Sunday Scriptures for October 4th

How to use this page:
Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it. Some questions are offered to help stimulate your reflection. You'll find your experience of worship on Sunday will be intensified.
For a method to read and pray with the scriptures you might try to use the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). I've written some instructions on how to use Lectio with the Sunday Scriptures at the following link: Using Lectio Divina to pray the lectionsWe use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.

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Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.


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The Scriptures

Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Genesis 2:18-24 (at 7:30 service)
Psalm 8
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16

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Job 1:1, 2:1-10

There was once a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. That man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil. One day the heavenly beings came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and turns away from evil. He still persists in his integrity, although you incited me against him, to destroy him for no reason." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Skin for skin! All that people have they will give to save their lives. But stretch out your hand now and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." The LORD said to Satan, "Very well, he is in your power; only spare his life."

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.

Then his wife said to him, "Do you still persist in your integrity? Curse God, and die." But he said to her, "You speak as any foolish woman would speak. Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
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What might make you "Curse God, and die"? Can you imagine limits to your endurance and faith?
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Genesis 2:18-24 (at 7:30 service)

The LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner." So out of the ground the LORD God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
"This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one shall be called Woman,
for out of Man this one was taken."
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

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What especially stands out to you in this story about our origins and relationships?
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Psalm 8
O God our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

Out of the mouths of infants and children, *
your majesty is praised above the heavens.

You have set up a stronghold against your adversaries, *
to quell the enemy and the avenger.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, *
the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

What are we that you should be mindful of us, *
mere mortals that you should seek us out?

You have made us but little lower than the angels; *
you adorn us with glory and honor;

You give us mastery over the works of your hands; *
you put all things under our feet:

All sheep and oxen, *
even the wild beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, *
and whatsoever walks in the paths of the sea.

O God, our Governor, *
how exalted is your Name in all the world!

(St. Helena Psalter)
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When have you last felt a sense of awe?In what settings do you feel inspired?
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Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

Now God did not subject the coming world, about which we are speaking, to angels. But someone has testified somewhere,

"What are human beings that you are mindful of them,
or mortals, that you care for them?
You have made them for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned them with glory and honor,
subjecting all things under their feet."

Now in subjecting all things to them, God left nothing outside their control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to them, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you."
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Hebrews offers a compelling vision of Jesus and humanity. In what ways do you sense yourself to be one with Jesus?
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Mark 10:2-16

Some Pharisees came, and to test Jesus they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female.' 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate."

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, "Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it." And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

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Jesus' response would give new protection to wives.
Before 1973, the Episcopal Church followed this scripture and did not allow remarriage after divorce. After much debate, the General Convention amended our Canons to allow remarriage, with certain restrictions, seeing the possibility of new life in relationship as an expression of resurrection and compassion. What do you think about that decision.
What is it about a child that is essential to our entry into God's Kingdom?

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For a way to Pray with these scriptures, go to the following link for instructions about how to use Lectio Divina with the Sunday readings: Praying the Scriptures with Lectio (http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html)

Sunday Scriptures for September 27

How to use this page:

Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it. Some questions are offered to help stimulate your reflection. You'll find your experience of worship on Sunday will be intensified.

For a method to read and pray with the scriptures you might try to use the ancient practice of Lectio Divina (Divine Reading). I've written some instructions on how to use Lectio with the Sunday Scriptures at the following link: Using Lectio Divina to pray the lections

We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.
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The Collect
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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The Scriptures

Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Psalm 124
James 5:13-20
Mark 9:38-50

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Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22

The king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. On the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king again said to Esther, "What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled." Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have won your favor, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me -- that is my petition -- and the lives of my people -- that is my request. For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have held my peace; but no enemy can compensate for this damage to the king." Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is he, and where is he, who has presumed to do this?" Esther said, "A foe and enemy, this wicked Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, "Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman's house, fifty cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on that." So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the anger of the king abated.

Mordecai recorded these things, and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, enjoining them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same month, year by year, as the days on which the Jews gained relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and presents to the poor.
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You might want to read the whole story of Esther. By her virtue and courage, Queen Esther prevents a deadly conspiracy against her people. Who are the people of integrity and courage in our culture who speak truth to power?

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Psalm 124

If God had not been on our side, *

let Israel now say;

If God had not been on our side, *

when enemies rose up against us,

Then would they have swallowed us up alive *

in their fierce anger toward us;

Then would the waters have overwhelmed us *

and the torrent gone over us;

Then would the raging waters *

have gone right over us.

__Blessed be God, *

who has not given us over to be a prey for their teeth.

