Year B - Proper 26 (30 Oct - 05 Nov)

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VERSION: 8 May 2002

SUNDAY BETWEEN 30 OCT AND 5 NOV (PROPER 26), YEAR B

In 2003: 21st Sunday after Pentecost, 2 Nov

In 2006: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, 5 Nov

In 2009: 22nd Sunday after Pentecost, 1 Nov

In 2012: 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, 4 Nov

In 2015: 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, 1 Nov

- - -

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.

ALL SAINTS DAY

If today is after 1 November, it may be celebrated as All Saints Day if this festival was not observed on 1 November. The propers for All Saints may be used instead of those given below.

LITURGY

SENTENCE

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

Hear, O Israel:

The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deut 6:4 NIV)

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

INTRODUCTION TO THE CONFESSION OF SINS

This introduction to the confession of sins may be used:

Friends in Christ:

Jesus said:

'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your mind and with all your strength';

and 'Love your neighbour as yourself'.

We have not kept this great commandment.

Let us confess our sins to God our Father,

and ask him to forgive us for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Then continue with the prayer of confession.

OR, see below under ‘Catechism’.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

Traditional

O Lord,

free your people from their offences,

that through your bountiful goodness

we may all be released

from the net of our sins

which because of our frailty

has entangled us;

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 God, free your people from their offences.

Through your great goodness

release us all from the net of our sins

which has entangled us because of our frailty.

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 for cleansing and renewal. [silence])

Almighty God, heavenly Father,

to you all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from you no secrets are hidden.

Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

so that we may perfectly love you

and worthily praise your holy 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, new

(Let us pray that we love God and our neighbour. [silence])

Everliving God,

we thank you for giving yourself in love

through your Son Jesus.

Lead us by your great love

to love you with all our heart,

soul, mind, and strength,

and to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.

We ask this through Christ, our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you 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

Ruth 1:1-18 Ruth goes with Naomi

Psalm 146

Antiphon:

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. (Ps 146:8b NRSV)

OR, 1b

Deuteronomy 6:1-9 The great commandment

Psalm 119:1-8

Antiphon:

Happy are those who keep his decrees. (Ps 119:2a NRSV)

SECOND READING

Hebrews 9:11-14 The blood of Christ cleanses us

ALLELUIA VERSE (Matt 5:19b NRSV alt)

Alleluia, alleluia.

(Jesus said:) 'Whoever does my commandments and teaches them

will be called great in the kingdom of heaven'.

Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Mark 12:28-34 The great commandment

(If using NRSV, in verse 28 put 'seeing that Jesus answered the Sadducees well' instead of 'seeing that he answered them well'; if using NIV, put 'had given the Sadducees a good answer' instead of 'had given them a good answer')

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Lord Jesus, thank you for your great love.

Help us to love God completely,

and to love others as we love ourselves.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Thank you, holy God,

for sending Jesus as our high priest,

whose blood makes us pure and holy.

Inspire us by the great love you have shown,

so that we may love you

more than anything else,

and serve you by loving other people.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

Jesus told the scribe that we are to love the Lord our God with all our being and love our neighbour as we love ourselves. So let us pray to the Lord for our neighbours in need.

The regular response, OR:

O living God,

hear our prayer.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Our Saviour God, when we were lost to sin you reached out to us through your Son, and now he brings us into your holy presence as your children. Hear our prayer in his precious name, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Amen.

Note: For an additional prayer connected with the readings, see below under 'Catechism'.

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 God, heavenly Father,

to you all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from you no secrets are hidden.

By this holy sacrament,

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

so that we may perfectly love you

and worthily praise your holy 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.

DISMISSAL

Go in peace, to love and serve the living God.

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): Ruth 1:1-18

LHS

-

AT

TIS

-

First reading (b): Deuteronomy 6:1-9

LHS

AT

TIS

Second reading: Hebrews 9:11-14

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel: Mark 12:28-34

LHS

AT

TIS

PSALM 146

For musical settings of Psalm 146, see Music Packages 6, 9 and 10.

TIS 90, I'll praise my maker while I've breath, is a paraphrase of Psalm 146:1,2,5-9. Or, either of the following paraphrases of the psalm by David Sch¸tz may be used. If reproducing either of these versions, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm. The first may be sung to the tune Adelaide, LH 461.

As long as I have breath,

I'll sing my praise to God:

      O praise the Lord, my soul!

Don't trust in human strength,

in whom there is no help.

      O praise the Lord, my soul!

