the thirteenth sunday after pentecost
AN ORDER OF SERVICE FOR USE AT HOME
THE THIRTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
September 7, 2025
THE WORD OF GOD
Opening Hymn: Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty #362
The Opening Acclamation BCP p. 355
Presider: Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People: And blessed be His kingdom, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect for Purity BCP p. 355
The Collect of the Day
Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The First Reading Deuteronomy 30:15-20
See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Reader: The Word of the Lord. People: Thanks be to God.
Psalm 139:1-5,12-17
1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me;
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips,
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
12 For you yourself created my inmost parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made;
your works are wonderful, and I know it well.
14 My body was not hidden from you,
while I was being made in secret
and woven in the depths of the earth.
15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were written in your book;
they were fashioned day by day,
when as yet there was none of them.
16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God!
how great is the sum of them!
17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number
than the sand; to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.
Second Reading Philemon 1-21
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker, to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. When I remember you in my prayers, I always thank my God because I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective when you perceive all the good that we may do for Christ. I have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother. For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love–and I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me. I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you. I wanted to keep him with me, so that he might be of service to me in your place during my imprisonment for the gospel; but I preferred to do nothing without your consent, in order that your good deed might be voluntary and not something forced. Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother–especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So if you consider me your partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand: I will repay it. I say nothing about your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, let me have this benefit from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Sequence Hymn Judge Eternal, Throned in Splendor #596
The Holy Gospel Luke 14:25-33
Now large crowds were traveling with Jesus; and he turned and said to them, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.”
Priest: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Nicene Creed BCP p. 358
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
With the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, let us pray for the church, those in need, and all of God’s creation.
Holy and faithful God, teach your church to walk in ways of trust and obedience. Plant your presence among us, that the life you intend for us may flourish. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Strengthen fruit-bearing trees and plants, and send us the rain we need. Increase yields and encourage just distribution of food throughout the world. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Grant that all who are imprisoned or enslaved would know the freedom that you alone can give. Sustain them, that they would each one day know a safe and joyful homecoming. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Gather together all people who feel far from you because of illness, crisis, or fear, especially Christians being persecuted for their faith, refugees, the victims of disasters and shootings, especially those of Annunciation Church & School; and for Becky, Cathy, Donna, Gordon, Helena, Holly, Jeanne, Karin, Lee, Lori, Louise, Lyndon, Miriam, Pat, Ray, Ron, Zach, and others? (pause). Deliver them to a place of healing, and embrace them with your unfailing mercy.
Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Bless teachers and students, Bible study participants, and all teaching ministries. Let your life-giving word be freely shared among all who hunger for it. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Living God, hear us as we remember before you, Brad Odell and Arnie Fleischer. Build us up as one community in Christ, and lead us to the good that comes from following you. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
Into your hands, O Holy One, we entrust all for whom we pray, confident in your abundant and abiding mercy, through Jesus Christ our Savior.
Amen
The Confession of Sin
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
A Prayer for Spiritual Communion When We Cannot Receive The Sacrament
In union, O Lord, with your faithful people
at every altar of your Church
where the Holy Eucharist is now being celebrated:
I desire to offer you praise and thanksgiving.
I remember your death, Lord Christ,
I proclaim your resurrection,
and I await your coming in glory.
and since I cannot receive you today
in the Sacrament of your Body and Blood,
I ask you to come into my heart.
Cleanse and strengthen me with your grace, Lord Jesus,
and let me never be separated from you.
May I live in you, and you in me,
in this life, and in the life to come. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer BCP p. 364
Closing Hymn Rise Up, Ye Saints of God! #551
The Blessing
May the peace of God which passes all understanding
keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge of God
and of his Son Jesus Christ;
and may the blessing of God Almighty:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with us all, evermore.
Amen.
The Dismissal
Presider: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.