The Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity.
Psalm 119.113-120
Iniquos odio habui
113. I HATE
them that imagine evil things : but thy law do I love.
114. Thou
art my defence and shield : and my trust is in thy word.
115. Away
from me, ye wicked : I will keep the commandments of my God.
116. O
stablish me according to thy word, that I may live : and let me not be
disappointed of my hope.
117. Hold
thou me up, and I shall be safe : yea, my delight shall be ever in thy
statutes.
118. Thou
hast trodden down all them that depart from thy statutes : for they imagine but
deceit.
119. Thou
puttest away all the ungodly of the earth like dross : therefore I love thy
testimonies.
120. My
flesh trembleth for fear of thee : and I am afraid of thy judgements.
The Collect.
KEEP, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with
thy perpetual mercy: and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but
fall, keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all
things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Old Testament Reading: Deuteronomy 7.6-13
Psalter: Psalm 97, 98 | 79, 80
Epistle Reading: Galatians 6.11-18
Gospel Reading: St. Matthew 6.24-34
Barbee and Zahl: “”All things profitable to our salvation”: of what do
these consist? ( . . . ) The things that profit us in this particularly
Christian sense will be characterized by love, in which what-can-this-do-for-me
will play less and less a part. Anything built on self-involvement and
self-preoccupation contributes nothing to our salvation, which is our enduring
relation to God. On the other hand, anything characterized by outward-seeking
love enriches the saved self” (99).
Personal: For last Sunday evening, I wrote a pastoral prayer that
reflects some of the sense of the above Collect, especially in light of what is
going on in Syria and Egypt, and the church in those countries. You may find
the prayer on my blog (follow the link). If you cannot use it in your church,
maybe it would be beneficial in your private prayers.
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