30 Saint Andrew the Apostle

December

    1 Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon, 1637
    2 Channing Moore Williams, Missionary Bishop in China and Japan, 1910
    3 Francis Xavier, Missionary to the Far East, 1552
    4 John of Damascus, Priest, c. 760 was a Syrian monk and priest. Born and raised in Damascus, he died at his monastery, Mar Saba, near Jerusalem.[1]
    5 Clement of Alexandria, Priest, c. 210 known as Clement of Alexandria to distinguish him from the earlier Clement of Rome, was a Christian theologian who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria.
    6 Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c. 342.



OLD TESTAMENT:  Isaiah 64: 1 - 9  (RCL)
                                    Isaiah 63: 16b - 17, 64: 1, 3 - 8  (Roman Catholic)

Isai 63:16 (NRSV)
[Y]ou, O LORD, are our father;
our Redeemer from of old is your name.
17 Why, O LORD, do you make us stray from your ways
and harden our heart, so that we do not fear you?
Turn back for the sake of your servants,
for the sake of the tribes that are your heritage.

64:1 O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence-
2 as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil-
to make your name known to your adversaries,
so that the nations might tremble at your presence!
3 When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.
4 From ages past no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who works for those who wait for him.
5 You meet those who gladly do right,
those who remember you in your ways.
But you were angry, and we sinned;
because you hid yourself we transgressed.
6 We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls on your name,
or attempts to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.
8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.
9 Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD,
and do not remember iniquity forever.
Now consider, we are all your people.

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic Bibles is different from the above


PSALM 80: 1 - 7, 17 - 19   (RCL)
               80: 1 - 2, 14 - 15, 17 - 18   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 80:1 (NRSV) Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before E'phraim and Benjamin and Manas'seh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts,
how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls,
so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it,
and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.

Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic Bibles differs slightly from the above.
Verse numbering in your Psalter may also differ from the above.


80   Qui regis Israel  (ECUSA BCP)

1      Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
 shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2      In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
 stir up your strength and come to help us.

3      Restore us, O God of hosts; *
 show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4      O Lord God of hosts, *
 how long will you be angered
 despite the prayers of your people?

5      You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
 you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6      You have made us the derision of our neighbors, *
 and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7  Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
 

16  Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
 and son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

17  And so will we never turn away from you; *
 give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18  Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; *
 show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.


NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Corinthians 1: 3 - 9   (RCL, Roman Catholic)

1Cor 1:3 (NRSV) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5 for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind-- 6 just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you-- 7 so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul greets his readers: he wishes them “grace” (God’s freely given gift of love) and “peace” (the total state of well-being to which we are admitted through Christ): both come from the Father (as source) and the Son (as means or agent). In later chapters, Paul cautions his readers against misuse of spiritual gifts (v. 7), so in v. 5 he may be damning them with faint praise. He praises their eloquence (“speech”) and understanding (“knowledge”) but not (as in other letters) their faith, hope and love for each other and for Christ. In v. 6, “testimony” is bearing witness: God has strengthened them through their telling of the good news. They are indeed richly blessed (v. 7), but (as mentioned later), they tend to dwell on the excitement of the present rather than looking forward to “the revealing of ... Christ”, his second coming. God will help them prepare for that day, so that they may be among those judged worthy of eternal life (“blameless”, v. 8). God is “faithful” (v. 9): he will not abandon what he has begun. He has called them into “fellowship”, union with other believers which is union with Christ.

Verse 1: “Sosthenes”: He may be the “official of the synagogue” who was beaten: see Acts 18:17. [ NOAB] The absence of Timothy’s name probably indicates that he is already on the way to Corinth. He is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 1:1 (a letter probably written, in part, before this one).

Verse 1: “an apostle”: For Paul’s call, see Galatians 1:15-16; 2 Corinthians 4:5-6; Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-11. Paul sees apostleship as being wider than the Twelve: see 15:5, 7.

Verse 2: “saints”: Those set apart for God’s work. [ CAB]

Verse 2: “together with all those ...”: Probably a reminder that Paul’s readers are not the only Christians. In 11:16, Paul writes: “But if anyone is disposed to be contentious – we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God” and in 2 Corinthians 1:1 “To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia”. [ NJBC]

Verse 5: Gifts mentioned in other letters are missing from this introductory section:
Faith, hope and caritas (fraternal love)     1 Thessalonians 1:3
Faith     Romans 1:8
Partnership in the gospel     Philippians 1:5 [ NJBC]

Verse 7: “spiritual gift”: For rules for using them, see chapters 12-14.

Comments: (as mentioned later): Dwelling on the excitement of the present rather than looking forward to “the revealing of ... Christ”, his second coming, is the essence of the argument Paul will make in chapters 12-14. There Paul is saying first that:
there is excessive pride in the exercise of each one's spiritual gifts, to the point of arrogantly insisting that one's own gifts are normative for the whole community, and
they are getting carried away in worship time with their prophecies and speaking in tongues.

The gifts with which they are blessed must be put into perspective. True perspective comes from love (chapter 13), maturity and humility. [Alan T Perry]

Verse 7: “as you wait”: A reminder that the fullness of God’s revelation is in the future, probably necessary because of the Corinthian Christians excitement over what they already experience. [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “He will also strengthen you”: In 10:13 Paul writes: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength ...”.

Verse 8: “the day of our Lord Jesus Christ”: A Christian adaptation of the Day of Yahweh: see Amos 5:18 and Joel 3:14; Acts 2:20. See also 1 Corinthians 3:13; 4:3. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “God is faithful”: See also 10:13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:24. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “you were called”: In the Greek, hoi kletoi , the called ones. See also 2:2, 24; Romans 1:6, 7; 8:28. Implicit in the call to salvation ( 7:15, 22; Galatians 1:6; 5:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:7) is the call to glory (Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 3:14; 1 Thessalonians 2:12), whose author is always God (Galatians 5:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:24). [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “called into the fellowship”: The Greek word is koinonia. To Paul, it is the vital union of believers among themselves, which is their union with Christ. Their shared existence as members of his body (see 12:12-27) is highlighted in the Eucharist (see 10:16-17). [ NJBC]


GOSPEL  Mark 13: 24 - 37  (RCL)
                  Mark 13: 33 - 37   (Roman Catholic)

Mark 13:24 (NRSV) "But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
25 and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then they will see "the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory. 27 Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
28 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32 "But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. 35 Therefore, keep awake--for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."

In v. 2, Jesus has prophesied the destruction of the Temple to the disciples. Then Peter, James, John and Andrew (the first four he called) have asked him: “when will this be ... ?” (v. 4). How will we know when “these things” are about to happen? He has told them of persecution, of strange natural phenomena, of societal breakdown, of the fate of the disciples. The portents will be wars, earthquakes and famines (vv. 7-8). The end will come suddenly; people will suffer greatly. It is only because God, in his mercy, has “cut short those days” (v. 20) that the elect, the godly, will be saved. Even they will be tempted by other messiahs.

Now we come to our reading. “In those days” (v. 24) there will be darkness: a sign of the coming of divine judgement (as in Isaiah 13:10). The elect will see “the Son of Man”, a superhuman person with heavenly power and glory, coming to inherit his kingdom (v. 26, as prophesied Daniel 7:13). He will bring the godly together (as in Isaiah 11:11) from all over the world. (Winds were thought to originate at the four corners of the earth.) By implication, the “Son of Man” (v. 26) is the true Messiah, Christ come the second time. Jesus admonishes his followers to “keep alert” (v. 33) for this coming. The leafing of the “fig tree” (v. 28) is a sure harbinger of summer; similarly, when they see “these things”, the End is near, very near (v. 29), but when is the Father’s prerogative. The images are those of apocalyptic (vision of the future) literature, popular in Jesus’ day.

The parallels to this chapter are Matthew 24:1-36 and Luke 21:5-36.

