Lectionary

Daily Lectionary Reading for October 28, 2010 – Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Will

As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings and a related quote for the day).

Ephesians 2:19-22
So now you are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but fellow citizens with the saints
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.
in whom the whole structure is held together
and grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Psalm 19:1-5
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night declares knowledge.
No speech. nor words , whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and their message to the ends of the world.

Luke 6:12-16
And it came to pass that in those days
[Jesus] went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.
And when day came, he called his disciples
and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he also named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
Matthew and Thomas,
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Simon who was called the Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Reflection for Today on Ephesians
To be a dwelling place for God’s Spirit . . . that’s what Paul tells us the Church is being transformed into.  The Church, built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, with Jesus Christ as its cornerstone, and everyone of us as its member, is becoming a holy temple, a place where God’s Spirit resides and can be felt/experienced.  Is there anymore exciting for the Church to contemplate?  And then there is also these two facts:  we are not alone or alienated from each other, nor are we strangers and sojourners in this world. No, we belong to each other, and together, as the Church, we can do amazing things.

Quote for Today
“Your profession is not what brings home your paycheck. Your profession is what you were put on earth to do. With such passion and such intensity that it becomes spiritual in calling.” – Virgil

Categories: 19-The Psalms, 42-Luke, 49-Ephesians, Lectionary, Quote, Reflection, Virgil | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 27, 2010 – Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Posted on October 27, 2010 by Will

As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings and a related quote for the day).

Ephesians 6:1-9
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
Honor your father and mother.
This is the first commandment with a promise:
“that it may go well with you
and that you may have a long life on earth.”
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Slaves, obey your masters with fear and trembling,
in sincerity of heart, as you would Christ,
not only when being watched, as currying favor,
but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
willingly serving the Lord and not men,
knowing that whatever good anyone does will be requited from the Lord
whether slave or free.
Masters, do the same way towards them, and give up threatening,
knowing that your Master is also in heaven
and that there is no partiality with him.

Psalm 145:10-14
All your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and all your saints bless you.
They will tell of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might;
making known to the children men your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Your Kingdom . . . an everlasting Kingdom
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.

Luke 13:22-30
And [Jesus] passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem.
Then someone asked him,
“Lord, will only a few people be saved?”
He answered them,
“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will seek to enter
but will not be able.

Once the master of the house has risen and shut the door,
and you begin to stand outside knocking and saying,
‘Lord, open the door for us.’
He will answer you,
‘I do not know where you are from.’
Then you will say,
‘We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets.’
But he will say to you,
‘I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’
And there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last.”

Reflection for Today on Luke
Just being with Jesus . . . in his presence, whether at church or during personal devotional times, is not enough.  The narrow gate is much harder to enter than walking through a church door.  Following Jesus entails action; it means doing the work of Jesus now.  Clean hearts must be matched with dirty hands.  Otherwise we may very well hear these words spoken to us:  “I do not know where you are from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!”

Quote for Today
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Bishop Desmond Tutu

Categories: 42-Luke, 49-Ephesians, Desmond Tutu, faith, Lectionary, Quote, Reflection | Tags: , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Daily Lectionary Readings for October 26, 2010 – Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Will

As part of my own daily devotions I am posting my own paraphrases of the the Daily Lectionary here on my blog (along with a short reflection on one or more of the readings and a related quote for the day).

Ephesians 5:21-33
Submit yourselves to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord.
For the husband is head of the wife
even as Christ is head and Savior of the Church, his Body.
As the Church submits to Christ,
so wives should submit to their husbands in all things
Husbands, love your wives,
even as Christ loved the Church
and gave himself up for her to sanctify her,
cleansing her by the washing of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,
without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,
that she might be holy and without blemish.
So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
He who loves his wife loves himself.
For no one ever hates his own flesh
but rather nourishes and cherishes it,
even as Christ does the Church,
because we are members of his Body.

For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother
and shall cleave to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.

This is a profound mystery,
but I am saying it refers to Christ and the Church.
In any case, each one of you should love his wife as himself,
and the wife should respect her husband.

Psalm 128:1-5
Blessed are all who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the produce of your hands;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your home;
Your children like olive plants
around your table.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.

Luke 13:18-21
Then [Jesus] said, “What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what shall I compare it?
It is like a grain mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden,
and it grew and became a great tree,
and the birds of the sky lodged in its branches.”

Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of flour
until it all was leavened.”

Reflection for Today from Luke and Ephesians

The key for interpreting Ephesians 5:22-33 is Ephesians 5:21.  This passage is all about mutual submission to each other, not the husband lording it over his wife, since there is only one LORD in the lives of Christians (and as far as I know he doesn’t wear pants and has as his bride the Church).  The Psalm compliments the reading from Ephesians.  Any man who fears (read reveres) the LORD and walks (read lives) in the way of the LORD is not going to try be a god over his wife.

Quote for Today
“When I say ‘hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come,’ I should be adding in my mind the words ‘in and through me,’ and so giving myself to God afresh to be, so far as I can be, the means of answering my own prayer. And when I say ‘thy will be done,’ I should mean this as a prayer that I, along with the rest of God’s people, may learn to be obedient.” – J. I. Packer

Categories: 19-The Psalms, 42-Luke, 49-Ephesians, J. I. Packer, kingdom of god, Lectionary, Quote, Reflection, Scripture Paraphrase | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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