When mortal breath is gone,

and strength returns to dust,

      all human plans will end;

but Jacob's God keeps faith -

he made the earth and sky

      and all that they contain!

He gives the hungry food,

and justice to the poor

      and sets the prisoners free.

The righteous know his love.

He lifts up those weighed down,

      and makes the blind to see.

He cares for refugees,

for widows, orphans too,

      but all who hate him fall!

Forever Zion's God

is King of all the earth,

      O praise the Lord, my soul!

This second version may be sung to the tune of 'Now the green blade rises' (LHS 764, AT 15, TIS 382).

Verses1-4

Praise the Lord, my soul! I'll praise him all my days.

Trust no human leader - mortals bring no aid.

Their breath departs, their bodies turn to dust,

all their plans will perish, as all creatures must.

Verses 5,6

Blest are those who find their help in Jacob's God.

Blest are those whose hope is in the Lord their God.

He made the sky, the sea, and all the earth.

He is always faithful, always keeps his word.

Verses 7,8

The Lord feeds the hungry, sets the prisoner free,

by his healing power the blind are made to see,

he gives his justice to all those oppressed,

lifts up those bowed down, and loves all righteousness.

Verses 9.10

Strangers, widows, orphans know his loving grace.

But he brings to ruin every wicked way.

The Lord will reign forever, Zion's God.

Through all generations, praise the Lord our God!

PSALM 119:1-8

For musical settings of Psalm 119:1-8, see Music Packages 6 and 10. TIS 75, Blessed are those whose way is blameless, is a version of Psalm  119:1-2,105-6,108,110-112.

NOTES ON THE READINGS

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

DEUTERONOMY 6:1-9: God's uniqueness as the only God requires his people's response in undivided loyalty. This is not only in profession of him as the only true God but also in recognition of the total claims of his words to govern and control everyday thoughts, words and actions. Verses 4-9, 'Hear, O Israel . . . ' came to constitute the Shema, or creed, recited twice a day by pious Jews. The word 'love' in verse 5 lifts this requirement from a mere ritual legality to a deep commitment. Our Lord comments on this in the gospel reading.

HEBREWS 9:11-14: Only after offering meticulous sacrifices for his own sins, could the Old Testament high priest enter the holy place within the tabernacle (tent) to sprinkle the blood of the people's sacrifice on the ark of the covenant. This place denoted the presence of God. Because of God's direction this action did promise cleansing to his people. How much more the absolute holiness of God's Son permitted him to enter heaven itself to offer his own perfect blood to the Father as a full satisfaction forever. That action for us, effected together with God's eternal Spirit, sets our consciences free to serve God in purity.

MARK 12:28-34: This scribe displays a much more spiritual and sincere concern than the usual hostile approaches recorded. Jesus answered him seriously and directly with the 'Shema' which no doubt the scribe recited twice daily. Jesus adds the command of Leviticus 19:18, thereby calling for love to God as the basis for the two commands. This means firstly a sincere love and devotion for God which secondly pours that same love out in action to fellow human beings. The scribe's thoughtful assessment of Jesus' answer earned him the encouragement to pursue further the penitence and forgiveness which would assure him of the kingdom.

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 Ruth could be accompanied by a picture of Ruth going with Naomi, or reading 1b from Deuteronomy 6 by a picture like the illustration in the TEV Bible for verse 9.

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, reading 1a could be read by three readers: narrator, Naomi, Ruth; and the gospel by three readers: narrator (the pastor), a teacher of the law, Jesus. Reading 1a could also be acted out by three women or girls as it is read.

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 'God's holy people'. Material for this story may be found in

Original Edition, Series A, Semester 2 (All Saints)

OR

Revised RCL Edition, Series B, Semester 2 (Proper 26)

CATECHISM

The link between the First Commandment and the first reading 1b and the gospel could be made in the confession, children's address, sermon, and/or prayer.

INVITATION TO CONFESSION

Friends in Christ:

Since the Lord our God has commanded us

to have no other gods,

we are to fear, love, and trust God above anything else.

(Continue with the invitation in the order).

OR, new version

Friends in Christ:

The Lord our God has told us to have no other gods,

so we should honour, love, and trust God

more than anything else.

(Continue with the invitation in the order).

ADDITIONAL PRAYER FOR PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Lord God, heavenly Father,

you have commanded us to have no other gods.

Keep us faithful to you alone,

dethrone the idols in our life,

and give us the grace to fear/honour,

love and trust you above all things.