Scriptures and Reflection Questions for September 4

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.
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Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 149

Romans 13:8-14
Matthew 18:15-20

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Exodus 12:1-14

The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.

This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

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God gives instructions about the Passover in Egypt and its remembrance in Israel.

The people of Israel remember the Passover as a celebration of freedom.

Christians adopt the Passover symbolism in our understanding of Christ’s sacrifice and our sacred Eucharistic feast.

How do you think of the Passover?

How do you imagine Egyptians think of the Passover?

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Psalm 149

Alleluia! Sing to God a new song; *
     sing praise in the congregation of the faithful.

Let the people of Israel rejoice in their Maker; *
     let the children of Zion be joyful in their Monarch.

Let them praise God’s Name in the dance; *
     let them sing praise with timbrel and harp.

For God takes pleasure in the people *
     and adorns the poor with victory.

Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *
     let them be joyful on their beds.

Let the praises of God be in their throat *
     and a two-edged sword in their hand,

To wreak vengeance on the nations *
     and punishment on the peoples;

To bind their rulers in chains *
     and their nobles with links of iron;

To inflict on them the judgment decreed; *
     this is glory for all God’s faithful people. Alleluia!

                                                            The Saint Helena Psalter

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The people celebrate a great victory.

The celebration includes violence and vengeance.

How do you read these verses for yourself?

How might they have meaning in places like Libya, Syria, or Somalia?

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Romans 13:8-14

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

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Is there anything you can think of that is not covered in the commandment to love?

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Matthew 18:15-20

Jesus said, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

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What do you think of this process of conflict resolution?

Since the Jesus had a generous policy toward Gentiles and tax collectors, what do you think he meant in this teaching?

Scriptures and Reflection Questions for August 28

Scriptures and Reflection Questions
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost;
Proper 16, Year A, Track 1
August 21, 2011


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Collect


Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; 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 Lessons 

Exodus 3:1-15

Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c

Romans 12:9-21

Matthew 16:21-28

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Exodus 3:1-15 

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." He said further, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain."

But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM Who I AM." He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you':

This is my name forever,

and this my title for all generations."

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What might God be trying to get our attention about today?

What sufferings and taskmasters might God be listening to today?

What does the Name of God mean to you? 

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Psalm 105:1-6,23-26,45c 

We give you thanks, O God, and call upon your Name; *

     we make known your deeds among the peoples.

We sing to you; we sing your praise *

     and speak of all your marvelous works.

We glory in your holy Name; *

     let the hearts of those who seek you rejoice.

We search for you and your strength; *

     we continually seek your face.

We remember the marvels you have done, *

     the wonders and the judgments of your mouth.

O offspring of Abraham, your servant, *

     O children of Jacob, the chosen ones.

Israel came into Egypt, *

     and Jacob became a sojourner in the land of Ham.

You made your people exceedingly fruitful; *

     you made them stronger than their enemies;

Whose heart you turned, so that they hated your people, *

     and dealt unjustly with your servants.

You sent Moses your servant, *

     and Aaron whom you had chosen. Alleluia!

  

                                                   The Saint Helena Psalter

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How do you seek God's face?  

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Romans 12:9-21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good..

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Which of these admonitions particularly catches your attention?  Why?  

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Matthew 16:21-28

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

Then Jesus told his disciples, "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 will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

"For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." 

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What does it mean to you to take up your cross and follow Jesus?  

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Scriptures and Reflection Questions for August 21

Scriptures and Reflection Questions
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost;
Proper 16, Year A, Track 1
August 21, 2011
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Collect

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by  your
Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the  glory of your
Name; 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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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 this link.

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The Lessons

Exodus 1:8-2:10
Psalm 124
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:13-20
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Exodus 1:8-2:10

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people,
 "Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come,
let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war,
join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." Therefore they
set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities,
Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they
 multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The
Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives
bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They
were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and
the other Puah, "When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the
birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live." But
the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but
they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them,
"Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?" The midwives said to Pharaoh,
"Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous
 and give birth before the midwife comes to them." So God dealt well with the midwives;
and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared
God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every boy that
is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl
live."

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived
and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.
When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered
it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds
 on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen
to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked
beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring
it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him,
"This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's
daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child
for you?" Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the
 child's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for
me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it.
When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him
as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."

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Labor and productivity conflicts.  Civil disobedience.  Class conflict.  If you
were rewriting this story in this century, how might you conceive it?

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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.

                              The Saint Helena Psalter
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Have you ever felt that you escaped something by the grace of God?
How might these words express your feelings? _____________________________________________


Romans 12:1-8

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual
worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of
your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God-- what is good and acceptable
and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself
more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according
to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members,
and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body
in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry,
in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver,
in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

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Imagine yourself listening to these words for the first time.  What do they tell
 you?

________________________________________

Matthew 16;13-20

When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples,
"Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist,
but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to
 them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah,
the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son
of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the
gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom
of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever
you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Then he sternly ordered the disciples
not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah

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How would you answer Jesus' questions?

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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