· 15 Francis
Asbury, 1816, and George Whitefield, 1770, Evangelists also spelled
George Whitfield, was an English Anglican
cleric who was one of the founders of Methodism
and the evangelical movement.[
· 16 Margaret, Queen of Scotland, 1093 also
known as Margaret of Wessex, was an English princess of the House
of Wessex. Margaret was sometimes called "The Pearl of Scotland".[1]
Born in exile in the Kingdom of Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar
Ætheling, the shortly reigned and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon
King
of England. Margaret and her family returned to the Kingdom of England in 1057, but fled to the Kingdom of Scotland following the Norman conquest of England in 1066. By the
end of 1070, Margaret had married King Malcolm III of Scotland, becoming Queen of Scots. She was a very pious Roman
Catholic, and among many charitable works she established a ferry across
the Firth of Forth in Scotland for
pilgrims travelling to St Andrews in Fife, which gave the
towns of South Queensferry and North
Queensferry their names.
· 19 Elizabeth, Princess of Hungary,
1231. was a princess of the Kingdom of Hungary, Landgravine of Thuringia, Germany, and a
greatly venerated Catholic saint who was an early member of the Third Order of St. Francis, by which she
is honored as its patroness.[6]
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
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.
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.
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.)
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.
Verse 10: “the bridegroom came”: The Palestinian custom was that the bridegroom fetched his bride from her parents’ home to his own. [ NOAB
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