19. For Rogation Days I

Collect:
I. For fruitful seasons

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray that thy gracious providence may give and preserve to our use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper all who labor to gather them, that we, who constantly receive good things from thy hand, may always give thee thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 11:10-15
The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today--to love the LORD your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul-- then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied.

or Ezekiel 47:6-12
He asked me, "Son of man, do you see this?"

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, "This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds--like the fish of the Great Sea. But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing."

or Jeremiah 14:1-9
This is the word of the LORD to Jeremiah concerning the drought:

"Judah mourns,
her cities languish;
they wail for the land,
and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
The nobles send their servants for water;
they go to the cisterns
but find no water.
They return with their jars unfilled;
dismayed and despairing,
they cover their heads.
The ground is cracked
because there is no rain in the land;
the farmers are dismayed
and cover their heads.
Even the doe in the field
deserts her newborn fawn
because there is no grass.
Wild donkeys stand on the barren heights
and pant like jackals;
their eyesight fails
for lack of pasture."

Although our sins testify against us,
O LORD, do something for the sake of your name.
For our backsliding is great;
we have sinned against you.
O Hope of Israel,
its Savior in times of distress,
why are you like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who stays only a night?
Why are you like a man taken by surprise,
like a warrior powerless to save?
You are among us, O LORD,
and we bear your name;
do not forsake us!

Second Lesson: Romans 8:18-25
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope thatI the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Psalm: 147 or 147:1-13

1. Hallelujah!
   How good it is to sing praises to our God! *
   how pleasant it is to honor him with praise!
2. The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; *
   he gathers the exiles of Israel.
3. He heals the brokenhearted *
   and binds up their wounds.
4. He counts the number of the stars *
   and calls them all by their names.
5. Great is our LORD and mighty in power; *
   there is no limit to his wisdom.
6. The LORD lifts up the lowly, *
   but casts the wicked to the ground.
7. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; *
   make music to our God upon the harp.
8. He covers the heavens with clouds *
   and prepares rain for the earth;
9. He makes grass to grow upon the mountains *
   and green plants to serve mankind.
10. He provides food for flocks and herds *
    and for the young ravens when they cry.
11. He is not impressed by the might of a horse; *
    he has no pleasure in the strength of a man;
12. But the LORD has pleasure in those who fear him, *
    in those who await his gracious favor.
13. Worship the LORD, O Jerusalem; *
    praise your God, O Zion;
14. For he has strengthened the bars of your gates; *
    he has blessed your children within you.
15. He has established peace on your borders; *
    he satisfies you with the finest wheat.
16. He sends out his command to the earth, *
    and his word runs very swiftly.
17. He gives snow like wool; *
    he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
18. He scatters his hail like bread crumbs; *
    who can stand against his cold?
19. He sends forth his word and melts them; *
    he blows with his wind, and the waters flow.
20. He declares his word to Jacob, *
    his statutes and his judgments to Israel.
21. He has not done so to any other nation; *
    to them he has not revealed his judgments.
    Hallelujah!

Mark 4:26-32
He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

Again he said, "What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade."

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

Various Occasions