Holy Cross

Collect

God, who in generous mercy sent the Holy Spirit

upon your Church in the burning fire of your love:

grant that your people may be fervent in the fellowship of

the gospel that, always abiding in you, they may be found steadfast in faith and active in service;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Post Communion

Keep, O Lord, your Church, with your perpetual mercy;

and, because without you our human frailty cannot but fall, keep us ever by your help from all things hurtful,

and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation;

through Jesus Christ our Lord

Amos 6: 1a, 4-7

Alas for those who are at ease in Zion, and for those who

feel secure on Mount Samaria, the notables of the first of

the nations, to whom the house of Israel resorts! Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lounge on their

couches, and eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall; who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp, and like David improvise on instruments of music; who drink wine

from bowls, and anoint themselves with the finest oils, but

are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph! Therefore they

shall now be the first to go into exile, and the revelry of the loungers shall pass away.

(NRSV)

1 Timothy 6: 6 - 19

Let all who are under the yoke of slavery regard their

masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God

and the teaching may not be blasphemed. Those who

have believing masters must not be disrespectful to them

on the ground that they are members of the church;

rather they must serve them all the more, since those

who benefit by their service are believers and beloved.

Teach and urge these duties. Whoever teaches otherwise

and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord

Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with

godliness, is conceited, understanding nothing, and has a

morbid craving for controversy and for disputes about

words. From these come envy, dissension, slander, base

suspicions, and wrangling among those who are

depraved in mind and bereft of the truth, imagining that

godliness is a means of gain. Of course, there is great

gain in godliness combined with contentment; for we

brought nothing into the world, so that we can take

nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we

will be content with these. But those who want to be rich

fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless

and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and

destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds

of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have

wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves

with many pains. But as for you, man of God, shun all

this; pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love,

endurance, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith;

take hold of the eternal life, to which you were called and

for which you made the good confession in the presence

of many witnesses. In the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep the commandment without spot or blame until the manifestation of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will bring about at the right time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is he alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.

(NRSV)

Luke 16: 19 - 31

“The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped. “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and whoever marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery. “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the

rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his

sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the

angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and

was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented,

he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by

his side. He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on

me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water

and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these

flames.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during

your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus

in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here,

and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and

us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who

might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and

no one can cross from there to us.’ He said, ‘Then,

father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for

I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that

they will not also come into this place of torment.’

Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets;

they should listen to them.’ He said, ‘No, father

Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead,

they will repent.’ He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to

Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced

even if someone rises from the dead.’”

(NRSV)

Holy Cross

This Sunday’s Readings and Collects

This Sunday’s Readings and Collects

This Sunday’s Readings and Collects

This Sunday’s Readings and Collects