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Christian Resources Library
Readings October to December 2003
October
| November | December
5th October
Sixteenth Sunday after Trinity (Proper 22)
Harvest Festival
Joel 2.21-27
Israel was a rural country, so that the prosperity of the land was the
key to the good life. The prophet is glad to give assurance of the generosity
of God for the essentials of life.
1 Timothy 2.1-7
This is the earliest formal reaching out of a Christian church to the
official structures of society. Whatever their ideology may be, they
are necessary for the good of all and must be brought willingly into
the purview of prayer. And one hopes they will see the truth of God
for themselves.
Matthew 6.25-33
This beautiful passage contains strong meat: can we take it? Anxiety
seems so natural to us and is so easily prompted by the realities of
life. Struggle is a feature of so many of our lives, but the underlying
reality of faith can give us a vital kind of carefree spirit: God is
to be relied on, ultimately.
- We give thanks to God for all that makes our life on earth possible.
- And we pray for those millions who lack the basic sustenance of
life.
- Can we bear to serve God in simplicity of heart?
12th October
Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity (Proper 23)
Amos 5.6-7, 10-15
The prophet Amos was one of the first we know of to attack to evils
of society itself, a forerunner of many, down to our own day. He stands
against the complacency which leads so many to accept social evils so
long as they are profitable. Down to our own day.
Hebrews 4.12-16
Jesus is called 'high priest', and this writing works out the image
in detail later. The role in mind is that of mediator: the priest stands
'between' humans and God, making due offerings on their behalf, for
the sake of their good.
Mark 10.17-31
First, Jesus goes behind even the Ten Commandments to the command to
love: that has absolute priority now (and so he stops the mouths of
noisy moralists). Then he attacks the rich: there is no doubt that wealth
is a great comfort and a distraction from the things of God - and in
the world brought by Jesus values are quite different.
- Pray to be alert to the demands of the society in which we live.
- We may long for guidance, but the demand that we 'love' may be all
we truly
need.
- In what ways can we relax the hold of possessions upon our hearts?
19th October
Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity (Proper 24)
Isaiah 53.4-12
This chapter of Isaiah, whose original reference is obscure, is now
often known as the Song of the Suffering Servant of God. All through
Christian history it has been read as throwing light on what happened
to Jesus and helping us to reflect on his self-giving, mysteriously,
for the good of all, in the name of our holy and generous God.
Hebrews 5.1-10
The writer picked up on Psalm 110.4, which refers to the obscure priest
king of Jerusalem who comes in a story in Genesis 14. He sees him as
a symbol of Jesus: the high priest is a mediator between his people
and God, humbly offering prayer and sacrifice, in the case of Jesus
his own self, body and soul.
Mark 10.35-45
Jesus renounces all human greatness: he takes on the role of the servant,
as in Isaiah 53, who gives himself 'for many'. And we take this all
for us as we share in baptism and drink the cup of the Eucharist.
- Pray to accept the humility of Christ and into our own lives.
- Thank God for Jesus who stands for us with God and for God with
us.
- Praise God for the gifts of baptism and Eucharist, joining us to
himself.
26th October
Bible Sunday (Proper 25)
Isaiah 55.1-11
The theme is the sheer generosity of God, like an abundant source of
all provision for our lives. His goodness comes too in our inner lives,
in forgiveness and in his utter faithfulness to us.
2 Timothy 3.14-4.5
When this letter was written, perhaps seventy years after Jesus' life-time,
there was beginning to be a worry about believers straying from the
received gospel message. Ever since, it has been a problem for Christian
people, perhaps especially our leaders and teachers: needing sensitivity
and care, lest faith should be bruised or stifled.
John 5.36-47
Here, Jesus is put forward as the key to unlock the great meaning of
scripture, the clue to what, taken as a whole, may seem unwieldy and
obscure, as well as inspiring and feeding the soul. Without this key,
we can easily go astray in our reading and pondering.
- We give thanks for the gift of scripture and pray to read wisely
and well.
- Pray always to read in the light of Christ.
- Pray for humility to receive from the Church just as we make our
own
contribution.
