• 12 Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836 He was at first so unpopular that services were frequently interrupted, and he was often insulted in the streets • 13 • 14 Consecration of Samuel Seabury, First American Bishop, 1784 was the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut. • 15 Francis Asbury, 1816, and George Whitefield, 1770, Evangelists • 16 Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093 was a pious woman, and among many charitable works she established a ferry across the Firth of Forth for pilgrims travelling to Dunfermline Abbey • 17 Hugh, 1200, and Robert Grosseteste, 1253, Bishops of Lincoln • 18 Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680 was abbess at several monasteries and recognized for the wisdom that drew kings to her for advice. OLD TESTAMENT Ruth 3:1 - 5, 4:13 - 17 (RCL) Ruth 31 (NRSV) Na'omi her mother-in-law said to her, "My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. 2 Now here is our kinsman Bo'az, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. 3 Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 4 When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do." 5 She said to her, "All that you tell me I will do." 13 So Bo'az took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the LORD made her conceive, and she bore a son. 14 Then the women said to Na'omi, "Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without next-of-kin; and may his name be renowned in Israel! 15 He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has borne him." 16 Then Na'omi took the child and laid him in her bosom, and became his nurse. 17 The women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, "A son has been born to Na'omi." They named him O'bed; he became the father of Jesse, the father of David. 1 Kings 17: 8 - 16 (alt. for RCL) 1 Kings 17: 10 - 16 (Roman Catholic) 1Kin 178 (NRSV) Then the word of the LORD came to him [Elijah], saying, 9 "Go now to Zar'ephath, which belongs to Si'don, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." 10 So he set out and went to Zar'ephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." 13 Eli'jah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." 15 She went and did as Eli'jah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Eli'jah. Jonah 3: 1 - 5, 10 (C of E) Jona 3:1 (NRSV) The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2 "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth. 10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it. PSALM 127 (RCL) Psal 1271 (NRSV) Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved. 3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one's youth. 5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. 127 Nisi Dominus (ECUSA BCP) 1 Unless the LORD builds the house, * their labor is in vain who build it. 2 Unless the LORD watches over the city, * in vain the watchman keeps his vigil. 3 It is in vain that you rise so early and go to bed so late; * vain, too, to eat the bread of toil, for he gives to his beloved sleep. 4 Children are a heritage from the LORD, * and the fruit of the womb is a gift. 5 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior * are the children of one's youth. 6 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! * he shall not be put to shame when he contends with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 146: 7 - 10 (Roman Catholic) Psalm 146 (alt. for RCL) Psal 1461 (NRSV) Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help. 4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. 5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; 8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD! 146 Lauda, anima mea (ECUSA BCP) 1 Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul! * I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, * for there is no help in them. 3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, * and in that day their thoughts perish. 4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! * whose hope is in the LORD their God; 5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; * who keeps his promise for ever; 6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, * and food to those who hunger. 7 The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; * the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; 8 The LORD loves the righteous; the LORD cares for the stranger; * he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. 9 The LORD shall reign for ever, * your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah! Psalm 62: 5 - 12 (C of E) Psal 62:5 (NRSV) For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. [Selah] 9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work. NEW TESTAMENT Hebrews 9 24 - 28 Hebr 924 (NRSV) For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made by human hands, a mere copy of the true one, but he entered into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer himself again and again, as the high priest enters the Holy Place year after year with blood that is not his own; 26 for then he would have had to suffer again and again since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the age to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. h/t Montreal Anglican The author continues to see Christ as the great high priest, and to contrast him with a high priest in the Temple. Heaven is the perfect, ideal “sanctuary” (9:24), while the Holy of Holies is a “mere copy” of the divine one. Christ did not enter the Holy of Holies but rather “heaven itself” to “make intercession” (7:25) for us “in the presence of God” (9:24). Unlike the Temple high priest who entered the sanctuary annually to offer animal blood for the redemption of certain sins of the people, Christ sacrificed himself “once for all” (9:26), for all people, permanently abolishing sin – when release from sin previously only lasted a year. He came “at the end of the age” of the first covenant, of the pre-Christian era. God has appointed that humans “die once” (9:27) and later be judged (at the end of the current era); likewise Christ sacrificed