September 19th Sunday III
Reading from the Book of Proverbs 31: 10 - end
A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.
a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the
city gate.
Psalm 1
a whirlwind, when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.
She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands
She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar
She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants
She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard
She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks
She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night
In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy.
When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.
She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:
‘Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.’
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the
city gate.
Psalm 1
Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither – whatever they do prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Reading from the Letter of James 3:1-13 - 4:3,7-8b
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Gospel of Mark 9: 30-37
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Gospel of Mark 9: 30-37
They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.’ But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.’ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’
Reflection Points
Reflection Points
1. Peace’ is at the heart of the Christian gospel. We live in a fractured world, where relationships between people, nature and God are deeply broken. In Christ, God comes to bring ‘peace’, not only spiritually through the forgiveness of sins, but to restore all these damaged and broken relationships.
2. The Hebrew concept of ‘Shalom’, often translated as ‘peace’, reflects restored relationships in every dimension: with God, self, neighbors near and far, and with the earth and its creatures. It is an integrated vision of ‘the good life’ that combines faith, justice, and peacebuilding – as summarized by the idealized wife of Proverbs 31. Note how she ensures everyone and everything can flourish: her family, the poor, the land, the economy! This is a lovely example of being a peacemaker / home-builder / shalom-spreader in very practical local terms!
3. Building on last week’s theme of ‘Wisdom’, James 3:17-18 states, “But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” Jesus said ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (Matthew 5:9). The phrase ‘children of God’ is often applied to those who believe in Christ – the church.
How can we, as the Christian community, be peacemakers both globally and locally, particularly in a context of inequality and unsustainable lifestyle choices?
How can we, as the Christian community, be peacemakers both globally and locally, particularly in a context of inequality and unsustainable lifestyle choices?
4. in Mark 9:36-37, Jesus tells us that in welcoming children we welcome God himself. Today, many children and young people suffer from climate anxiety and despair about the future. How can we welcome the Father, by listening more effectively to the voices of young people and changing our attitudes and behavior in response?
Action Pay attention to what you feel as you contemplate
the fragility, health of Earth.
Is Earth’s ecosystem healthy?How is this ecosystem at risk of illness?What are the keys to sustaining the equilibrium and balance of our Common Home?What niches and diversity must be protected to maintain the health of this habitat? What are the sources of stress that threaten the balance of this particular ecosystem?Do those stresses drive your co- creatures from their home on Earth?How do you feel when you consider the fragility of life that depends on the health of this place?What is your effect on this balance?
How will you protect and steward this planet this week?
A Profession of faith
We belong to the Creator in whose image we are all made.
In God we are breathing, in God we are living, in God we share
In God we are breathing, in God we are living, in God we share
the life of all creation.
We belong to Jesus Christ, the true icon of God and of humanity.
In him God is breathing, in him God is living, through him
In him God is breathing, in him God is living, through him
we are reconciled.
We belong to the Holy Spirit, who gives us new life and strengthens our faith.
In the Spirit love is breathing, in the Spirit truth is living,
In the Spirit love is breathing, in the Spirit truth is living,
the breath of God always moves us.
We belong to the Holy Trinity, who is one in all and Three-in-One.
In God we are all made, in Christ we are all saved,
In God we are all made, in Christ we are all saved,
in the Spirit we are all united.
Together, we belong to the Earth, our common home.
The Earth that is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.
(Per Harling)
The Earth that is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.
(Per Harling)
For the Beauty of the Earth
Children’s Choir
Reclaim Our Common Home
Video
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