#NRSV

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Do All Things in Love

Let all that you do be done in love. — 1 Corinthians 16:14 | New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Corinthians 16:15

[menthol-creme-dziewczynka]

[mothermadyson]

never has there been a time when i wasn't an extremely anxious person. my dad used to be the same way; he'd worry about nothing, mindlessly biting his nails as he turned over his seemingly gargantuan problems in his head. anxiety is in my blood, and though i've never sought any type of treatment for it, i've been able to soothe myself with verses like matthew 6:34 recently. there are so many pessimistic and morbid interpretations of this verse but i can't stop it from popping up in my head every time i start drowning in all of the theoretical disasters coming my way. the Lord knows every possibility and everything that will certainly happen, yet he keeps calm. the Lord's knees don't tremble at everything he sees before him, so why should i allow mine to buckle at things that can't hold a candle to what he's witnessing? why should i submit to my fears when she's holding the entire universe in her hands and cradling all of her children so closely to her body?

[guiltywisdom]

[bones-ivy-breath]

One must pay attention not only to what is said, but also by whom it is said, to whom it is said, at what time, under what circumstances, what precedes, and what follows. There is the thoughtless habit of quoting all parts of the Bible as of equal value, whether they are the words of the Lord or the words of Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite in the book of Job, who are afterwards represented as condemned and contradicted by God. In other words, not everything contained in the Bible is affirmed by the Bible.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version ed. Bruce M. Metzger and Roland E. Murphy

[odysseyofemily]

Fear’s Power to Inhibit Our Walk with God

If you’re a Christian, chances are that you know the story of the first sin very well. God tells Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree, the serpent tempts Eve with the fruit, she eats it and shares it with Adam. They’ve sinned. It’s the start of our world’s downward spiral into despair, turmoil, sadness, death, fear. This last point – fear – is something I hadn’t really paired together with this first sin story before because of the subtlety of how it’s written, but it’s actually quite a crucial learning point for us in the story:

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:6-10, NRSV

Did you catch it? Adam and Eve were afraid to walk with God. And instead, they hid themselves away from Him. Normally, before their sin, they wouldn’t fear God coming to find them to walk with them in the cool of the evening, because fear simply didn’t exist. Sin hadn’t happened yet. But after sin... they experienced fear and let it lead their thoughts and actions. And it affected their relationship with God.

The main takeaway for me today is that fear can inhibit our walk with God – sometimes literally, in the case of Adam and Eve. We need to be careful how we deal with fear. That’s not to say that we should minimize fear or simply choose not to acknowledge the scary things in life. But while there are many fearful things in this world that we cannot escape, it’s how we deal with those fearful things – and those fearful feelings that creep in – that will either strengthen or weaken our walk with God. We can choose to either trust in Him to see us through or we can choose to doubt His abilities. 

There are lots of accounts of “fear not” throughout the Bible. Today, let’s take that command to heart and choose not to let that fear take hold. By letting fear manifest, all we’re doing is inhibiting our walk with our Creator. Instead, let’s choose to strengthen our walk with God by trusting in Him to see us through whatever we are facing. We just may see that those fearful things aren’t so fearful after all.

[letmylightshinebright]

Lectionary Reading Of The Day

The Martyrs of Memphis: Constance, Thecla, Ruth, Frances, Charles Parsons, and Louis Schuyler, 1878

The Collect:

Rite I: We give thee thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the heroic witness of the Martyrs of Memphis, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death; Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ; who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Rite II: We give you thanks and praise, O God of compassion, for the heroic witness of the Martyrs of Memphis, who, in a time of plague and pestilence, were steadfast in their care for the sick and dying, and loved not their own lives, even unto death; Inspire in us a like love and commitment to those in need, following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, 4who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ.

Psalm: Psalm 116:1–8

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of                             my supplication, *        because he has inclined his ear to me whenever                             I called upon him. 2 The cords of death entangled me;   the grip of the grave took hold of me; *        I came to grief and sorrow. 3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *       “O Lord, I pray you, save my life.” 4 Gracious is the Lord and righteous; *        our God is full of compassion. 5 The Lord watches over the innocent; *        I was brought very low, and he helped me. 6 Turn again to your rest, O my soul, *        for the Lord has treated you well. 7 For you have rescued my life from death, *        my eyes from tears, and my feet from stumbling. 8 I will walk in the presence of the Lord *        in the land of the living.

Gospel: John 12:24-28

24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

27 ‘Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—“Father, save me from this hour”? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, ‘I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.’

[breathofgod]

genesis 24:2-3 — abraham says to his servant: “put your hand under my thigh and I will make you swear by the lord”. sexuality as a bond, as an oath, as a promise, as that which you force unto others yet cannot bear to have forced unto you

[ad-lucem-et-amor]

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord. May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.

[exmokiddo]

Our Father in heaven, may your name be revered as holy.

May your kingdom come.

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

- matthew 6:9-13

[shannoncygnus]

Found an NRSV journal Bible and cover for a deep discount, I'm starting to break it in.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Do Not Grow Weary

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. — Galatians 6:9 | New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. All rights reserved. Cross References: Psalm 126:5; Proverbs 11:18; Ecclesiastes 11:1; Isaiah 40:31; Jeremiah 45:3; Matthew 10:22; 1 Corinthians 15:58

[adventurechristianity]

Selah

You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah Psalm 32:7 (NRSV) Can you read music? It’s an impressive gift. Not only are there lots of tricky notes to follow, but there are lots of directions, too. Words like adagio, or forte show up on the sheet music, and you have to know what they mean to play a piece correctly. There is a…

[guiltywisdom]

[neshamama]

rewatching the bear

[letmylightshinebright]

Lectionary Reading Of The Day:

Track 2

Old Testament: Isaiah 35:4-7a

4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible recompense. He will come and save you.”

5Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water.

Psalm: Psalm 146

1 Hallelujah!    Praise the Lord, O my soul! *        I will praise the Lord as long as I live;        I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *        for there is no help in them. 3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *        and in that day their thoughts perish. 4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *        whose hope is in the Lord their God; 5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *        who keeps his promise for ever; 6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *        and food to those who hunger. 7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;    the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *        the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; 8 The Lord loves the righteous;    the Lord cares for the stranger; *        he sustains the orphan and widow,        but frustrates the way of the wicked. 9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *        your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.        Hallelujah!

Epistle: James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-17

1My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.[ 11For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.]

14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Gospel: Mark 7:24-37

24From there he set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, 25but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet.26Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27He said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” 28But she answered him, “Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29Then he said to her, “For saying that, you may go—the demon has left your daughter.” 30So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. 32They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. 33He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. 34Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35And immediately his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37They were astounded beyond measure, saying, “He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”