We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowler; *

the snare is broken, and we have escaped.

Our help is in the Name of God, *

the maker of heaven and earth.

(St. Helena Psalter)

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When have you felt delivered by God?

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James 5:13-20

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest. My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

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Do you know any stories of answered prayer or of healing?

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Mark 9:38-40

John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

"If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

"For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

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How generous can we be in the spirit of Jesus' acceptance of those who were not his followers? What "others" can we say are for us?
What do you think about the warnings of the second paragraph?

The Anatomy of an Emotion

Sermon preached by the Rev. Lowell E. Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, Arkansas
September 20, 2009; 16 Pentecost; Proper 20, Year B
Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary

(James 3:13-4:3, 7-8) – Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
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Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? (James 4:1)

In Gerald May's seminal study Will and Spirit one of his chapters explores the anatomy of an emotion. Where does the energy and content of an emotion come from? What is the nature of these "cravings that are at war within you"?

May tells about a nun who was mature enough in contemplative matters to be able to observe her own emotional processes all the way back to a place of origin. She was going on retreat, but her mind was "filled with busy-ness," she said. "I was depressed and angry about some of my relationships at work, and I was even more distressed by some sexual feelings which had begun to stir within me in relation to a man I had to work closely with." (Now, that might not fit your caricature of a nun, but monastics are just as human as the rest of us.) She said her prayer time had been distracted by "thoughts about work and images of this man." She had lost touch with "the quiet center" which was such a home for her. So she went on retreat.

Now listen to how she processed and observed her interior life, those cravings that were at war within her. She said during the beginning hours of her retreat, she experienced only turbulent, mental noise. But she sat with that long enough, until things began to quiet down.

As the bombardment of thoughts and images began to disappear, she noticed another layer of turbulence beneath them. This was emotional turbulence. Again, she didn't do anything with it. She just watched it.

She said, "Watching this (emotional turbulence) very quietly, I experienced the whole gamut of emotions coming through my mind one after another as if on parade. Sadness, anger, frustration, sexual desire, guilt, fear, hope, and now and then some peace, lightness, and humor. First I recognized all of these as feelings. ...They seemed to originate very deeply, and for a while I became fascinated with seeing how they came into being." (Now that fascinates me. How do our emotions come into being?)

She said that as she "moved more intimately toward that point of origin" for her feelings, "it seemed as if there was a level at which a kind of diffuse dynamic 'percolation' was taking place." What she described was like a boiling cauldron of stuff that percolated, bubbled up with spurts of activity, like the firing of energy from the bottom of a cooking pot.

Then, she said, this diffuse, percolating energy became "attached to certain mental concepts or words or memories or images. When this attachment took place," she said, "I could immediately identify that 'spurt' or 'spark' as a feeling; an emotion. And with just a little more discrimination I could label the feeling as anger or sadness or whatever." She had observed the origin of an emotion.

What she described is similar to the experience of contemplatives from many traditions, East and West. They tell us that emotions begin as energy deep within us – diffuse energy without content. Then we attach to that energy some content – mental concepts or words or memories or images. At that moment, the energy sparks into a simple emotion – anger, fear, sadness, whatever. If we just watch the emotion, not adding anything to it, not reacting or doing anything about it, it just goes off – like a hot bubble coming up from the bottom of a deep pot of sauce, which comes to the top and pops. A burst of emotional energy bubbles up from within us, spends its energy, and leaves. The nun described how it was possible for her to watch all of this deep emotional activity with a present awareness, "totally unruffled, watching it all with complete serenity. There is something deeply reassuring about that," she said. (1)

But most of the time we don't just watch our emotions, do we? Most of the time we add energy to them. A lot of energy.

Here's the anatomy of an emotion. First, simple, undifferentiated energy percolates out of our depths. A simple emotion attaches to the energy, say anger. Then we add to that simple emotion of anger, the image of a person who has angered us. He tried to embarrass me, we think. He hurt me, we remember. Then we begin to add energy to the simple emotion. We begin to play our old emotional tapes of all of the times that person embarrassed or hurt us. The neurological pathways in our memory know this stuff. We've built neurological pathways as wide as interstate highways for these afflictive memories and emotions. We've thought about that person regularly, with passion; we've relived all of the times he's embarrassed or hurt us, over and over. There's an internal four-lane highway that has practiced saving and transporting all of that emotional content, which barrels down the acceleration lane, and dumps into the emotional system, pouring a truckload of energy into what had been originally a simple emotion. Old tapes of the former hurts begin to play. We remember in technicolor and full-volume stereo, and all of the old emotions of the past churn more and more chemicals into our system. Before long, we've created what my grandmother called a hissy-fit. Our cravings are at war within us. Instead of a little soup bubble of emotion, we've got a massive fireworks display.

