Psalm 113 (NRSV)
Our God lifts up the poor
Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord;
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time on and forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting
the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Lord is high above all nations,
and his glory above the heavens.
Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
9/21/2007
Romans 8:31-39 (NRSV)
It is God who justifies
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is
against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for
all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring
any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is
to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at
the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate
us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is God who justifies
What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is
against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for
all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring
any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is
to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at
the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate
us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all day long;
we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who
loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,
nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
9/20/2007
Romans 3:1-8 (NRSV)
The justice of God
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of
circumcision? Much, in every way. For in the first place the Jews were
entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will
their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means!
Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written,
"So that you may be justified in your words,
and prevail in your judging."
But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of God, what should we
say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through
my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still
being condemned as a sinner? And why not say (as some people
slander us by saying that we say), "Let us do evil so that good may
come"? Their condemnation is deserved!
The justice of God
Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of
circumcision? Much, in every way. For in the first place the Jews were
entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will
their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means!
Although everyone is a liar, let God be proved true, as it is written,
"So that you may be justified in your words,
and prevail in your judging."
But if our injustice serves to confirm the justice of God, what should we
say? That God is unjust to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)
By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through
my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his glory, why am I still
being condemned as a sinner? And why not say (as some people
slander us by saying that we say), "Let us do evil so that good may
come"? Their condemnation is deserved!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Daily Prayer Form
If anyone is still reading this blog, and is interested in a form of Lutheran Daily Prayer, Chris has started a new blog and it can be found here.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Luke 18:18-30 (NRSV)
The rich ruler
A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'" He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" He replied, "What is impossible for mortals is possible for God." Then Peter said, "Look, we have left our homes and followed you." And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life."
The rich ruler
A certain ruler asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.'" He replied, "I have kept all these since my youth." When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" He replied, "What is impossible for mortals is possible for God." Then Peter said, "Look, we have left our homes and followed you." And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life."
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
2 Kings 18:9-18 (NRSV)
In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of King Hoshea son of Elah of Israel, King Shalmaneser of Assyria came up against Samaria, besieged it, and at the end of three years, took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of King Hoshea of Israel, Samaria was taken. The king of Assyria carried the Israelites away to Assyria, settled them in Halah, on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his covenant - all that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; they neither listened nor obeyed.
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, King Sennacherib of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. King Hezekiah of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear." The king of Assyria demanded of King Hezekiah of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold. Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord and in the treasuries of the king's house. At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the doorposts that King Hezekiah of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller's Field. When they called for the king, there came out to them Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, and Shebnah the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the recorder
Saturday, September 8, 2007
September 8, 2007
Psalm 1 (NRSV)
Delight in the law
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
Delight in the law
Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
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