Lord, we pray thee that thy grace may always prevent and follow
us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. _Amen_.
THE EPISTLE. Ephes. iv. 1.
I therefore the prisoner of the Lord beseech you, that ye walk
worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness
and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love;
endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one
hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all.
THE GOSPEL. St Luke xiv. 1.
It came to pass, as Jesus went into the house of one of the chief
Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath-day, that they watched him.
And behold, there was a certain man before him which had the
dropsy. And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees,
saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-day? And they held
their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go; and
answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass, or an ox,
fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the
sabbath-day? And they could not answer him again to these things.
And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he
marked how they chose out the chief rooms, saying unto them, When
thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the
highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of
him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this
man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But
when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that,
when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up
higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that
sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.