2nd November
All Saints Sunday
Matthew 5.1-12
We focus on the Christian ideal of sanctity. The beatitudes paint a
picture of where true blessedness lies - in all kinds of qualities often
in short supply, and even in some that we would rather not have too
much of, like mourning and persecution. But they are to be the key to
our true and deepest joy.
- Our hope, now and for ever, lies only in God, who gives us what
he wills
- Thank God for opening the door to sanctity for us and giving us
hope.
- Our future is beyond our imagining, so we focus simply on God and
we trust.
9th November
Remembrance Sunday
Wisdom of Solomon 3.1-9
A familiar passage about the departed, on whom we focus at this time.
The writer expresses the faith that, in the great goodness of God, they
are accepted by him - not as a 'natural right' but as a gift from our
creator and loving saviour.
Romans 5.5-11
November is the time when we remember the dead, whoever they are. Here,
Paul helps us to spread our hearts to the width of God's love shown
in Christ, whose goal is to reconcile us to himself, the fulfilment
of our whole being.
John 5.19-25
The Gospel paints our destiny with God not as a right which is our very
own, but as a gift, to receive and welcome or to neglect or reject.
Love for God cannot be compelled and salvation is not imposed; but is
for us to reach up gladly and receive with open hearts.
- Pray to share the grief and gratitude of those who mourn.
- Pray for all who have given themselves for the sake of others.
- Give thanks to God for the destiny which God offers to us.
16th November
Second Sunday before Advent (Proper 28)
Daniel 12.1-3
The ancient Jews did not come to a belief in life after death until
very late in the pre-Christian time: it may surprise us that its absence
did not impair their trust in God. Here, from 167 BC, is one of the
few witnesses to this belief. It came in terms of 'resurrection', renewed
life as a pure gift from the hand of God.
Hebrews 10.11-14, (15-18), 19-25
The picture is of the high priest in old Judaism entering the heart
of the temple, 'through the curtain', to offer the great sacrifice that
would take away the people's sins. For the writer, it stands as a foreshadowing
of Jesus, who also, we may say, 'went through' his own human life and
death to the goal of heaven for us all.
Mark 13.1-8
Before his passion, Jesus considers the temple in Jerusalem and sees
its transience: its end will come and there will be much strife and
confusion. Jews commonly saw such strife as the precursor to the coming
of God's victory, and the contrast comes into Christian hopes - and
fears.
- Pray for a firmer hope in the great generosity of God.
- Give thanks for the binding gift of Jesus' self-offering.
- Can we accept the grief which seems to be the essential gate to
fulfilment?
23rd November
Christ the King
Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14
This was an important passage when read by early Christians. It gave
a picture of the coming end of things, with God's judgment of the human
race in great and solemn majesty. 'One like a human being' is, literally,
'a son of man': it was taken in the Gospels to paint the picture of
Jesus as lord and judge on God's behalf.
Revelation 1.4b-8
Inspired by the vision in Daniel, the writer fixes his attention on
Jesus as assuredly God's agent for judgment and salvation. It is one
of the most splendid and glorious pictures of Jesus' role, expressing
total faith in him and praise for his gifts to his own.
John 18.33b-37
Jesus' trial before Pilate centres on the theme of kingship. Where is
true sovereignty to be found? In Pilate and all he stands for, that
is, worldly power at its most far-reaching and extensive, or in the
powerless and wretched prisoner, Jesus or Nazareth? The writer of the
Gospel has no hesitation in deciding.
YEAR C BEGINS
30th November
First Sunday of Advent
Jeremiah 33.14-16
The prophet, writing at a time of gloom and uncertainty, sees future
joy in terms of a new king of the old house of David. In such a one
lies hope of better things. Christians often came to make much of Jesus'
having such an ancestry.
1 Thessalonians 3.9-13
This passage from the oldest of Paul's letters expresses movingly the
apostle's affection and concern for his new gentile converts in Thessalonica
in northern Greece. He has all the instincts of the true pastor, here
on view from the very beginning of the Church's life.
Luke 21.25-36
Each of the first three Gospels contains a vivid picture of the coming
winding-up of the world with the return of Jesus in triumph and judgment.
That early hope was not fulfilled, but the essential confidence in God
which it expresses remains, even if we might put it less dramatically.
But how do we feel it and know it?
- Pray not to be so absorbed by the present that we cannot raise our
eyes beyond.
