Daily Scripture Readings |
||
Friday (November 18, 2005) |
||
Daily Office Lectionary, The Book of Common Prayer, the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. |
Daily Lectionary, The Book of Worship, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. |
Daily Lectionary, Book of Worship Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship, c. 1978 (2002 printing) |
http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/index.htm http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi |
||
Unless otherwise indicated, the scripture texts quoted are from The New Revised Standard Version (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers), 1989. |
||
According to Proper28* |
According to Proper 28* |
According to Proper 27* |
Friday AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 107:1-32 1 Macc. 4:36-59 Rev. 22:6-13 Matt. 18:10-20 Hilda of Whitby: http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Hilda_Whitby.htm Psalm 122 or 33:1-5,20-21 Ephesians 4:1-6; Matthew 19:27-29 |
Morning: Psalm 88:1-18 Nehemiah 9:26-38 Revelation 22:6-13 Matthew 18:10-20 Evening: Psalm 6:1-10 |
Friday Morning Pss.: 88, 148 Evening Pss.: 6, 20 |
NOTE: Comments on 1 Maccabees, Revelation, and Matthew below are adapted from an email message sent November 20, 2003, for November 21, 2003.
1 Maccabees 4:36-59
Cleansing and Dedication of the Temple (2 Macc 10.1—9)
36 Then Judas and his brothers said, “See, our enemies are crushed; let us go up to cleanse the sanctuary and dedicate it.” 37 So all the army assembled and went up to Mount Zion. 38 There they saw the sanctuary desolate, the altar profaned, and the gates burned. In the courts they saw bushes sprung up as in a thicket, or as on one of the mountains. They saw also the chambers of the priests in ruins. 39 Then they tore their clothes and mourned with great lamentation; they sprinkled themselves with ashes 40 and fell face down on the ground. And when the signal was given with the trumpets, they cried out to Heaven.
41 Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel until he had cleansed the sanctuary. 42 He chose blameless priests devoted to the law, 43 and they cleansed the sanctuary and removed the defiled stones to an unclean place. 44 They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering, which had been profaned. 45 And they thought it best to tear it down, so that it would not be a lasting shame to them that the Gentiles had defiled it. So they tore down the altar, 46 and stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple hill until a prophet should come to tell what to do with them. 47 Then they took unhewn stones, as the law directs, and built a new altar like the former one. 48 They also rebuilt the sanctuary and the interior of the temple, and consecrated the courts. 49 They made new holy vessels, and brought the lampstand, the altar of incense, and the table into the temple. 50 Then they offered incense on the altar and lit the lamps on the lampstand, and these gave light in the temple. 51 They placed the bread on the table and hung up the curtains. Thus they finished all the work they had undertaken.
52 Early in the morning on the twenty-fifth day of the ninth month, which is the month of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-eighth year, 53 they rose and offered sacrifice, as the law directs, on the new altar of burnt offering that they had built. 54 At the very season and on the very day that the Gentiles had profaned it, it was dedicated with songs and harps and lutes and cymbals. 55 All the people fell on their faces and worshiped and blessed Heaven, who had prospered them. 56 So they celebrated the dedication of the altar for eight days, and joyfully offered burnt offerings; they offered a sacrifice of well-being and a thanksgiving offering. 57 They decorated the front of the temple with golden crowns and small shields; they restored the gates and the chambers for the priests, and fitted them with doors. 58 There was very great joy among the people, and the disgrace brought by the Gentiles was removed.
59 Then Judas and his brothers and all the assembly of Israel determined that every year at that season the days of dedication of the altar should be observed with joy and gladness for eight days, beginning with the twenty-fifth day of the month of Chislev. (1 Maccabees 4:36-59, NRSV)
The story of the battle with Lysias' army (1 Macc. 4:26-35) was passed over. The enemies "are crushed" (v. 36, except for those in the citadel, v. 41), there is horror at the desolation of the temple (v. 38), they replace the defiled altar with a new altar of "unhewn stones" (44-47), rebuilt the sanctuary (v. 48) and made "new holy vessels" (v. 49). The replacement of the lampstand and its lighting (vv. 49-50) continue to be featured in the celebration of Hanukkah, a continuing celebration of that first eight-day celebration (v. 56).
Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and nights, starting on the 25th of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar (which is November-December on the Gregorian calendar). In Hebrew, the word "Hanukkah" means "dedication."
The holiday commemorates the rededication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews' 165 B.C.E. victory over the Hellenist Syrians. Antiochus, the Greek King of Syria, outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered the Jews to worship Greek gods. (The History Channel, history.com
http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/holidays/hanukkah/history.html accessed November 17, 2005)
“Hanukkah begins this year (5766/2005) on the evening of December 25th” (The Jewish Outreach Institute, joi.org,http://www.joi.org/celebrate/hanuk/, accessed November 17, 2005).
The following text and comments on Nehemiah 9:26-38) are repeated here from Tuesday, November 8, 2005.
Nehemiah 9:26-38
26 "Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their backs and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. 27 Therefore you gave them into the hands of their enemies, who made them suffer. Then in the time of their suffering they cried out to you and you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hands of their enemies. 28 But after they had rest, they again did evil before you, and you abandoned them to the hands of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them; yet when they turned and cried to you, you heard from heaven, and many times you rescued them according to your mercies. 29 And you warned them in order to turn them back to your law. Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments, but sinned against your ordinances, by the observance of which a person shall live. They turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck and would not obey. 30 Many years you were patient with them, and warned them by your spirit through your prophets; yet they would not listen. Therefore you handed them over to the peoples of the lands. 31 Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God.
