READINGS FOR JUNE 2008

June 1 Third Sunday after Pentecost

Proper 4

Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19
Psalm 46 or Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28
Psalm 31:1-5, 19-24
Romans 1:16-17; 3:22b-28, (29-31)
Matthew 7:21-29

Genesis 6:9-22; 7:24; 8:14-19

6:9 These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.
6:10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
6:12 And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.
6:13 And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
6:14 Make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
6:15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
6:16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks.
6:17 For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.
6:18 But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
6:19 And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.
6:20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive.
6:21 Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them."
6:22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
7:24 And the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred fifty days.
8:14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
8:15 Then God said to Noah,
8:16 "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you.
8:17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh--birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth--so that they may abound on the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."
8:18 So Noah went out with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives.
8:19 And every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out of the ark by families.

Psalm 46

46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
46:2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
46:3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
46:4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
46:5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
46:6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
46:9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth."
46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

Deuteronomy 11:18-21, 26-28

11:18 You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead.
11:19 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
11:20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates,
11:21 so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the LORD swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.
11:26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:
11:27 the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am commanding you today;
11:28 and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn from the way that I am commanding you today, to follow other gods that you have not known.

Psalm 31:1-5, 19-24

31:1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
31:2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
31:3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
31:4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
31:5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
31:19 O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone!
31:20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues.
31:21 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege.
31:22 I had said in my alarm, "I am driven far from your sight." But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help.
31:23 Love the LORD, all you his saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
31:24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD.

Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28, (29-31)

1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "The one who is righteous will live by faith."
3:22b For there is no distinction,
3:23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
3:24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
3:25 whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed;
3:26 it was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he justifies the one who has faith in Jesus.
3:27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.
3:28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law.
3:29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
3:30 since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
3:31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Matthew 7:21-29

7:21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
7:22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?'
7:23 Then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'
7:24 "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
7:25 The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.
7:26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
7:27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell--and great was its fall!"
7:28 Now when Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astounded at his teaching,
7:29 for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

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June 08  Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 12:1-9 ; Psalm 33:1-12
          or
Hosea 5:15-6:6; Psalm 50:7-15
Romans 4:13-25
Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Genesis 12:1-9

12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.
12:2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.

12:3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."
12:4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.   Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
12:5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother's son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan.  When they had come to the land of Canaan,
12:6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh.  At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
12:7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, "To your offspring I will give this land."  So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
12:8 From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and invoked the name of the Lord.
12:9 And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

Psalm 33:1-12

33:1 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous.  Praise befits the upright.
33:2 Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
33:3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
33:4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
33:5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
33:6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
33:7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
33:8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
33:9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
33:10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
33:11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
33:12 Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.

Hosea 5:15-6:6

5:15 I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek my face.  In their distress they will beg my favor:
6:1 "Come, let us return to the Lord; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.
6:2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.
6:3 Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord; his appearing is as sure as the dawn; he will come to us like the showers, like the spring rains that water the earth."
6:4 What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?  What shall I do with you, O Judah?  Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes away early.
6:5 Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have killed them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.
6:6 For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Psalm 50:7-15

50:7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you.   I am God, your God.
50:8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.}
50:9 I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.
50:10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
50:11 I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.
50:12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.
50:13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? 
50:14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.
50:15 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

Romans 4:13-25

4:13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith.
4:14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void.
4:15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
4:16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us,
4:17 as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations")-- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.
4:18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."
4:19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
4:20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
4:21 being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
4:22 Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness."
4:23 Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone,
4:24 but for ours also.  It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
4:25 who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

9:9 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, "Follow me."  And he got up and followed him.
9:10 And as he sat at dinner in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples.
9:11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
9:12 But when he heard this, he said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
9:13 Go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'  For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners."
9:18 While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live."
9:19 And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples.
9:20 Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak,
9:21 for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well."
9:22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." and instantly the woman was made well.
9:23 When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion,
9:24 he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping."   And they laughed at him.
9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up.
9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district.

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June 15 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) ; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
        or
Exodus 19:2-8a ; Psalm 100
Romans 5:1-8
Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7)

18:1 The LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day.
18:2 He looked up and saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent entrance to meet them, and bowed down to the ground.
18:3 He said, "My lord, if I find favor with you, do not pass by your servant.
18:4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
18:5 Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on--since you have come to your servant." So they said, "Do as you have said."
18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, "Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes."
18:7 Abraham ran to the herd, and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to the servant, who hastened to prepare it.
18:8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
18:9 They said to him, "Where is your wife Sarah?" And he said, "There, in the tent."
18:10 Then one said, "I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent entrance behind him.
18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
18:12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have grown old, and my husband is old, shall I have pleasure?"
18:13 The LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?'
18:14 Is anything too wonderful for the LORD? At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son."
18:15 But Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. He said, "Oh yes, you did laugh."
21:1 The LORD dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had promised.
21:2 Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.
21:3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him.
21:4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.
21:5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
21:6 Now Sarah said, "God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me."
21:7 And she said, "Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

116:1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
116:2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
116:12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
116:13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
116:14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
116:16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
116:17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
116:18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
116:19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!

