Collect & Readings for Luke the Evangelist and for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity and Prayers.

Collect for the Feast of Luke the Evangelist.
Almighty God,
you called Luke the physician,
whose praise is in the gospel,
to be an evangelist and physician of the soul:
by the grace of the Spirit
and through the wholesome medicine of the gospel,
give your Church the same love and power to heal;
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. 

Readings

Isaiah 35:3-6
Strengthen the weak hands,
    and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
    ‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
    He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
    He will come and save you.’
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then the lame shall leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
    and streams in the desert.

OR

Acts 16:6-12a
Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

The Conversion of Lydia
11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. 13 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there.

2 Timothy 4:5-17
5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.
6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Personal Instructions
9 Do your best to come to me soon, 10 for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry. 12 I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. 14 Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will pay him back for his deeds. 15 You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.
16 At my first defence no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! 17 But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

Luke 10:1-9
The Mission of the Seventy
10 After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” 

Collect for the Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
 

God, the giver of life,

whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church,

by the Spirit’s gifts, equip us to live the Gospel of Christ

and make us eager to do your will,

that we may share with the whole creation

the joys of eternal life;

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.

Readings

Exodus 33:12-23
Moses’ Intercession
12 Moses said to the Lord, ‘See, you have said to me, “Bring up this people”; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, “I know you by name, and you have also found favour in my sight.” 13 Now if I have found favour in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.’ 14 He said, ‘My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.’ 15 And he said to him, ‘If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. 16 For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.’
17 The Lord said to Moses, ‘I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name.’ 18 Moses said, ‘Show me your glory, I pray.’ 19 And he said, ‘I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord”; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 But’, he said, ‘you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.’ 21 And the Lord continued, ‘See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; 22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; 23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.’

OR

Isaiah 45:1-7
Cyrus, God’s Instrument
45 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus,
    whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him
    and strip kings of their robes,
to open doors before him—
    and the gates shall not be closed:
2 I will go before you
    and level the mountains, 
I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron,
3 I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, who call you by your name.
4 For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name,
    I surname you, though you do not know me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other;
    besides me there is no god.
    I arm you, though you do not know me,
6 so that they may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is no one besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
7 I form light and create darkness,
    I make weal and create woe;
    I the Lord do all these things.

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
1 From Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2 We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly 3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of people we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place where your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. 9 For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

Matthew 22:15-22
The Question about Paying Taxes
When the Chief Priests and Pharisees had heard the parables, they realised that Jesus was speaking about them. 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. 16 So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. 20 Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ 21 They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ 22 When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

Prayers
In the power of the Spirit and in union with Christ, let us pray to the Father.

    A prayer of thanksgiving
Blessed are you, sovereign God, gentle and merciful,
creator of heaven and earth.
Your word brought light out of darkness.
In Jesus Christ you proclaim good news to the poor,
liberty to captives, sight to the blind,
and freedom for the oppressed.
Daily your Spirit renews the face of the earth,
bringing life and health, wholeness and peace.
In the renewal of our lives
you make known your heavenly glory.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever. Amen

    Heavenly Father, we thank you for the life, work and witness of Saint Luke.  We pray that, like him, we may be ready to give a clear account of our faith to all who seek an understanding of the Gospel of Christ. We pray for church leaders and all Christians who are called to speak of their faith on television and on radio and those whose writing is published and widely read both within the church and beyond it.  May the witness of your people bring light into the darkest places of the world. Amen

    Heavenly Father, you taught us by your Son Jesus Christ that all our possessions come from you. Help us to be faithful stewards of our time, our talents and our wealth, and to consecrate gladly to you service a due proportion of all that you have given us. And, Lord Jesus, you have also taught us that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do also for you. Give us the will to be servants of others as you were the servant of all; for you gave up your life and died for us, but live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

    Loving God, we pray for all who are weak, fearful and vulnerable in our world today; for all who are oppressed and treated with contempt and injustice and for those who are seeking freedom and new lives in foreign lands.  We ask that you give us and the leaders of the nations a compassionate understanding and the wisdom and willingness to support and care for your suffering children. Amen

    A prayer for Church Action on Poverty Sunday – 18th October.

Give us, O Lord, Churches that will be more courageous than cautious; that will not merely ‘comfort the afflicted’ but ‘afflict the comfortable’; that will not only love the world but will also judge the world; that will not only pursue peace but also demand justice; that will not remain silent when people are calling for a voice; that will not pass by on the other side when wounded humanity is waiting to be healed; that will not only call us to worship but also send us out to witness; that will follow Christ even when the way points to a cross. To this end we offer ourselves in the name of him who loved us and gave himself for us.
Lord, renew us, inspire us, teach us how to live out our calling. May we  seek out those laid low by greed and capitalism, and lift them before you. May we fill the hungry with good things and help those with money and resources to use them for the good of all. Amen

    United Nations Day is celebrated on the 24th October

Lord, we pray that you imbue the world leaders at the United Nations with patience and guidance as they seek peaceful resolutions to today’s challenges.  We often think in ways that divide us, emphasizing our differences.  Remind us all that we are a part of a world community, one family that regardless of nationality, culture, language, or gender, we are all touched by your grace.  And Lord, grant us the courage to transform our local communities, caring for the poor and standing up for the oppressed, so they may be peaceful, loving examples of your compassion.  May the world that we shape be a reflection of your kingdom. Amen

    Lord, we pray for nations and leaders. Grant them integrity, justice, and a heart to serve the common good. We continue to pray for peaceful and just resolutions to the conflicts in Palestine, Iran, the Yemen and throughout the Middle East and in Ukraine, Ethiopia, the Sudan and the Congo,  and wherever violence and fighting has broken out. Give wisdom to those politicians and world leaders who negotiate to bring about reconciliation and prosper their efforts that the senseless and appalling killing, torture and the poverty, homelessness and devastation which are by-products, may come to an end. Amen

    At this harvest time we acknowledge Lord God, that the Earth is yours and all that is in it. We give thanks for the food we share and ask your blessing on those who grow, harvest and prepare it. Forgive us when we fail to care for your world. Inspire us to act for the good of our neighbours, especially those who do not have plentiful food. Nourish us with your Spirit, that we may be filled with energy to do your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Lord, we pray for our own churches. We give thanks for all those who are members of our fellowships, for their support, hard-work and prayers. We pray that you will give wisdom to our churchwardens and PCCs as they lead us into an uncertain future. Give them strength and encouragement Lord, as they bear heavy responsibilities, which sometimes seem overwhelming, in the upkeep of church buildings and churchyards, with limited resources, and at the same time seek to build up the body of Christ, to care for those in need and to reach out to the communities around them with your love. Amen 

    God of hope and healing, your servant, Luke, tended the sick and understood human frailty.  We pray for doctors, nurses and all who care today for those who are suffering in body, mind or spirit.
We pray that your gentle and powerful love will surround them bringing light into their darkness and peace to calm their fears and we remember in particular those known to us personally who are currently sick, sad or anxious and pray for your comfort for them and for an infilling of your healing grace.  Amen 

    Holy God, help us to clear space in our lives where your holy presence my grow and produce fruit worthy of our great calling. Remove far from us those things which cause hurt to others and hurt ourselves. Plant seeds of joy and peace that love might grow and be shown as we live in harmony with others. Amen