THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY

 INTROIT. Respice in me. Ps. 25. TURN thee unto me, and have mercy upon me, O Lord : for I am desolate, and in misery: look upon my adversity and misery: and forgive me all my sin, O my God. Ps. ibid. Unto thee, O Lord, will I lift up my soul: my God, I have put my trust in thee, O let me not be confounded. V. Glory be.

COLLECT. O LORD, we beseech thee mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom thou hast given an hearty desire to pray, may, by thy mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

First Lesson:  Exodus 32:7-14 [7] And the LORD said to Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves; [8] they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them; they have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, `These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'” [9] And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people; [10] now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation.” [11] But Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does thy wrath burn hot against thy people, whom thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? [12] Why should the Egyptians say, `With evil intent did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. [13] Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou didst swear by thine own self, and didst say to them, `I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it for ever.'” [14] And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people.

 

Psalm 51: 1-17 To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

[1] Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
[2] Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
[3] For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
[4] Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight,
so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.
[5] Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
[6] Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
[7] Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
[8] Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
[9] Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
[11] Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
[12] Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
[13] Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.
[14] Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.
[15] O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.
[16] For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.
[17] The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

EPISTLE. I St. Peter 5:5-11 5 BRETHREN: all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. 11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

GRADUAL. Ps. 55. O cast thy burden upon the Lord : and he shall nourish thee. V. When I cried unto the Lord, he heard my voice : from the battle that was against me. Alleluia, alleluia. V. Ps. 7. God is a righteous judge, strong and patient, and God is provoked every day. Alleluia.

GOSPEL. St. Luke 15:1-10
1 AT that time: Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. 3 And he spake this parable unto them, saying, 4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? 5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 8 Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? 9 And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

OFFERTORY. Ps. 9. They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast never failed them that seek thee: O Praise the Lord, which dwelleth in Sion: for he forgetteth not the complain of the poor.

A sermon for Advent 3

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