’s wife.
She said to her mistress,
‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria!
He would cure him of his leprosy.’
So Naamanc went in
and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
And the king of Aram said,
‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’
He went, taking with him ten talents of silver,
six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.
He brought the letter to the king of Israel,
which read, ‘When this letter reaches you,
know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman,
that you may cure him of his leprosy.’
When the king of Israel read the letter,
he tore his clothes and said,
‘Am I God, to give death or life,
that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?
Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’
But when Elisha the man of God
heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes,
he sent a message to the king,
‘Why have you torn your clothes?
Let him come to me,
that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots,
and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house.
Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying,
‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times,
and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’
But Naaman became angry and went away, saying,
‘I thought that for me he would surely come out,
and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God,
and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus,
better than all the waters of Israel?
Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’
He turned and went away in a rage.
But his servants approached and said to him,
‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult,
would you not have done it?
How much more, when all he said to you was,
“Wash, and be clean”?’
So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan,
according to the word of the man of God;
his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy,
and he was clean.
Galatians 6:1-16
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Galatians.
My friends,
if anyone is detected in a transgression,
you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.
Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.
Bear one another’s burdens,
and in this way you will fulfilb the law of Christ.
For if those who are nothing think they are something,
they deceive themselves.
All must test their own work;
then that work, rather than their neighbour’s work,
will become a cause for pride.
For all must carry their own loads.
Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.
Do not be deceived;
God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.
If you sow to your own flesh,
you will reap corruption from the flesh;
but if you sow to the Spirit,
you will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right,
for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.
So then, whenever we have an opportunity,
let us work for the good of all,
and especially for those of the family of faith.
See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!
It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh
that try to compel you to be circumcised—
only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ.
Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law,
but they want you to be circumcised
so that they may boast about your flesh.
May I never boast of anything
except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by whichc the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything;
but a new creation is everything!
As for those who will follow this rule—
peace be upon them, and mercy,
and upon the Israel of God.
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ acording to Luke.
After this the Lord appointed seventy others
and sent them on ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place where he himself intended to go.
He said to them,
‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;
therefore ask the Lord of the harvest
to send out labourers into his harvest.
Go on your way.
See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.
Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals;
and greet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter,
first say, “Peace to this house!”
And if anyone is there who shares in peace,
your peace will rest on that person;
but if not, it will return to you.
Remain in the same house,
eating and drinking whatever they provide,
for the labourer deserves to be paid.
Do not move about from house to house.
Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you,
eat what is set before you;
cure the sick who are there, and say to them,
“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
But whenever you enter a town
and they do not welcome you,
go out into its streets and say,
“Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet,
we wipe off in protest against you.
Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.”
‘Whoever listens to you listens to me,
and whoe rejects you rejects me,
and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.’
The seventy returned with joy, saying,
‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’
He said to them,
‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.
See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions,
and over all the power of the enemy;
and nothing will hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this,
that the spirits submit to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’
29 June 2025
Acts 12:1-11
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
About that time
King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church.
He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword.
After he saw that it pleased the Jews,
he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
(This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.)
When he had seized him, he put him in prison
and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him,
intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
While Peter was kept in prison,
the church prayed fervently to God for him.
The very night before Herod was going to bring him out,
Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers,
while guards in front of the door were keeping watch
over the prison.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared
and a light shone in the cell.
He tapped Peter on the side and woke him,
saying, ‘Get up quickly.’
And the chains fell off his wrists.
The angel said to him,
‘Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.’
He did so. Then he said to him,
‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’
Peter went out and followed him;
he did not realize
that what was happening with the angel’s help was real;
he thought he was seeing a vision.
After they had passed the first and the second guard,
they came before the iron gate leading into the city.
It opened for them of its own accord,
and they went outside and walked along a lane,
when suddenly the angel left him.
Then Peter came to himself and said,
‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel
and rescued me from the hands of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’
2 Timothy 2:19-25
A reading from the first letter of Peter.
But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription:
‘The Lord knows those who are his’, and,
‘Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.’
In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver
but also of wood and clay,
some for special use, some for ordinary.
All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will become special utensils,
dedicated and useful to the owner of the house,
ready for every good work.
Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness,
faith, love, and peace,
along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies;
you know that they breed quarrels.
And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone,
an apt teacher, patient,
correcting opponents with gentleness.
God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth,
Matthew 6:13-19
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples,
‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’
And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist,
but others Elijah,
and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’
He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
Simon Peter answered,
‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’
And Jesus answered him,
‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah!
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’
22 June 2025
Genesis 14:18-20
A reading from the book of Genesis.
King Melchizedek of Salem brought out bread and wine;
he was priest of God Most High.
He blessed him and said,
‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’
And Abram gave him one-tenth of everything.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread,
and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said,
‘This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.’
In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying,
‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
John 6:51-58
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever;
and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying,
‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’
So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you,
unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,
you have no life in you.
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life,
and I will raise them up on the last day;
for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.
Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me,
and I in them.
Just as the living Father sent me,
and I live because of the Father,
so whoever eats me will live because of me.
This is the bread that came down from heaven,
not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died.
But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’
15 June 2025
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
A reading from the book of Proverbs.
Does not wisdom call,
and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
‘To you, O people, I call
and my cry is to all that live.
The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.
Romans 5:1-5
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Romans.
Therefore, since we are justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand;
and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
And not only that,
but we also boast in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance,
and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope,
and hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
John 16:12-15
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I still have many things to say to you,
but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes,
he will guide you into all the truth;
for he will not speak on his own,
but will speak whatever he hears,
and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me,
because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All that the Father has is mine.
For this reason I said
that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
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