32 "Now therefore, our God--the great and mighty and awesome God, keeping covenant and steadfast love--do not treat lightly all the hardship that has come upon us, upon our kings, our officials, our priests, our prophets, our ancestors, and all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria until today. 33 You have been just in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly; 34 our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law or heeded the commandments and the warnings that you gave them. 35 Even in their own kingdom, and in the great goodness you bestowed on them, and in the large and rich land that you set before them, they did not serve you and did not turn from their wicked works. 36 Here we are, slaves to this day-slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts. 37 Its rich yield goes to the kings whom you have set over us because of our sins; they have power also over our bodies and over our livestock at their pleasure, and we are in great distress."
38 Because of all this we make a firm agreement in writing, and on that sealed document are inscribed the names of our officials, our Levites, and our priests. (Nehemiah 9:26-38, NRSV)
The historical prayer of confession continues with “a summary interpretation of the period from Joshua to the destruction of Jerusalem” (Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, NOAB, 3rd ed., on Neh. 9:26-31). This summary is comparable to the introductory summary of the book of Judges (Judg. 2:6-3:6). “Nevertheless they were di8sobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their backs and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and the committed great blasphemies” (Neh. 9:26). The summary here continues with reference to the enemies “who made them suffer,” but they “cried out to you [God]” and “you heard them from heaven, and according to your great mercies you gave them saviors who saved them from the hands of their enemies” (v. 27). But this pattern became a repeating cycle (vv. 28-30)–apparently including the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. “Nevertheless, in your great mercies you did not make an end of them or forsake them, for you are a gracious and merciful God” (v. 31).
The next paragraph appeals to God’s mercy, “keeping covenant and steadfast love” throughout Israel’s history (v. 32), with a reminder of God’s justice, having “been just in all that has come upon us” (v. 33) though “our kings, our officials, our priests, and our ancestors have not kept your law or heeded the commandments and the warnings that you gave them” (v. 34). They decry their present position as subjects of the Persian empire, as “slaves in the land that you gave to our ancestors to enjoy its fruit and its good gifts” (v. 36). Their proposed remedy for the present situation, against the background of such disobedience, rebellion and suffering of punishment, is to “make a firm commitment in writing, and on that sealed document are inscribed the names of our officials, our Levites, and our priests” (v. 38). The next chapter begins with a list of the names of those who signed the document (Neh. 10:1-27). “These signatories include persons and clan names from several previous lists (Ezra 2//Neh. 7; Ezra 8), but also reflects a broader religious; and social participation” (Eskenazi, on 10:1-27). A commitment is also recorded from “the rest of the people” (v. 28) who “join with their kin, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord and his ordinances and his statutes” (v. 29).
Revelation 22:6-13
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true, for the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
7 “See, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Epilogue and Benediction
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
12 “See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone’s work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:6-13, NRSV)
With the completion of John's picture of the New Jerusalem, readings for Friday and Saturday turn to confirmation and encouragement: "These words are trustworthy and true" (Rev. 22:6). "Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book" (v. 7). "I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things" (v. 8). "And he [the angel, vv. 1, 8] said to me, 'Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near'" (v. 10). According to D.E. Aune (Harper-Collins Study Bible, on Rev. 22:10), "Most Jewish Apocalypses contain the command to seal the book until the end (see Dan. 12:4, 9).” But John emphasizes the nearness of the end: "See, I [Jesus, cf. v. 16] am coming soon" (v. 12). “The end of the age is too near to allow time for change” (Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2nd ed., on v. 11). Christ says that he is coming soon, and “my reward is with me to repay according to everyone’s work” (v. 12). He calls himself “the “Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (v. 13), applying “God’s title to himself” (Metzger, on v. 13; cf. Rev. 1:8).
Matthew 18:10-20
The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk 15.1—7)
10 “Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my Father in heaven. 12 What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? 13 And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14 So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost. (Matthew 18:10-14, NRSV)
Perhaps you've heard the joke about the teacher in a rural elementary school who asked the class, "If you had twenty sheep in a field, and one found a hole in the fence and got out, how many would you have left?" Johnny answered, "None." The teacher said, "Johnny, you don't know arithmetic very well, do you?" and he replied, "You don't know sheep very well! If one found a hole and got out, they would all follow him." Or the one about the boy who said, "Mom, I wish you would not call me your 'little lamb'!" "Why?" "It makes me feel so sheepish." We all probably think we are smarter than sheep. But sometimes we all go astray and need the help of the Good Shepherd.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep (Mt. 18:10-14) begins with the admonition not to "despise one of these little ones" (v. 10), which alludes to the children of verse 3, but includes all Christian believers, as in verse 6.
Dealing with an Offending Church Member (cf. Lk. 17:3)
15 “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. (Matthew 18:15-20)
If the shepherd (Jesus) rejoices in finding straying sheep and restoring them to the fold, the church ought to do the same. "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (v. 18). Note that this pronoun "you" is plural in Greek ("ye" KJV, "Y'all" in Texas). Two chapters earlier, Jesus says the same thing to Peter, ". . . whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 16:19). Jesus addresses Peter with a singular "you" ("thou" KJV). But, as the repetition in chapter 18 shows, this power of binding and loosing, or better, this mission of binding and loosing, is not limited to Peter. There are times when we represent Christ to those who otherwise would not know him. We do what we can to help rescue his lost sheep.
Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.
rdworden@hgst.edu
rworden@houston.rr.com