SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER -16th Sunday after Trinity

FIRST READING Jonah 3.10 – 4.11

A reading from the book of Jonah.

10 When God saw what the people of Nineveh did,

how they turned from their evil ways,

God changed his mind about the calamity

that he had said he would bring upon them;

and he did not do it.

1 But this was very displeasing to Jonah,

and he became angry.

2 He prayed to the LORD and said,

‘O LORD!

Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?

That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning;

for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,

slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,

and ready to relent from punishing.

3 And now, O LORD,

please take my life from me,

for it is better for me to die than to live.’

4 And the LORD said,

‘Is it right for you to be angry?’

5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city,

and made a booth for himself there.

He sat under it in the shade,

waiting to see what would become of the city.

6 The LORD God appointed a bush,

and made it come up over Jonah,

to give shade over his head,

to save him from his discomfort;

so Jonah was very happy about the bush.

7 But when dawn came up the next day,

God appointed a worm that attacked the bush,

so that it withered.

8 When the sun rose,

God prepared a sultry east wind,

and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah

so that he was faint and asked that he might die.

He said, ‘It is better for me to die than to live.’

9 But God said to Jonah,

‘Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?’

And he said, ‘Yes, angry enough to die.’

10 Then the LORD said,

‘You are concerned about the bush,

for which you did not labour and which you did not grow;

it came into being in a night and perished in a night.

11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which

there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who

do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?’

PSALM Psalm 145.1–8

R The Lord is near to those who call upon him.

1 I will exalt you, O God my King,

and bless your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day will I bless you

and praise your name for ever and ever. R

3 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;

there is no end to his greatness.

4 One generation shall praise your works to another

and shall declare your power. R

5 I will ponder the glorious splendour of your majesty

and all your marvellous works.

6 They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts,

and I will tell of your greatness. R

7 They shall publish the remembrance

of your great goodness;

they shall sing of your righteous deeds.

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,

slow to anger and of great kindness. R

SECOND READING Philippians 1.21–30

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians.

21 For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me;

and I do not know which I prefer.

23 I am hard pressed between the two:

my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better;

24 but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

25 Since I am convinced of this,

I know that I will remain and continue with all of you

for your progress and joy in faith,

26 so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesuswhen I come to you again.

27 Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ,

so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you,

I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit,

striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel,

28 and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.

For them this is evidence of their destruction,

but of your salvation.

And this is God’s doing.

29 For he has graciously granted you the privilege

not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well –

30 since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had

and now hear that I still have.

GOSPEL Matthew 20.1–16

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

Jesus said to his disciples:

1 ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard.

2 After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage,

he sent them into his vineyard.

3 When he went out about nine o’clock,

he saw others standing idle in the market-place;

4 and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard,

and I will pay you whatever is right.”

So they went.

5 When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock,

he did the same.

6 And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around;

and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?”

7 They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.”

He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.”

8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager,

“Call the labourers and give them their pay,

beginning with the last and then going to the first.”

9 When those hired about five o’clock came,

each of them received the usual daily wage.

10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more;

but each of them also received the usual daily wage.

11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,

12 saying, “These last worked only one hour,

and you have made them equal to us

who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.”

13 But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong;

did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?

14 Take what belongs to you and go;

I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.

15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?

Or are you envious because I am generous?”

16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

SUNDAY 27th SEPTEMBER 17th Sunday after Trinity

FIRST READING Ezekiel 18.1–4, 25–32

A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel.

1 The word of the LORD came to me:

2 What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel,

‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,

and the children’s teeth are set on edge’?

3 As I live, says the Lord GOD,

this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.

4 Know that all lives are mine;

the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine:

it is only the person who sins that shall die.

25 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’

Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way unfair?

Is it not your ways that are unfair?

26 When the righteous turn away from their righteousness

and commit iniquity, they shall die for it;

for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die.

27 Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness

they have committed and do what is lawful and right,

they shall save their life.

28 Because they considered

and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed,

they shall surely live; they shall not die.

29 Yet the house of Israel says,

‘The way of the Lord is unfair.’

O house of Israel, are my ways unfair?

Is it not your ways that are unfair?

30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel,

all of you according to your ways, says the Lord GOD.

Repent and turn from all your transgressions;

otherwise iniquity will be your ruin.

31 Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me,

and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit!

Why will you die, O house of Israel?

32 For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone,

says the Lord GOD.

Turn, then, and live.

PSALM Psalm 25.1–9

R Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love.

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;

my God, I put my trust in you;

let me not be humiliated,

nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2 Let none who look to you be put to shame;

let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes. R

3 Show me your ways, O Lord,

and teach me your paths.

4 Lead me in your truth and teach me,

for you are the God of my salvation;

in you have I trusted all the day long. R

5 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,

for they are from everlasting.

6 Remember not the sins of my youth

and my transgressions;

remember me according to your love

and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. R

7 Gracious and upright is the Lord;

therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8 He guides the humble in doing right

and teaches his way to the lowly.

9 All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness

to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. R

SECOND READING Philippians 2.1–13

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians.

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ,

any consolation from love,

any sharing in the Spirit,

any compassion and sympathy,

2 make my joy complete:

be of the same mind,

having the same love,

being in full accord and of one mind.

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit,

but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.

4 Let each of you look not to your own interests,

but to the interests of others.

5 Let the same mind be in you

that was in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

7 but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

8 he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death –

even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name

that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

12 Therefore, my beloved,

just as you have always obeyed me,

not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence,

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;

13 for it is God who is at work in you,

enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

GOSPEL Matthew 21.23–32

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.

23 When Jesus entered the temple,

the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching,

and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things,

and who gave you this authority?’

24 Jesus said to them,

‘I will also ask you one question;

if you tell me the answer,

then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.

25 Did the baptism of John come from heaven,

or was it of human origin?’

And they argued with one another,

‘If we say,

“From heaven,”

he will say to us,

“Why then did you not believe him?”

26 But if we say,

“Of human origin,”

we are afraid of the crowd;

for all regard John as a prophet.’

27 So they answered Jesus,

‘We do not know.’

And he said to them,

‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

28 What do you think?

A man had two sons;

he went to the first and said,

“Son, go and work in the vineyard today.”

29 He answered, “I will not”;

but later he changed his mind and went.

30 The father went to the second and said the same;

and he answered, “I go, sir”;

but he did not go.

31 Which of the two did the will of his father?’

They said, ‘The first.’

Jesus said to them,

‘Truly I tell you,

the tax-collectors and the prostitutes

are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.

32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness

and you did not believe him,

but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him;

and even after you saw it,

you did not change your minds and believe him.