Services for the coming week
Sunday, 6th October, Harvest Festival, The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
10.00 am Parish Communion, Donations for the Food Bank will be welcome
6.00 pm Evensong
Monday, 7th October
7.00 pm Harvest Festival at Levisham
Tuesday, 8th October
11.30 am Funeral
Wednesday, 9th October
10.00 am Holy Communion
Friday, 11th October
11.00 am Funeral
6.00 pm Harvest Praise
Sunday,13th October, The Twentieth Sunday after Trinity
8.00 am Holy Communion (BCP)
9.30 am Holy Communion at Levisham
10.00 am Parish Communion
10.45 am Holy Communion at Lockton
6.00 pm Evensong
Welcome to our worship for Harvest Praise,
Sunday, 6th October
Faithful Lord, whose steadfast love never ceases and whose mercies never come to an end:
grant us the grace to trust you and to receive the gifts of your love, new every morning, in Jesus Christ our Lord
grant us the grace to trust you and to receive the gifts of your love, new every morning, in Jesus Christ our Lord
Collect
Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season:
grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being;
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
grant that we may use them to your glory, for the relief of those in need and for our own well-being;
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
Readings for Today
First Reading: Joel 2. 21-27
Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing-floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Psalm 126
Response : The Lord has done great things for us and we rejoiced
When the Lord restored the for tunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with songs of joy. R
Then said they among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' The Lord has indeed done great things for us, and therefore we rejoiced. Restore again our for tunes, O Lord, as the river beds of the desert. R
Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, will come back with shouts of joy, bearing their sheaves with them. R
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6. 6-10
There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6. 25-33
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Do not fear, O soil; be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things! Do not fear, you animals of the field, for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield. O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing-floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you. You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. And my people shall never again be put to shame. You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other. And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Psalm 126
Response : The Lord has done great things for us and we rejoiced
When the Lord restored the for tunes of Zion, then were we like those who dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with songs of joy. R
Then said they among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' The Lord has indeed done great things for us, and therefore we rejoiced. Restore again our for tunes, O Lord, as the river beds of the desert. R
Those who sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed, will come back with shouts of joy, bearing their sheaves with them. R
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 6. 6-10
There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 6. 25-33
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Thoughts on the readings for this week.
from ‘Lost for Words’
The Little Book of Calm was a best-seller for several months when it was first published. Its popularity revealed just how much worry and anxiety form part of our lives. There is so much to worry about - from money, to health, to relationships, to exams, to job interviews, to the future and it takes up a great deal of time and energy. Often when you're worried, you find you can't sleep - and then you get tired, and that makes everything seem worse. As Corrie Ten Boom, a writer and survivor of a concentration camp, said, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."
In today's Gospel reading we hear Jesus telling his disciples very specifically, "Do not worry? Jesus knew how much time could be wasted in worrying, and also knew that there were so many more important things to be thinking about and doing. Where do worry and anxiety really fit into a living faith? We are so easily distracted from what really matters.
Our society encourages us to be distracted - you just have to look at all the advertisements lining the billboards around the streets to be deluged with information about things you do not need to know about, and to be given a sense of what life should be like - you should have a bigger house, a faster car, a certain type of bank account, a certain body shape. Our children should have the latest toys and wear the latest fashions; we should all be eating certain types of food.It takes a degree of courage and insight to be able to stand back from all this pressure and hear Jesus saying, "Hey! Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Don't strive for all of this - instead, strive for God's kingdom, and his righteousness."
There are other things that worry us, of course: symptoms of ill health that scare us: a lump here, a mole there - possibly harmless, possibly deadly.
We can put ourselves in the hands of the experts to tell us the diagnosis and to treat us as they think best, but the fear can still remain. In the face of illness we realise that however much we may have achieved in terms of status, relationship or whatever else, we may have no control over what happens to us. And still Jesus says, "Do not worry about your life. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness."
