Year B - Proper 24 (16 Oct - 22 Oct)

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VERSION: 8 May 2002

SUNDAY BETWEEN 16 AND 22 OCT (PROPER 24), YEAR B

In 2003: 19th Sunday after Pentecost, 19 Oct

In 2006: 20th Sunday after Pentecost, 22 Oct

In 2009: 20th Sunday after Pentecost, 18 Oct

In 2012: 21st Sunday after Pentecost, 21 Oct

In 2015: 21st Sunday after Pentecost, 18 Oct

- - -

Note: For explanations and suggestions on the various resources provided, see the documents 'General notes and resources' and 'Time after Pentecost' in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

LITURGY

SENTENCE

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder for suggestions on using a Sentence.

My righteous servant will justify many,

and he will bear their iniquities. (Isa 53:11b NIV)

OR, use one of the general Sentences in the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

Traditional

Lord, keep your family the church

in continual godliness,

that through your protection

it may be free from all evil,

and may devoutly serve you

in good works,

to the glory of your name;

through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, modernised traditional

Lord, keep your family faithful to you.

Protect us from all evil,

so that we may serve you

by doing good,

to the glory of your name.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, alternative

(Let us pray that we may approach God with confidence. [silence])

Almighty and merciful God,

the Lord of heaven and earth,

your Son has opened for us

a new and living way into your presence.

Give us pure hearts and a sure faith

to draw near to you as our Father,

and to ask you for whatever we need.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, new

(Let us pray that we are willing servants. [silence])

Jesus, Son of God,

we thank you that you suffered so much

because of our sins

and gave up your life.

Make us willing to serve,

and strengthen us for suffering,

until we live with you forever.

For you live and reign

with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

FIRST READING AND PSALM

Note: There are two sets of first readings (with accompanying Psalms) given for the Sundays after Pentecost: (a) a new semi-continuous set, and (b) a set related thematically to the gospels (as in the earlier form of the lectionary). It is intended that either one of these two sets be used throughout and that they not be mixed.

1a

Job 38:1-7(34-41) The Lord challenges Job

Psalm 104:1-9,24,35c

Antiphon:

The earth is full of your creatures, (O Lord,) in wisdom you have made them all. (Ps 104:24c,b NRSV)

OR,1b

Isaiah 53:4-12 The suffering servant

(This reading could be sung by a single cantor according to the paraphrase by John Bell. See below under 'Song from Iona Community')

Psalm 91:9-16

Antiphon:

You have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place. (Ps 91:9 NRSV)

SECOND READING

Hebrews 5:1-10 Jesus our great high priest

ALLELUIA VERSE (Mark 10:45 NIV)

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Mark 10:35-45 The request of James and John

(If using NRSV or TEV, put 'to Jesus' instead of 'to him' in verse 35)

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Thank you, Lord Jesus,

for giving up everything for us.

Make us ready to serve others.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Loving Father,

thank you for sending your Son Jesus,

our great high priest,

to bear our sins and suffer for us.

Teach us to be willing servants,

ready to follow Jesus into suffering and self-sacrifice.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

God's word says, 'Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him.' Let us likewise pray to our heavenly Father who loves all his children.

Response

Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Merciful God, Jesus poured out himself to death, and was numbered with us, the transgressors, bore our sin, and made intercession for all of us transgressors. Hear our prayers as we intercede for those in need; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

PREFACE

It is indeed right and good,

Lord God, holy Father,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks to you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(On this day)*

he overcame death by his resurrection

and opened up for us

the way to eternal life with you.

And so, with angels and archangels,

and with all the company of heaven,

we adore and praise your glorious name:

* The words 'on this day' are used only on Sundays.

COMMUNION INVITATION

For a choice of communion invitations, see the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Communion invitation', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

See the service order for a standard post-communion prayer. Alternatively, use the third prayer of the day (as listed above) at this point. It may be modified as follows.

Almighty and merciful God,

through his body and blood

your Son has opened for us

a new and living way into your presence.

Give us pure hearts and a sure faith

to draw near to you as our Father,

and to ask you for whatever we need.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Go in peace, as the servants of our Lord.

Thanks be to God. OR In the name of Christ. Amen.

HYMNS AND SONGS

FOR THE READINGS

Please note:        * =        Modernised version available

      G3, G4 . . . =        Guitar chords available in the Music Package 3, 4 . . .

      GS =        Guitar chords in the Supplement to LH

First reading (a): Job 38:1-7(34-41)

LHS

AT

TIS

First reading (b): Isaiah 53:4-12

LHS

AT

TIS

Second reading: Hebrews 5: 1-10

LHS

AT

-

TIS

Gospel: Mark 10:35-45

LHS

AT

TIS

SONG FROM IONA COMMUNITY

The song 'The Servant' (Volume 2: Enemy of Apathy, page 42) is based on first reading 1b from Isaiah 53.

