TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY
August 18 , 2024
THE FATHER IS MY HOPE; THE SON IS MY REFUGE;
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS MY PROTECTION.
ALL HOLY TRINITY, GLORY TO THEE!
LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.
GETTING READY FOR SUNDAY: PREVIEW OF THE READINGS.
Dejection or accidie, where we lose all hope and just give up, is a real killer in the spiritual life. What is the source of our hope in the impasses, box canyons , and seemingly hopeless situations of our lives? Our hope is in the power of God as demonstrated in today’s Gospel lesson from Mark 7 where Jesus opens the ears and looses the tongue of the deaf and dumb man. This is the Gospel of which we have become ministers, which St. Paul describes as a ministry of spirit which gives life and makes us participants in the glory of God.
THE LESSON : 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are competent of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us; our competence is from God, who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit; for the written code kills, but the Spirit gives life. Now if the dispensation of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such splendor that the Israelites could not look at Moses’ face because of its brightness, fading as this was, will not the dispensation of the Spirit be attended with greater splendor? For if there was splendor in the dispensation of condemnation, the dispensation of righteousness must far exceed it in splendor. Indeed, in this case, what once had splendor has come to have no splendor at all, because of the splendor that surpasses it. For if what faded away came with splendor, what is permanent must have much more splendor.
THE LESSON : Mark 7:31-37
Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, ‘Ephphatha’, that is, ‘Be opened.’ And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, ‘He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.’
PARISH LIFE NOTES
RECTOR’S VACATION. Claude will be away from the parish from July 28- Aug 18. For Pastoral emergencies place call Revd. Winna Martin at 306-536-4308.
WORSHIP THIS WEEK
Morning Prayer: Monday to Friday at 8.30 a.m.
Evening Prayer: Wednesday at 5.30 p.m.