- Thank God for the strength of Christian community which warms our
hearts.
- Pray for the strengthening of confidence in God's future always
open to us.
7th December
Second Sunday of Advent
Malachi 3.1-4
This late prophet of Israel looks forward to God's great Day, with its
dramatic force and frightening realism. No good underplaying the majesty
of God's future in store for us: he is not to be trifled with and we
must be watchful, always poised and alert before him.
Philippians 1.3-11
Paul often began his letters with thanksgiving for the faith and love
he saw in his converts. In this case, it is particularly heartfelt:
he is in prison and Christians from Philippi have attended to his welfare.
He is confident that their virtue will be rewarded.
Luke 3.1-6
Luke the evangelist is a man with a feel for the world about him and
he dates the start of Jesus' ministry carefully to AD29 (as we call
it, less cumbersomely than he had to do!). And that ministry begins
with the ground-laying preaching of John the Baptist, full of promise
for what is to come.
- Vigilance before God is a quality we can easily forget.
- The warmth of Christian common life is to be cherished.
- Pray to sense the historical reality of Jesus' coming to his great
work.
14th December
Third Sunday of Advent
Zephaniah 3.14-20
The special strength of this passage from old Jewish prophecy lies in
its stress of God being 'in your midst': his presence is not just a
hope for the future, but is recognized in the here and now. It is a
confidence which early Christians were glad to share, with joy and excitement.
So may we.
Philippians 4.4-7
Familiar words, in liturgy and in musical settings. It is a passage
of deep reassurance, coming remarkably from Paul in the midst of a time
in prison for his faith: his calm and confidence are worth dwelling
upon.
Luke 3.7-18
John does not simply baptize with a view to renewed service of God but
also gives simple and direct moral instruction, appropriate to his audience.
It is strictly practical, addressed to everyday temptations.
- Pray to enter into a sense of God's real presence among us, not
to be doubted.
- Pray for the ability to keep underlying serenity before God in the
face of
troubles.
- We hope not to neglect the simple duties that lie before us.
21st December
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Micah 5.2-5a
A passage seized upon in early Christianity in relation to Jesus' birth
at Bethlehem, with its ancient associations with King David. It helped
to kindle the hope of his saving role, if not political then certainly
crucial in God's purposes, now seen afresh.
Hebrews 10.5-10
A central theme of this writing is the way Jesus has superseded the
crucial role in Judaism of the sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem,
as ordered in the old Law of Moses. In his own very self, Jesus perfects
all that they sought to do: the restoring of our relationship with God,
spoiled by sin and the defects of our lives.
Luke 1.39-45, (46-55)
The encounter between Mary and Elizabeth makes a familiar and beautiful
scene, full of a sense of expectation of a wonderful future in store.
Mary's song puts the hope into words: God seeks to transform human life
at all levels and will achieve it by his generous gift.
- Pray for the fulfilment of our dearest hopes in the life and meaning
of Jesus.
- We trust that the offering of Jesus will stay in our hearts and
minds.
- Trust that the encounter with Jesus may renew us at all levels of
life with God.
Wednesday 24th December
Christmas Eve
First Reading : Isaiah 9: 2 - 7.
Gospel : Luke 2: 1-20
Thursday 25 December, 2003
Christmas Day
Gospel : Luke 2.1-14(15-20)
28th December
Holy Innocents Day
Jeremiah 31.15-17
The day (and this passage) puts us in mind of all mindless cruelties
with which the world abounds. And we can bring them into the orbit of
the story of Jesus and into the long memory of scripture through a passage
like this, including its sober hope.
1 Corinthians 1.26-29
Paul seeks to put religiously proud converts in their place. God is
not impressed by self-derived religious prowess, but by the simple offering
of our hearts. Humility was not much esteemed as a virtue until Christian
teaching like this.
Matthew 2.13-18
The saving of the life of Jesus was not without severe cost, says the
story. Quoting the Jeremiah passage, it establishes a sad principle:
that great good often carries terrible by-products, through human wickedness.
- We pray for those persecuted cruelly and mindlessly.
- Pray for simplicity of faith at the heart of our lives.
- Thank God for the gift of himself in Jesus, despite all cost.
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