<Proper 22> =The Sunday closest to October 5=

PRAYER (traditional language) Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we 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; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language) Almighty and everlasting God, who are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

FOR YEAR A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 5:1-7 (The people of God are like a vineyard, well tended, which ought to produce delightful fruit, but yields only sour grapes.)

PSALM 80 (or 80:7-14) (The LORD is angry with Israel, and has left them desolate, like an abandoned vineyard. A plea for forgiveness and restoration.)

EPISTLE: Philippians 3:14-21 (Forget earthly ambitions, and let heaven be your goal.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 21:33-43 (Parable of the Wicked Tenants, who rejected the Landlord's messengers, and murdered his son.)

FOR YEAR B

FIRST READING: Genesis 2:18-24 (God institutes and blesses marriage, declaring that husband and wife are to be not two but one.)

PSALM 8 (or 128) (God has made the son of man lower than the angels, and crowned him with honor.)

EPISTLE: Hebrews 2:(1-8)9-18 (Jesus was made lower than the angels, that by sharing our condition he might deliver us from it.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Mark 10:2-9 (Jesus teaches that the marriage tie is from God, and is not to be broken.)

FOR YEAR C

FIRST READING: Habakkuk 1:1-13; 2:1-4 (The prophet begins by complaining that there is calamity and injustice in the land, and the LORD does not prevent it. He receives the answer that God is working out His purposes, and that the righteous shall live by faith.)

PSALM 37:1-18 (A psalm of encouragement for those to whom it seems that evil is triumphant, assuring them that God cares for His people and will vindicate them in His own time.)

EPISTLE: 2 Timothy 1:1-14 (Paul encourages Timothy to hold fast to what he has been taught, and to the gift of the Spirit that has been given him, and to remember that suffering is a part of his calling, for the sake of Jesus Christ, who has abolished death.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 17:5-10 (Jesus speaks of the importance of faith in God, and reminds his disciples that a servant must not expect a reward for merely doing his duty.)

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<Proper 23> =The Sunday closest to October 12=

PRAYER (traditional language) Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always precede and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language) Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

FOR YEAR A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 25:1-9 (Praise to the LORD, who delivers his people from all their distress.)

PSALM 23 ("The LORD is my shepherd.")

EPISTLE: Philippians 4:4-13 (Rejoice in the LORD. Trust him. Do not fret. Be content, even when in trouble.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 22:1-14 (Parable of a Wedding Feast. The invited guests would not come, so the king brought other guests in off the street. A guest who wore no wedding garment was sent away.)

NOTE ON THE HOLY GOSPEL: The story has three plots, and some readers have thought that it was originally three stories, which have been associated because they all deal with a wedding feast. (1) A king prepares a marriage feast for his son. The invited guests will not come, so the king fills his banquet hall with outcasts. (2) A king sends messengers to invite some men to a wedding. They kill his messengers, so he sends his soldiers to kill them. (3) A king gives a wedding feast, and one of the guests does not wear a wedding garment. He is cast out. (I am told that the custom was that the host would provide festive garments for the guests, so that this is not a man too poor to buy a garment, but rather a man who does not think that the occasion warrants the fuss of putting on a garment. It is thought by some that he represents those who seek to merit Heaven on the basis of their own work, instead of trusting in the redeeming work of Christ.)

FOR YEAR B

FIRST READING: Amos 5:6-7,10-15 (The LORD will punish those who oppress the poor.)

PSALM 90 (or 90:2-8,12) O God, our help in ages past, c A d c f f e f our hope for years to come, c f c d B c - - our shelter from the stormy blast e f d g e f d e and our eternal home. c d f g e f - -

Under the shadow of thy throne thy saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is thine arm alone, and our defence is sure.

Before the hills in order stood, or earth received her frame, from everlasting thou art God, to endless years the same.

*Thy word commands our flesh to dust, "Return, ye sons of men:" All nations rose from earth at first, and turn to earth again.

A thousand ages in thy sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun.

*The busy tribes of flesh and blood with all their lives and cares are carried downwards by thy flood and lost in following years.

Time, like an ever rolling stream, bears all its sons away; they fly, forgotten, as a dream dies at the opening day.

*Like flowery fields the nations stand pleased with the morning light; the flowers beneath the mower's hand lie withering ere 'tis night.

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, be thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home.

(Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses. This hymn, based on Psalm 90, is by Isaac Watts (1719). The starred stanzas are omitted in most recent hymnals. The tune is called St Anne's, and is attributed to William Croft (1708), but may be older, since the first line is used in Bach's Fugue in E flat.)

EPISTLE: Hebrews 3:1-6 (Moses was God's servant, but Jesus is God's Son.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Mark 10:17-27(28-31) (A young man wishes to serve God, but turns away from the demand for total commitment.)

FOR YEAR C

FIRST READING: Ruth 1:1-19a (The widow Naomi is alone, but her daughter-in-law, Ruth, a foreigner from Moab, vows to stand by her.)

PSALM 113 (Blessed be God, who remembers the poor and needy, and makes the barren fruitful.)

