Harvest Festival at St Paul’s

27th September 2026

Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity

COLLECT

Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at last to your heavenly

city where we shall see you face to face; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

FIRST READING

Either Ezekiel 18:1-4. 25-end

A reading from the book of the prophet Ezekiel

The word of the LORD came to me. What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge”? As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. Know that all lives are mine, the life of the parent as well as the life of the child is mine: it is only the person who sins that shall die. Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is unfair.” Hear now, O house of Israel is my way unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? When the righteous tum away from their righteousness and commit iniquity, they shall die for it, for the iniquity that they have committed they shall die. Again, when the wicked turn away from the wickedness they have committed and do what is lawful and right, they shall save their life. Because they considered and turned away from all the transgressions that they had committed, they shall surely live, they shall not die. Yet the house of israel says, “The way of the Lord is unfair. O house of israel, are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair? Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, all of you according to your ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions; otherwise iniquity will be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the Lord GOD, Tum, then, and live.

PSALM Psalm 25:1-8

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love.

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul trust in you my God. I put my tru let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me Let none who look to you be put to shame,

let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes. R

Show me your ways, O Lord, and teach me your paths Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation, in you have I trusted all the day long. R

Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,

for they are from everlasting Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord. R

Gracious and upright is the Lord, therefore he teaches sinners in his way. He guides the humble in doing right and teaches his way to the lowly. All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness

to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. R

SECOND READING Philippians 2:1-13 A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look nat to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being bom in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became abedient to the point of death-even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under

the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Chris