Saint James the Apostle

The Collect:

Rite I:
O gracious God, we remember before thee this day thy servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that thou wilt pour out upon the leaders of thy Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among thy people; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Rite II:
O gracious God, we remember before you today your servant and apostle James, first among the Twelve to suffer martyrdom for the Name of Jesus Christ; and we pray that you will pour out upon the leaders of your Church that spirit of self-denying service by which alone they may have true authority among your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 45:1-5

¹The word that the prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah: ²Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ³You said, “Woe is me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.” ⁴Thus you shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: I am going to break down what I have built, and pluck up what I have planted—that is, the whole land. ⁵And you, do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for I am going to bring disaster upon all flesh, says the Lord; but I will give you your life as a prize of war in every place to which you may go.”

Psalm: Psalm 7:1-10

¹ O Lord my God, I take refuge in you; *
       save and deliver me from all who pursue me;
² Lest like a lion they tear me in pieces *
       and snatch me away with none to deliver me.
³ O Lord my God, if I have done these things: *
       if there is any wickedness in my hands,
⁴ If I have repaid my friend with evil, *
       or plundered him who without cause is my enemy;
⁵ Then let my enemy pursue and overtake me, *
       trample my life into the ground,
       and lay my honor in the dust.
⁶ Stand up, O Lord, in your wrath; *
       rise up against the fury of my enemies.
⁷ Awake, O my God, decree justice; *
       let the assembly of the peoples gather round you.
⁸ Be seated on your lofty throne, O Most High; *
       O Lord, judge the nations.
⁹ Give judgment for me according to my righteousness, O Lord, *
       and according to my innocence, O Most High.
¹⁰ Let the malice of the wicked come to an end,
   but establish the righteous; *
       for you test the mind and heart, O righteous God.

Second Lesson: Acts 11:27-12:3

²⁷At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. ²⁹The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; ³⁰this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

¹About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. ²He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. ³After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.)

Gospel: Matthew 20:20-28

²⁰Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling before him, she asked a favor of him. ²¹And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Declare that these two sons of mine will sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” ²²But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” ²³He said to them, “You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” ²⁴When the ten heard it, they were angry with the two brothers. ²⁵But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. ²⁶It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, ²⁷and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;²⁸just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Printable Lectionary Readings

This page is available in: Español