Verse 1: The construction of the third Temple, started by Herod the Great, was still underway in Jesus’ day. Most of the “large stones” were some 11 metres (34 feet) long by 6 metres (19 feet) wide by 4 metres (13 feet) thick. [ NOAB]

Verse 2: This Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Jesus’ prediction of its destruction is also found in 14:57-58; 15:29 (on the Cross); Matthew 26:61 (Jesus before the High Priest); Luke 19:43-44 (Jesus weeps over Jerusalem); John 2:19 (Jesus cleanses the Temple); Acts 6:14 (the arrest of Stephen). [ NOAB] Jesus stands in the tradition of Old Testament prophets who had predicted this event: see Micah 3:12 (“... Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins ...”) and Jeremiah 26:18. However, in that other events mentioned in this passage seem to be meant symbolically, so may this event. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “on the Mount of Olives”: Zechariah 14:4 prophesies a day when God will intervene in human affairs, standing on the Mount of Olives, so the scene for Jesus’ eschatological discourse is highly appropriate. See also 11:1. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: In Luke 17:20, Jesus says: “‘The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you’”. [ NOAB]

Verses 5-14: To NOAB, the audience was wider than the first four disciples, named in v. 13.

Verse 6: In John 8:24, Jesus tells some Jews “‘I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he’”. 1 John 2:18 warns: “As you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come”. [ NOAB]

Verse 6: “will come in my name”: More than Jewish messianic pretenders (e.g. Theudas and Judas the Galilean, in Acts 5:36-37) seem to be in view here, for they will come in Christ’s name. See also vv. 21-23. [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “I am he!”: This phrase must allude to the Old Testament revelation formula (see Exodus 3:14, God tells Moses “‘I AM WHO I AM’”; Deuteronomy 32:39, “See now that I, even I, am he; there is no god beside me”; Isaiah 41:4, “I, the Lord, am first, and will be with the last”) applied to Yahweh, thus contributing the implicit christological message of the text. [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “birthpangs”: At the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, he said that the new era “has come near” (see 1:15 and Matthew 4:17); however, per v. 10, it will arrive only after a time of witness to his message. [ NOAB] As pain precedes (and portends) birth of a child, so suffering will precede the arrival of the new era.

Verses 9-13: See also Matthew 10:17-22. [ NOAB]

Verse 9: “hand you over”: The persecution of the disciples points forward to Jesus’ sufferings. The verb, paradidomi, is the same one found in Jesus’ prediction of his Passion in 10:33. [ NJBC]

Verse 9: “councils”: The Greek word, synedria, refers to local Jewish courts empowered to punish Jewish offenders. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: V. 11 naturally flows from v. 9, so NJBC’s observation that the vocabulary is typically Marcan suggests that this verse is an insertion by the author. Further, if Jesus was so explicit about the mission to Gentiles, why was there a debate in the early Church over this mission? See Galatians 2 and Acts 15 (the Council of Jerusalem).

Verse 11: In John 14:26, Jesus says: “‘... the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you”. See also John 16:7-11 and Luke 12:11-12. [ NOAB]

Verse 12: “Brother will betray brother”: The idea of the end-times as a time of societal breakdown is common in contemporary Jewish apocalyptic writings: see, for example, 2 Esdras 5:9; 6:24; Jubilees 23:19; 2 Baruch 70:3. [ NJBC]

Verse 13: See also John 15:18-21 (“If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you ...”) [ NOAB]

Verse 13: “the one who endures to the end will be saved”: There is a message of patient endurance throughout the passage. [ NJBC]

Verses 14-23: By foretelling the events described in these verses, Jesus prepares his followers for what they will encounter. [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “the desolating sacrilege”: This would remind Jesus’ hearers of the desecration of the Temple: in 168 BC, Antiochus IV Epiphanes set up a statue of Olympian Zeus in the Temple; indeed, he tried to wipe out Judaism. Jesus’ inclusion of reference to a second such sacrilege leads me to think that the other signs of the end of the era should not be taken literally. Jesus is probably speaking symbolically of the elevation of the Roman emperor to being a god and the destruction of the Temple (and with it, the termination of the Judaic sacrificial system) or of general desertion of God’s ways. Note also that the Roman governor Caligula gave a similar order in 40 AD for a statue of himself as Jupiter to be placed in the Temple. [ CAB] See 1 Maccabees 1:54 (“they [the agents of Antiochus] erected a desolating sacrifice on the altar of burnt offering”); 1:59 (“... they offered sacrifice on the altar that was on top of the altar of burnt offering”); Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.

When this happens, the faithful must flee to the countryside immediately.

Verse 14: “(let the reader understand)”: This comment may refer to the events leading up to the destruction of the Temple or of Caligula’s abortive plan. Perhaps the phrase is a code intended to avoid Roman hostility.

Verse 17: In Luke 23:29, Jesus says “For the days are surely coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 18: The cold and rainy winters in Palestine would make rural tracks almost impassable. There would be no crops then from which the refugees might be fed. [ NJBC]

Verse 19: “suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the creation”: So Jesus speaks not of warfare, but of something much more serious. This alludes to Daniel 12:1: “There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence.” [ NJBC]

Verse 20: “if the Lord had not cut short those days”: Daniel 12:7 suggests that God has established a time schedule for the coming of the Kingdom. For the idea of shortening the time, see two contemporary apocalyptic books: 1 Enoch 80:2; 2 Baruch 20:1-2; 83:1, 6. [ NJBC]

Verse 22: In Matthew 7:15, Jesus warns: “‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves’”. See also John 4:48. [ NOAB]

Verse 23: “I have already told you everything”: NJBC offers I have foretold to you all these things.

Verses 24-27: The images of cosmic signs, the Son of Man, and the gathering of the chosen are all found in the Old Testament, but here they are brought together, with the second coming of Jesus, “the Son of Man”, as the key event. His glorious arrival will be the final proof of God’s victory over the forces of evil. The Old Testament texts echoed are Isaiah 13:10; 34:4; Ezekiel 32:7; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15; Haggai 2:6, 21, but in no instance does such an image precede the coming of the Son of Man. The list of portents is a way of saying that all creation will signal his coming. [ NJBC]

Verse 26: “they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’”: Daniel 7:13 says “As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.” An NRSV footnote says that “human being” is son of man in the Aramaic original. See also 8:38; Matthew 10:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. [ NOAB] To Mark, “the Son of Man” is clearly Jesus, not the human figure in angelic form of Daniel 7:13. Whether Jesus spoke of himself as “the Son of Man” is debated, but see 14:61-62. [ NJBC]

Verse 27: “he will ... gather his elect from the four winds”: In Zechariah 2:6, Yahweh disperses the chosen. God’s gathering of the chosen is found in Deuteronomy 30:4; Isaiah 11:11, 16; 27:12; Ezekiel 39:27 and elsewhere in the Old Testament and in contemporary Jewish writings. [ NJBC]

Verse 30: “this generation”: The normal meaning of this phrase would be the people of our time, and the words would refer to the next twenty to thirty years; however, what Jesus meant is uncertain. In 9:1, Jesus says: “‘Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power’”. [ NOAB] V. 32 should be noted: only the Father knows when the end-times will be. [ NJBC]

Verse 31: Jesus emphasizes the divine authority of his teaching in the language of Isaiah 51:6 and 40:8. [ NJBC] See also Matthew 5:18 and Luke 16:17. [ NOAB]

Verse 32: In Acts 1:6-7, the disciples ask Jesus: “‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’”. He replies: “‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 33: Ephesians 6:18 says “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints”. See also Colossians 4:2. [ NOAB]

Verse 34: See also Matthew 25:14-30 (the Parable of the Talents). [ NOAB]

Verse 35: See also Luke 12:35-40 (“Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit ...”). In Palestine, the night was divided into four parts. [ NOAB]

23 Clement, Bishop of Rome, c. 100, also known as Saint Clement of Rome, is listed by Irenaeus and Tertullian as Bishop of Rome, holding office from 92 to his death in 99.[1] He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church
24
25 James Otis Sargent Huntington, Priest and Monk, 1935
26 Isaac Watts, Hymnwriter, 1748 was an English Christian hymnwriter, theologian and logician.
27
28 Kamehameha and Emma, King and Queen of Hawaii, 1864, 1885
29
30 Saint Andrew the Apostle



OLD TESTAMENT:  Ezekiel 34: 11 - 16, 20 - 24  (RCL)
                                    Ezekiel 34: 11 - 12, 15 - 17  (Roman Catholic)

Ezek 34:11 (NRSV) For thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. 12 As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13 I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. 16 I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
17 As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.