Yet, even at that, there is still a part of us that can watch the fireworks. Feelings, emotions, compulsions, memories, passions explode within us. We can watch that, serenely unruffled, from another place in our psyche. "Wow! My chemicals sure are putting on a good fireworks show today!"

Our emotions are important. They are the background music that set the tone for our life.

The other day Kaye Bernard told the Servant Leadership II class on Compassion about a video called Atmosphere. It begins with movie images of busy New York streets. Crowds are hustling back and forth, jostling and hurrying – pedestrians, cabs and cars. Crowds emerge from the subway tunnels, steam from under the sidewalks. The music soundtrack underneath the images is driving urban rap music. After watching for a few minutes, it is over, and the convener asks what you felt as you watched. Rushed anxiety and tension. Steeled energy necessary for fighting your way through the pushes and bumps of the driven crowd; even a touch of angry defensiveness.

Then the video is shown again, but now with a different soundtrack. The background music is Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, one of the most lush, beautiful, poignant pieces of classical music. The experience is strikingly different. Now the crowd movement looks like a dance, each person moving in concert with the whole, interconnected in the vibrant creativity of life's energy. Beauty, wonder, transcendence. Same video. Different music. Completely different experience.

For most of us, the emotional background music that interprets our life was composed in childhood. If we were loved and life was generally good, the underlying emotional music tends to play in an upbeat, hopeful key. But if we were threatened, hurt, unloved, that music is more likely to be in a minor key, filled with dread and foreboding.

Part of what religion offers is a new composition – a new soundtrack. It is the music of a love song. It sings, God loves me. Life is good. All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. It is the hopeful music that emerges out of all of the darkness and tragedy of Christ's crucifixion and death. Out of darkness, comes life. The Holy Trinity sings, "Let there be light!" And we are invited into the dance. With feeling. So we dance. And feel.

At some level, feelings just are. They percolate deep within us. Emotions happen. There is a place from which we can observe our emotions, like watching fireworks go off within. Chemical fireworks of energy transformed into feelings. From a place of inner observation we can watch, unruffled and serene, as powerful emotions explode within us. Wow! My chemicals are putting on quite a show.

We don't have to add to the show. We don't have to start the old tapes, replay the emotional memories, add fuel to the fire. Instead of releasing our reservoir of indignation, we can change the soundtrack that provides the emotional background to our experience. We can embrace the music of the heavens.

The music of the universe is a love song. Music that sings, "You are safe. You are loved. You are the beloved, infinite child of God. Look! God is moving in all things everywhere. God is bringing everything to newness. Resurrection is what God does: Life out of death; light out of darkness. Relax. Breathe. Watch. Live. Life is good. All shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. You are alive. Be free. Listen to the music. Dance. Enjoy. Love it all. It's all love."
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(1) Gerald May, Will and Spirit. p. 175f

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The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance and love.

For information about St. Paul's Episcopal Church and it's life and mission, please contact us at
P.O. Box 1190, Fayetteville, AR 72702, or call 479/442-7373
More sermons are posted on our web site: www.stpaulsfay.org
Visit our web partners at www.explorefaith.org

Pentecost 16, Proper 20

Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it. Some questions are offered to help stimulate your reflection. You'll find your experience of worship on Sunday will be intensified.We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.

Collect
Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Scriptures

Proverbs 31:10-31
Psalm 1
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Mark 9:30-37

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Proverbs 31:10-31

A capable wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant,
she brings her food from far away.
She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her servant girls.
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength,
and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor,
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household,
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband too, and he praises her:
"Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates. "

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What are the qualities of this woman? How might you describe her?
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Psalm 1

The Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, *
nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!

Their delight is in the law of the Holy One, *
and they meditate on that law day and night.

They are like trees planted by streams of water,
bearing fruit in due season, with leaves that do not wither; *
everything they do shall prosper.

It is not so with the wicked; *
they are like chaff which the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked shall not stand upright when judgment comes, *
nor the sinner in the council of the righteous;

For the Holy One knows the way of the righteous, *
but the way of the wicked is doomed.

(St. Helena Psalter)

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What habits and practices bring you balance and health?What habits and practices cause you trouble?
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James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.

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What qualities and vices seem important to you in this passage?

