Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Creator God,
you made us all in your image:
may we discern you in all that we see,
and serve you in all that we do;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; therefore can I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures
and leads me beside still waters.
He shall refresh my soul
and guide me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You spread a table before me
in the presence of those who trouble me;
you have anointed my head with oil
and my cup shall be full.
Surely goodness and loving mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now and shall be for ever. Amen.
Reading:
Matthew 13.18-23
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Hear then the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’
Matthew 13.18-23
This is the word of the Lord.
Reflection on Matthew 13.18-23
Prayers
Let us pray that the world of God shall be fertile in the Church and in the world.
Give to the Church the grace to receive the word of faith in obedience and to bring forth good fruit for the salvation of many. Take away all that hinders her witness, so that all her people may share in her ministry and work for the harvest that is to come.
Come in mercy to all who are hungry for the word but are held back by the cares of living. Rouse the indifferent and nurture those who are moving towards the Kingdom but have not yet come to full commitment. Bless the servants of your word who are bringing its healing powers to the nations.
As we share our lives with others who are close to us, help us to live as those who have heard and received the word, that we may be bearers of good news and doers of good work. May this community be as a field which the Lord has blessed.
We pray for all those in many places who are suffering from failed harvests and who struggle to cultivate infertile land. We pray for people who once believed but have fallen away through trouble and persecution: bring them back to know the richness of your love.
We give thanks for the departed whose harvest has ripened and been gathered in where new life begins. Give us grace to follow their example as we wait for our time of fruition.
We pray in the name of Christ who brings to us the good seed of the Kingdom.
Heavenly Father, whose Son taught us
that what we do for the least of his children
we do for him:
help us to see him and serve him
in the suffering peoples of the world,
and to love them for his sake,
who first loved us,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has taught us
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come; thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Conclusion
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore. Amen.
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