Sunday Scriptures and Reflection Questions for Feb. 6

Scriptures and Reflection Questions
5th Sunday after Epiphany, Year A
February 6, 2011
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Collect

Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that
abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
 for ever. Amen.
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Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary
Year A
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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).  We've written some instructions on
how to use Lectio with the Sunday Scriptures at the following link:
www.stpaulsfay.org/id272.html

We use the Episcopal Revised Common Lectionary.
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The Lessons

Isaiah 58:1-9a,
Psalm 112:1-9,
1 Corinthians 2:1-12,
Matthew 5:13-20
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Isaiah 58:1-9a

Thus says the high and lofty one
who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
"Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
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The prophet describes the justice that God expects of us.

What does this mean to you?_____________________________________________

Psalm 112:1-9
Alleluia! Happy are they who fear God, *
and have great delight in the commandments!

Their descendants will be mighty in the land; *
the generation of the upright will be blest.

Wealth and riches will be in their house, *
and their righteousness will last for ever.

Light shines in the darkness for the upright; *
the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.

It is good for them to be generous in lending *
and to manage their affairs with justice.

For they will never be shaken; *
the righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.

They will not be afraid of any evil rumors; *
their heart is right; they put their trust in God.

Their heart is established and will not shrink, *
until they see their desire upon their enemies.

They have given freely to the poor, *
and their righteousness stands fast for ever; they will hold up their head with
honor.

The Saint Helena Psalter
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What adjectives would you use to describe someone who is just and righteous?
______________________________________

1 Corinthians 2:1-12
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery
 of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you
 except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear
and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words
of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith
might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or
of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God's wisdom,
secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the
rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,

"What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him" --

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches
everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human
except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly
 God's except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on
 us by God.

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How would you describe the mystery of God revealed in Christ Jesus?_____________________________________

Matthew 5:13-20
Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how
can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown
out and trampled under foot.

"You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after
lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives
light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others,
so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not
to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is
accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments,
and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven;
but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees,
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

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How are you the salt of the world and the light of the world?
In the Bible, the word "righteousness" usually means "justice."

What does it man to promote a justice that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees?
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On most weekdays I send a Morning Reflection to this same list, offering a thought
about the
readings from the Daily Office.

Lowell

The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, AR

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

Our Rule of Life:
  We aspire to...
      worship weekly
      pray daily
      learn constantly
      serve joyfully
      live generously.

Check our website: www.stpaulsfay.org
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