·
13 Kentigern (Mungo), Missionary Bishop in Strathclyde and Cumbria, 603 known as Mungo, was an apostle of the Scottish Kingdom of Strathclyde in the late 6th century, and the founder and patron saint of the city
of Glasgow.
·
13 George Fox, Founder of the Society of
Friends (the Quakers), 1691
·
17 Antony of Egypt, Hermit, Abbot, 356 was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his
death as a saint. He is distinguished from other saints named Anthony by various epithets: Anthony the Great, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, and Anthony of Thebes. For his
importance among the Desert Fathers and to all
later Christian monasticism, he is also known as the Father of All Monks
·
17 Charles Gore, Bishop, Founder of the Community of
the Resurrection, 1932
·
18 Amy Carmichael, Founder of the Dohnavur Fellowship,
Spiritual Writer, 1951
·
19 Wulfstan, Bishop of Worcester,
1095 was Bishop of Worcester from 1062 to 1095. He was the last surviving pre-Conquest bishop and the only English-born bishop after 1075.
Wulfstan is a Christian saint
·
20 Richard Rolle of Hampole, Spiritual Writer, 1349
Last week I was in the
hospital. Sorry to have missed my post.
OLD TESTAMENT: 1 Samuel 3: 1 - 10 (11 - 20) (RCL)
1 Samuel 3:
3b - 10, 19 (Roman Catholic)
1Sam 3:1 (NRSV)
Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under E'li. The word of the LORD
was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.
2 At that time
E'li, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying
down in his room; 3 the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying
down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the LORD
called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" 5 and
ran to E'li, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said,
"I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. 6 The LORD
called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to E'li, and said,
"Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my
son; lie down again." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word
of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. 8 The LORD called Samuel again, a
third time. And he got up and went to E'li, and said, "Here I am, for you
called me." Then E'li perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. 9
Therefore E'li said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you
shall say, "Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel
went and lay down in his place.
10 Now the LORD
came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel
said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." 11 Then the LORD said
to Samuel, "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both
ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against
E'li all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For
I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity
that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain
them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of E'li that the iniquity of Eli's
house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever."
15 Samuel lay
there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel
was afraid to tell the vision to E'li. 16 But E'li called Samuel and said,
"Samuel, my son." He said, "Here I am." 17 E'li said,
"What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to
you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you."
18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said,
"It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him."
19 As Samuel grew
up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And
all Israel from Dan to Be'er-she'ba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet
of the LORD.
PSALM 139: 1 - 6, 13 -
18 (RCL)
Psal 139:1 (NRSV)
O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I
sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my
thoughts from far away.
3 You search out
my path and my lying down,
and are acquainted
with all my ways.
4 Even before a
word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know
it completely.
5 You hem me in,
behind and before,
and lay your hand
upon me.
6 Such knowledge
is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that
I cannot attain it.
13 For it was you
who formed my inward parts;
you knit me
together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your
works;
that I know very
well.
15 My frame was
not hidden from you,
when I was being
made in secret,
intricately woven
in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes
beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were
written
all the days that
were formed for me,
when none of them
as yet existed.
17 How weighty to
me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the
sum of them!
18 I try to count
them--they are more than the sand;
I come to the end
--I am still with you.
Note: Verse numbering in
your Psalter may be different from the above.
139 Domine, probasti (ECUSA BCP)
1 Lord, you have searched me out and known
me; *
you
know my sitting down and my rising up;
you
discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You
trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and
are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed,
there is not a word on my lips, *
but
you, O Lord, know it altogether.
4 You
press upon me behind and before *
and
lay your hand upon me.
5 Such
knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is
so high that I cannot attain to it.
12 For
you yourself created my inmost parts; *
you
knit me together in my mother's womb.
13 I
will thank you because I am marvelously made; *
your
works are wonderful, and I know it well.
14 My
body was not hidden from you, *
while
I was being made in secret
and
woven in the depths of the earth.
15 Your
eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;
all of them were
written in your book; *
they
were fashioned day by day,
when
as yet there was none of them.
16 How
deep I find your thoughts, O God! *
how
great is the sum of them!
17 If
I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *
to
count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.
Psalm 40: 1, 3, 6 -
9 (Roman Catholic)
Psal 40:1 (NRSV) I
waited patiently for the LORD;
he inclined to me
and heard my cry.
