Weekly Bible Study Notes and Worship Resources for Ordinary 17
Year C, Colour = Green
Introduction
Our prayers will be answered, if they are supported by commitment on our part to action.
- If we sit around watching telly we will have poor grades
- If we are worried about our marriage, it is no good praying if we are unprepared to go and ask for help
- People complain about being lonely, but do nothing to join clubs and societies to make friends
- Some people say that they feel worthless, but they do nothing to give themselves a sense of worth by investing their time and energy in helping others.
Are you asking, seeking, knocking? If we wish to be used by
God to bring about his purposes are we prepared to pay the price, in terms
of our energy, chasing opportunities, bearing the disappointments ? Do we
set big goals? Or are we content to always sail in sheltered waters, away
from the dangerous waves?
Never allow yourself to be a victim, pray and then do what you need to take
care of things. Surrendering to God does not mean abdicating your
responsibilities. Somebody once said God helps those who help themselves. It
sounds dreadful, yet it partly true. God does work to share in helping those
who are willing to acknowledge a need and then be a part of the solution. So
often our prayers are carefully worded to avoid the possibility that this
might be the case. 'God bring about peace in Iraq.' Well that is a fine
prayer, but it is too easy to pray for world peace and then fail to show
love to a person we find difficult in church.
We have to be prepared to be a part of the answer to our prayers
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If you have a need — seek help
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If you recognise a need in the community — you be prepared to get stuck in
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If you are sick - go and see the doctor
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If you are troubled with guilt go and see a minister and ask them to pray for you
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If your job is driving you mad — apply for a new one.
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If you need love or human companionship - ask for it from those you care about.
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If you feel miserable in life—go and offer help and support to others in need, for it is in giving that we receive.
Seek and you will find, Jesus promised.
Opening Verse of Scripture Colossians 2:6
Continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness
Collect Prayerfor the Day — Before we read we pray
Gracious God, your Son Jesus Christ fed the hungry with the bread of life and the word of your kingdom. Renew your people with your heavenly grace, and in all our weakness sustain us by your true and living bread, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen Methodist Worship
God, you have poured the Spirit of your Son into our hearts so that we call you father. Give us grace to devote our freedom to your service that we and all creation may be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen. Methodist Worship
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. Common Worship
Lord God, your Son left the riches of heaven and became poor for our sake: when we prosper save us from pride, when we are needy save us from despair, that we may trust in you alone, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Common Worship
First Bible Reading Genesis 18:20-32
Then the LORD said, "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great
and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done
is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know." The men
turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the
LORD .Then Abraham approached him and said: "Will you sweep away the
righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the
city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of
the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing-to
kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked
alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"
The LORD said, "If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I
will spare the whole place for their sake." Then Abraham spoke up again:
"Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing
but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than
fifty? Will you destroy the whole city because of five people?" "If I find
forty-five there," he said, "I will not destroy it." Once again he spoke to
him, "What if only forty are found there?" He said, "For the sake of forty,
I will not do it." Then he said, "May the Lord not be angry, but let me
speak. What if only thirty can be found there?" He answered, "I will not do
it if I find thirty there." Abraham said, "Now that I have been so bold as
to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?" He said, "For
the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it." Then he said, "May the Lord not
be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found
there?" He answered, "For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it."
Second Reading Colossians Chapter 2:6-19
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him,
rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and
overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive
through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and
the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ. For in Christ all
the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given
fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him
you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with
a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by
Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through
your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were
dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made
you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the
written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood
opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed
the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing
over them by the cross. Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat
or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality,
however, is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility
and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes
into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him
up with idle notions. He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the
whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as
God causes it to grow.
Gospel Reading Luke 11:1-13
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of
his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his
disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be
your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us
our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not
into temptation.' " Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend,
and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of
bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have
nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me.
The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get
up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give
him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he
will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it
will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to
him who knocks, the door will be opened.