20 Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. 21 Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, 22 I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep.
23 I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.


PSALM 100  (RCL)

Psal 100:1 (NRSV) Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.


100   Jubilate Deo    (ECUSA BCP)

1      Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *
     serve the Lord with gladness
     and come before his presence with a song.

2      Know this: The Lord himself is God; *
     he himself has made us, and we are his;
     we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

3      Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise; *
     give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

4      For the Lord is good;
his mercy is everlasting; *
     and his faithfulness endures from age to age.



Psalm 95 1 - 7   (C of E, alt. for ECUSA)

Psal 95:1 (NRSV) O come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
O that today you would listen to his voice!

Note: the last part of verse 7 is omitted by ECUSA


95   Venite, exultemus     (ECUSA BCP)

1      Come, let us sing to the Lord; *
 let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.

2      Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving *
 and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

3      For the Lord is a great God, *
 and a great King above all gods.

4      In his hand are the caverns of the earth, *
 and the heights of the hills are his also.

5  The sea is his, for he made it, *
     and his hands have molded the dry land.

6      Come, let us bow down, and bend the knee, *
 and kneel before the Lord our Maker.

7      For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand.


Psalm 23   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil:
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff -
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercyshall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long. 


NEW TESTAMENT:  Ephesians 1: 15 - 23  (RCL)

Ephe 1:15 (NRSV) I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason 16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul has written of the Father’s wisdom and insight in making known to us his will, his plan for completion of the restoration of the faithful to oneness with him, as told by Jesus (vv. 8, 9). God’s plan embraces both Jews and Gentiles, bringing them together in one Christian community. That this is happening he sees as evidence of God’s ability to break down diverse barriers, and to bring the world to unity in Christ.

And so, in vv. 15-16, he is delighted to hear of the successful missionary activity by people he does not know at first hand. Their “faith” (commitment to Christ) and fraternal love (love of “all the saints”, Christians both Jewish and Gentile) go hand in hand: faith involves appreciating God’s great love for humanity demonstrated in the Father’s giving of the Son. That “your” (v. 15) refers to new Christians is indicated by “as you come to know him” in v. 17: Paul prays that these (relatively) new converts may receive “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” as each progressively come to understand God more and more. It is not just digested knowledge (“wisdom”) that they will receive, but also “revelation”, what God will show of himself and his ways, his manifest character, his greatness, “glory”, and the fruit of interaction of knowledge with experience. The objective (v. 18) is that, illuminated by innermost conviction (“with the eyes of your heart”), they may attain a maturer knowledge of God in three ways:
in spiritual growth (“hope”) being those whom God has called;
the “glorious inheritance” Gentile Christians now share with their Jewish brethren; and
experience of the tremendous power of God as he works in their lives.

Paul’s experience speaks here: God showed him mercy when he was a persecutor of Christians. Then v. 20: this power that they now experience is what the Father used in raising Christ and having him share in the divine glory. Christ has also conquered all alien spiritual powers (“far above all rule ...”, v. 21) and pagan gods (“every name that is named”). God has made “all things” (v. 22) subject to humanity; the Father has given Christ to the church as ruler over all things spiritual. The church is one in Christ and thus is able to share in Christ’s exaltation, Christ being the complete embodiment of God, who is in the process of filling (making good) all things. It is through the church that God pervades the world with his goodness.

Verse 13: “you also”: You Gentiles, as well as we Jews. [ NOAB]

Verse 15: Colossians 1:4 is very similar: “... we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints”. In Philemon 5, Paul writes: “I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus”. [ CAB]

Verse 16: In Romans 1:9, Paul writes: “God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers”. Colossians 1:3 says: “In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”. See also Philemon 4. [ CAB]

Verse 17: “Father of glory”: This phrase occurs only here in the New Testament, but in Acts 7:2 Stephen speaks of the “God of glory” and in 1 Corinthians 2:8 Paul writes of the “ Lord of glory”.

Verse 18: “saints”: This word has various meanings in Ephesians. Here it means angels with whom the earthly congregation has been joined in Christ. This thought has close parallels in the Qumran literature: see 1QSb (Rule of the Community: Blessings) 3:25-4:26; 1QH (Hymns) 11:21-23 ( Vermes: 3:21-23). In vv. 1 and 15, it means the earthly congregation. [ NJBC]

Verse 19: “greatness of his power”: In the Qumran literature, see 1QH (Hymns) 12:32 ( Vermes: 4:32); 1QS (Rule of the Community) 11:19-20. [ NJBC]

Verses 20-23: God’s might is revealed in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, and in his exaltation over angelic forces. The author uses early Christian creedal statements that formulate the Christ-event in terms of Psalm 110:1 and 8:6 to impress on readers the glorious position to which they have been called in Christ. [ NJBC]

Verse 20: “in Christ”: This phrase occurs frequently throughout this letter in contexts referring to the unity of Jews and Gentiles (e.g. 1:4; 2:13; 3:11). It speaks of Paul’s sense of the Christian community, i.e. the fellowship of those whose fellowship in Christ gives them mutual benefits and sets common standards. See also 1 Corinthians 1:13 (“Has Christ been divided? ...”); 12:12 (“... just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ”); Galatians 3:16. [CAB]

Verse 20: “in the heavenly places”: Can also be translated among heavenly beings. An expression found only in this letter ( 1:3; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12), referring to the unseen world behind and above the material universe. [ NOAB]

Verse 21: In 1 Corinthians 15:24, Pauls writes: “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler and every authority and power”. Colossians 1:16 says: “... in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – all things have been created through him and for him”. See also Philippians 2:9-11. [ CAB]

Verse 21: “rule and authority ...”: Created heavenly entities presented as angelic beings subordinate to Christ, perhaps thought of by the first readers as rivals to Christ or beings whose power supplemented that of Christ. Such a belief grew out of the complex and highly developed angelology widespread at the time. [ NJBC] See also 3:10; 6:12; Colossians 2:10, 15; Romans 8:38. [ CAB]

Verses 22-23: The Church, as the “fulness of Christ”, is the complement of his mystic person; he is the “head”; the Church is “his body”. [ NOAB]

Verse 22: “he has put all things under his feet”: This is an allusion to Psalm 8:6: “You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet”. Psalm 8 extols the glory of Adam over creation. Christ is the new Adam, the head of the new humanity, who has brought to virtual completion Adam’s (humanity’s) assignment by God to dominate the universe (see Genesis 1:28 and Hebrews 2:6-9).

