Year C - Proper 20 (18 Sep - 24 Sep)

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VERSION: 8 May 2002

SUNDAY BETWEEN 18 AND 24 SEP (PROPER 20), YEAR C

In 2004: 16th Sunday after Pentecost, 19 Sep

In 2007: 17th Sunday after Pentecost, 23 Sep

In 2010: 17th Sunday after Pentecost, 19 Sep

In 2013: 18th Sunday after Pentecost, 22 Sep

In 2016: 18th Sunday after Pentecost, 18 Sep

- - -

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.

There is one God; and one mediator between God and human beings,

the human being Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all. (1 Tim 2: 5, 6a composite)

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, grant your people grace

to avoid the contamination of the devil,

and to follow you, the only Lord,

with pure hearts and minds;

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, help your people

to avoid all contamination of the devil,

and to follow you, the only Lord,

with pure hearts and minds.

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 a willingness to serve others. [silence])

Almighty and merciful Father,

your Son Jesus Christ has taught us

that what we do for those in need

we also do for him.

As he became the servant of all,

help us to be a servant to others.

For he lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

OR, new

(Let us pray that we serve only God. [silence])

Faithful God,

your Son teaches us

that we cannot serve two masters.

Keep us from being led astray

by greed or possessions,

and help us to dedicate our lives to you

as our one true treasure.

We ask this through Jesus 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

Jeremiah 8:18 - 9:1 Jeremiah mourns for the people

Psalm 79:1-9

Antiphon:

How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? (Ps 79:5a NRSV)

OR, 1b

Amos 8:4-7 Against swindlers and exploiters

Psalm 113

Antiphon:

The Lord raises the poor from the dust. (Ps 113:4a NRSV alt)

SECOND READING

1 Timothy 2:1-7 The church is to pray for all people

ALLELUIA VERSE (Luke 4:8 NRSV)

Alleluia, alleluia.

Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.

Alleluia.

GOSPEL

Luke 16:1-13 The parable of the shrewd manager

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Lord Jesus, thank you

for all the good things you have given us.

Lead us to use our gifts wisely

in serving you and helping others.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Lord God,

help us not to hoard our wealth and possessions,

but gladly serve you, our only Master,

by giving of ourselves and what we have.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

St Paul urges us to offer prayers, supplications, intercessions and thanksgivings for everyone, from the highest to the lowest. So let us come to God, who desires everyone to be saved, and pray to him in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

The regular response, OR:

Lord and Master,

hear our prayer.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Almighty God, you are the Lord and Master of all who hold authority in this world. Lead all people to accept you as master of their lives, that everyone may be saved. We ask this in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, 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 Father,

thank you that your Son Jesus Christ

has served us at his own table.

As he became the servant of all,

help us to be a servant to others.

For he lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

DISMISSAL

Go in peace, for God wants everyone to be saved.

OR

Go in peace to serve the Lord, your only Master.

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): Jeremiah 8: 18 - 9:1

LHS

AT

TIS

First reading (b): Amos 8:4-7

LHS

AT

-

TIS

-

Second reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel: Luke 16:1-13

LHS

AT

TIS

PSALM 79:1-9

For a setting of Psalm 79:1-9, see Music Package 6.

PSALM 113

For musical settings of Psalm 113, see Music Package 9. TIS 70, May the name of the Lord be blessed, is a version of Psalm 113:1-8. ATN 18 'From the rising of the sun' is based on Psalm 113.

NOTES ON THE READINGS

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

JEREMIAH 8:18 - 9:1: Jeremiah speaks God's words of grief as in prophetic vision he sees the sufferings of God's people in exile ('in a far country', or, 'from far and wide in the land'). The intensity of God's mourning matches the heart-rending, bitter despair of the people in captivity. His language is that of a parent grieving the loss of a child. To the people in exile, the mockery of their captors that the Lord cannot be present in his holy place any more torments them (the Jerusalem temple was destroyed). And yet the Lord's words establish that justice has prevailed. His people forsook him for foreign idols. Still they complain that they are left in icy winter and are not rescued. Balm of Gileal was a famous remedy for pain. There is no healing for this people, though; only their hurt and their pain. The prophet's tears and the tears of the Lord are inconsolable.

AMOS 8:4-7: In this section the prophet Amos denounces the sharp business practices favoured and praised in Israel. Merchants through their profiteering make it impossible for the poor to keep out of crippling debt, and hence out of ultimate slavery. Their overwhelming greed to profiteer is seen in their impatience with the long-established religious festival days. The Lord will never forget them for the actions that bring about such injustice to the poor.

1 TIMOTHY 2:1-7: Paul urges the young pastor Timothy to make sure that every kind of prayer is made for all people, including those in authority. The spread of the gospel will naturally be more effective if peaceful conditions prevail. He also offers other reasons: that God wishes all people to be saved; that God is one and therefore relates to the needs of all people; that Christ was a mediator for all people; that Christ became a human being that all might be saved; and that Paul himself was an apostle to the Gentiles, and therefore to all people. God has commanded that all Christian service is upheld by prayer and has promised to hear.

LUKE 16:1-13: Jesus is talking to the affluent here, people who are so wrapped up in their pursuit of money and consumer material goods that they don't bother giving time to pursue their eternal welfare before it is too late. This illustrative story does not praise dubious practice in business. Jesus uses the astuteness of the dishonest manager as the quality to be emulated by Christians when addressing their spiritual needs. The children of light (disciples of Christ) are not as industrious by and large at pursuing eternal life as the children of this world are in getting ahead! The second comparison is in faithfulness of stewardship. Christ makes the point that Christian service needs to be directed single-mindedly to the Lord, not mixed also with material greed.

VISUAL

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or visual symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance, the reading from Jeremiah could be illustrated by a picture like that in the TEV Bible for Jeremiah 8:18.

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 reading from Jeremiah could be read by three readers: narrator (Jeremiah), one of the people (vv 19b,20), and the Lord (v 19c); and the gospel from Luke could be read by three readers: narrator (the pastor), one of the people (vv 5b-6), and the Lord (v 7b).

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 'Abraham pleads for Sodom (Genesis 18:16 - 19:29)'. Material for this story may be found in:

Original Edition, Year C, Semester 2, 18 Pentecost

OR

Revised RCL Edition, Year C, Semester 2, Proper 20.