Collect and Readings for August 15

Early Third Century Depiction of Eucharistic Bread and Fish, Catacomb of San Callisto, Rome

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost

COLLECT

Keep your church, O Lord, by your perpetual mercy; and because without you the frailty of our nature causes us to fall, keep us from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable for our salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

PROVERBS 9:1-6

Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her seven pillars.
She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
    she has also set her table.
She has sent out her young women to call
    from the highest places in the town,
“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    To him who lacks sense she says,
“Come, eat of my bread
    and drink of the wine I have mixed.
Leave your simple ways, and live,
    and walk in the way of insight.”

PSALM 147

Praise the Lord, for it is a good thing to sing praises unto our God; indeed, a joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful. The Lord builds up Jerusalem, and gathers together the outcasts of Israel. He heals those who are broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. He counts the number of the stars, and calls them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and great is his power; indeed, his wisdom is infinite. The Lord lifts up the meek, and brings the ungodly down to the ground. O sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praises with the harp unto our God, Who covers the heavens with clouds, and prepares rain for the earth, and makes the grass to grow upon the mountains, and plants for the use of men; Who gives food to the cattle and feeds the young ravens that call upon him. He has no pleasure in the strength of a horse; neither does he delight in any man’s strength. But the Lord’s delight is in those who fear him and put their trust in his mercy. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion. For he has made strong the bars of your gates and has blessed your children within you. He makes peace in your borders and fills you with the finest of wheat. He sends forth his commandment upon the earth, and his word runs very swiftly. He gives snow like wool and scatters the white frost like ashes. He casts forth his ice like crumbs; who is able to abide his frost? He sends out his word and melts them; he blows with his wind, and the waters flow. He declares his word unto Jacob, his statutes and ordinances unto Israel. He has not dealt so with other nations; neither have they knowledge of his laws. Praise the Lord.

EPHESIANS 5:3-14

But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

“Awake, O sleeper,
    and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

JOHN 6:53-59

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.