Twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Pastoral Letter, and St. Bartholomew (24 August) - 2026

 

The Twelfth Sunday after Trinity.

Te Deum Laudamus.

We praise thee, O God : we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee : the Father everlasting.

To thee all Angels cry aloud : the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.

To thee Cherubim and Seraphim : continually do cry,

Holy, Holy, Holy : Lord God of Sabaoth;

Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty : of thy glory.

The glorious company of the Apostles : praise thee.

The goodly fellowship of the Prophets : praise thee.

The noble army of Martyrs : praise thee.

The holy Church throughout all the world : doth acknowledge thee;

The Father : of an infinite Majesty;

Thine honourable, true : and only Son;

Also the Holy Ghost : the Comforter.

 

Thou art the King of Glory : O Christ.

Thou art the everlasting Son : of the Father.

When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man : thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb.

When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death : thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers.

Thou sittest at the right hand of God : in the glory of the Father.

We believe that thou shalt come : to be our Judge.

We therefore pray thee, help thy servants : whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.

Make them to be numbered with thy Saints : in glory everlasting.

 

O Lord, save thy people : and bless thine heritage.

Govern them : and lift them up for ever.

Day by day : we magnify thee;

And we worship thy Name : ever world without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord : to keep us this day without sin.

O Lord, have mercy upon us : have mercy upon us.

O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us : as our trust is in thee.

O Lord, in thee have I trusted : let me never be confounded.

 

The Collect.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we are to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire, or deserve; Pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

 

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 29.18-24

Psalter: Psalm 76, 77 | 71, 72

Epistle Reading: 2 Corinthians 3.1-9

Gospel Reading: St. Mark 7.31-37

 

Homily

 

This was my letter to my congregation this past week: 

Yesterday I went to visit someone in the hospital. While I was there, I read Scripture, sang a hymn (as I am known to do), and prayed. The hymn I sang was How Firm a Foundation. The reason I like singing that hymn is because each verse is from Scripture, many of which are out of Isaiah, and made rhythmic so it can be sung. Here’s how it goes: 

1. “How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent Word! What more can he say than to you he has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?” - “…therefore thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste’” (Isaiah 28:16) which makes one think of how this verse is quoted in 1 Peter 2:6, “For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”” 

2. “Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed; for I am your God, and will still give you aid; I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.” - “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). 

3. “When through the deep waters I call you to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; for I will be with you, your troubles to bless, and sanctify to you your deepest distress.” - “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;…” (Isaiah 43:2a). 

4. “When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace, all-sufficient, shall be your supply; the flame shall not hurt you; I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine.” - “…when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you” and “I will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as with lye and remove all your alloy” (Isaiah 43:2b and 1:25). 

5. “E'en down to old age all my people shall prove my sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love; and when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn, like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.” - “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Isaiah 46:3-4). By the way, “hoary hairs” is older english for white or gray hairs. 

6. “The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to his foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake.” - “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall. Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident” and “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (Psalm 27:1-3 and 1 Peter 3:18). 

Putting that together was edifying and enjoyable! 

Pastor Mike

Saint Bartholomew the Apostle

August 24

The Collect

O almighty and everlasting God, who didst give to thine Apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach thy Word; Grant, we beseech thee, unto thy Church, to love that Word which he believed, and both to preach and receive the same; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 18.15-18

Psalter: Psalm 91

Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 4.9-15

Gospel Reading: St. Luke 22.24-30 

Homily

Eleventh Sunday after Trinity - 2026 and Pastoral Letter

 

The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity.

Psalm 119:161-176

xxi. Principes persecuti sunt.

PRINCES have persecuted me without a cause; * but my heart standeth in awe of thy word.

162 I am as glad of thy word, * as one that findeth great spoils.

163 As for lies, I hate and abhor them; * but thy law do I love.

164 Seven times a day do I praise thee; * because of thy righteous judgments.

165 Great is the peace that they have who love thy law; * and they have none occasion of stumbling.

166 Lord, I have looked for thy saving health, * and done after thy commandments.

167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies, * and loved them exceedingly.

168 I have kept thy commandments and testimonies; * for all my ways are before thee.

xxii. Appropinquet deprecatio.

LET my complaint come before thee, O Lord; * give me understanding according to thy word.