Verses 22-23: “head ... body”: This is a development of the Pauline concept of many diverse members forming the body of Christ: see 1 Corinthians 12:12-17. The church is beneficiary of God’s all-embracing plan, and, as beneficiary of his lordship over all things and over all angelic powers, the Church – Christ’s body – shares in the dominion of its head. [ NJBC]

Verse 22: “the church”: i.e. the church throughout the world, the universal church, rather than a local congregation. [ CAB]

Verse 23: 3:19 says: “... to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” and 4:13 “until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ”. [ CAB]

Verse 23: “the fullness of him who fills all”: The Greek is difficult. Perhaps Christ is the source and goal of the body’s growth, as described in 4:15-16. “Who fills all” can be translated as “who is being filled with all”. Thus several Patristic authors ( Origen, Theodore of Mopsuestia, Chrysostom) read this; they interpreted it as meaning that all things created contribute to the fullness of Christ. However, Old Testament usage would favour the active sense (as in the NRSV) when speaking of God: in Jeremiah 23:24, Yahweh says through the prophet: “Do I not fill heaven and earth?”. See also Ezekiel 43:5. [ JBC]



GOSPEL:  Matthew 25: 31 - 46  (all)

Matt 25:31 (NRSV) "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' 40 And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, "You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' 45 Then he will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."



Vv. 14-30 are the Parable of the Talents. Jesus has used it to stress the importance of fidelity to him and his mission while he is away. Here Jesus tells us the kind of conduct, of morality, towards others expected of the faithful – and the consequences of not caring for others. Sheep and goats behave differently but in Palestine they were fed together. At the end of the era, when Christ comes again, he will act for the Father (“sit on ... [his] throne”, v. 31). He will separate the “sheep” (v. 32) from the “goats”, assigning the former to a place of honour (“at his right hand”, v. 33) and the latter to dishonour. He, as “king” (v. 34) will invite the godly (or faithful), those whom the Father has pre-ordained for this, to live with him (“the kingdom”), a state that existed before creation (“from the foundation of the world”). Why? Because the godly have fulfilled God’s expectation: in reaching out to the disadvantaged they have, in fact, been reaching out to him (v. 40). We are all part of his family. But the “goats”, those who have ignored the needy, will be permanently separated from God, be unhappy, and be punished, for they have failed to see Christ in people. The “righteous” (v. 46) are the faithful, the godly, those who understand that to serve humanity is to serve Christ – and do so

In this passage, Jesus says that discipleship is identical with caring for the needy. [ NJBC]

Verse 31: In 16:27, Jesus foretells: “‘... 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’” and in 19:28 “‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 31: “the Son of Man”: See also Daniel 7:9, 13-14 (“a human being” translating the Aramaic son of man) and Zechariah 14:5 (“you shall flee by the valley of the Lord's mountain, ... as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him”). Here in Matthew the “Son of Man” acts in place of God. [ NJBC]

Verse 32: In Ezekiel 34:17, Yahweh says through the prophet: “As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats”. [ NOAB]

Verse 32: “the nations”: Scholars identify them with various groups. NOAB says that they are probably those who do not know the God of Israel (see Romans 2:13-16). To NJBC, it includes Israel and not just Gentiles. See also 24:9, 14; 28:19. BlkMt says that while “nations” usually means Gentiles in Matthew, “all nations” seems to mean all humankind.

Verse 32: “will be gathered”: NJBC says that this is a theological passive, so God will gather.

Verse 33: “goats”: The Greek, eriphos, normally means kid, so perhaps they are animals of lower value. [ NJBC]

Verse 34: In Luke 12:32 Jesus says: “‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom’” and in Matthew 5:3 “‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’”. See also Revelation 13:8; 17:8. [ NOAB]

Verse 34: “king”: The Son of Man as king executes his Father’s will. With a blessing he invites the saved to enter the Kingdom, which always exists but which they enter when he decides to bring it and admit them to it. [ NJBC]

Verses 35-36: The list includes six of the seven corporal works of mercy in the catechetical tradition. [ NJBC] Various of these works are also mentioned in Isaiah 58:7; James 1:27; 2:15-16; Hebrews 13:2; 2 Timothy 1:16. [ NOAB]

Verse 37: Note that “the righteous” are surprised, for they were not trying to gain God’s favour.

Verse 40: In 10:42, Jesus says: “‘whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward’” and in Mark 9:41 “‘whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward’”. See also Hebrews 6:10 and Proverbs 19:17. [ NOAB]

Verse 41: In Mark 9:48, Jesus speaks of hell as : “‘where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched’”. In Revelation 20:10, John sees as part of a vision: “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”. [ NOAB]

Verses 41-43: Here there are only two ways: either one serves the disadvantaged, or one does not; there is no middle way. This, says NJBC, stems from the deuteronomic theology of a covenant conditioned by human obligation (vs. the covenant of unconditional divine commitment represented in the New Testament by Paul’s theology.) It presupposes human moral responsibility and conscience and God taking human actions seriously. [ NJBC]

Verse 46: In Daniel 12:2, speaking of the end-times, says: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”. In John 5:29, Jesus says: “‘the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and will come out – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation’”. [ NOAB]

16 Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093  also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Margaret was sometimes called “The Pearl of Scotland”.[1] Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. Margaret and her family returned to England in 1057, but fled to the Kingdom of Scotland following the Norman conquest of England of 1066.
17 Hugh, 1200, and Robert Grosseteste, 1253, Bishops of Lincoln
18 Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680 is a Christian saint and the founding abbess of the monastery at Whitby, which was chosen as the venue for the Synod of Whitby. An important figure in the conversion of England to Christianity, she was abbess at several monasteries and recognized for the wisdom that drew kings to her for advice.
19 Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary, 1231
20 Edmund, King of East Anglia, 870
21 William Byrd, 1623, John Merbecke, 1585, and Thomas Tallis, 1585, Musicians
22 Clive Staples Lewis, Apologist and Spiritual Writer, 1963
23 Clement, Bishop of Rome, c. 100
Judges 4:1-7

4The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. 3Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

4 At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. 6She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ’

Psalm 100

A Psalm of thanksgiving.
1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
2   Worship the Lord with gladness;
   come into his presence with singing.


3 Know that the Lord is God.
   It is he that made us, and we are his;*
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.


4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
   and his courts with praise.
   Give thanks to him, bless his name.


5 For the Lord is good;
   his steadfast love endures for ever,
   and his faithfulness to all generations.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

5Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters,* you do not need to have anything written to you. 2For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! 4But you, beloved,* are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; 5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; 7for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. 8But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. 11Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Paul has just told the Thessalonian Christians that, at the end of the age, both the faithful who have already died and those still alive will ascend to heaven to be with God for ever. Now, he says, concerning when Christ will come again, you are well aware that he will come suddenly and unexpectedly (“like a thief in the night”, v. 2). Others who are lulled by the “peace and security” (v. 3) will be separated from God for ever (“sudden destruction”), as suddenly as a “woman” comes into labour; God’s condemnation of them will be inescapable.

Then, in vv. 4-8a, he exhorts his readers to moral vigilance. Being “children of light”, (i.e. united with Christ, the light of the world), they will not be surprised by Christ’s second coming. So let us not become careless and sinful (“fall asleep”, v. 6) as others do, but let us be prepared. Let us have the sobriety of people who have peace of mind through trust in God. Sleep and drunkenness are attributes of children of darkness, those who ignore or oppose God’s ways.

We are, (here he uses a military image) to possess the Christian virtues of “faith” (v. 8), “love” and “hope” – the certain hope of “salvation”; these virtues protect us from evil. For God has pre-ordained (“destined us”, v. 9) that we are saved through Christ rather than being damned eternally (“wrath”). Jesus rescues us from sin, so that, whether we are alive (“awake”, v. 10) or physically dead (“asleep”) when he comes again, we will live with him in heaven. Finally, he advises his readers to “build up” (v. 11) each other, to support each other spiritually: here he sees the church as the temple of God under construction; the builder is God, and Christians can participate in the work.


