Entrance Hymn:  WOV #767 “All Things Bright and Beautiful”

Prayer of the day: 

Heavenly Father, though we do not deserve Your goodness, still You provide for all our needs of body and soul.  Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may acknowledge Your gifts, give thanks for all your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

First Reading:

Isaiah 55:1-5                                                                           

Invitation to the Thirsty

55 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”

Psalm 105:39-43; antiphon: Psalm 105:1

L:  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

C:  make known his deeds among the peoples!

L:  Sing to him, sing praises to him;

C:  tell of all his wondrous works!

L:  Glory in his holy name;

C:  let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

L:  Seek the Lord and his strength;

C:  seek his presence continually!

L:  Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

C:  his miracles, and the judgements he uttered,

L:  O offspring of Abraham, his servant,

C:  children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.  Amen.

L:  Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

C:  make known his deeds among the peoples!

Epistle:

Romans 9:1-5                            

Paul’s Anguish Over Israel

9 I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— ² I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, ⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

Gospel:

Matthew 14:13-21                                             

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ 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. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ 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.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Message Hymn:  WOV #737 “There Is a Balm in Gilead”

Closing Hymn:  WOV #783 “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God”