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Preparation
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
Praise
Lord of heaven and earth,
as Jesus taught his disciples to be persistent in prayer,
give us patience and courage never to lose hope,
but always to bring our prayers before you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm 51.7-12
Behold, you desire truth deep within me
and shall make me understand wisdom
in the depths of my heart.
Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean;
wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear of joy and gladness,
that the bones you have broken may rejoice.
Turn your face from my sins
and blot out all my misdeeds.
Make me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your holy spirit from me.
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
Jesus spoke to the chief priests and the Pharisees in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’
Matthew 22.1-14
This is the word of the Lord.
Prayers
Let us pray for a gracious response to the love of God in the Church and in the world.
May the Church ever give glory to God for his grace and the great benefits of his love. Let all Christian people hear his call and respond gladly and without reservation.
We pray for a world where many reject the true wealth of faithful obedience for the false wealth of material things. Grant that those who control its resources shall be gracious to the needs of all people.
Bless those in this community who care for the poor and helpless, find shelter for the homeless and minister to the sick. Make us more grateful for all that we have received and more willing to share it with others.
We pray for all who have been hurt by the rejection of their love, whose happy relationships have been broken, or who have lost by folly and selfishness what they once enjoyed. Comfort the lonely and those who have forgotten their self-respect, and show them that they are loved and accepted for themselves.
We give thanks for those who have gone from this world to be guests at the great marriage feast of heaven. May they be cleansed from all their sins and clothed with a garment of worthiness that by their own works they could never gain.
May our prayers be accepted in the name of Christ, who calls us to sit at his table and be his guests.
Let your merciful ears, O Lord,
be open to our prayers of your humble servants;
and that they may obtain their petitions
make them to ask such things as shall please you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. 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.