Prayer & Praise

The Collect

O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

 Leviticus 19:9-17 English Standard Version (ESV)

Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.

 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning.  You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life[a] of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.

 Psalm 103

Praise the Lord, O my soul, * and all that is within me, praise his holy Name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, * and forget not all his benefits;

Who forgives all your sin * and heals all your infirmities;

Who saves your life from the pit * and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

Who satisfies you with good things, * renewing your youth like an eagle’s.

The Lord executes righteousness and judgment * for all those who are oppressed with wrong.

He showed his ways to Moses, * his works to the children of Israel.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, * long-suffering and of great goodness.

He will not always chide us, * neither will he keep his anger for ever.

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, * nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

For as the heavens are high above the earth, * so great is his mercy also toward those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, * so far has he set our sins from us.

As a father pities his own children, * so is the Lord merciful to those who fear him.

For he knows whereof we are made; * he remembers that we are but dust.

The days of man are as grass; he flourishes as a flower of the field.

For as soon as the wind goes over it, it is gone, * and its place shall know it no more.

But the merciful goodness of the Lord endures for ever and ever upon those who fear him, * and his righteousness upon children’s children;

Even upon those who keep his covenant * and think upon his commandments to do them.

The Lord has prepared his throne in heaven, * and his kingdom rules over all.

O praise the Lord, you angels of his, you that excel in strength, * you that fulfill his commandment, and hearken unto the voice of his words.

O praise the Lord, all you his hosts, * you servants of his that do his pleasure.

O speak good of the Lord, all you works of his, in all places of his dominion; * praise the Lord, O my soul.

+Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be; world without end.  Amen

 Romans 14:5-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.  For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
and every tongue shall confess to God.”

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

 Matthew 18:21-35 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.  When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.  So the servant[i] fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’  So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers,[k] until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”