Exodus 19:2-8a

19:2 They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
19:3 Then Moses went up to God; the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, "Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites:
19:4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself.
19:5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,
19:6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites."
19:7 So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.
19:8a The people all answered as one: "Everything that the LORD has spoken we will do."

Psalm 100

100:1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
100:2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
100:3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
100:4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
100:5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Romans 5:1-8

5:1 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
5:2 through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God.
5:3 And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,
5:4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
5:5 and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
5:6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.
5:7 Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person--though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die.
5:8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)

9:35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.
9:36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
9:37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;
9:38 therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."
10:1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.
10:2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;
10:4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.
10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,
10:6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
10:7 As you go, proclaim the good news, 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'
10:8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.
10:9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts,
10:10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food.
10:11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.
10:12 As you enter the house, greet it.
10:13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.
10:14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.
10:15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
10:16 "See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
10:17 Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues;
10:18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles.
10:19 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time;
10:20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
10:21 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;
10:22 and you will be hated by all because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
10:23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly I tell you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

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June 22 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 21:8-21 ; Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17
      or
Jeremiah 20:7-13; Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18
Romans 6:1b-11
Matthew 10:24-39

Genesis 21:8-21

21:8 The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
21:9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.
21:10 So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac."
21:11 The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son.
21:12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you.
21:13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring."
21:14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes.
21:16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
21:17 And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.
21:18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him."
21:19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.
21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

86:1 Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
86:2 Preserve my life, for I am devoted to you; save your servant who trusts in you. You are my God;
86:3 be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all day long.
86:4 Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
86:5 For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you.
86:6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication. 86:7 In the day of my trouble I call on you, for you will answer me.
86:8 There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
86:9 All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
86:10 For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
86:16 Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant; save the child of your serving girl.
86:17 Show me a sign of your favor, so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame, because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

Jeremiah 20:7-13

20:7 O LORD, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
20:8 For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long.
20:9 If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
20:10 For I hear many whispering: "Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. "Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him."
20:11 But the LORD is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten.
20:12 O LORD of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
20:13 Sing to the LORD; praise the LORD! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers

Psalm 69:7-10 (11-15), 16-18

69:7 It is for your sake that I have borne reproach, that shame has covered my face.
69:8 I have become a stranger to my kindred, an alien to my mother's children.
69:9 It is zeal for your house that has consumed me; the insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.
69:10 When I humbled my soul with fasting, they insulted me for doing so.
69:11 When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword to them.
69:12 I am the subject of gossip for those who sit in the gate, and the drunkards make songs about me.
69:13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O LORD. At an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of your steadfast love, answer me. With your faithful help
69:14 rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters.
69:15 Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.
69:16 Answer me, O LORD, for your steadfast love is good; according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
69:17 Do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress--make haste to answer me.
69:18 Draw near to me, redeem me, set me free because of my enemies.

Romans 6:1b-11

6:1b Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?
6:2 By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?
6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised form the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.
6:5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
6:7 For whoever has died is freed from sin.
6:8 But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
6:9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
6:10 The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
6:11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 10:24-39

10:24 "A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master;
10:25 it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master.  If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!
10:26 "So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known.
10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops.
10:28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
10:29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
10:30 And even the hairs of your head are all counted.
10:31 So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.
10:32 "Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven;
10:33 but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.
10:34 "Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
10:35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
10:36 and one's foes will be members of one's own household.
10:37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
10:38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
10:39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

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June 29 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 22:1-14 ; Psalm 13
     or
Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
Romans 6:12-23
Matthew 10:40-42

Genesis 22:1-14

22:1 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
22:2 He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you."
22:3 So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him.
22:4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away.
22:5 Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you."
22:6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together.
22:7 Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"
22:8 Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.
22:9 When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
22:10 Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son.
22:11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."
22:12 He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me."
22:13 And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
22:14 So Abraham called that place "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

Psalm 13

13:1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
13:2 How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
13:3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
13:4 and my enemy will say, "I have prevailed"; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
13:5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
13:6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Jeremiah 28:5-9

28:5 Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the LORD;
28:6 and the prophet Jeremiah said, "Amen! May the LORD do so; may the LORD fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles.
28:7 But listen now to this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people.
28:8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms.
28:9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet."

Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18

89:1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
89:2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
89:3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
89:4 'I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.'" Selah
89:15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance;
89:16 they exult in your name all day long, and extol your righteousness.
89:17 For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.
89:18 For our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Romans 6:12-23

6:12 Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.
6:13 No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.
6:14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
6:15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
6:17 But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted,
6:18 and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
6:19 I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
6:20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. \
6:21 So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.
6:22 But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.
6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 10:40-42

10:40 "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.
10:41 Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;
10:42 and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

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