1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

These verses come close to repeating 4:13-18, albeit from a different perspective, so some scholars consider it to be a corrective added to this letter by a later author. There Paul commends the fate of the dead to God; here he reflects on the implications of the Day of the Lord for those who are alive. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “the times and the seasons”: i.e. the day(s) when the things mentioned in 4:13-17 (i.e. the fate of the faithful departed and the manner of Christ’s second coming) will occur. In Acts 1:6-7, the apostles ask Jesus “‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’” and he replies “‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority ...”. [ CAB]

Verse 1: “brothers and sisters”: Some desired an eschatological timetable: see Acts 1:6-7. [ NOAB]

Verse 2: Paul reiterates Jesus’ warning: in Matthew 24:43-44, Jesus says: “‘if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour’”. See also Luke 12:39-40. [ NOAB]

Verse 2: “the day of the Lord”: This is, in the Old Testament, the day when God will vindicate his cause and execute judgement: see Amos 5:18-19 (“Alas for you who desire the day of the Lord! Why do you want the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light; as if someone fled from a lion, and was met by a bear; or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall, and was bitten by a snake”); Joel 2:31 (“The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes”); Malachi 4:5 (“Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes”); Zephaniah 1:7. [CAB]

In the New Testament, Acts 2:20-21 tells us: “The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” and in 1 Corinthians 5:5 Paul predicts the destiny of a man who is living immorally: “you are to hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord”. In Philippians 1:6, 10, a later letter, Paul calls it “the day of Christ”, but here in 1 Thessalonians the implication is that “the Lord” is God. Speculation about the coming of the end-times is characteristic of an apocalyptic world view. Some apocalyptic writings divide this coming into periods: see Daniel 9:2, 24-27 and 2 Esdras 14:5. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “peace and security”: See also Jeremiah 6:14. In Ezekiel 13:10-17, Yahweh speaks through the prophet of the fate of those who preach peace and security falsely. [ NJBC]

Verse 3: “sudden destruction”: In Luke 21:34-36, Jesus advises: “‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man’”. [ CAB]

Verse 3: “pregnant woman”: This is a common Old Testament prophetic expression for the suddenness, precariousness, and inevitability of the Day of the Lord: see Isaiah 13:8; 21:3; 37:3; Jeremiah 6:24; Hosea 13:13; Mark 13:8. [ NOAB] [ CAB] [ NJBC]

Verses 4-8: Many scholars believe that this exhortation reflects Christian baptismal catechesis. [ NJBC]

Verse 4: In Romans 13:12, Paul writes: “the night is far gone, the day is near”. [ CAB]

Verse 5: “children of light and ... of darkness”:Job 22:11 speaks of darkness as evil. In Luke 16:8 Jesus contraststhe “children of this age” with the “children of light”. John 12:36 and Ephesians 5:8 advises the faithful to “live as children of light”. In 1 John 1:5-6 we read: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all”. The Qumran community contrasted the children of light with the children of darkness: see 1QS (Rule of the Community) 1:9-10; 3:13; 1QM (War Scroll) 1. See also Testament of Naphtali 2:7-10. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 6: “let us not fall asleep”: i.e. in carelessness and sin. In Matthew 24:42, Jesus advises: “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming”. See also Matthew 24:49; Luke 12:39, 45; Mark 13:35-36. [ CAB]

Verse 8: “breastplate ... helmet”: The military analogy is also found in Isaiah 59:17; Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-23; Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7; 10:4; Ephesians 6:11-17. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “faith ... love ... hope”: At least two of these notions also appear in each of 1:3; Romans 5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 13:13; Galatians 5:5-6; Colossians 1:4-5; Hebrews 10:22-24; 1 Peter 1:21-22. [ CAB]

Verses 8,9: “salvation”: i.e. all the benefits of life in Christ, present and future. [ CAB]

Verse 9: “destined”: i.e. pre-ordained but not pre-destined.

Verse 10: According to NJBC, another fragmentary credal formula. In 1:10, Paul writes: “... to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming”.

Verse 10: “awake or asleep”: Salvation accrues to all, whether they are alive or not. In 4:14, Paul says: “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died”. See also 4:16-17. [ NJBC]
Matthew 25:31-46

31 ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. 34Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” 37Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” 40And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” 41Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” 44Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” 45Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” 46And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

Jesus continues to tell parables about the kingdom of heaven. In the previous parables, he has told us that we need to be prepared for the Second Coming at all times. Today’s parable is set in the realm of finance. A master, before leaving on a journey, entrusts his slaves with his money, “each according to his ability” (v. 15). (A talent was about 15 years’ wages for a labourer, a large sum of money.) Two servants invest the money and earn more (vv. 16, 17); the third simply buries it (v. 18). When the master returns (v. 19), he praises the investors; they, he says, will be made responsible for “many things” (vv. 21, 23), and will “enter into the joy of your master”. But the third slave, admitting that he was afraid of his master’s wrath (v. 24), simply returns the original sum (v. 25). The master chastises him for his wickedness and laziness. This slave loses what he has been given (v. 28) and is condemned to “outer darkness” (v. 30). This would have caused a stir in Jesus’ day, for a rabbinic maxim commends burial of money as a way of protecting it.

But this parable is about the kingdom of heaven, so what is the lesson it teaches? “Weeping and gnashing of teeth” (v. 30) is a stock phrase for condemnation of the wicked at the Last Day. The master stands for God and the servants for various kinds of people. Yes, God both rewards generously and is a stern judge. He expects us to be good stewards of his gifts. We will be commended and rewarded for faithfully carrying out his mission. Failure to use what he gives us will result in punishment – by separation from him, the essence of goodness. We are expected to make it grow. He is free to distribute his gifts as he sees fit (vv. 28-29).

Perhaps Mark 13:34 contains the germ of, or a vestige of, this parable: “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch”.

The first and second slaves play one role. [ Blomberg]

Comments: This would have caused a stir in Jesus’ day, for a rabbinic maxim commends burial of money as a way of protecting it: On the other hand, the Jewish law which commended burial of money spoke only of safeguarding the trust of a friend or client, not of an appropriate way of dealing with finances intended for investment. (Luke 19:13, a verse in a possible parallel, says: “He summoned ten of his slaves, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, ‘Do business with these until I come back’”.) So perhaps the third slave’s behaviour should be seen as foolish. On this reading, neither the action of the slave (nor the response of the master) is implausible, but is unusual. [ Blomberg]

Verses 14,20,22: “entrusted ... handed over ... handed over”: The Greek verb is paradidomi, a technical term for tradition. So an earlier version of the story might have reproached a static (possibly Sadducean) attitude to religious tradition, which refuses to develop it. The third slave then hides his talent and guards tradition in a static way. [ NJBC]

Verse 15: “to each according to his ability”: This phrase has led, in modern languages, to the use of the term talent for gift, aptitude and flair. [ NJBC]

Verse 19: “After a long time”: Perhaps an indication that Christ’s second coming will not be within the lifetimes of those who knew Jesus during his earthly life.

Verse 21: “trustworthy”: Here the meaning of the Greek word includes believing and risk-taking. [ NJBC]

Verses 24-25: See Job 23:13-17; Mishna ‘Abot 1:3; 2:15; 3:17. [ NJBC]

Verse 27: “invested my money with the bankers”: Probably a risky proposition, as is all finance. Perhaps Jesus is saying that disciples are expected to take risks.

Verse 27: “with interest”: Perhaps moderate capitalism is in view. [ NJBC]

Verses 28-29: To many scholars, these verses do not seem to fit with the parable; however in v. 29, Jesus may well have been implying the context, expecting the hearer to understand “have” as have earned and “have not” as have not earned. V. 28 makes sense in this context when one rereads v. 14: “a man ... entrusted [all] his property to them”. [ Blomberg] To NOAB, Jesus speaks in two settings simultaneously: as the third slave had his original talent, yet earned nothing by it, so individuals can have their earthly existence and all that derives from it, yet lack merit in the final judgement (v. 30).