He reminds his disciples that the God who takes so much care over making a flower beautiful and giving a bird wings will take much more care over each human being, because we are worth so much more than flowers and birds. The simplicity of the lifespan of a flower should give us pause for thought, however - all it does is follow the pattern decreed for it, putting all its energy into growing and into becoming what it is designed to be.
Unlike flowers, we can choose how to grow and what path to follow. But we too will find our lives most fulfilled when we can grow to become the people God wants us to be.
Jesus tells us not to get sidetracked, and not to waste our time worrying about all the things we think we need. Instead we are to strive for God's kingdom and his righteousness. That means allowing God to rule in our lives, rather than anything or anyone else. It means regularly asking ourselves: what am I trying to achieve in this situation? Am I trying to please the world or am I trying to please God? If it is the former, then you may as well get back to worrying about how you are doing and what you need to get next.
But if it is God you want to please, then remember that he looks at you as a unique individual, and that he knows and understands everything about you. He has everything in hand; you don't need to worry about it.
He has planned a way ahead for you that will bring real peace, a peace that is unshakeable, whatever may change in the world around you. And as you seek God's will and God's way, so you will find that you are naturally working with him in bringing God's kingdom to the whole earth.
In today's Gospel reading we hear Jesus telling his disciples very specifically, "Do not worry? Jesus knew how much time could be wasted in worrying, and also knew that there were so many more important things to be thinking about and doing. Where do worry and anxiety really fit into a living faith? We are so easily distracted from what really matters.
Our society encourages us to be distracted - you just have to look at all the advertisements lining the billboards around the streets to be deluged with information about things you do not need to know about, and to be given a sense of what life should be like - you should have a bigger house, a faster car, a certain type of bank account, a certain body shape. Our children should have the latest toys and wear the latest fashions; we should all be eating certain types of food.It takes a degree of courage and insight to be able to stand back from all this pressure and hear Jesus saying, "Hey! Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Don't strive for all of this - instead, strive for God's kingdom, and his righteousness."
There are other things that worry us, of course: symptoms of ill health that scare us: a lump here, a mole there - possibly harmless, possibly deadly.
We can put ourselves in the hands of the experts to tell us the diagnosis and to treat us as they think best, but the fear can still remain. In the face of illness we realise that however much we may have achieved in terms of status, relationship or whatever else, we may have no control over what happens to us. And still Jesus says, "Do not worry about your life. Your heavenly Father knows what you need. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness."
He reminds his disciples that the God who takes so much care over making a flower beautiful and giving a bird wings will take much more care over each human being, because we are worth so much more than flowers and birds. The simplicity of the lifespan of a flower should give us pause for thought, however - all it does is follow the pattern decreed for it, putting all its energy into growing and into becoming what it is designed to be.
Unlike flowers, we can choose how to grow and what path to follow. But we too will find our lives most fulfilled when we can grow to become the people God wants us to be.
Jesus tells us not to get sidetracked, and not to waste our time worrying about all the things we think we need. Instead we are to strive for God's kingdom and his righteousness. That means allowing God to rule in our lives, rather than anything or anyone else. It means regularly asking ourselves: what am I trying to achieve in this situation? Am I trying to please the world or am I trying to please God? If it is the former, then you may as well get back to worrying about how you are doing and what you need to get next.
But if it is God you want to please, then remember that he looks at you as a unique individual, and that he knows and understands everything about you. He has everything in hand; you don't need to worry about it.
He has planned a way ahead for you that will bring real peace, a peace that is unshakeable, whatever may change in the world around you. And as you seek God's will and God's way, so you will find that you are naturally working with him in bringing God's kingdom to the whole earth.
Prayers for today
From Gina Southey
Loving Lord,
At this harvest time we thank you for all the good things you give us.