170 Let my supplication come before thee; * deliver me according to thy word.

171 My lips shall speak of thy praise, * when thou hast taught me thy statutes.

172 Yea, my tongue shall sing of thy word; * for all thy commandments are righteous.

173 Let thine hand help me; * for I have chosen thy commandments.

174 I have longed for thy saving health, O Lord; * and in thy law is my delight.

175 O let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; * and thy judgments shall help me.

176 I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; * O seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments..

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son : and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be : world without end. Amen.

 

The Collect.

O GOD, who declarest thy almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace, that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (1928 BCP). 

O GOD, who declarest thy almighty power most chiefly in shewing mercy and pity; Mercifully grant unto us abundantly thy grace, that we, running to thy promises, may be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen (1549 BCP). 

Old Testament Reading: Isaiah 26:12-19

Psalter: Psalm 63, 64 | 54, 55

Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Gospel Reading: St. Luke 18:9-14 

Homily

 

From my letter to my congregation this week:

As I address Proverbs 30 this Sunday, there are two sections in that chapter that have much to say about contentment: 

First, there’s the prayer for ‘just give me enough…’: 

“Two things I ask of you; deny them not to me before I die: Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the LORD?” or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God” (Proverbs 30:7-9).

 Then there’s the warning about perpetual discontentment and perpetual dissatisfaction:

“The leech has two daughters: Give and Give. Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough”: Sheol, the barren womb, the land never satisfied with water, and the fire that never says, “Enough”” (Proverbs 30:15-16).

 Contentment is a big theme in Scripture, and the Westminster Shorter Catechism says some very pointed things about it as it explains the 10th Commandment regarding covetousness:

 Q. 80. What is required in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbor, and all that is his. 

Q. 81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbor, and all inordinate motions and affections to anything that is his. 

Many years ago, for reasons wrapped in darkness, doubt, and dreariness, I wrote a prayer imploring Good God to bless me with contentment, and to turn my heart toward contentment. I have prayed this most weeks at least once, and have done so for around 20 years. Even this morning as I walked around the church building, it was one of my prayers as I reflected on Proverbs 30. I give it to you:

 

“O Lord God - help!

• Help me to flourish and fill out in faith, hope and love, as well as all other Christian virtues - here.

• Help me to find satisfaction with where I am, with whom I am with, with what I am doing - here.

• Help me to love you – here; to find my utmost joy in you – here; to become unstoppably secure in you – here!

• Help me to be content – but not idle; to be content – but not lazy; to be content – but not resentful – here.

• Help me to have a deep certainty that you have given me the victory in Christ Jesus our Lord; and so to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in your work, knowing - believing - confident - certain - assured that in Christ Jesus my labor here is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). 

O Lord God; hallowed be your name (here)! O Lord God; your Kingdom come (here)! O Lord God; your will be done on earth (here) as it is in heaven. Amen.”

 

“Godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6).

 

Pastor Mike

Tenth Sunday after Trinity - 2026

 

The Tenth Sunday after Trinity.

Psalm 119:145-160

xix. Clamavi in toto corde meo.

I CALL with my whole heart; * hear me, O Lord; I will keep thy statutes.

146 Yea, even unto thee do I call; * help me, and I shall keep thy testimonies.

147 Early in the morning do I cry unto thee; * for in thy word is my trust.

148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches; * that I might be occupied in thy word.

149 Hear my voice, O Lord, according unto thy lovingkindness; * quicken me, according to thy judgments.

150 They draw nigh that of malice persecute me, * and are far from thy law.

151 Be thou nigh at hand, O Lord; * for all thy commandments are true.

152 As concerning thy testimonies, I have known long since, * that thou hast grounded them for ever.

xx. Vide humilitatem.

O CONSIDER mine adversity, and deliver me, * for I do not forget thy law.

154 Avenge thou my cause, and deliver me; * quicken me according to thy word.

155 Health is far from the ungodly; * for they regard not thy statutes.

156 Great is thy mercy, O Lord; * quicken me, as thou art wont.

157 Many there are that trouble me, and persecute me; * yet do I not swerve from thy testimonies.

158 It grieveth me when I see the transgressors; * because they keep not thy law.

159 Consider, O Lord, how I love thy commandments; * O quicken me, according to thy loving-kindness.

160 Thy word is true from everlasting; * all the judgments of thy righteousness endure for evermore.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son * and to the Holy Ghost;

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be * world without end. Amen. 

The Collect.

LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Old Testament Reading: Lamentations 1:1-12

Psalter: Psalm 61, 62 | 48, 49

Epistle Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Gospel Reading: St. Luke 19:41-46

Homily