himself once and will later return. But his second coming will be to complete and finalize the salvation of his followers. By taking our sin on himself, he has already taken it away. 9:15-10:18: Christ’s death as the sacrifice ratifies forever the new covenant, replacing the elaborate but temporary system of purification decreed under the Law of ancient Israel. The latter dealt with sin at the earthly level and on a repeated, temporal basis, but Christ’s sacrifice for us was “once for all” (9:28) and has eternal effects. The new community now awaits his reappearance from heaven, when he will take its members forever into God’s presence. This radical change was anticipated in the Old Testament. No further offering for human sin is necessary. [CAB] 9:15: Christ’s death redeemed also the Old Testament saints (see also 11:39-40), and inaugurated the new covenant. See also Romans 3:24-25 and 1 Corinthians 11:25 (the Last Supper: “... This cup is the new covenant in my blood...”). [NOAB] 9:15,17: “covenant ... will”: The Greek word is the same, per the NRSV footnote. [NOAB] 9:18-20: See Exodus 24:6-8, where Moses says: “See the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words”. [NOAB] 9:23: “the heavenly things themselves need better sacrifices than these”: Does the author really mean that the heavenly tabernacle really needs purification? Surely not. There seems to be no satisfactory interpretation. NJBC suggests that the intermediate heavens may be in view, that they correspond to the outer part of the earthly tabernacle. Perhaps Job 15:15 may then be pertinent: “God puts no trust even in his holy ones, and the heavens are not clean in his sight”. 9:24: “mere copy”: The Greek word is antitypon, antitype, but with the meaning of “copy”. [NJBC] 9:24: “to appear in the presence of God on our behalf”: See also 7:25 and Romans 8:34, where Paul writes: “It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us”. [NJBC] 9:25-26: While the author rejects repeated suffering by Jesus, he does not reject the eternal presence of his one sacrifice. [NJBC] The author may use the language of Platonism, with its eternal heavenly reality contrasted with temporal earthly shadow, but he modifies it in view of his strong Christian faith: it is Jesus’ sacrifice on earth that really counts. 9:25: The high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. As noted in Comments last week, the author earlier used “Holy Place” as the name of the outer “tent”. Here he must mean the Holy of Holies. For the Day of Atonement liturgy, see Leviticus 16:1-34, especially v. 14: “He shall take some of the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle the blood with his finger seven times”. 9:28: “the sins of many”: See also Isaiah 53:12 (part of the fourth Servant Song, “... he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors ...”); Mark 10:45 (“... the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many”); Romans 5:19; Revelation 7:9-10. [NOAB] 9:28: “appear a second time”: The author may also be thinking of the emergence of the high priest from the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. See also Acts 1:10-11 (“... This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven”) and Philippians 3:20. [NOAB] The appearance of Jesus will be like that of the high priest emerging from the Holy of Holies. For a fine portrait of the high priest’s emergence, see Sirach 50:1-5. [NJBC] 9:28: “save”: See also 1:14. [NJBC] Mark 1: 14 - 20 (C of E) Mark 1:14 (NRSV) Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." 16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea-for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. A scribe has asked Jesus: which is the greatest precept in the law? His agreement that to love God and to love one’s neighbour are the most important has led Jesus to tell him that he is almost ready for the kingdom of God. Now, as Jesus teaches in the synagogue, he warns of certain scribes (professional interpreters of the Law) who “walk around” ostentatiously, seek honour in public places (“marketplaces”) and seek prestige “in ... synagogues” (v. 39) and “at banquets”. (“Long robes”, v. 38, may be prayer shawls, normally worn only when praying. The “best seats”, v. 39, in the synagogue were near the Ark – where the scrolls were kept – and faced the congregation; the “places of honour” were couches at the host’s table.) Certain scribes, as legal trustees of a widow’s estate, charged exorbitantly for their services. The fee was usually a part of the estate, but some took the “widows’ houses” (v. 40). Some kept up an appearance of piety. They will be judged harshly in the greatest court of all on Judgement Day. Jesus’ disciples are not to be like them. On the other hand, a “poor widow” (v. 42) is an example of good discipleship. Jesus is “opposite the treasury” (v. 41), possibly in the outer court of the Temple, where people placed their offerings in chests. The “poor widow” – widows were often poor – makes a real sacrifice in giving two leptas, the lowest value coin in circulation; she “has put in more than all those” (v. 43) rich people who only give what they do not need. The parallels of vv. 38-40 are Matthew 23:1-36 [CAB] and Luke 20:45-47. The parallel of vv. 41-44 is Luke 21:1-4. [NOAB] Verse 39: “best seats in the synagogues”: James 2:2-3 asks rhetorically: “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?”. [NOAB] Verse 39: “places of honour”:In Luke 11:43, Jesus says: “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces’. See also Luke 14:7-11. [NOAB] Verse 41: “putting money into the treasury”: There were thirteen chests in the temple court, each one labelled with the purpose to which the funds would be put. The chests were shaped like an inverted trumpet – for protection against theft. [NOAB] Verse 42: “small copper coins”: i.e. lepta. [NJBC] Verse 42: “penny”: A labourer’s daily wage was 64 pennies. [NOAB] The Greek word is quadrans, meaning a fourth part; hence the translation farthing in the King James Version. Verse 43: Jesus’ words are a paradox which require the disciples to do some thinking.