September 9-16 is unique because all the selections are being offered at one time.
Hubby and I will be 'off the grid' for awhile but I wanted to stay on track with the readings.
So, enJOY!
Hubby and I will be 'off the grid' for awhile but I wanted to stay on track with the readings.
So, enJOY!
I began this format in August, with explanations inserted along the way.
If you are new to this blog, glance through the first section of August readings and 'pause' after August 8.
September continues with daily readings from the "Revised Common Lectionary" which several denominations enjoy. We'll read through the Bible in three years with six daily readings that differ from Sunday scripture readings.If you are new to this blog, glance through the first section of August readings and 'pause' after August 8.
9-9 1 Kings 13:1-10; Psalm 41, 44, 52; Philemon 1:1-11; Mark 15: 40-47
Philemon is only one page long and is well worth reading.
Paul wrote to Philemon, owner of a slave named Onesimus who ran away and met Paul while Paul was in prison. From reading these few verses, we surmise that Paul invited Onesimus into a changed life with Christ.
Paul then wrote to Philemon to ease the return of Onesimus to his master.
It’s interesting that the name, Onesimus, means ‘useful.’
Paul, a master of rhetoric, says that Onesimus was once ‘useless’ to his master but now, because of his changed attitude as a new Christian, is now ‘useful’ to both his master and to Paul.
Think about it: Did you ever write a letter to someone on behalf of another?
Perhaps it was a letter of reference? Did you just zip off a few words or did you spend time thinking about the character and assets of the person you were advocating? Sometimes a few well thought-out words mean far more than a generic letter. Perhaps this might be a good time to write a note of encouragement to someone who needs a little lift. Take time to pick affirming words. It might make all the difference in the world.
9-10 1 Kings 16:23-34; Psalm 45,47,48; Philippians 1:12-30; Mark 16:1-8(9-20)
:21 To live is Christ and to die is gain. :27 Live your life worthy of the Gospel.
Good old Paul.
His passion for Christ is effervescent. His enthusiasm spills from his entire being. He does not compartmentalize his Christianity. He lived it day and night. He does not play politics or mince words.
His life turned from killing Christians to wooing hundreds into the Christ-life.
Paul was called by God to transform the gentile world from pagan to life-participant in Christ.
That’s why the majority of the New Covenant words in scripture are written by the Apostle Paul. His heart, so full of the love of Christ, reaches out to any and all who will listen, understand and turn our life around.
Think about it: Could you be a Paul?
Do you have that sort of Holy Boldness to simply say it like it is?
Do you understand the joy of living for Christ and comprehend eternal life so that you can say Paul’s words . . . “too die is gain?"
That’s a lot to ask of any of us.
If we can just set a goal of having the ‘mind of Christ’ perhaps, by the end of our lifetime, we will be ready to say, “I lived my life worthy of the Gospel.”
It’s a great lifetime goal for all of us who call ourselves ‘Christian.’
9-11 1 Kings 17:1-24; Psalm 119:49-72; 49, [53]; Philippians 2:1-11; Matthew 2:1-12
Psalm 119 has always been special to me.
Decades ago, when I was a fairly new Christian and was helping others to grow in Christ, I asked the women in our small group to read Psalm 119 all the way through and let me know what they discovered.
Of course, they did not finish.
The poem follows the acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet which has 23 letters.
One would think, “no problem, it’s just 23 verses.”
Actually, it’s 23 paragraphs.
Of course it is the longest song in of the Psalms.
The theme, loving the statutes, precepts and Law, is restated throughout the poem. God-breathed words are worth singing, very teachable and more appreciated than a priceless coin or the most highly valued gem.
Think about it: How precious are words to you?
Does a single word of affirmation encourage you to reach your goal, whatever it might be?
Does spending even a few moments reading God’s Word teach you something new about your Christian walk? Can a phrase of this psalm be tucked into your heart to encourage you in your daily walk in Christ?
Try it. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
9-12 1 Kings 18:1-19; Psalm 50, 93, 96; Philippians 2:12-30; Matthew 2:13-23
I chew on each word of today’s reading as they grip my soul.
Yet, I cannot get my mind off of this small phrase in Psalm 96.
Perhaps it’s because I recall attending church decades ago when we dressed as if we were attending a grand celebration, which we were! “Worship the Lord in Holy attire. . . “ prompts layers of images.
First, taking care to dress in nice clothes sends the message to our own soul
that we take our worship seriously and that we choose to come into the Lord’s presence prepared for the banquet He has prepared for us.
In fact, that is why in ‘liturgical’ churches the clergy dress in fine robes.
They are called to come into the Lord’s presence in ‘Holy Attire’ so that their personality disappears and they are only seen as the Lord’s vessel.
Many protestant pastors wear nice suits which shows those attending that he is already prepared for the Lord’s banquet as he draws all of us into God’s Holy Presence.
Holy attire also means for us to ‘dress our heart and soul’ for the occasion of celebration and total focus on God. This takes mental, physical and spiritual preparation.
Think about it: Do you ‘dress’ your mind so that you are
What does Holy attire mean to you? How will you be dressed next time you attend a worship service?
9-13 1 Kings 18:20-40; Psalm 40,51,54; Philippians 3:1-16; Matthew 3: 1-12
Baal was called on first by their prophets, all day long, but nothing happened.
:31 “In the evening Elijah took twelve stones [for each of the 12 tribes] and built an altar and dug a trench to hold 2 measures [22 quarts] of seed. Then he arranged the wood and cut the Ox. He filled 4 pitchers of water and poured water over the wood 3 times. Elijah called upon the Name of the Lord. :38 Immediately, the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and wood and stones and dust and water.” All saw. All fell on their faces and said, “The Lord is God.”
Now that’s a salvation story if I ever read one.