"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake
instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then,
though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Post Communion Prayer
Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands that have taken holy things; may the ears which have heard your word be deaf to clamour and dispute; may the tongues which have sung your praise be free from deceit; may the eyes which have seen the tokens of your love shine with the light of hope; and may the bodies which have been fed with your body be refreshed with the fullness of your life; glory to you for ever. Amen.
Commentary
After the sacrament of baptism, the Lord's Prayer is the best-known bond of unity among Christians of every tradition. The name Lord's Prayer was given because it was a prayer which Jesus taught his disciples when they asked him 'Teach us how to pray." Clearly there was something about the prayer of Jesus which made the disciples feel they were missing the mark, their prayers lacked the power and meaning Jesus' had.
In Matthew Jesus gives the prayer as a type of prayer which complies with the instructions which he has given about prayer in general. In Luke however the prayer is not only an example which complies with his teaching, it is also a specific prayer which must be prayed by his followers.
Our We have all heard the phrase 'I am a Christian but I don't go to church.' The word 'Our' is very poignant, it makes the Christian faith a shared experience, not an isolated one. You cannot pray the Lord's Prayer and mean it and then be a private Christian. The following is a simple poem but it does have a strong message about the shared nature of Christianity
You cannot say the Lord's prayer, and even once say "I".
You cannot pray the Lord's prayer, and even once say "my".
Nor can you pray the Lord's prayer and not pray for another.
For to ask for "our" daily bread, you include your sister and brother!
All God's children are included in each and every plea.
From the beginning to the end of it, it does not once say "me".
Father Jesus must have amazed those around by addressing God as "Father". The Pharisees never
used such a title to address God. We can be sure that not until Jesus does it become characteristic to
speak to God as Father. God was close to Jesus and this is shown clearly by his choice of this word.
Moreover Jesus wants this level of intimacy to be shared by us all. A relationship so personal that we
can call the Creator of the universe 'Father'. God is somebody we can approach as we go to a human
parent and share the good times and the bad, the success as well as the failure, the joys and sorrows.
As 'Father', God is concerned for the needs of his children.
Hallowed be your name Hallowed means to treat as holy, to reverence, to be pure, sacred. There is
an acknowledgement of the fact that God is 'worthy.' This is about the essential quality of God which is
beyond our imagination. In calling God 'Holy' we acknowledge that God is 'other worldly' and that there
is much about God which is above and beyond us: We cannot expect to place an infinite God into the
container of our human finite minds. This is also a prayer for the mission of the church, we are seeking
that all people would reverence God.
Your kingdom come Jesus expresses our longing to have the kingdom fully now, not just a taste of it. Our deepest longing is to see the day when the triumphant, sovereign lordship of our loving God will no longer be a mere hope clung to desperately by faith, but a manifest reality in all human affairs. We all long to see the end of death and pain and suffering, this prayer seeks the time when all these things will come to an end.
Give us each day our daily bread. We are half-way through the prayer before Jesus allows us to ask
for anything for ourselves! This phrase reminds us of where our priorities must be. It reminds us of our
daily dependence upon God and calls us to simplicity of life. As we pray these simple words we pray
that we will live just one day at a time and we also acknowledge that all things come from God. (Deut
8:18, 1 Cor 4:7, James 1:17). True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread, for
today, is bread enough. As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer. No amount
of praying, done today, will suffice for tomorrow's praying. This part of the prayer is also about NEEDS
not GREEDS. Jesus acknowledges that our physical needs must be met but it is not a prayer for
luxuries.
To pray for 'our daily bread' is to remind ourselves that in a wealthy society we should not be asking for
more than that, anything else is a bonus! Indeed for many people daily bread itself would be a real
luxury.
