6th Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 11C)

Prayers

Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

• The See of Canterbury and selection of the next Archbishop of Canterbury
• The Church of Pakistan (United)

Episcopal Church

• The Most Rev. Sean Rowe, XXVIII Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
• United Thank Offering
• Dioceses of Indianapolis, Michigan

Diocese of Olympia

• The Rt. Rev. Philip N. LaBelle, IX Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia
• St. Hilda St. Patrick, Edmonds; Trinity, Everett

Those in authority

• Donald J. Trump, President of the United States
• Robert Ferguson, Governor of Washington
• Teri Gobin, Chair of the Tulalip Tribes
• Cecile Hanson, Chair of the Duwamish Nation

Lessons

Lessons appointed for use for this day from the Revised Common Lectionary (Episcopal version).

Genesis 18:1-10 (NRSV)

The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground. He said, ‘My Lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.’ So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, ‘Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.’ Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it. Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.

They said to him, ‘Where is your wife Sarah?’ And he said, ‘There, in the tent.’ Then one said, ‘I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.’ And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.

Psalm 15 (BCP)

Domine, quis habitabit?

1 Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle? *
     who may abide upon your holy hill?
2 Whoever leads a blameless life and does what is right, *
     who speaks the truth from his heart.
3 There is no guile upon his tongue; he does no evil to his friend; *
     he does not heap contempt upon his neighbor.
4 In his sight the wicked is rejected, *
     but he honors those who fear the Lord.
5 He has sworn to do no wrong *
     and does not take back his word.
6 He does not give his money in hope of gain, *
     nor does he take a bribe against the innocent.
7 Whoever does these things *
     shall never be overthrown.

Colossians 1:15-28 (NRSV)

Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.

I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

Luke 10:38-42 (NRSV)

As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

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The Old Testament, New Testament and Gospel readings are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Psalm is from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.