Boniface, Bishop and Missionary, 754

The Collect:

Rite I:
Pour out thy Holy Ghost, O God, upon thy church in every land, that like thy servant Boniface we might proclaim the Gospel unto all nations, that thy kingdom might be enlarged and that thy holy Name might be glorified in all the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the same Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rite II:
Pour out your Holy Spirit, O God, upon your church in every land, that like your servant Boniface we might proclaim the Gospel to all nations, that your kingdom might be enlarged and that your holy Name might be glorified in all the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Ecclesiastes 3:16-22 

¹⁶ Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, wickedness was there, and in the place of righteousness, wickedness was there as well. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work. ¹⁸ I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals. ¹⁹ For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. ²⁰ All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. ²¹ Who knows whether the human spirit goes upwards and the spirit of animals goes downwards to the earth? ²² So I saw that there is nothing better than that all should enjoy their work, for that is their lot; who can bring them to see what will be after them?

Psalm: Psalm 115:1-8

¹ Not to us, O Lord, not to us,
  but to your Name give glory; *
       because of your love and because of your faithfulness.
² Why should the heathen say, *
       “Where then is their God?”
³ Our God is in heaven; *
       whatever he wills to do he does.
⁴ Their idols are silver and gold, *
       the work of human hands.
⁵ They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *
       eyes have they, but they cannot see;
⁶ They have ears, but they cannot hear; *
       noses, but they cannot smell;
⁷ They have hands, but they cannot feel;
  feet, but they cannot walk; *
       they make no sound with their throat.
⁸ Those who make them are like them, *
       and so are all who put their trust in them.

Second Lesson: Acts 20:17-28 

¹⁷ From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him. ¹⁸ When they came to him, he said to them:

‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, ¹⁹ serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house, ²¹ as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus. ²² And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. ²⁴ But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.

²⁵ ‘And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, ²⁷ for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

Gospel: Mark 8:27–30

²⁷Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ ²⁸And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ ²⁹He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’* ³⁰And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

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