Collect
Gracious Father, by the obedience of Jesus you brought salvation to our wayward world:
draw us into harmony with your will, that we may find all things restored in him, our
Saviour Jesus Christ.
Deuteronomy 30. 9-14
9and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings, in
the fruit of your body, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your soil. For
the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your
ancestors, 10when you obey the Lord your God by observing his commandments and
decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul. 11Surely, this commandment that I am
commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. 12It is not in heaven,
that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may
hear it and observe it?’ 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross
to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe
it?’ 14No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to
observe.
Colossians 1. 1-14
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2To the
saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from
God our Father. 3In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for
all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope
before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. Just as it is bearing
fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from
the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7This you learned from
Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
8and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. 9For this reason, since the day we
heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the
knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead
lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as
you grow in the knowledge of God. 11May you be made strong with all the strength that
comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with
patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the
inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and
transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the
forgiveness of sins.
Luke 10. 25-37
25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit
eternal life?’ 26He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 27He
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.’ 28And
he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’ 29But wanting
to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ 30Jesus 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. 31Now by chance a priest was going
down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a
Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a
Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with
pity. 34He 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. 35The
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.” 36Which of these
three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the
robbers?’ 37He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do
likewise.’
The Ridgeway 