As we thank you for our food, we remember all those who do not have enough for even one proper meal each day. Bless all those who suffer because of the greed of others. We pray for the homeless, and those who depend on the charity of others. We pray for the work of the local foodbanks, providing food for those in need. Help us to share the harvests of the world more fairly, so everyone can be fed and there will be no more starvation.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, At this harvest time, we thank you for the hard work of all those who grow, protect and prepare our food; for the shopkeepers, the transport delivery drivers, the processors and the farmers. Bless all those, who do not earn a fair day’s pay for their hard work, both at home and in other countries. Help us to want to buy local produce and fairly trade goods wherever we can so that everyone can work with dignity and there will be no more poverty.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, At this harvest time we thank you for the world we see around us; For the flowers, the trees and the animals. Bless all those who care for them. Help us to protect your creation by being careful about how we use your resources, so that there will be clean water, clean air and plenty of wild birds, mammals and insects to maintain the ecological balance of our countryside.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, we give thanks for all that is good in your creation and all who bring in the Harvest of the sea and the land. We are conscious of so much that we get wrong, so we give thanks too, for your grace and patience with us, when we fail to look after your as we should. Help us to change so that we too become a new creation, walking in the light of your Gospel.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, at this harvest time we ask for your blessing on our families, friends and neighbours, and on those who are sick.
We pray for those whose lives have been gathered in to your presence, whose work here is done, especially those whom we love and miss from our church family, and those whose anniversary falls at this time,
Help us to recognise the interdependence of all of life and the importance of just relations and community, and help us become good stewards of all you continue to give us, through the help of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, source of all life, and giver of all that is good, hear our prayers and grant us all that is in accordance with your will;
Merciful Father, accept these prayers,
for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
At this harvest time we thank you for all the good things you give us.
As we thank you for our food, we remember all those who do not have enough for even one proper meal each day. Bless all those who suffer because of the greed of others. We pray for the homeless, and those who depend on the charity of others. We pray for the work of the local foodbanks, providing food for those in need. Help us to share the harvests of the world more fairly, so everyone can be fed and there will be no more starvation.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, At this harvest time, we thank you for the hard work of all those who grow, protect and prepare our food; for the shopkeepers, the transport delivery drivers, the processors and the farmers. Bless all those, who do not earn a fair day’s pay for their hard work, both at home and in other countries. Help us to want to buy local produce and fairly trade goods wherever we can so that everyone can work with dignity and there will be no more poverty.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, At this harvest time we thank you for the world we see around us; For the flowers, the trees and the animals. Bless all those who care for them. Help us to protect your creation by being careful about how we use your resources, so that there will be clean water, clean air and plenty of wild birds, mammals and insects to maintain the ecological balance of our countryside.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, we give thanks for all that is good in your creation and all who bring in the Harvest of the sea and the land. We are conscious of so much that we get wrong, so we give thanks too, for your grace and patience with us, when we fail to look after your as we should. Help us to change so that we too become a new creation, walking in the light of your Gospel.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, at this harvest time we ask for your blessing on our families, friends and neighbours, and on those who are sick.
We pray for those whose lives have been gathered in to your presence, whose work here is done, especially those whom we love and miss from our church family, and those whose anniversary falls at this time,
Help us to recognise the interdependence of all of life and the importance of just relations and community, and help us become good stewards of all you continue to give us, through the help of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord of the harvest: hear our prayer
Loving Lord, source of all life, and giver of all that is good, hear our prayers and grant us all that is in accordance with your will;
Merciful Father, accept these prayers,
for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ, Amen.
Please pray for:-
the sick, and those who care for them, including Patricia Gordon-Duff, Tony Lindsay, Stephen Linskill, Jenny Dulson
and Cheryl Dulson.
those who have lit candles and those for whom candles have been lit
those who have recently died, including Mike Faulkner, Beverley Hainsworth, Tony Chuter and Brenda Beal
those whose anniversary of death falls at this time, including Rosemary Callow, George Clark, Ian Bateman, Edward Coutts, Ernest Tindall and Mary June Scott
Post Communion Prayer
Lord of the harvest, with joy we have offered thanksgiving for your love in creation
and have shared in the bread and the wine of the kingdom:
by your grace plant within us a reverence for all that you give us
and make us generous and wise stewards of the good things we enjoy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
and have shared in the bread and the wine of the kingdom:
by your grace plant within us a reverence for all that you give us
and make us generous and wise stewards of the good things we enjoy;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
From The Church of England
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