God works throughout the Old Covenant scriptures to draw people to Himself.
Note in this story the grand way God works . . . immediately!
God’s prophet, Elijah, has such an intimate relation with YHWH that he knows:
God’s response to our request is excessive and immediate.
God means business. He wants all to bow down and acknowledge His presence.
Elijah communicated with God continuously, thus developing a deeply intimate relationship with Him. Elijah was ‘one with God’ so he trusted every nudge from God to prepare for this contest with Baal.
God is jealous and does not want any of His creation bowing down to a false god.
People in their naïveté may follow the wrong god, but Our God, the God of Righteousness, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is able to draw all to Himself if we are open.
We may not think we worship idols but think again. Some might say, “I have to have a cup of coffee in the morning or I won’t make it through the day.”
Others may say, “I can’t live without chocolate at least once a week.”
Still others might think, “I may be able to live without TV but don’t take away my smart phone!”
All are Idols if we place them above our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Can you name some ‘idols’ that get in the way of your daily time with the Lord?
9-14 Saturday, Holy Cross Day
Isaiah 45:21-25; Psalm 98:1-9; Galatians 6:14-18; John 12:31-36a
Galatians 6:14 “But may it never be that I would
boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
We don’t often think of the cross through which the world has been crucified.
We might think how we have crucified the bad habits of our past with the help of our faith in Jesus Christ. It’s faith that has gotten us this far, right?
Yet, it is the cross that became the ‘common denominator’ for the whole world to have access to God through His Son.
Before the New Covenant, Jews thought of themselves as the only ones with access to our one God. In fact, as Paul continues in this passage, it’s the circumcised male who was set apart for God.
Yet, Jesus was Crucified for ALL . . . Jew, Gentile, Male, Female, Slave, Free, Old, Young. Jesus Christ not only ushered in the New Covenant, He IS the New Covenant. Jesus’ death on the Cross opened the gates of salvation to all and any who accept Jesus as God, by faith. All who believe, confess and turn from their sin, and live a renewed live in Christ shall be saved.
Jesus’ crucifixion symbolizes the ‘action’ of God that was culminated in the cross…. the Cross . . . the symbol Christians wear to tell the world they belong to Christ. Does the cross we wear tell the whole story?
Some wear a cross as a fashion statement, not even knowing what this symbol means. Most Protestants usually wear a plain cross fully understanding that
Jesus was resurrected, defied death and rose again. This statement is correct but why do we not choose to be reminded that Jesus as ‘crucified’ before He rose again?
Think about it: One day each year is set aside by some denominations to reflect on the Cross of Christ, “Holy Cross Day.” So often we choose to look at an empty Cross because Jesus is risen from the dead and we who have faith in Jesus have new life in the resurrected Christ, the one who overcame death.
Yet, how can we acknowledge daily the resurrection of Jesus and celebrate resurrected life if we don’t also acknowledge the fact that Jesus first died an excruciatingly painful and bloody death on the Cross?
Some say, “How can we celebrate Easter if we do not suffer with Christ Jesus on Good Friday?” Why is it so difficult to wear a cross reminding us of Christ crucified?
Ponder this for a moment. Write a couple sentences regarding your conclusion.
9-15 17th Sunday after Pentecost year C
Exodus 32:7-14; Psalm 51:1-11; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
Luke 15:4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? . . . :7 “Just so, I tell you,
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
This is only part of Jesus' parable but it’s all we need to understand what Jesus is telling us. Usually we read the story and have to figure out the bottom line.
In this instance, Jesus explains in detail: Saving a life is paramount to Jesus.
Every single life is a treasure to God, our creator.
This story speaks to Jesus’ audience of sheep and shepherds.
Shepherds know the importance of every single sheep. They also know that sheep are not very smart and have very poor eyesight. They could walk off a cliff, eat the wrong thistle or not see a predator ready to nab them if they are alone.
Hmmmm, sound like us humans.
We think wandering from community and being a ‘loner’ is being mature.
We think living alone with no accountability to a mate or roommate is mature.
We think making decisions in a vacuum without mulling them over with a trusted person is fine.
Before we know it we, being separated from Jesus’ flock, can indeed fall off a cliff of sorts.
Think of a time you helped to rescue a ‘lost sheep’ by bringing that person back to the fold.
Did you sense that the Great Shepherd had called you to ‘shepherd sheep?’
9-16 1 Kings 21:1-16; Psalm 56,57,64,65; 1 Corinthiens 1:1-19; Matthew 4:1-11
1 Corinthiens 1:10 ”I appeal to you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree
and that there be no dissensions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.”
Paul writes to the Corinthiens who were new in their Christian faith and seemed confused as to what they are to do within this group of very wealthy and very poor who were called to be in the same worship community.
If you think of it, all of us who call ourselves ‘Christian’ are exhorted to come together as one . . . all of us . . . Mennonite, Brethren, Amish, Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Catholic, Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran . . . the list is endless.
In the United States there are more denominations than in any other nation in the world. In fact, where we live, Pennsylvania, there are hundreds of different Mennonite and Amish communities, each focusing on different ‘rules of life.’
So, think about your own church community.
Does everyone think in one accord, totally buy into every doctrine presented to them, stay on the ‘same page’ with their Christian friends?
Most likely not.
I often disagree with an opinion or am disinterested in some ministries among the dozens available in our church.
Think about it: Church families have split because of a single decision by the elders of the church or by the Leaders of that denomination. Before the split one may sense tension among the members.
Have you ever experienced this uncomfortable predicament?
Were you among those who tried to listen to the ‘other side?’
Or did you flee as fast as you could?
Being in Christian fellowship was never meant to be easy because truly knowing God’s best for the body takes much listening and waiting for God’s will to be done, not ‘our’ will to be done.
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