3 He put a new
song in my mouth,
a song of praise
to our God.
Many will see and
fear,
and put their
trust in the LORD.
6 Sacrifice and
offering you do not desire,
but you have given
me an open ear.
Burnt offering and
sin offering
you have not
required.
7 Then I said,
"Here I am;
in the scroll of
the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do
your will, O my God;
your law is within
my heart."
9 I have told the
glad news of deliverance
in the great
congregation;
see, I have not
restrained my lips,
as you know, O
LORD.
Note: Verse numbering
in Roman Catholic bibles is one higher than the above.
NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 6: 12 - 20 (RCL)
1
Corinthians 6: 13c - 15a, 17 - 20 (Roman
Catholic)
1Cor 6:12
(NRSV) "All things are lawful for
me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for
me," but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 "Food is meant for
the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and
the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord
for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore
take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Do
you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her?
For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh." 17 But anyone united to
the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Shun fornication! Every sin that a
person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body
itself. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you
were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
h/t Montreal
Anglican
He continues (v. 15): surely you are aware of this relationship. In v. 16, he quotes Genesis 2:24: “... a man ... clings to his wife, and they become one flesh”. You must be aware that you are “members of Christ” (v. 15), each of you “united” (v. 17) to him, and so are his. So how can I possibly unite you with a “prostitute” (v. 16), for union occurs in sexual intercourse. Immorality cannot be compartmentalized, for it involves the whole person. So, “shun fornication!” (v. 18) Again v. 18b(“Every sin ...”) is a quotation, suggesting that the actions of the flesh have no relationship to the spirit (“body”). Paul rejects this view. Surely, he says in v. 19, you know that your “body” (spiritual and physical) is sacred and belongs to Christ (“you are not your own”). For Christ “bought” (v. 20) you with his blood, ransomed you as a slave or prisoner is ransomed. So pay homage to God by living in a godly way, using the body for its intended purpose sexually, but also to serve others.
Revelation 5: 1 -
10 (C of E)
Reve 5:1 (NRSV)
Then I saw in the right hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll written
on the inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2 and I saw a mighty
angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and
break its seals?" 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth
was able to open the scroll or to look into it. 4 And I began to weep bitterly
because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 Then
one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its
seven seals."
6 Then I saw
between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb
standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and
took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne. 8
When he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four
elders fell before the Lamb, each holding a harp and golden bowls full of
incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 They sing a new song:
"You are
worthy to take the scroll
and to open its
seals,
for you were
slaughtered and by your blood you ransomed for God
saints from every
tribe and language and people and nation;
10 you have made
them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God,
and they will
reign on earth."
GOSPEL: John 1: 43 - 51 (RCL)
John 1:43 (NRSV)
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him,
"Follow me." 44 Now Philip was from Bethsa'ida, the city of Andrew
and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathan'ael and said to him, "We have found him
about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph
from Nazareth." 46 Nathan'ael said to him, "Can anything good come
out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." 47 When
Jesus saw Nathan'ael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an
Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" 48 Nathan'ael asked him,
"Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under
the fig tree before Philip called you." 49 Nathan'ael replied,
"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" 50 Jesus
answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig
tree? You will see greater things than these." 51 And he said to him,
"Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
On the previous day, Andrew and Peter,
both disciples of John the Baptist, have become Jesus’ disciples. The Baptist
has said to them: “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” (v. 36) They have asked
Jesus: “Where are you staying?” (v. 38, where do you
dwell?); he has answered “Come and see” (v. 39): a command that
means, in this gospel, come and believe. It was Andrew who found Peter. Philip finds Nathanael
(probably Bartholomew of the other gospels), and tells him that the three
have found the one to whom the Old Testament points, i.e. Jesus, the Messiah
(v. 45). Nathanael’s
response (v. 46) is probably a
local proverb: the people of Nazareth were despised. Philip says “Come and
see”, as Jesus did to Andrew and Peter. An “Israelite” (v. 47) embraced the
legal and prophetic books; Nathanael is a “truly an Israelite” because, unlike
other Jews, he goes further: he accepts Christ. Jacob, the father of the
nation, practised deceit before meeting God, but in Nathanael “there is no
deceit”. In v. 49, Nathanael
acknowledges Christ for who he is – in Jewish terms, because of the minor miracle of Jesus
observing him under a fig tree on a previous occasion, before they met. Jesus
tells him that he will see a much greater miracle: like the one Jacob saw in
his dream at Bethel (Genesis 28:10-17), but with the Son of Man, Jesus, being the vehicle of
communication. In today’s psalm, God knows our doings; here Jesus knows
Nathanael.