Forgive us our sins In this prayer we admit that we are sinners! By sinning we have incurred a moral and a spiritual debt to God who has authority over our lives. So we ask for forgiveness as a gift, for we can never earn or merit God's forgiveness. Some would say that we should be praying forgive me 'my' sins. There has been a tendency to become over excited about our individual sins: Of course the ones that we get really excited about are sexual sins and sins of morality. Jesus is not so focused on individual but rather corporate sin. It is actually harder to say forgive us our sins, since when we take shared responsibility for corporate sins it challenges us in a new way.
As we forgive those who sin against us Think about the things God has forgiven you for. Now with all that forgiven how can you not forgive someone who has sinned against you? Jesus does not suppose that God's forgiveness is contingent on our forgiving. Rather, he simply assumes that as we pray we will understand the need to forgive. Once our eyes are opened to the enormity of our offence against God, the injuries done to us appear by comparison to be trifling. If we exaggerate the offences of others then the chances are that we have a minimized our understanding of our own ! Forgiving others shows that we are living out the kingdom standards in our own lives now.
And lead us not into temptation Does God lead us into temptation? We can all be sure from personal experience that he does allow us to be tempted, to go through difficult circumstances. We are told in scripture that God will not allow us to be tested beyond what we can endure and that he will help us through it (1 Cor 10:13). Perhaps we could say that this prayer asks God to help us avoid sin, and that our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into sin of any kind. If we continue to say this prayer each day, then we will find it hard to live knowingly with sin each day. It is interesting that when people do things which they know to be wrong they frequently find a reason to avoid confronting their sin. They will perhaps leave their church which challenges such behaviour, sometimes finding fault in the church itself as an excuse. Our prayers will challenge us not to live a double life. Charles Royden
Meditation
I cannot say OUR, if my religion has no room for others and their needs.
I cannot say FATHER, if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily living.
I cannot say WHO ARE IN HEAVEN, if all my interest and pursuits are in earthly things.
I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME, if I, who am called by His name, am not holy.
I cannot say, THY KINGDOM COME, if I am unwilling to give up my own sovereignty and accept the
righteous reign of God.
I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE, if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life.
I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, unless I am truly ready to give myself to His service here
and now.
I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD, without expending honest effort for it or by ignoring
the genuine needs of my fellow man.
I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST
US, if I continue to harbour a grudge against anyone.
I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I
am likely to be tempted.
I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL, if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual realm with the weapon
of Word and prayer.
I cannot say THINE IS THE KINGDOM, if I do not give the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal
subject.
I cannot say THINE IS THE POWER, if I fear what my neighbours or friends may say or do.
I cannot say THINE IS THE GLORY, if I am seeking my own glory and recognition first.
I cannot say FOREVER, if I am too anxious about each day's affairs.
I cannot say AMEN, unless I honestly say, "Cost what it may, this is my prayer
Meditation
Schools should be allowed to do away with daily collective worship in favour
of weekly or monthly assemblies, says the Chief Inspector of Schools, David
Bell. "I struggle, as do my inspectors and most secondary schools, with the
requirement that every school day shall include an act of collective
worship," Figures from Mr Bell’s department show that 76 per cent of
secondary schools fail to comply with the regulations for collective
worship; many say they lack the physical space to hold an assembly, or they
cannot squeeze worship into their timetable.
Mr Bell says he tried to crack down on schools’ failure to comply — but "ran
into a firestorm of protest", because school inspectors found themselves
having to declare schools that met every other standard "unsatisfactory",
simply because they were failing to implement the daily act of worship.
This Sunday we think about prayer and the need to create space in our busy
lives. If schools stopped having PE, games or sports lessons, I wonder if
then they would be allowed to drop sport from the curriculum in schools? I
would suggest that such an idea would be utterly rejected. The fact that Mr
Bell has made this statement shows that spiritual activity is regarded as of
less importance than physical activity. ! If we remove from our children an
awareness of things which are spiritual, what kind of people will they
become? Is it merely coincidence that in a society where we are removing the
spiritual focus, that we are seeing less and less respect for others and a
degeneration in the behaviour of children and young people.