Verse 29: In Mark 4:25, Jesus says: “... to those who have, more will be given; and from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away”; in Matthew 13:12, he says “to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away”; in Luke 8:18, he says “for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away”. [ NJBC]

Verse 30: “worthless”: i.e. without value to his master. [ NOAB]

8
9
10 Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, 461 was an Italian aristocrat, and was the first pope to have been called "the Great". He is perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.
11 Martin, Bishop of Tours, 397 was Bishop of Tours, whose shrine in France became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Around his name much legendary material accrued, and he has become one of the most familiar and recognisable Christian saints
12 Charles Simeon, Priest, 1836
13
14 Consecration of Samuel Seabury, First American Bishop, 1784
15 Francis Asbury, 1816, and George Whitefield, 1770, Evangelists


OLD TESTAMENT:  Joshua 24: 1 - 3a, 14 - 25  (RCL)

Josh 24:1 (NRSV) Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to She'chem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. 2 And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors--Te'rah and his sons Abraham and Na'hor--lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Ca'naan and made his offspring many.

14 "Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Am'orites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
16 Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; 17 for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; 18 and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Am'orites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."
19 But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20 If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good." 21 And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the LORD!" 22 Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." 23 He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." 24 The people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and him we will obey." 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at She'chem.


Wisdom of Solomon 6: 12 - 16  (C of E, Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)

Wis 6:12 (NRSV) Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
14 One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
15 To fix one's thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.


Amos 5: 18 - 24  (alt. for RCL, alt. for C of E) (an alternative for the Wisdom reading)

Amos 5:18 (NRSV) Alas for you who desire the day of the LORD!
Why do you want the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, not light;
19 as if someone fled from a lion,
and was met by a bear;
or went into the house and rested a hand against the wall,
and was bitten by a snake.
20 Is not the day of the LORD darkness, not light,
and gloom with no brightness in it?
21 I hate, I despise your festivals,
and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
22 Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them;
and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals
I will not look upon.
23 Take away from me the noise of your songs;
I will not listen to the melody of your harps.
24 But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.


PSALM 78: 1 - 7  (RCL)

Psal 78:1 (NRSV) Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known,
that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a decree in Jacob,
and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them,
the children yet unborn,
and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God,
and not forget the works of God,
but keep his commandments;


78

Part I   Attendite, popule    (ECUSA - US BCP)

1      Hear my teaching, O my people; *
     incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

2      I will open my mouth in a parable; *
     I will declare the mysteries of ancient times.

3      That which we have heard and known,
and what our forefathers have told us, *
     we will not hide from their children.

4      We will recount to generations to come
the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, *
     and the wonderful works he has done.

5      He gave his decrees to Jacob
and established a law for Israel, *
     which he commanded them to teach their children;

6      That the generations to come might know,
and the children yet unborn; *
     that they in their turn might tell it to their children;

7      So that they might put their trust in God, *
     and not forget the deeds of God,
     but keep his commandments;



Psalm 70   (alt. for RCL, alt. for C of E) (used with reading from Amos)

Psal 70:1 (NRSV) Be pleased, O God, to deliver me.
O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let those be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life.
Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who desire to hurt me.
3 Let those who say, "Aha, Aha!"
turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you.
Let those who love your salvation
say evermore, "God is great!"
5 But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay!


70   Deus, in adjutorium    (ECUSA - US BCP)

1  Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *
   O Lord, make haste to help me.

2  Let those who seek my life be ashamed
and altogether dismayed; *
   let those who take pleasure in my misfortune
   draw back and be disgraced.

3  Let those who say to me “Aha!” and gloat over me turn back, *
   because they are ashamed.

4  Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *
   let those who love your salvation say for ever,
   “Great is the Lord!”

5  But as for me, I am poor and needy; *
   come to me speedily, O God.

6  You are my helper and my deliverer; *
   O Lord, do not tarry.


Psalm 63: 1 - 7  (Roman Catholic)

Psal 63:1 (NRSV) O God, you are my God, I seek you,
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.

Note: Verse numbering is one greater in Roman Catholic Bibles


Wisdom of Solomon 6: 17 - 20   (C of E, alt. for RCL) (as a canticle with the other Wisdom reading)

6:17 (NRSV) The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction,
and concern for instruction is love of her,
18 and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
19 and immortality brings one near to God;
20 so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.


NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18  (all but Roman Catholic)
                                     1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 14 (15 - 18)   (Roman Catholic)

1The 4:13 (NRSV) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. 15 For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. 16 For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

h/t Montreal Anglican

Paul has just urged his readers to live a godly, ethical life “because the Lord is an avenger” (v. 6). When? According to Wisdom, the wicked will be punished at the Last Day. This brings up an important question (“we do not want you to be uninformed”, v. 13, is Paul’s way of saying this is important!): we know that the destiny of the faithful who are alive at the end of time is to be with God, but what about those who have already died?

We want you to understand, he says, about the faithful (“those”) who have died (literally, are asleep), so that your grieving will be limited to what is natural upon the loss of a dear one; that you not share in the pagan belief that the dead are caught up in nothingness (“grieve as others do”). Christians have a certain hope: because we believe in the crucified and risen Christ, through him, God will bring those who are asleep into his company (v. 14). Those who are alive at the End will have no advantage over those who have died. (He includes himself among those who will still be alive.) Vv. 16-17 express a basic truth in terms of the cosmology of the day (with heaven above and the earth below): at the time of the second coming, God will descend, those who are already dead will rise, then we who are alive will ascend, joining those already dead. Thus we will all be with God for ever.

In Greek, this passage is four sentences, each of which forms a section: vv. 13, 14, 15-17, 18.

Verse 13: “those who have died”: Literally those who have fallen asleep: thus the NRSV footnote. The Greek word is found in the Septuagint translation of Psalm 13:4. See also Matthew 9:24, Jesus’ explanation of the state of the daughter of a leader of the synagogue: “for the girl is not dead but sleeping”. See also John 11:11, where Jesus says “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” Asleep is a common New Testament description of physical death. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]

Verse 14: “we believe ...”: A longer credal formula is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-7.

Verse 14: “God will bring with him ...”: The Christian is united with Christ in his death and resurrection. See Romans 6:3.

Verses 15-17: Paul explains v. 14.

Verse 15: “by the word of the Lord”: i.e. by authorized revelation, not Paul’s personal opinion. [ NOAB] See also 4:2 (“... you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus”); Luke 14:14; John 5:28-29.

Verse 15: Comments: He includes himself among those who will still be alive: That he expects to still be alive when Christ comes again suggests that this letter was written before that to the Philippians, for there he wonders whether he will be put to death before the second coming. See Philippians 1:22-24. [ CAB]

Verse 16: In Matthew 24:30-31, Jesus says “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see 'the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven' with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other”. [ NOAB]

Verse 16: “with a cry of command”: See also Matthew 25:6 and Revelation 22:12 (“‘See, I am coming soon ...’”). [ CAB]

Verses 16-17: God will take the initiative. [ NJBC]

Verse 16: “with the archangel’s call”: See also Jude 9 (the archangel Michael). [ CAB]

Verse 16: “with the sound of God’s trumpet”: The sound of the trumpet heralding the end of time is found in the Old Testament in Isaiah 27:13; Joel 2:1, 15; Zechariah 9:14 and also in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians 15:52; Matthew 24:31; Revelation 11:15; 14; 17; 19; 20. [ CAB]

Verse 16: “will descend from heaven”: In Mark 13:26, Jesus says: “‘Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory’” and in Luke 17:24 he says: “‘For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day’”. [ CAB]

Verse 16: “the dead in Christ”: See also 1 Corinthians 15:18. [ CAB]

Verse 16: “will rise first”: The resurrection hope as expressed in 1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 14:14. [ CAB]

Verse 16: “first”: Apocalyptic descriptions usually portray the end-time victory as a procession.

Verse 17: “we will be with the Lord forever”: The reality of ultimate salvation is being with the Lord. See also v. 14 and Matthew 25:46; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Philippians 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:10. [ NJBC] [ CAB]

Verse 17: “clouds ... in the air”: In apocalyptic literature, the usual avenue to and from heaven. Telling of a vision, Daniel says in Daniel 7:13: “As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven ...”. The Aramaic translated as “human being” literally means son of man.

Verse 18: A call to mutual encouragement is also found in 5:11. [ NJBC]

GOSPEL:  Matthew 25: 1 - 13  (all)

Matt 25:1 (NRSV) "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a shout, "Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' 7 Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8 The foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 9 But the wise replied, "No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' 10 And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. 11 Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, "Lord, lord, open to us.' 12 But he replied, "Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' 13 Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The foregoing verses ( 24:45-51) are a parable about a master who leaves his household for a time, and suddenly returns. If, while he is away, his servant lives a godly, ethical life, he is “blessed” when the master returns. On the other hand, if he, realizing that the master is delayed in returning, misbehaves and lives a life of debauchery, he will be condemned upon the master’s return. In fact, he will be caught in the act, because the master will return when he least expects. Jesus is speaking in another way (in an allegory), about the relationship between how we live now and what our fate will be at the Second Coming; the master stands for Christ.

Our reading is also a parable about the end of time, the Second Coming. For the bridegroom to be “delayed” (v. 5) was normal at Jewish weddings, but vv. 10b-12 would be surprising to Jesus’ audience. Each of the wise bridesmaids has made her preparation; she is prepared spiritually but preparedness cannot be transferred to others, so their refusal to give oil to the foolish bridesmaids may be intended to show that each one of us is expected to make our own preparation – by living a godly, ethical life. Two surprising events, the door being shut (v. 10) and the failing to recognize the foolish bridesmaids (v. 12), are probably another way of saying that the unprepared will be refused entry to the Kingdom – just as the wicked servant will be punished. We are to be prepared at all times for the end of the age, the Second Coming of Christ. (In v. 13, the Greek translated as “Keep awake” can be rendered as be prepared.)

Nuptial imagery, used in Song of Songs, was applied by the rabbis to the relationship between God and his people. See also 9:14-15 and 22:1-14. [ NJBC]

Verse 1: “bridesmaids”: The Greek word, parthenos, literally means virgins. Considering that the bride is never mentioned, the ten may well be brides. If so, polygamy is in view. To NJBC, the represent the disciples and/or expectant believers: Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:2: “I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ”.

Verse 1: Jesus also advises preparedness for the kingdom in Luke 12:35-38 and Mark 13:34.

Verse 1: “the bridegroom”: He is a natural symbol for God, stemming from the Old Testament concept of God as the husband of his people. See, for example, Isaiah 54:4-6; Ezekiel 16:7-34; Hosea 2:19. [ Blomberg]

Verse 2: “foolish ... wise”: These labels recall 7:24-27 (building on rock rather than on sand); 23:17, 19; 24:45. The wisdom in view is a practical one about salivation. [ NJBC]

Verse 8: “oil”: Oil is a frequent symbol in earlier Hebrew literature for joy and for anointing a priest or king. In this parable, it likely represents anything an individual must do in order to be ready to meet the Lord. Preparedness, like oil in this parable, cannot be shared. [ Blomberg] To NJBC, the oil stands for good works (an idea found in many older commentaries); they are not completely transferable.

Verse 10: Revelation 19:9 says: “... the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb’”.

Verse 10: “the door was shut”: Admission is not automatic. [ NJBC]

Verses 11-12: Jesus presents the same idea in also Luke 13:25 and Matthew 7:21-23.

Verse 13: Jesus also advises being prepared for his second coming in 24:42; Mark 13:35; Luke 12:40.

Verse 13: “Keep awake”: The Greek is gregoreo.

Blomberg offers three main points of the parable:

    Like the bridegroom, God may delay his coming longer than people expect.
    Like the wise bridesmaids, his followers must be prepared for such a delay – discipleship may be more arduous than the novice suspects.
    Like the foolish bridesmaids, those who do not prepare adequately may discover a point beyond which there is no return – when the end comes it will be too late to undo the damage of neglect.

The principal point seems to be the third.

Verse 10: “the bridegroom came”: The Palestinian custom was that the bridegroom fetched his bride from her parents’ home to his own. [ NOAB]

2 Commemoration of All Faithful Departed
3 Richard Hooker, Priest, 1600 was an English priest in the Church of England and an influential theologian.[2] He was one of the most important English theologians of the sixteenth century
4
5
6 William Temple, Archbishop of Canterbury, 1944
7 Willibrord, Archbishop of Utrecht, Missionary to Frisia, 739
8
9



OLD TESTAMENT:  Joshua 3: 7 - 17  (RCL)

Josh 3:7 (NRSV) The LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. 8 You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, "When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'" 9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, "Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God." 10 Joshua said, "By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Ca'naanites, Hit'tites, Hi'vites, Per'izzites, Gir'gashites, Am'orites, and Jeb'usites: 11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. 12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap."
14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zar'ethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Ar'abah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.


Micah 3: 5 - 12  (C of E, alt. for RCL)

Mica 3:5 (NRSV) Thus says the LORD concerning the prophets
who lead my people astray,
who cry "Peace"
when they have something to eat,
but declare war against those
who put nothing into their mouths.
6 Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision,
and darkness to you, without revelation.
The sun shall go down upon the prophets,
and the day shall be black over them;
7 the seers shall be disgraced,
and the diviners put to shame;
they shall all cover their lips,
for there is no answer from God.
8 But as for me, I am filled with power,
with the spirit of the LORD,
and with justice and might,
to declare to Jacob his transgression
and to Israel his sin.
9 Hear this, you rulers of the house of Jacob
and chiefs of the house of Israel,
who abhor justice
and pervert all equity,
10 who build Zion with blood
and Jerusalem with wrong!
11 Its rulers give judgment for a bribe,
its priests teach for a price,
its prophets give oracles for money;
yet they lean upon the LORD and say,
"Surely the LORD is with us!
No harm shall come upon us."
12 Therefore because of you
Zion shall be plowed as a field;
Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins,
and the mountain of the house a wooded height.


Milachi 1: 14b - 2: 2b, 8 - 10  (Roman Catholic)

Mala 1:14 (NRSV) I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is reverenced among the nations.
2:1 And now, O priests, this command is for you. 2 If you will not listen, if you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse on you and I will curse your blessings;

8 But you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by your instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, 9 and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you have not kept my ways but have shown partiality in your instruction.
10 {The Covenant Profaned by Judah} Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?


PSALM 107: 1 - 7, 33 - 37  (RCL)

Psal 107:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so,
those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.


107

Part I   Confitemini Domino    (ECUSA BCP)

1      Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, *
     and his mercy endures for ever.

2      Let all those whom the Lord has redeemed proclaim *
     that he redeemed them from the hand of the foe.

3      He gathered them out of the lands; *
     from the east and from the west,
     from the north and from the south.
 
4      Some wandered in desert wastes; *
     they found no way to a city where they might dwell.

5      They were hungry and thirsty; *
     their spirits languished within them.

6      Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, *
     and he delivered them from their distress.

7      He put their feet on a straight path *
     to go to a city where they might dwell.


33      The Lord changed rivers into deserts, *
     and water-springs into thirsty ground,

34      A fruitful land into salt flats, *
     because of the wickedness of those who dwell there.

35      He changed deserts into pools of water *
     and dry land into water-springs.


36      He settled the hungry there, *
     and they founded a city to dwell in.

37      They sowed fields, and planted vineyards, *
     and brought in a fruitful harvest.



Psalm 43 (C of E, alt. for RCL)

Psal 43:1 (NRSV) Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust
deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge;
why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully
because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out your light and your truth;
let them lead me;
let them bring me to your holy hill
and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God,
to God my exceeding joy;
and I will praise you with the harp,
O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my help and my God.


43   Judica me, Deus   (ECUSA BCP)

1      Give judgment for me, O God,
and defend my cause against an ungodly people; *
 deliver me from the deceitful and the wicked.

2      For you are the God of my strength;
why have you put me from you? *
 and why do I go so heavily while the enemy
        oppresses me?

3      Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, *
 and bring me to your holy hill
 and to your dwelling;

4      That I may go to the altar of God,
to the God of my joy and gladness; *
 and on the harp I will give thanks to you, O God my God.


5      Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? *
 and why are you so disquieted within me?

6      Put your trust in God; *
 for I will yet give thanks to him,
 who is the help of my countenance, and my God.


Psalm 131  (Roman Catholic)

Psal 131:1 (NRSV) O LORD, my heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned child that is with me. 
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD
from this time on and forevermore.


NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Thessalonians 2: 9 - 13   (RCL, C of E)

1The 2:9 (NRSV) You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. 11 As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, 12 urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.

17 As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you--in person, not in heart--we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face. 18 For we wanted to come to you--certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again--but Satan blocked our way. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 Yes, you are our glory and joy!


1 Thessalonians 2: 7b - 9, 13  (Roman Catholic)

1The 2:7 (NRSV) (W)e were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. 8 So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
9 You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.

13 We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.


h/t Montreal Anglican
Paul continues his defence of his techniques in founding the Thessalonian church. In v. 9, he reminds his readers that he (and perhaps Silvanus and Timothy) worked strenuously while with them, probably dividing his time between his trade (tent-making) and proclaiming the gospel. (Every Jew learnt a trade.) He did not impose on them. Both they and God are “witnesses” (v. 10) to the interior goodness and fidelity to God (“pure”), propriety (“upright”) and freedom from sin (“blameless”) in their conduct towards the converts. Back in v. 7, he spoke of nourishing them as a mother nourishes her baby; now (v. 11) he speaks of the father’s role: a father instructs. He appealed to them (“urging”, v. 12), encouraged them, and pleaded with them – to walk in God’s ways (“lead ...”), who calls them to share in the new order, now and at the end of time.

In 1:5, Paul has said that “our message ... came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit ...”. Now he gives thanks for this: that they understood the good news not on his authority (as his), nor effective through him, “but as what it really is, God’s word” (v. 13), made active in those who believe.

Verse 9: Acts 18:2-3 tells us that Paul was a tent-maker by trade. Paul may have used Aquila’s shop to spread the good news. [ NJBC] In 1 Corinthians 4:12, Paul writes: “we grow weary from the work of our own hands”. [ CAB]

Verse 9: “the gospel of God”: i.e. the good news originating from God which proclaims what God has done. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “and God also”: Perhaps a mild oath supporting the emissaries’ integrity. [ NJBC]

Verse 10: “pure, upright, and blameless”: These terms are virtually synonyms. Use of such repetitions is characteristic of 1 Thessalonians: see, for example, 1:5 and 2:3. [ NJBC]

Verse 11: In 1 Corinthians 4:15, Paul says: “For though you might have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. Indeed, in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel”; in Philemon 10, he writes: “I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment”. [ CAB]

Verse 12: In Romans 16:2, Paul commends Phoebe to his readers “so that you may welcome her in the Lord as is fitting for the saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a benefactor of many and of myself as well”; in Philippians 1:27, he urges the Christians at Philippi to “live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ”. See also Ephesians 4:1 and Colossians 1:10.

Verse 12: “kingdom”: The Greek word, basileia, is rarely used by Paul but is used frequently in the Synoptic gospels. Both “kingdom” and “glory” refer to God’s end-time reign. [ NJBC]

Verses 13-16: Many scholars consider these verses, so critical of Jews, to be a later addition to the letter for two reasons:

    The anti-Jewish language is not like that Paul uses elsewhere, but especially
    It is atypical of Paul to offer a second thanksgiving in a letter. [ NOAB]

Verse 13: Galatians 1:11-12 is similar: “For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ”. [ CAB]

GOSPEL:  Matthew 23: 1 - 12  (all but C of E)

Matt 23:1 (NRSV) Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 "The scribes and the Phar'isees sit on Moses' seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. 8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father--the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.


Jesus has just silenced his principal critics, the Sadducees and the Pharisees, by showing their lack of understanding of parts of the Old Testament. He now speaks “to the crowds and to his disciples”. (Most “scribes”, v. 2, were Pharisees. They made copies of the Mosaic law; they taught and applied it and the aural tradition that had grown up around it, considering the latter to be as binding as the Law.)

Jesus tells his audience (v. 2): the Pharisees have authority to teach the Law, in (what was considered) an unbroken chain back to Moses (“Moses’ seat”), so honour their teachings, but beware of their practices! They are great ones for teaching a severe (rather than humane) interpretation of the Law (“heavy burdens”, v. 4) and not following it themselves! They are vain and hypocritical (v. 5): they exert effort to appear pious. (“Phylacteries” are small boxes containing biblical texts, worn on the arm or the forehead; “fringes” are prescribed in Numbers and Deuteronomy as a way of remembering to live by the commandments. The longer the fringes, the more pious the wearer appears to be.) Vv. 6-7 give four examples of vanity. (“Rabbi” means master and later became a title for a synagogue leader.) Then vv. 8-10: Christians are not to use honorific titles. Jesus is our one “teacher” and instructor for we are his lifelong disciples; others teach us only for a time. God the “Father” is our father. Vv. 11-12 emphasize the importance of humility and service to others.

erse 2: “The scribes and the Pharisees”: According to CAB, “scribes” devoted themselves to the interpretation of the Law and “Pharisees” sought the direct relevance of the Law to everyday life. They claimed divinely confirmed interpretation of the Law.

Verse 3: To NJBC, this verse only makes sense as irony.

Verse 4: “heavy burdens”: i.e. minute and perplexing interpretations of the Law. In Luke 11:46, Jesus warns lawyers of his time: “‘Woe also to you lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them’” while in Matthew 11:28-30 he says: “‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ... For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light’”. In Acts 15:10, Peter says of those who expect Christians to follow Jewish practices: “‘why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?’”. [ NOAB]

Verse 5: In 6:1, Jesus warns: “‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven’”; in 6:5 he advises: “whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others”. See also 6:16.

Verse 5: “phylacteries”: called tefillin in Hebrew. Wearing them on the head and on the arm is commanded in Exodus 13:9, 16; Deuteronomy 6:8; 11:18. They contained strips of parchment bearing the texts of Exodus 13:9, 16; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-20. Today the texts are written on paper. [ NOAB] CAB gives a longer (and different) list of verses: Exodus 13:1-6; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21.

Verse 5: “fringes”: The texts which prescribe “fringes” are Numbers 15:38-40 and Deuteronomy 22:12. See also Mark 6:56, where Jesus’ wearing of a fringe on his cloak shows his observance of the Law. [ NOAB]

Verses 6-7: In Mark 12:38-40, Jesus warns about scribes on most of these grounds. His warning in Luke 11:43 is about Pharisees. See also Luke 14:7-11 and 20:45-47.

Verse 8: James 3:1 says: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness”. [ NOAB]

Verse 8: “rabbi”: This term had only recently come into use as a technical term for an authorized Jewish teacher-sage.

Verse 9: “father”: Saul ben Batnith (ca. 80-120 AD) was the first known Jewish sage to bear the title abba (father). Despite the prohibition in this verse, the title gradually crept back into the Church through the monastic movement, where it first served as the title of a spiritual director. [ NJBC]

Verse 12: Luke 14:11 is almost identical. See also Luke 18:14. In Matthew 18:4, Jesus says: “‘Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven’”. 1 Peter 5:6 advises: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time”. [ NOAB]

Matthew 24: 1 - 14   (C of E)

Matt 24:1 (NRSV) {The Destruction of the Temple Foretold} As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 Then he asked them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down."
3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Beware that no one leads you astray. 5 For many will come in my name, saying, "I am the Messiah!' and they will lead many astray. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: 8 all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.
9 "Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. 10 Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come.