Collect, Readings & Prayers for the Eighth Sunday after Trinity.

Collect

Almighty Lord and everlasting God,

we beseech you to direct, sanctify and govern

both our hearts and bodies

in the ways of your laws

and the works of your commandments;

that through your most mighty protection, both here and ever,

we may be preserved in body and soul;

through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Readings

1 Kings 3:5-12

⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, ‘Ask what I should give you.’ ⁶ And Solomon said, ‘You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart towards you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. ⁷ And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. ⁸ And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. ⁹ Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?’

¹⁰ It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. ¹¹ God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, ¹² I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

OR

Genesis 29:15-28

Jacob Marries Laban’s Daughters

¹⁵ Laban said to Jacob, ‘Because you are my kinsman, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah’s eyes were lovely,  and Rachel was graceful and beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, ‘I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.’ ¹⁹ Laban said, ‘It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me.’ ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, ‘Give me my wife that I may go in to her, for my time is completed.’ ²² So Laban gathered together all the people of the place, and made a feast. ²³ But in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. ²⁴ (Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah to be her maid.) ²⁵ When morning came, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, ‘What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?’ ²⁶ Laban said, ‘This is not done in our country—giving the younger before the firstborn. ²⁷ Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me for another seven years.’ ²⁸ Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife.

Romans 8:26-39

²⁶ The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. ²⁷ And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

²⁸ We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. ³⁰ And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

God’s Love in Christ Jesus

³¹ What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? ³² He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? ³³ Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. ³⁵ Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ³⁶ As it is written,

‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
    we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³¹ Jesus put before the crowd another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; ³² it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

The Parable of the Yeast

³³ He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with^[a] three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

Three Parables

⁴⁴ ‘The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

⁴⁵ ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; ⁴⁶ on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

⁴⁷ ‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; ⁴⁸ when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. ⁴⁹ So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Treasures New and Old

⁵¹ ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answered, ‘Yes.’ ⁵² And he said to them, ‘Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.’

Prayers

In the beginning, before time, before people, before the world began, God was. Here and now, among us, beside us, clearer than air, closer than breathing, God is. Our holy and gracious God has created a universe born out of love and generosity and given us a world of wonder in which to live. Because you, God, love the world, because in Christ you walked it, we dare to offer our prayers to you.

• Lord God, send your Spirit to awaken the minds of those in power to the realities of those they govern; to confront the arrogance of the privileged with the vulnerability of the poor, to renew the life of the earth. Lord God, send your Spirit to engage the fragile state of the planet with those who carelessly abuse it; to let the pain of those who are hurting awaken the caring potential in the healthy, to renew the life of the earth. Amen

• Lord of parable and prayer, grant us the courage of the mustard seed, that we might not be overwhelmed by our smallness. Give us the patience of yeast, that we might not try to rush that which needs time; the vision of the man in the field, that we might recognise treasure when we find it; the wisdom of the merchant, that we might give all that we have for that which is truly precious and the strength of the net, that we might bear all things in life and not be torn. May your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

• We pray for everyone who is involved in the Commonwealth games,
  the athletes and their families, the parliaments and city council,
  the organisers and spectators, the citizens of Glasgow and their guests We pray too for the children of Glasgow and for children throughout the Commonwealth that they may be encouraged and inspired by the Games
  to play their part as citizens of this one world that God has given us all to share. May the residents of the host city show your presence among them by the kindly welcome they give to all the visitors to the city and by a culture of mutual support. Amen

• Lord we are very conscious that fighting in the Middle East still continues as does the relentless war in the Ukraine and that there are violent conflicts in many places. Please guide all those who seek to bring relief to troubled regions. Our world is full of hurting people and nations torn apart by war and violence. Please protect, comfort, and heal children and women and men who face unspeakable loss and profound emotional and physical challenges and unite us in pursuing a world where all can thrive in Your peace, mercy, and abundance

• Lord God, you shower blessings upon us and you enable us to grow, when we open our hearts and minds to follow your ways and not our own. We pray for all Christian people, the body of Christ, that we might all seek to live lives of faithfulness to you Lord with an increased awareness of the needs of others. May churches throughout the world bring comfort, teaching and inspiration as they seek to spread the good news of your love and peace and to bring your kingdom a little closer to earth. Amen

• Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light which no darkness can quench. Christ in glory, risen and ascended, you have redeemed us by your love, your give us life which is eternal. We pray to you for all people who walk in darkness, all who cry out in pain, all who feel beyond hope. We remember all those who are rejected, isolated or outcast and those who have died and may they and those who mourn them know your peace. Amen

• We pray for all who suffer in body, mind or spirit, and for people who need our prayers at this time, especially those known personally to us. We pray too for all those who have been affected by wildfires. We pray that they will receive the support they need and, where lives have been devastated, that they may know your comfort and be given your strength to carry on and to rebuild. Give wisdom to those directing operations in the areas involved, that they may be able to contain fires and limit damage, and to those authorities dealing with other consequences of the fires such as water shortages and consequent drought conditions. Lord, we pray,  bring refreshing rain to those areas most in need. Amen.

• Spirit of God, breathing life into all, we give you thanks for our talents and abilities, for the powers of renewal and refreshment. We pray that we and your church may reach out in love. We pray for our church leaders and for the ministry of all your faithful people. We pray for the outreach and mission of your church across the world and that we here in Packington Parish and across the Woodfield Team of Ministry, may be inspired to find new and imaginative ways of working in our community. and that you will bind us together in unity and love. We pray that as we go about our daily lives and experience happiness, disappointments, unexpected events and changes we might find You at work in us helping us to find reasons for hope and joy and enabling us to share these with those we meet, our friends, neighbours, colleagues, and our casual acquaintances. Amen

• Almighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church: open our hearts to the riches of your grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; 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. Amen