If schools feel able to break the law so wilfully, is it any surprise that
children in those same schools are morally confused? Charles Royden
Hymns
- O Lord my God
- Seek ye first
- What a friend we have in Jesus
- Christ be our light
- I heard the voice of Jesus say
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
"Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.
If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."
Grant us, O Lord,
to seek first your Kingdom and your righteousness.
Out of the abundance of your grace,
grant us sufficient light and strength
for our journey.
Forgive what we have been,
sanctify what we are
and order what we shall be,
in you and for you, now and for ever. Amen
Mary Tileston, 1820 -1895
Watch, Lord,
with those who wake or watch
or weep tonight,
and give your angels charge
over those who sleep.
Tend your sick ones,
O Lord Jesus Christ;
rest your weary ones;
bless your dying ones;
soothe your suffering ones;
pity your afflicted ones;
shield your joyous ones.
And all for your love’s sake. Amen
Compline collect
O Holy Spirit, come as the wind to forward our goings. Come as the dove
to launch us heavenward. Come as the water to purify our spirits. Come as
the cloud to abate our temptations. Come as the dew to revive our languor.
Come as fire to purge our souls; for your truth and your name’s sake. Amen
Christina Rossetti, 1830-1894
God, you have poured the Spirit of your Son into our hearts so that we may
call you Father. Give us grace to devote our freedom to your service that we
and all creation may be brought into the glorious liberty of the children of
God. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever.
Amen.
Lord Jesus, we give you our hands to do your work. We give you our feet to walk in your way. We give you our tongues to speak your word. We give you our hearts to love you, now and for ever. Amen. Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)
- From all that dwell below the skies
- Go tell is on the mountain
- May the mind of Christ my Saviour
- Jesus, we thus obey
- It is God who holds the nations in the hollow of his hand
Additional Resources
Opening Verse of Scripture, Colossians Chapter 2:6
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
Collect Prayer for the Day-Before we read we pray
Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: graft in our hearts the love of your name, increase in us > religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of your great mercy keep us in the same; 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.
First Bible Reading, Hosea 1:2-10
When the LORD began to speak through Hosea, the LORD said to him, "Go, take to yourself an adulterous wife and children of unfaithfulness, because the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the LORD." So he married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call him Jezreel, because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. In that day I will break Israel's bow in the Valley of Jezreel." Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the LORD said to Hosea, "Call her Lo-Ruhamah, for I will no longer show love to the house of Israel, that I should at all forgive them. Yet I will show love to the house of Judah; and I will save them--not by bow, sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but by the LORD their God." After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, Gomer had another son. Then the LORD said, "Call him Lo-Ammi, for you are not my people, and I am not your God. "Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted. In the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' they will be called 'sons of the living God.'
Second Bible Reading, Luke Chapter 11:1-23
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'" Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.' "Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, "By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons." Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them: "Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? I say this because you claim that I drive out demons by Beelzebub. Now if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your followers drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come to you. "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armour in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils. "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.
Meditation
Pray, and let God worry. Martin Luther, 16th century
Post Communion Prayer
Lord God, whose Son is the vine and the source of life, ever giving himself that the world may live: may we so receive within ourselves the power of his death and passion that, in his saving cup, we may share his glory and be made perfect in his love; for he is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayer
God our Father, you made each of us unique and unrepeatable. Inspire me to live in such a way that I respect others and am ready to learn from all who are part of my life this day. Amen.
Lord we remember before you all our brothers and sisters who are weighed down with suffering. Bless and guide us that your love may be reflected in our concern for the hungry, the oppressed and the unloved. Help us to acknowledge and grow in appreciation that all people are made in your image and likeness. Amen.
Make us worthy, Lord, to serve our brothers ands sisters throughout the world who live and die in poverty and hunger. Give them by our hands this day their daily bread, and by our understanding love give peace and joy Amen.