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Today
is November 16th , 3rd Sunday of the Kingdom: Prisoners'
Sunday Trinity 26
First Reading: Zephaniah 1.7, 12-18
A reading from the book of the prophet
Zephaniah. 7 Be silent before the Lord God!
For the day of the Lord is at hand; the Lord has
prepared a sacrifice, he has consecrated his guests.
12 At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the people who rest complacently
on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, 'The
Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.' 13
Their wealth shall be plundered, and their houses
laid waste. Though they build houses, they shall
not inhabit them; though they plant vineyards, they
shall not drink wine from them. 14 The great day
of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the
sound of the day of the Lord is bitter, the warrior
cries aloud there. 15 That day will be a day of
wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin
and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a
day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 a day of trumpet
blast and battle cry against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements. 17 I will bring
such distress upon people that they shall walk like
the blind; because they have sinned against the
Lord, their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver
nor their gold will be able to save them on the
day of the Lord's wrath; in the fire of his passion
the whole earth shall be consumed; for a full, a
terrible end he will make of all the inhabitants
of the earth.
Psalm 90.1-8
Lord,
you have / been our / refuge :
from
one gene/ration / to a-/nother.
Before
the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and
the / world were / formed:
from
everlasting to ever-/lasting / you are / God.
You
turn us back to / dust and / say:
'Turn
/ back, O / children of / earth.'
For
a thousand years in your sight are / but as / yesterday:
which
passes / like a / watch in the / night.
You
sweep them away / like a / dream:
they
fade away / suddenly / like the / grass.
In
the morning it is / green and / flourishes:
In
the evening it is / dried / up and / withered.
For
we consume away in / your dis-/pleasure:
we
are afraid at your / wrathful / indig-/nation.
You
have set our mis-/deeds be/fore you :
and
our secret sins / in the / light of your / countenance.
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5.1-11
A reading from the first letter of Paul to
the Thessalonians. 1There is no need to
write you, friends, about the times and occasions
when these things will happen. 2For you yourselves
know very well that the Day of the Lord will come
as a thief comes at night. 3When people say,
"Everything is quiet and safe," then suddenly
destruction will hit them! It will come as suddenly
as the pains that come upon a woman in labour, and
people will not escape. 4But you, friends,
are not in the darkness, and the Day should not
take you by surprise like a thief. 5All of
you are people who belong to the light, who belong
to the day. We do not belong to the night or to
the darkness. 6So then, we should not be sleeping
like the others; we should be awake and sober. 7It
is at night when people sleep; it is at night when
they get drunk. 8But we belong to the day,
and we should be sober. We must wear faith and love
as a breastplate, and our hope of salvation as a
helmet. 9God did not choose us to suffer his
anger, but to possess salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ, 10who died for us in order that we
might live together with him, whether we are alive
or dead when he comes. 11And so encourage
one another and help one another, just as you are
now doing.
Gospel: Matthew 25.14-30
The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to Matthew. Jesus said to his disciples, 14
'The kingdom of heaven is as if a man, going on
a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his
property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents,
to another two, to another one, to each according
to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who
had received the five talents went off at once and
traded with them, and made five more talents. 17
In the same way, the one who had the two talents
made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received
the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground
and hid his master's money. 19 After a long time
the master of those slaves came and settled accounts
with them. 20 Then the one who had received the
five talents came forward, bringing five more talents,
saying, "Master, you handed over to me five talents;
see, I have made five more talents." 21 His master
said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy slave;
you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will
put you in charge of many things; enter into the
joy of your master." 22 And the one with the two
talents also came forward, saying, "Master, you
handed over to me two talents; see, I have made
two more talents." 23 His master said to him, "Well
done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been
trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge
of many things; enter into the joy of your master."
434 24 Then the one who had received the one talent
also came forward, saying, "Master, I knew that
you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not
sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed;
25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent
in the ground. Here you have what is yours." 26
But his master replied, "You wicked and lazy slave!
You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow,
and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you
ought to have invested my money with the bankers,
and on my return I would have received what was
my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from
him, and give it to the one with the ten talents.
29 For to all those who have, more will be given,
and they will have an abundance; but from those
who have nothing, even what they have will be taken
away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him
into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth."'
Post Communion Prayer
Gracious Lord, in this holy sacrament you give
substance to our hope: bring us at the last to that
fullness of life for which we long; through Jesus
Christ our Saviou. Amen
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