The Love and the Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

And also with you.

Hymn 59 Melcombe

We say sorry for the things we have done wrong

Almighty God, my Father and friend, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong this week which have pained your heart of love, and for the unkind things I may have done or said that have hurt my family and friends, and even those I find hard to be friendly with. Forgive me Lord for the times I’ve let you down, or myself, or other people, and help me to be my best self. Amen.

We are forgiven

May the God of love forgive us, lift our burdens from us, heal and strengthen us by his spirit; that we may journey in love to live our lives freely and lightly. Amen.

Collect

Lord, you have taught us that all our doings without love are nothing worth: send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you. Grant this for your only Son Jesus Christ’s sake, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A reading from the book Leviticus

Love Your Neighbour as Yourself

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.  And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall not oppress your neighbour or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbour. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbour: I am the Lord.

“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbour, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself: I am the Lord.

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

Leviticus 19:9-18

Psalm 146

1    Alleluia.

    Praise the Lord, O my soul:

    while I live will I praise the Lord;  ♦

as long as I have any being,

    I will sing praises to my God.

2    Put not your trust in princes,

    nor in any human power,  ♦

for there is no help in them.

3    When their breath goes forth, they return to the earth;  ♦

on that day all their thoughts perish.

4    Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help,  ♦ whose hope is in the Lord their God;

5    Who made heaven and earth,

    the sea and all that is in them;  ♦

who keeps his promise for ever;

6    Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong  ♦

and bread to those who hunger.

7    The Lord looses those that are bound;  ♦

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;

8    The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;  ♦

the Lord loves the righteous;

9    The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;

    he upholds the orphan and widow;  ♦

but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.

10  The Lord shall reign for ever,  ♦

your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.

    Alleluia.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Spirit; As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.

A reading from the first letter of St Paul to the Corinthians

If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God                                              (13, 1-7)

Hymn 515 – A New Commandment

A reading from the first letter of John

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

This is how God showed his love among us: he sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God

(I John 4,7-11, 19-21)

Hymn 525 – Let there be love

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

A reading from the Gospel according to St Luke.

 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’

 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” 

Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’

This is the word of the Lord Thanks be to God

Luke 10.25-37

What do we believe? (we stand to say together)

We believe in God the Father, the source of all life, by whom every family in heaven and earth has been created.

We believe in God the Son, our friend and brother Jesus, who lives in our hearts through faith and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with his power, and makes Jesus known in the world.

We believe and trust in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn 499 – Neighbour (omit verse 5)

Intercessions from the Episcopal Church of Scotland

We pray to the LORD,

to the God who is our shelter and strength,

always ready to help in times of trouble.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for our communities, for the elderly, confined to their homes and separated from family and support; for children, removed from school; for those who have lost their source of income; for those who fear for their home; for those who have no home; for those offering extraordinary, and everyday kindness.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for key workers: for all medical staff and hospital workers, who go to work knowing the risks they face; for medical researchers, seeking ways to prevent and to cure; for social workers, protecting the vulnerable; for care workers, providing support to those who have no other help; for teachers, worrying about their charges; for farmers, delivery and shop workers, keeping the nation provisioned; for cleaners, fighting the spread of infection.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for the world: for the leaders of the nations and their governments; for areas most besieged by the pandemic; for broken places where healthcare and resources are scarce, and the pandemic brings further suffering.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for those who are sick: for those afflicted with coronavirus; for those with other illnesses and conditions which leave them vulnerable; for those with poor mental health; for all who suffer.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for the Church: for our fellow members in the body of Christ throughout the world; for N., our bishop, the priests, deacons, lay ministers, and all the people in their care; for our hospital and hospice chaplains; for all who minister to the sick and the dying.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

We pray for those who have died: for those taken suddenly; for those taken unexpectedly; for the families they leave behind; for their friends; for those who have died alone; and for those who have no one to remember them.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer

Lord, listen to our prayers,

and hear the voice of our supplications,

as we, who trust in your word,

eagerly await your help:

for you are the God of our salvation;

this we ask through your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The prayer that Jesus taught

Our Father, who art in heaven:

hallowed be thy Name,

thy kingdom come,

      thy will be done,

      on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

      And forgive us our trespasses

      as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory

for ever and ever. Amen.

Hymn 3 – Abbot’s Leigh

Concluding prayer

Today you have heard what it is to love your neighbour.

As Jesus said to the young man, ‘Go and do likewise.’

We say together

Be with us Lord,

as we go out into the world.

May the lips that have sung your praises

always speak the truth;

may the ears that have heard your Word

listen only to what is good;

and may our lives as well as our worship

be always pleasing in your sight,

for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing

May the Father from whom every family

in earth and heaven receives its name

strengthen you with his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith

and that, knowing his love, broad and long, deep and high

beyond all knowledge,

you may be filled with all the fullness of God:

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,

be with you and remain with you always. Amen.