06/09/2026
Please find below:
Collect & readings for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Sermon by Kirsty
Prayers by Sarah
6th September – Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Collect:
Merciful God,
your Son came to save us
and bore our sins on the cross:
may we trust in your mercy
and know your love,
rejoicing in the righteousness
that is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Readings:
Romans 13: 8-end
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Matthew 18: 15-20
‘If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’
14th Sunday After Trinity Sermon – 6th September 2026
(Romans 13: 8-end & Matthew 18: 15-20)
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Christianity has sometimes been referred to as a relationship before being a religion. I was a knocked back the first time I came across this reference but when digging deeper there is wisdom in these words. Today’s Gospel Reading is all about relationships, particularly our relationships with each other. And these relationships are very important. But they’re not the reason that Christianity is described as a relationship. It is described that way because, at the heart of our faith is our belief that the one who created us, and all that is, wants to have a real, life-giving, loving relationship with us.
Although part of the package, the heart of our faith is not a set of teachings and beliefs about God. It is not a set of rules to follow to please God. It is a relationship with God. A relationship that is made possible by the gift of God’s giving in Jesus Christ; and a relationship that is made alive in our lives through our faith. Our relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have. But a close second is our relationship with each other. So, the question raised today is - what does it mean to be part of the church?
Let me start by sharing what maybe a familiar Celtic prayer – but as I read an initiation to close your eyes and focus on the words.
Jesus said where two or three are gathered in my name there I am among them,
God be in our eyes, and in our looking; God be in our mouth, and in our speaking;
God be in our heart, and in our thinking; God be at our end, and at our departing
God be with us morning, noon, evening, and through the night
God be with us, God be always with us, and with our absent brothers and sisters. Amen.
In our Gospel reading we hear of Christ’s promise to us that when we agree with others in prayer that he is the unseen party to our requests. To relate that to something real life. The Greek word “agree”, is obtained through the English word, “symphony.” Now having played in many orchestral bands in younger years and equally been to listen to many more, there is something very powerful right from the start. There is a power that is found in so many different musicians, and their instruments, coming together as one. Whether live or last night of the proms, or even CBeebies proms, on BCC. The aww and the power is the ability to bring the composer’s work to life.
Likewise, today Christ is teaching us how to work together and harmonise with other Christians in our prayer lives. Through time and patience, we come to find that this gives our prayers great power, and together we begin to achieve the work of our heavenly composer.
Now, before I get picked up on Jesus’ other teachings on prayer. Just a few chapters back Jesus taught us, ‘But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you’, and it’s right that we should continue to have our own private daily prayer devotional times. However, as I reflect about some of Christ’s other teachings on prayer, then it is clear that he meant for prayer to be not just an individual act, but that it should also be a corporate one. When Jesus teachers us the Lord’s prayer, notice he doesn’t say My Father, but teaches us to say ‘Our Father’. This small but distinct way of wording the prayer shows us clearly that there is a communal element to prayers, which goes alongside our times of personal devotion.
He wants us, His people, to be unified in our prayers, because this is one of the core places where the bonds that we share can grow and be strengthen. Whether prayer alone in private, or even alone as we sit side by side in church, whether we are praying in unity as we do many times through our liturgy during the service. God wants us all to be a part of His family, and this is one of the ways that we become the Church / the community that God intended for us to be and enjoy the benefits of. Praying with others fine tunes our prayers, just like rehearsing together perfects the work of the musicians, but just as with the orchestra, it takes time and patience.
However, prayer comes with a warning too, which many of you may have experienced yourselves or seen in others. We must avoid the expectation that prayer is always going to be answered immediately. Of course, there will be times when we see God’s answer very quickly, but there will be times when we have to wait.
Paul in his letter to the Romans echoes the same sentiment ‘But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.’ This is another warning that sometimes prayers are not answered with the response that we wish for but God wishes. Therefore, we need to be careful and mindful of what we ask for in prayer ensuring that our motives are right and just.
But you may also be asking - what about those requests that we make week after week, those of noble and just cause, which appear to us to fall on deaf ears? It’s a fair question, and one that I wouldn’t want to even attempt to answer myself, because I can’t or wouldn’t even attempt to second guess the mind of God. However, I do believe that the gospel writers show us a glimpse of an answer to this most difficult of questions in many ways…hope. ‘’Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.’ Is one of many examples. A message of patience and endurance in prayer, if we keep our eyes fixed heavenward, and are faithful in our prayers then when the time is right God will answer us.
Prayer sounds easy but patience prayer doesn’t come easily to many, if not all of us, we can lose our focus, feel dejected, or that we are simply being ignored if we can’t see immediate or at least short-term results, then as a consequence our prayer life suffers, perhaps even to the point that we no longer pray and we ultimately lose our focus. We come to a point where we feel that we are just going through the motions, apathy is allowed to set in, we can no longer be bothered, and we lose that hope which the gospel writers speak of. Prayer expects us to be hopeful, instead of hopeless, and as we move forward with our sisters and brothers, we need to ensure that any unconcern that we may have or hold onto is let go of.
We are all different and bring with us many different things which sometimes has the danger to divide us, but they are things which is nowhere near as strong as that which has always united us. That being, the love and faith that we all have and hold in our lives for God.
As we continue to reflect and move forward in our lives and that of the church with our Leading Your Church into Growth Journey, I continue to pray that we will become fully united, focused in our prayers and offering encouragement to each other as we continue to learn about the many gifts that we have been given, that will certainly be a day of great joy and celebration.
But to do so, it means that we have to continue to be adventurous, fully lay down the old, and look toward the future in all things, as one people under God, united in prayer, worship and service, so that we can welcome everyone we meet, and share with them our love of God, and through our devotion and prayer, be the church, the people that God wants us to be. Amen.
Intercessions for this Sunday 6th September 2026
Lord, as we come together on this Sunday morning we pray for the churches in our local community as well as churches around the world. We pray for the members of our church family may they be filled with the Holy Spirit and spread Your word to all they meet.
Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer
Lord, we thank you for creating our beautiful world. May you help us to care for it the way you intended so that it is protected for generations to come. May we always remember that you created humans in your own image and that in your eyes we are all equal. May you guide our world leaders and be with them as they make difficult choices and important decisions. Encourage them to strive for a more peaceful world and a world that is fairer for everyone.
Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for our local community of Heywood. We pray for our local teachers and children who have just gone back to school after the summer holidays. May you be with them this school year in everything they do and help them to reach their full potential. May you especially be with the little reception children as they go to school for the first time and our year 7 children who go to high school for the first time. May they start their school journeys with you in their hearts and with you to guide them along on their way.
Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer
Lord, we pray for anyone who is currently in need. We pray for anyone who is fighting illness, bereavement, loneliness or hardship. May they always remember that they are never alone for you are always with them and that through the hard times of life you are carrying them in your loving arms. We particularly pray for anyone in our community who is currently unwell, has recently departed or is grieving a loved one as well as those who's anniversaries fall at this time.
Lord in your mercy: Hear our prayer
Lord, we thank you for your guidance, love and mercy each and every day. We thank you for the wonderful community that we get to be a part of, and we pray that no matter what happens during the next week we know that we can turn to you in times of need and in times of triumph. May we try to follow in your example and put our trust in you wholeheartedly.
Merciful Father Accept these prayers for the sake of your son, our saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