Verses 12-19: The proper stance of the community toward moral responsibility is not a matter of individual behaviour (“All things are lawful for me”), but must be based on an awareness of the new community as the body of Christ, which is the new “temple” (v. 19) where God has chosen to dwell. In light of this, quarrelling over dietary laws is of no consequence, but abstinence from sexual misdeeds is a serious issue. The Lord is concerned about bodily behaviour, because all members of the community share as “members” (v. 15) in the [risen] body “of Christ”. Since creation (see Genesis 2:24) sexual activity has involved bodily union, so it is essential for members of the community to avoid sexual activity that is contrary to the law, and thus to preserve the purity of the bodily “temple of the Holy Spirit” (v. 19), and thereby to “glorify God” (v. 20). [ CAB]
Verse 12: For some “things” destroying, rather than building up, the community, see also Galatians 4:9. [ NJBC]
Verse 13a: This Corinthian slogan was designed to prove that physical actions have no moral value. [ NJBC]
Verse 13b: “The body ...”: The libertines argued that satisfying sexual desire was like taking food to satisfy one’s hunger. Paul rejects this analogy. [ NOAB] The Greek word, soma, always means physical body. [ NJBC]
Verse 15: “Christ”: As in 12:12, “Christ” means the Christian community, the physical presence of him in the world. [ NJBC]
Verse 16: Immorality involves the whole “body”, which for Paul means one’s entire personal life: see also Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31. [ NOAB] Transitory pleasure without real communication denies the full union which is the Creator’s intention for the physical act in Genesis 2:24. [ NJBC]
Verse 17: Paul appeals to those in the Corinthian community who especially value the “spirit”. Spirit-people thought that themselves superior to others: an aberration in faith. [ NJBC]
Verse 19: “your body”: i.e. the body of each Christian. However, note 3:16 where the “temple” is the community. (There “your” is plural.) [ NOAB]
Verse 19: “temple of the Holy Spirit”: The holiness of the community (see 3:16-17) must be reflected in the comportment of each member. [ NJBC]
Verse 20: See also 7:23. [ NOAB]
Verse 20: “you were bought”: As was a slave or prisoner. In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery”. [ NJBC]
Verse 20: “glorify God”: Galatians 5:13 says “For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another.” [ NJBC]
Additional Notes
The NRSV shows parts of vv. 12-13 in quotes. The quote marks are not in the Greek, so even if one added them to the Greek one would be interpreting. Scholars agree that they are quotations from a faction in the church at Corinth. In the previous chapter, Paul has warned in vv. 9-10 that “Fornicators, ... adulterers, male prostitutes [and others] – none of these will inherit the kingdom of God”. A little earlier (in 5:1-8) he has mentioned that gross sexual immorality is being practiced by members of the church.
In v. 12a, he agrees that we are not governed by the Law, so we can do anything we wish; however, some actions may not contribute, personally and in community, to gaining admission to the Kingdom. Further, he will not become enslaved to any indulgence,
The quotation in v. 13 is taken to be a quotation from the faction. It is true, but neither the stomach nor food have lasting value, i.e. food lasts only until it is eaten, and the stomach ceases to be when we die. To Paul, God destroys both.
In v. 13b, Paul changes the subject; he turns to the “body”, meaning all-that-we-are, including our flesh. He asserts that the “body” is intended for Christ’s purposes, not for sexual immorality. Further, Christ’s resurrection (v. 14) benefits all-that-we-are.
Now v. 15: surely you sexually immoral people realize (or have forgotten) that you are, in effect, “one flesh” (v. 16) with (in union with) Christ? (See v. 17.) So how can you take something sacred, entering into union with a prostitute?
Now v. 18: avoid sexual immorality! While members of the faction claim that “Every sin that a person commits is outside the body”, i.e. that actions of the flesh have no relationship to the spirit (“body”), there is an exception: sexual immorality impacts all-that-we are; it is dedicated to Christ, so “ not your own” (v. 19).
The “price” in v. 20 is Jesus’ death on the Cross. You should honour God by living in a godly way, using the body for its intended purpose sexually.
No comments:
Post a Comment