Proper 13
week of the Sunday closest to August 3

Collect
Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Nehemiah 9:16-20
"But they, our forefathers, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and did not obey your commands. They refused to listen and failed to remember the miracles you performed among them. They became stiff-necked and in their rebellion appointed a leader in order to return to their slavery. But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. Therefore you did not desert them, even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, 'This is your god, who brought you up out of Egypt,' or when they committed awful blasphemies.

Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert. By day the pillar of cloud did not cease to guide them on their path, nor the pillar of fire by night to shine on the way they were to take. You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst."

Second Lesson: Romans 8:35-39
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm: 78:1-29

1. Hear my teaching, O my people; *
   incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2. I will open my mouth in a parable; *
   I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.
3. That which we have heard and known,
   and what our forefathers have told us, *
   we will not hide from their children.
4. We will recount to generations to come
   the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the LORD, *
   and the wonderful works he has done.
5. He gave his decrees to Jacob
   and established a law for Israel, *
   which he commanded them to teach their children;
6. That the generations to come might know,
   and the children yet unborn; *
   that they in their turn might tell it to their children;
7. So that they might put their trust in God, *
   and not forget the deeds of God,
   but keep his commandments;
8. And not be like their forefathers,
   a stubborn and rebellious generation, *
   a generation whose heart was not steadfast,
   and whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9. The people of Ephraim, armed with the bow, *
   turned back in the day of battle;
10. They did not keep the covenant of God, *
    and refused to walk in his law;
11. They forgot what he had done, *
    and the wonders he had shown them.
12. He worked marvels in the sight of their forefathers, *
    in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan.
13. He split open the sea and let them pass through; *
    he made the waters stand up like walls.
14. He led them with a cloud by day, *
    and all the night through with a glow of fire.
15. He split the hard rocks in the wilderness *
    and gave them drink as from the great deep.
16. He brought streams out of the cliff, *
    and the waters gushed out like rivers.
17. But they went on sinning against him, *
    rebelling in the desert against the Most High.
18. They tested God in their hearts, *
    demanding food for their craving.
19. They railed against God and said, *
    "Can God set a table in the wilderness?
20. True, he struck the rock, the waters gushed out, and the
    gullies overflowed; *
    but is he able to give bread
    or to provide meat for his people?"
21. When the LORD heard this, he was full of wrath; *
    a fire was kindled against Jacob,
    and his anger mounted against Israel;
22. For they had no faith in God, *
    nor did they put their trust in his saving power.
23. So he commanded the clouds above *
    and opened the doors of heaven.
24. He rained down manna upon them to eat *
    and gave them grain from heaven.
25. So mortals ate the bread of angels; *
    he provided for them food enough.
26. He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens *
    and led out the south wind by his might.
27. He rained down flesh upon them like dust *
    and winged birds like the sand of the sea.
28. He let it fall in the midst of their camp *
    and round about their dwellings.
29. So they ate and were well filled, *
    for he gave them what they craved.

Gospel: Matthew 14:13-21
When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."

Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered.

"Bring them here to me," he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Collect & Psalm from the Book of Common Prayer
Other excerpts from the New International Bible

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