Readings for Sunday, 10/1/23
THE COLLECT
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your
heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
FIRST READING: Exodus 17:1-7
1 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the
Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They
camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to
drink. 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water
to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why
do you test the Lord?” 3But the people thirsted there for water;
and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you
bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with
thirst?” 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this
people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5The Lord said to
Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders
of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you
struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on
the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so
that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders
of Israel. 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the
Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord
among us or not?”
Reader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God
PSALM: 78:1-4, 12-16
Hear my teaching, O my people; *
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; *
I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us, *
we will not hide from their children.
We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
and the wonderful works he has done.
He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers, *
in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
he made the waters stand up like walls.
He led them with a cloud by day, *
and all the night through with a glow of fire.
He split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
and gave them drink as from the great deep.
He brought streams out of the cliff, *
and the waters gushed out like rivers.
SECOND READING: Philippians 2:1-13
1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation
from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,
2make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same
love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3Do nothing from
selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better
than yourselves. 4Let each of you look not to your own interests,
but to the interests of others. 5Let the same mind be in you that
was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but
emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human
likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a
cross.9Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the
name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the
earth, 11and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not
only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13for it is God who is
at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good
pleasure.
Reader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God
GOSPEL HYMN: Spirit of God
Spirit of God, un-seen as the wind, gentle as is the dove:
teach us the truth and help us believe, show us the Saviour’s
love!
- You spoke to us long, long a-go, gave us the written word;
we read it still, needing its truth, through it God’s voice is heard - With-out your help we fail our Lord, we can-not live his
way; we need your power, we need your strength, following
Christ each day
GOSPEL: Matthew 21:23-32
23 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of
the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what
authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this
authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question;
if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority
I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or
was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we
say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not
believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of
the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27So they answered
Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell
you by what authority I am doing these things.
28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first
and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He
answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went.
30The father went to the second and said the same; and he
answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the
will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly
I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the
kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way
of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax
collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you
saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.
Reader: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, Lord Christ