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Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

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Mark's Gospel insists that following Jesus is not about glory and power, but about servanthood and willingness to suffer. How central are those characteristics to your faith?__________________________________________________________

For a way to Pray with these scriptures, go to the following link for instructions about how to use Lectio Divina with the Sunday readings: Praying the Scriptures with Lectio (http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html)

Pentecost 15, Proper 16

Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it. Some questions are offered to help stimulate your reflection. You'll find your experience of worship on Sunday will be intensified.We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.



The Collect
O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.



The Scriptures

Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 19
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
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Proverbs 1:20-33

Wisdom cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.
At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
"How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,
when panic strikes you like a storm,
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
would have none of my counsel,
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their own devices.
For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease, without dread of disaster."

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What wisdom might we be failing to listen to right now?What consequences might follow?
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Psalm 19


The heavens declare your glory, O God, *
and the firmament shows your handiwork.

One day tells its tale to another, *
and one night imparts knowledge to another.

Although they have no words or language, *
and their voices are not heard,

Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
and their message to the ends of the world.

In the deep you have set a pavilion for the sun; *
it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber; it rejoices like a champion to run its course.

It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens and runs about to the end of it again; *
nothing is hidden from its burning heat.

Your law, O God, is perfect and revives the soul; *
your testimony is sure and gives wisdom to the innocent.

Your statutes are just and rejoice the heart; *
your commandment is clear and gives light to the eyes.

The fear of you is clean and endures for ever; *
your judgments are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, more than much fine gold, *
sweeter far than honey, than honey in the comb.

By them also is your servant enlightened, *
and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern unwitting sins? *
Cleanse me from my secret faults.

Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins; let them not get dominion over me; *
then shall I be whole and sound, and innocent of a great offense.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, *
O God, my strength and my redeemer.

(St. Helena Psalter)
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What stands out to you in this beautiful psalm?
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James 3:1-12
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. For all of us make many mistakes. Anyone who makes no mistakes in speaking is perfect, able to keep the whole body in check with a bridle. If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we guide their whole bodies. Or look at ships: though they are so large that it takes strong winds to drive them, yet they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great exploits.

How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue-- a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and brackish water? Can a fig tree, my brothers and sisters, yield olives, or a grapevine figs? No more can salt water yield fresh.

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When have you "put your foot in your mouth"? How did you work to lessen the damage? What works for you to limit your thoughtless or reactive speech?

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Mark 8:27-38

Jesus 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?" And they answered him, "John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets." He asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Messiah." And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

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For Mark, Jesus' Messiahship is revealed in his suffering rather than in his signs and wonders. What does it mean to you to follow a Savior whose primary characteristic is his suffering and his cross?
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For a way to Pray with these scriptures, go to the following link for instructions about how to use Lectio Divina with the Sunday readings: Praying the Scriptures with Lectio (http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html)

Pentecost 14, Proper 18

Print this and read a different passage each day and think about it. Some questions are offered to help stimulate your reflection. You'll find your experience of worship on Sunday will be intensified.We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.

The Collect

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.


The Scriptures

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 125
James 2:1-10, 14-17
Mark 7:24-37
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Proverbs 22:1-2,8-9,22-23

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common:

the Lord is the maker of them all.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

Do not rob the poor because they are poor,

or crush the afflicted at the gate;

for the Lord pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

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What wisdom do you embrace from these sayings?
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Psalm 125


They who trust in God are like Mount Zion, *

which cannot be moved, but stands fast for ever.

The hills stand about Jerusalem; *

so does God stand round about the people, from this time forth for evermore.

The scepter of the wicked shall not hold sway over the land allotted to the just, *

so that the just shall not put their hands to evil.

Show your goodness, O God, to those who are good *

and to those who are true of heart.

As for those who turn aside to crooked ways, God will lead them away with the evildoers; *

but peace be upon Israel.

(St. Helena Psalter)

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How might you turn this into a prayer for our nation?For the whole world?

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James 2:1-10, 14-17

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

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Where do you see partiality shown?

...in our church...in our community.

..in our nation...in our world

What does the last paragraph of this passage say to us about our corporate responsibilities?
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Mark 7:24-37

Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go -- the demon has left your daughter." So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Be opened." And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."
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What do these healings mean to you? How might Jesus free you from the demons from your inner child? How might Jesus help you hear and speak more plainly?What is the significance that these miracles were accomplished outside Israel, presumably on behalf of foreigners, for those who were not Jewish?__________________________________________________________

For a way to Pray with these scriptures, go to the following link for instructions about how to use Lectio Divina with the Sunday readings: Praying the Scriptures with Lectio (http://www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html)