Collects and Readings for All Saints Day
Collect
Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Daniel 7: 1-3, 15-18.
Visions of the Four Beasts
7 In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream 2 I,[ Daniel, saw in my vision by night the four winds of heaven stirring up the great sea, 3 and four great beasts came up out of the sea, different from one another.
Daniel’s Visions Interpreted
15 As for me, Daniel, my spirit was troubled within me, and the visions of my head terrified me. 16 I approached one of the attendants to ask him the truth concerning all this. So he said that he would disclose to me the interpretation of the matter: 17 ‘As for these four great beasts, four kings shall arise out of the earth. 18 But the holy ones of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever—for ever and ever.’
Ephesians 1:11-end
11 In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, 12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; 14 this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.
Paul’s Prayer
15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Luke 6: 20-31
Blessings and Woes
20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said:
‘Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,
for you will be filled.
‘Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
22 ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. 23 Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
24 ‘But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation.
25 ‘Woe to you who are full now,
for you will be hungry.
‘Woe to you who are laughing now,
for you will mourn and weep.
26 ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.
Love for Enemies
27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
Collects and Readings for the 4th Sunday before Advent
Collect
Almighty and eternal God,
you have kindled the flame of love
in the hearts of the saints:
grant to us the same faith and power of love,
that, as we rejoice in their triumphs,
we may be sustained by their example and fellowship;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Isaiah 1:10-18
Hear the word of the Lord,
you rulers of Sodom!
Listen to the teaching of our God,
you people of Gomorrah!
11 What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices?
says the Lord;
I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams
and the fat of fed beasts;
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
or of lambs, or of goats.
12 When you come to appear before me,[a]
who asked this from your hand?
Trample my courts no more;
13 bringing offerings is futile;
incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation—
I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity.
14 Your new moons and your appointed festivals
my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 When you stretch out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings
from before my eyes;
cease to do evil,
17 learn to do good;
seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow.
18 Come now, let us argue it out,
says the Lord:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
2 Thessalonians Chapter 1.
Salutation
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
3 We must always give thanks to God for you, brothers and sisters, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith during all your persecutions and the afflictions that you are enduring.
The Judgement at Christ’s Coming
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgement of God, and is intended to make you worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. 6 For it is indeed just of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to the afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, separated from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes to be glorified by his saints and to be marvelled at on that day among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. 11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfil by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Luke 19:1-10
Jesus and Zacchaeus
19 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. 2 A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax-collector and was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.’ 6 So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. 7 All who saw it began to grumble and said, ‘He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.’ 8 Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, ‘Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.’ 9 Then Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.’
Prayers
Let us still ourselves in our Father’s presence and tell Him what is on our hearts.
- God of Compassion,
Sometimes there are no words which can truly reflect what we feel in our hearts.
This is one of those moments.
Yet we cry to you for Jamaica and her people during this time of devastation.
We cry for those who feel bewildered and lost,
whose homes and communities have been decimated,
whose livelihoods have been swept away.
We cry for those anxiously awaiting news of loved ones,
for those who themselves are injured,
and for all who are overwhelmed or traumatised.
God who cares for the least,
We cry for the elderly and the vulnerable,
for Jamaica’s children,
and for all whose existence was already precarious.
God, in whose hands all things are held,
We cry to you to sustain the aid workers,
medical teams,
and those striving to bring emergency relief.
And as we pray these few insufficient words,
We ask you to open our eyes, our minds,
our hearts, that we may respond with love
through faith in action. Today. Amen.
- We continue to pray for peace between Israel and Gaza - that the ceasefire will last and the conditions for it to do so will be met by both sides in the conflict and that ultimately they will commit to a just and lasting peace. We pray for aid to enter Gaza freely and for safe humanitarian access. We pray too for healing and the restoration of communities and for the just and fair resolution of all the other conflicts taking place in the world, including the war in Ukraine. that you Lord will change the hearts of world leaders towards justice, peace and mercy. Amen.
- Prayer for Family Protection
Father God, we come before You today to ask for your protection over the members of our families, of all ages. Let no trouble fall on them, keep them away from accidents and allow no evil to influence their hearts. Speak your peace and reconciliation into all family disputes and hurtful misunderstandings; nurture a spirit of loving community in our neighbourhoods and heighten our awareness of one another’s needs. Amen
- Dear Lord, thank you that we can call ourselves saints even though we often stumble and do things which are contrary to your will. Give us strength to turn away from those things in our lives which hinder our walk with you and stunt our spiritual growth. Thank you that you accept and love us as we are. Help us to walk humbly with You, embracing Your guidance in our lives.
Teach us to seek Your wisdom in every step we take, and to show kindness and compassion to those around us.
May our hearts be open to Your will, and may we reflect Your love in our actions.
Strengthen our faith as we journey together with You.
Amen.
- Dear Lord, we pray for each of the churches in the Woodfield Team that you will strengthen and encourage the members in all the initiatives which they are undertaking in order to reach out to those in their communities. Prosper their efforts and encourage and equip them to be the body of Christ in their area, Guide them and give them wisdom when in the near future, they are called upon to make big decisions regarding the establishment and operation of a Minster Community involving the churches in this area. Amen.
- Heavenly Father, in times of sickness, we seek your comfort and strength. Be with
all those known to us at this time who are suffering in body, mind or spirit in their time of need - we hold those we name before you. Provide them with your peace that surpasses all understanding. Grant them strength, courage, and hope to face the challenges ahead. Let them feel your loving presence. Amen.
- Holy Father, we pray your comforting presence for all who are mourning the loss of loved ones. Wrap them in Your love and peace as they navigate the pain of loss.
May Your gentle hand heal their broken hearts and remind them of the hope found in Your promises.
Grant them strength to endure and the assurance that their loved ones rest in Your eternal embrace. Amen. - Loving Father, look into us and teach us to know ourselves more honestly, to recognise the areas which need cleansing, and rejoice in the work you have done in our lives as individuals and as the people of God. May our lives express our love for you. Amen