Trinity 15 / Pentecost 16 / Creation 4 Sunday, 28/09/2025

OPENING SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE –

You are my refuge and my stronghold, O Lord (Psalm 91)

HYMN-

GREETING

Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

COLLECT FOR PURITY

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SUMMARY OF THE LAW

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

SILENCE

God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

ABSOLUTION

God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.

GLORIA
sung by Sue St Joseph

COLLECT for the Day:

God of our salvation,
be with us when we call upon you,
and bless us with your steadfast loving kindness:
restore in us the beauty of your creation
and keep intact the gifts you have restored,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever.

PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD

FIRST READING
Jeremiah 32.1–3a, 6–15,
read by Robyn Brotherston

¹ The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. ² At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, ³ where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. ⁶ Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me: ⁷ Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ ⁸ Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. ⁹ And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. ¹⁰ I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. ¹¹ Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; ^{✝ 12} and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. ¹³ In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, ¹⁴ Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time.

¹⁵ For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

SECOND READING
1 Timothy 6.6–19,
read by Mark Toner

⁶ There is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; ⁷ for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; ⁸ but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ But as for you, man of God, shun all this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, ¹⁴ I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will bring about at the right time – he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. ¹⁶ It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen.

¹⁷ As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹ thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

GRADUAL HYMN

GOSPEL READING:
Luke 16, 19-31,
read by Rev Chris Wren

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke, Chapter 16 beginning at verse 19

Glory to Christ our Saviour

Jesus told this parable to those among the Pharisees who loved money: ¹⁹ ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side.

²⁴ He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” ²⁵ But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. ²⁶ Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.” ²⁷ The man who had been rich said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house – ²⁸ for I have five brothers – that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” ²⁹ Abraham replied, “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” ³⁰ He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”

³¹ Abraham said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”’

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON

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In today’s Gospel passage, Luke recounts, in vivid detail, a parable told by Jesus of the rich man and Lazarus, two individuals who in life find themselves at opposite extremes of wealth and poverty; then, in equally vivid detail, their respective fates beyond death are recounted. While Lazarus, utterly impoverished in life now finds himself carried away by the angels to be with Abraham, the rich man suffers in agonising torment in Hades, the place, it was thought, of waiting before final judgment.

The first thing to say is that this is not a parable about what happens to us beyond death. Nor is it saying that those who are, in this life, wealthy, inevitably face an eternity of torment, or that those who suffer an earthly life of extreme hardship or poverty can look forward to an eternity of bliss! It is, I think, a parable challenging us to look deeply at ourselves and how we live our lives, asking ourselves what really matters to us. What is it that drives us above all else? What motivates us? What do we seek? Where do we place our trust? Is it the pursuit of wealth? Or status? Or power? In themselves, none of these things is wrong, but how we achieve them and what we do with them can so easily lead us astray. As the passage we have read today from 1 Timothy expresses it: “… the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil…” [1Tim 6 v 10]

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

Then notice that the first hearers of this parable, and the first readers of Luke’s account of it, are told clearly that they already have all the guidance they need to truly focus their lives as they should be doing in the teachings of Moses and the prophets, which they are ignoring, so that even someone returning from the dead will not change them. And we need to remember then, of course, that Luke is recounting this parable many years after the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. He is saying that the true life on offer in Christ, the true focus and motivation for life, in whom our trust should be placed, is being ignored.

So, where do we place our trust in our lives today? The invitation, the challenge, is to place our trust in God, who is love, who is come to us in Jesus His Son, living dying and rising; in God, who loves each one of us and His whole creation utterly; who accepts us as we are that He may love us into the people that He would have us be and become. And what is truth for us, is truth also for the whole created order, all that is. As the words of the 1^st letter of Timothy put it, the challenge, the invitation is to put our trust in God, “so that [we] may take hold of the life that really is life.” [1 Tim 6 v 19]

So may we put our trust in the living God and walk our life’s journey with Christ Jesus, our companion and friend.

Amen.

THE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS

^{This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND}

Today is Michaelmas Eve or the evening before the feast of St Michael and all Angels, which signifies the end of the harvest, the start of autumn and the beginning of the shorter days.

St Michael the Archangel is a prominent archangel in Christianity, revered as a spiritual warrior, guardian of the church, and champion of justice who defeated Satan and his forces.

As Michaelmas is the time that the darker nights and colder days begin, the celebration of Michaelmas is associated with encouraging protection during these dark months.

We pray to St Michael at this time

O Saint Michael the Archangel, beloved protector and defender of the family, we implore your mighty intercession on our behalf. You who fought against proud angels and wicked dragons to defend God’s people with holy strength and boldness, now come to our aid in this spiritual battle!

Stand guard over our home and loved ones, shielding us from all harm, evil, and spiritual dangers. With your sword of light, drive away any darkness that seeks to disrupt our peace. Guide us in moments of difficulty and fill our hearts with the strength and courage to stand firm in our faith. 

May we remain under your vigilant protection, trusting in your unwavering defence and in the power of God’s love. 

St. Michael, protect our family, now and always.

Lord in thy mercy

Hear our Prayer

Last Sunday, we heard a passage from 1 Timothy which resonated with me:-

“Dearly beloved, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for everyone – for kings and all those in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity”.

So we pray for the leaders of the nations, that you will guide them in the ways of freedom, justice and truth.

Give them wisdom to perceive you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, a heart to meditate on you and a life to proclaim you, through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ

Lord in thy mercy

Hear our Prayer

We pray for God’s blessings on us

• that we may be discomforted at easy answers, half truths and superficial relationships so that we may seek truth boldly.

• that we may be angered at injustice, oppression and exploitation of people so that we may be prompted to work for justice, freedom and peace among all people.
• that we may shed tears for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger and war and give us the Spirit’s gift of compassion that we may reach out our hands to comfort and turn their pain to joy.
• that we may be foolish enough to believe that we CAN make a difference in this World, so that we are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

I am only one, but I AM one.

I cannot do everything, but I can do something

What I CAN do, I ought to do;

And what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do

Lord in thy mercy

Hear our Prayer

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

We pray for all who are sick in mind, body or estate

For those known to us in this congregation

For those who have no faith and need our prayers

For those who do not know how to pray.

We bring to Jesus those who have died recently and those who have died over the years, but are still with us in spirit today and every day. May the Lord embrace them with his love and may they rest in peace.

Lord in thy mercy

Hear our Prayer

And finally, we pray for the future

• Lord God, you call your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown; give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing whither we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us.

Amen

Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Do not bring us
to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

BLESSING

Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

HYMN –

DISMISSAL

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen