5 Roger Williams, 1683,
and Anne Hutchinson, 1643, Prophetic Witnesses
6 The Martyrs of Japan,
1597 were Christian missionaries and
followers who were persecuted and executed for their faith in Japan, mostly
during the Tokugawa shogunate period in the 17th century.
7 Cornelius the
Centurion was a Roman centurion who is
considered by Christians to be the first Gentile to convert to the faith, as related in Acts of the Apostles and, perhaps the
Gospel according to John.
11 Frances Jane (Fanny)
Van Alstyne Crosby, Hymnwriter, 1915
12 Charles Freer
Andrews, Priest and “Friend of the Poor” in India, 1940
OLD TESTAMENT Isaiah 58 1 - 9a (9b - 12) (RCL)
Isaiah 58 7
- 10 (Roman Catholic)
Isai 581 (NRSV)
Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice
like a trumpet!
Announce to my
people their rebellion,
to the house of
Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after
day they seek me
and delight to
know my ways,
as if they were a
nation that practiced righteousness
and did not
forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me
righteous judgments,
they delight to
draw near to God.
3 "Why do we
fast, but you do not see?
Why humble
ourselves, but you do not notice?"
Look, you serve
your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all
your workers.
4 Look, you fast
only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with
a wicked fist.
Such fasting as
you do today
will not make your
voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast
that I choose,
a day to humble
oneself?
Is it to bow down
the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in
sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this
a fast,
a day acceptable
to the LORD?
6 Is not this the
fast that I choose
to loose the bonds
of injustice,
to undo the thongs
of the yoke,
to let the
oppressed go free,
and to break every
yoke?
7 Is it not to
share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the
homeless poor into your house;
when you see the
naked, to cover them,
and not to hide
yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light
shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing
shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator
shall go before you,
the glory of the
LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall
call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for
help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the
yoke from among you,
the pointing of
the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer
your food to the hungry
and satisfy the
needs of the afflicted,
then your light
shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be
like the noonday.
11 The LORD will
guide you continually,
and satisfy your
needs in parched places,
and make your
bones strong;
and you shall be
like a watered garden,
like a spring of
water,
whose waters never
fail.
12 Your ancient
ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up
the foundations of many generations;
you shall be
called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of
streets to live in.
Psalm 112: 1 - 9 (10)
1 Praise the Lord!
Happy are those who fear the Lord,
who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their
descendants will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be
blessed.
3 Wealth and
riches are in their houses,
and their righteousness endures for ever.
4 They rise in the
darkness as a light for the upright;
they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with
those who deal generously and lend,
who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the
righteous will never be moved;
they will be remembered for ever.
7 They are not
afraid of evil tidings;
their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are
steady, they will not be afraid;
in the end they will look in triumph on their
foes.
9 They have
distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
their righteousness endures for ever;
their horn is exalted in honour.
10 The wicked see
it and are angry;
they gnash their teeth and melt away;
the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
112 Beatus vir (ECUSA BCP)
1 Hallelujah!
Happy are they who
fear the Lord *
and
have great delight in his commandments!
2 Their
descendants will be mighty in the land; *
the
generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth
and riches will be in their house, *
and
their righteousness will last for ever.
4 Light
shines in the darkness for the upright; *
the
righteous are merciful and full of compassion.
5 It
is good for them to be generous in lending *
and
to manage their affairs with justice.
6 For
they will never be shaken; *
the
righteous will be kept in everlasting remembrance.
7 They
will not be afraid of any evil rumors; *
their
heart is right;
they
put their trust in the Lord.
8 Their
heart is established and will not shrink, *
until
they see their desire upon their enemies.
9 They
have given freely to the poor, *
and
their righteousness stands fast for ever;
they
will hold up their head with honor.
10 The
wicked will see it and be angry;
they will gnash
their teeth and pine away; *
the
desires of the wicked will perish.
NEW TESTAMENT 1 Corinthians 2 1 - 12 (13 - 16) (RCL)
1
Corinthians 2 1 - 5 (Roman Catholic)
1Cor 21 (NRSV)
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the
mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing
among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in
weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation
were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit
and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the
power of God.
6 Yet among the
mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the
rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7 But we speak God's wisdom,
secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of
the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have
crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
"What no eye
has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the human
heart conceived,
what God has
prepared for those who love him"--
10 these things
God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything,
even the depths of God. 11 For what human being knows what is truly human
except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is
truly God's except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of
the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts
bestowed on us by God. 13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by
human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those
who are spiritual.
14 Those who are
unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are foolishness
to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually
discerned. 15 Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are
themselves subject to no one else's scrutiny.
16 "For who
has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct
him?"
But we have the
mind of Christ.
h/t Montreal Anglican
While with “mature” (v. 6) Christians, he does speak “wisdom” (i.e. a total God-centred view of the cosmos – not popular wisdom, and not that of political and religious “rulers”), with the immature Christians at Corinth he speaks only basics of the good news: God’s plan of salvation, decreed by God before creation. He does so in order that they may reflect God’s power (“glory”, v. 8). (Had the “rulers” understood this plan, they would have let Jesus live.) But they are so immature (indeed “unspiritual”, v. 14) that even the basics are beyond them, (“secret and hidden”, v. 7). God has revealed to the mature “through the Spirit” (v. 10) “things” about God’s love (v. 9) that are hidden from others. Just as one person can never plumb the essence of another completely, so only the Spirit can know God comprehensively. Through the Spirit, we (the mature) understand God’s gifts to us (v. 12), which can only be described in spiritual terms. But most of you have never received such gifts, so they make no sense to you (“are foolishness”, v. 14); they are only discernable in a spiritual way. The mature do discern such gifts – and you should not doubt it (“scrutiny”, v. 15). You should refrain from instructing them – for they are one with Christ, of his “mind” (v. 16).
Verse 3: “in weakness ...”: Unlike itinerant philosophers, who made a good living from the credulity of the simple. [ NJBC]
Verse 5: “the power of God”: i.e. God active in history. [ NJBC]
Verses 6,8: “rulers of this age”: It is possible that Paul is referring to cosmic demonic powers: see Ephesians 1:20-21; 3:10; 6:12. He may be referring to both the current political and religious leaders and to demonic powers. In Acts 4:25-28, the reference is clearly to the current leaders. [ NOAB]
Verse 8: “Lord of glory”: A divine title in 1 Enoch 63:2 and equivalently in Psalm 24:8. [ NJBC]
Verse 9: Human inability to grasp God’s purposes was known in the Old Testament, but while JBC says that the quotation may be a mixture of Isaiah 64:4 and Psalm 31:19, NJBC suggests that this is not an Old Testament quotation at all.
Verse 12: “the spirit of the world”: Possibly the mentality of a corrupt society. [ JBC]
Verse 16: The quotation is from the Septuagint translation of Isaiah 40:13. In Isaiah, “‘the Lord’” is God; here it is Christ. [ NOAB]
GOSPEL Matthew 5 13 - 20 (RCL)
Matthew 5 13 - 16 (Roman Catholic)
Matt 513 (NRSV)
"You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can
its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out
and trampled under foot.
14 "You are
the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after
lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it
gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father in heaven.
17 "Do not
think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to
abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass
away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until
all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these
commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom
of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the
kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of
the scribes and Phar'isees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus calls on disciples to be examples to others – of God’s ability to change lives (vv. 14-16). In so being, they will spread and make known God’s power (“glory”). (A Palestinian house had only one room and a sole opening: the door.) The life of disciples must be visible and attractive: as a “city” is. Now vv. 17-20: the “scribes and the Pharisees” were “righteous” for they kept the Law scrupulously, but Jesus says that such meritorious conduct is inadequate for admission to the Kingdom. As vv. 21-48 show, he preaches a religion that goes beyond the Law: one of the heart, of love and compassion. The gospel fulfills the Law, and exceeds it by adding grace. One of the ways he fulfills the Law is by looking at its intent and not just the words used to express it. (For example, the Law says you shall not murder but Jesus says, in effect, you shall attempt never to impair your relations with another person.) Whoever regards the Law as he does, even if he or she fails sometimes, will gain entry into the Kingdom.
Verse 13: “salt”: Salt is both a spice and a preservative: like a good teacher. Another possibility for salt losing its taste: salt was heavily taxed. It was adulterated by mixing it with a cheap white powder. In this way it could lose its strong taste. [ NJBC]
Verse 14: “light”: For light imagery applied to Jesus, see 4:16; Luke 1:79 (Zechariah’s prophecy); 2:32 (Simeon, Nunc Dimittis); Philippians 2:15; Ephesians 5:8. [ NOAB] [ NJBC]
Verse 14: “A city built on a hill”: See Isaiah 2:2-5. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: See also Mark 4:21; Luke 8:16; 11:33. Live for others, not just for yourself: see also 25:26; 2 Corinthians 4:7. [ NJBC] [ NOAB]
Verse 16: See also 1 Peter 2:12. [ NOAB]
Verse 16: “your Father”: See also 5:45, 48; 6:1, 9, 14, 26, 32; 7:11. [ NJBC]
Verse 18: “one letter”: In Greek, iota, the smallest letter. [ NJBC]
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