PSALM 104:1-9,24,35c

For musical settings of Psalm 104:1-9,24,35c, see Music Package 6.

The following metrical paraphrase of Psalm 104:1-9,24,35c by David Sch¸tz could be used on this day. It is sung to the tune Wondrous love (LHS 798, ATA 145). If reproducing this version, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm.

O bless the Lord, my soul; O Lord God, you are great;

in majesty and light you are robed.

The heavens form your house, with pillars in the sea;

the clouds your chariot on the wings of the wind,

and fire, flame and wind serve your will.

And so you also founded the earth to stand firm,

though deeply it was covered in flood.

At your rebuke the flood fled back to valleys deep,

and at your thunderous voice it returned to the sea,

where you assigned the waters their place.

You set a boundary there that sea may not pass;

the earth will not be flooded again.

How many are your works, in wisdom they were made!

Your creatures fill the earth, and your blessings abound.

O bless the Lord, my soul! Praise the Lord!

PSALM 91:9-16

For musical settings of Psalm 91:9-16, see Music Package 6. Music Package 8 contains settings of Psalm 91:1,2,9-16.

Michael Joncas's paraphrase of Psalm 91 'On eagle's wings' in ATO 411, TIS 48 could also be considered for today.

John Bell's paraphrase of Psalm 91 'Whoever lives beside the Lord' may be found on page 42 of Psalms of Patience, Protest and Praise (c) 1993 Wild Goose Publications (and is also in TIS, 49).

Note: The Iona Community is willing to allow a church or worship assembly to reproduce the words only of a song from this publication on a service sheet or overhead projector transparency that is to be used once only on a non-commercial basis . . . provided that the title of the song and name of the copyright owner are clearly shown.

The song 'All those who live beneath God's shade', LHS 861, AT 21, is also a paraphrase of part of Psalm 91.

NOTES ON THE READINGS

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Notes on the readings', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

ISAIAH 53:4-12: Many scholars have attempted to limit the 'suffering servant' songs of Isaiah to his own local and contemporary surroundings. One such explanation makes the suffering servant to be the nation of Israel. However, it is easy to see in this particular song that the 'servant' is a messianic figure who will save his people. It is also clear that the range of activities in this particular prophecy reaches far further than the prophet's own personal knowledge and experience. The connections of thought with Jesus' trial, crucifixion, death, burial, resurrection, not to mention God's plan of salvation, are astoundingly many and varied. Even though written 600 years before, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that Christ is the new and real Israel being described.

HEBREWS 5:1-10: In the first four verses of this chapter we see the requirements for an earthly high priest in Israel. He needed to understand his function as a sympathetic representative of sinners before God. In the following verses (5-10) we see that Christ as our high priest learnt to understand the sinner's temptations through his own human struggles, even though he never sinned. God ratified his appointment through the miracle of the divine paternity in his birth and through the fulfilment of messianic prophecy (v 6). Note that Melchizedek was a king of Salem and a 'priest of the most high God' who served Abram on one occasion. When King David, much later (approx. 1000 BC) conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital, he took Melchizedek's title of priest-king (Ps 110:4). As Jesus Christ was the Davidic King prophesied to 'rule forever', the writer uses this title to illustrate Christ's infinitely superior high priesthood compared to any other.

MARK 10:35-45: The world around us applauds those who can exercise power over others. James and John, sons of Zebedee, saw the kingdom in this light when they came to Jesus with their request. According to his human nature, Jesus could not grant what belonged in the province of the cooperative work of the Trinity. Even if he could have exercised that authority, he could never grant a request which was based on a priority of human ambition. In the kingdom of God, true greatness is in service. Our Lord knew that his principal mission was to obey his heavenly Father by suffering and dying to serve the eternal interests of the human race whose sins he would bear.

VISUAL

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or visual symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance, reading 1a from Job could be accompanied by a picture of the earth (eg as seen from space), or reading 1b from Isaiah by a picture like the illustration in the TEV Bible for verse 7.

DRAMA

'MEGA DRAMA'

See a drama for the day in Mega Drama resources (Openbook Publishers), originally included in these worship resources when they were released on disks.

DRAMATISING THE READINGS

The readings can be read by more than one person to make the dramatic meaning of the text clearer. For instance, the gospel could be read by three readers: narrator (the pastor), James or John, Jesus.

CHILDREN

'COME AND SEE JESUS'

The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is currently available for the Revised Common Lectionary.

This week's story is

EITHER

'The request of James and John' Original Edition, Series A, Semester 1 (4 Lent)

OR

'Jesus teaches about serving' Revised RCL Edition, Series B, Semester 2 (Proper 24).