EPISTLE: 2 Timothy 2:3-15 (Paul encourages Timothy to serve God as a loyal soldier, like an athlete in training, like farmer tending the crop and expecting a bountiful harvest.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 17:11-19 (Christ heals ten lepers. Only one, a foreigner from Samaria, returns to give Him thanks.)

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<Proper 24> =The Sunday closest to October 19=

PRAYER (traditional language) Almighty and everlasting God, who in Christ hast revealed thy glory among the nations: Preserve the works of thy mercy, that thy Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of thy Name; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language) Almighty and everlasting God, who in Christ have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

FOR YEAR A

FIRST READING: Isaiah 45:1-7 (God has made the Persian emperor Cyrus his instrument to carry out his purposes, though Cyrus does not realize this.)

PSALM 96 (or 96:1-9) (Rejoice, for the LORD comes to judge the earth.)

EPISTLE: 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 (Paul, writing to the Christians of Thessalonica, begins by recalling the welcome they had originally given to him and the Gospel.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 22:15-22 (Jesus is asked a trick question: whether the Jews ought to pay taxes to the Romans. He avoids the trap.)

FOR YEAR B

FIRST READING: Isaiah 53:4-12 (God's chosen servant has born the suffering that has made us whole.)

PSALM 91 (or 91:9-16) (God is our refuge and protection against every peril.)

EPISTLE: Hebrews 4:12-16 (Since we have a high priest who has shared our condition, let us approach with confidence.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Mark 10:35-45 (Two of Jesus' disciples seek the chief place in the kingdom, but are told that the highest calling is to service.)

FOR YEAR C

FIRST READING: Genesis 32:3-8,22-30 (Jacob contends with a mysterious stranger at the ford of Jabbok)

PSALM 121 (God as the protector of those in trouble or danger, including travellers)

EPISTLE: 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5 (Paul encourages Timothy to remain steadfast in the truth as he has received it, guided by the Scriptures, diligent in preaching the message entrusted to him.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 18:1-8a (Jesus tells the story of a woman who by persistence obtained justice from a magistrate, and tells his listeners that they ought to be no less tireless in their prayers to God.)

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<Proper 25> =The Sunday closest to October 26=

PRAYER (traditional language) Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

PRAYER (contemporary language) Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

FOR YEAR A

FIRST READING: Exodus 22:21-27 (You must not afflict or oppress the poor, or widow or orphan, or the foreigner.)

PSALM 1 (The righteous man is like a tree beside a river, with roots firm and deep. The wicked are like chaff carried away by the wind.)

EPISTLE: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 (Paul remembers his first visit to Thessalonika.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Matthew 22:34-46 (In a public disputation, Jesus is asked what is the most important commandment. He replies, "Love God and love your neighbor." He in turn asks, "If the Messiah is David's son, why does David (Ps 110) call him Master?")

NOTE ON THE HOLY GOSPEL: Some readers have taken Jesus' question as an admission that he was not a descendant of David, and a denial that the Messiah had to be. But there is no reason why a man cannot surpass one of his ancestors. If the Messiah cannot be descended from David because he outranks David, then he cannot be descended from any other human ancestor either. Unless Jesus is here asserting his virgin birth, it appears that he is asking, "From whom does the Messiah get his authority? From whom does he inherit his status?" If David calls him "Master," then clearly he has an authority and a status that David did not have and that David did not give him.

FOR YEAR B

FIRST READING: Isaiah 59:(1-4)9-19 (We walk in darkness, because we have turned away from the LORD.)

PSALM 13 ("How long, O LORD, wilt thou hide thy face from me?")

EPISTLE: Hebrews 5:12--6:1,9-12 (Persevere in doing what is right.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Mark 10:46-52 (At Jericho, a blind beggar asks to be healed, and Jesus heals him.)

FOR YEAR C

FIRST READING: Jeremiah 14:1-10,19-22 (There is no rain, and the people lament. Jeremiah rebukes the people for having forsaken the Lord.)

PSALM 84 (The Psalmist speaks of the delights of being in the dwelling place of the Lord, a delight like the rains after a drought.)

EPISTLE: 2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18 (Paul, believing that his death is near, bids farewell to Timothy, and speaks with confidence of the strength that God has given him, and of the glory that awaits him.)

THE HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 18:9-14 (The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican)

NOTE ON THE HOLY GOSPEL Jesus said: Two men went up to the Temple to pray, a Pharisee (a member of a Jewish group that observed personal religious duties with great strictness) and a publican (i.e. a tax-collector for the Romans, and therefore an outcast). The Pharisee prayed: "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men -- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, publicans like that fellow over there. I fast and tithe regularly." The publican prayed, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." I tell you, it was the publican, not the Pharisee, who was brought into a right relationship with God.

The Sunday-school teacher read this story to the class, and then said: "And now, children, let us all thank God that we are not like that Pharisee." When you have finished chuckling, ask yourself whether you were, just for a moment, taking comfort in the thought that you are not like that teacher. It becomes an endless loop. But our help lies in the boundless love and mercy of God, not in anything that we do -- not even in the fact that we (unlike some others) know our theology well enough not to trust in our own works, or even in our refusal to trust in our own works, or even.... Thanks be to God, Who delivers us from going round and round in endless loops.