• Daily Lectionary Readings for February 05, 2012
  

  Morning Psalm 103

  ¹   Bless the LORD, O my soul,
  
            and all that is within me,
  
            bless his holy name.
  
  ²   Bless the LORD, O my soul,
  
            and do not forget all his benefits —
  
  ³   who forgives all your iniquity,
  
            who heals all your diseases,
  
  ⁴   who redeems your life from the Pit,
  
            who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
  
  ⁵   who satisfies you with good as long as you live
  
            so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

  ⁶   The LORD works vindication
  
            and justice for all who are oppressed.
  
  ⁷   He made known his ways to Moses,
  
            his acts to the people of Israel.
  
  ⁸   The LORD is merciful and gracious,
  
            slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
  
  ⁹   He will not always accuse,
  
            nor will he keep his anger for ever.
  
  ¹⁰  He does not deal with us according to our sins,
  
            nor repay us according to our iniquities.
  
  ¹¹  For as the heavens are high above the earth,
  
            so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
  
  ¹²  as far as the east is from the west,
  
            so far he removes our transgressions from us.
  
  ¹³  As a father has compassion for his children,
  
            so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.
  
  ¹⁴  For he knows how we were made;
  
            he remembers that we are dust.

  ¹⁵  As for mortals, their days are like grass;
  
            they flourish like a flower of the field;
  
  ¹⁶  for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
  
            and its place knows it no more.
  
  ¹⁷  But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
  
            on those who fear him,
  
            and his righteousness to children’s children,
  
  ¹⁸  to those who keep his covenant
  
            and remember to do his commandments.

  ¹⁹  The LORD has established his throne in the heavens,
  
            and his kingdom rules over all.
  
  ²⁰  Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
  
            you mighty ones who do his bidding,
  
            obedient to his spoken word.
  
  ²¹  Bless the LORD, all his hosts,
  
            his ministers that do his will.
  
  ²²  Bless the LORD, all his works,
  
            in all places of his dominion.
  
       Bless the LORD, O my soul.

  Morning Psalm 150

  ¹   Praise the Lord!
  
       Praise God in his sanctuary;
  
            praise him in his mighty firmament!
  
  ²   Praise him for his mighty deeds;
  
            praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

  ³   Praise him with trumpet sound;
  
            praise him with lute and harp!
  
  ⁴   Praise him with tambourine and dance;
  
            praise him with strings and pipe!
  
  ⁵   Praise him with clanging cymbals;
  
            praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
  
  ⁶   Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!
  
       Praise the Lord!

  First Reading Genesis 24:50-67

  ⁵⁰Then Laban and
  Bethuel answered, “The thing comes from the LORD; we
  cannot speak to you anything bad or good. ⁵¹Look, Rebekah is before you, take
  her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s
  son, as the LORD has spoken.”

  ⁵²When Abraham’s
  servant heard their words, he bowed himself to the ground
  before the LORD. ⁵³And
  the servant brought out jewelry of silver and of gold,
  and garments, and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave to
  her brother and to her mother costly ornaments.
  ⁵⁴Then he and the men
  who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night
  there. When they rose in the morning, he said, “Send
  me back to my master.” ⁵⁵Her brother and her mother said,
  “Let the girl remain with us a while, at least ten
  days; after that she may go.” ⁵⁶But he said to them, “Do not
  delay me, since the LORD has made my journey successful;
  let me go that I may go to my master.” ⁵⁷They said, “We will call the
  girl, and ask her.” ⁵⁸And they called Rebekah, and said
  to her, “Will you go with this man?” She said,
  “I will.” ⁵⁹So they sent away their sister
  Rebekah and her nurse along with Abraham’s servant
  and his men. ⁶⁰And they
  blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our
  sister, become thousands of myriads; may your offspring
  gain possession of the gates of their foes.”
  ⁶¹Then Rebekah and her
  maids rose up, mounted the camels, and followed the man;
  thus the servant took Rebekah, and went his way.

  ⁶²Now Isaac had come
  from Beer-lahai-roi, and was settled in the Negeb.
  ⁶³Isaac went out in the
  evening to walk in the field; and looking up, he saw
  camels coming. ⁶⁴And
  Rebekah looked up, and when she saw Isaac, she slipped
  quickly from the camel, ⁶⁵and said to the servant,
  “Who is the man over there, walking in the field to
  meet us?” The servant said, “It is my
  master.” So she took her veil and covered herself.
  ⁶⁶And the servant told
  Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷Then Isaac brought her into his
  mother Sarah’s tent. He took Rebekah, and she became
  his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after
  his mother’s death.

  Second Reading 2 Timothy 2:14-21

  ¹⁴Remind them of this,
  and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling
  over words, which does no good but only ruins those who
  are listening. ¹⁵Do
  your best to present yourself to God as one approved by
  him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly
  explaining the word of truth. ¹⁶Avoid profane chatter, for it
  will lead people into more and more impiety, ¹⁷and their talk will spread like
  gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
  ¹⁸who have swerved from
  the truth by claiming that the resurrection has already
  taken place. They are upsetting the faith of some.
  ¹⁹But God’s firm
  foundation stands, bearing this inscription: “The
  Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let
  everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from
  wickedness.”

  ²⁰In a large house
  there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also
  of wood and clay, some for special use, some for
  ordinary. ²¹All who
  cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned will
  become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the
  owner of the house, ready for every good work.

  Gospel Mark 10:13-22

  ¹³People were bringing
  little children to him in order that he might touch them;
  and the disciples spoke sternly to them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw this, he was
  indignant and said to them, “Let the little children
  come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these
  that the kingdom of God belongs. ¹⁵Truly I tell you, whoever does
  not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will
  never enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them up in his arms,
  laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

  ¹⁷As he was setting out
  on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and
  asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit
  eternal life?” ¹⁸Jesus said to him, “Why do
  you call me good? No one is good but God alone.
  ¹⁹You know the
  commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not
  commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear
  false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father
  and mother.’” ²⁰He said to him, “Teacher, I
  have kept all these since my youth.” ²¹Jesus, looking at him, loved him
  and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you
  own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have
  treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”
  ²²When he heard this,
  he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many
  possessions.

  Evening Psalm 117

  ¹   Praise the LORD, all you nations!
  
            Extol him, all you peoples!
  
  ²   For great is his steadfast love toward us,
  
            and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
  
       Praise the LORD!

  Evening Psalm 139

  ¹   O LORD, you have searched me and known me.

  ²   You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
  
            you discern my thoughts from far away.
  
  ³   You search out my path and my lying down,
  
            and are acquainted with all my ways.
  
  ⁴   Even before a word is on my tongue,
  
            O LORD, you know it completely.
  
  ⁵   You hem me in, behind and before,
  
            and lay your hand upon me.
  
  ⁶   Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
  
            it is so high that I cannot attain it.

  ⁷   Where can I go from your spirit?
  
            Or where can I flee from your presence?

  ⁸   If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
  
            if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
  
  ⁹   If I take the wings of the morning
  
            and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
  
  ¹⁰  even there your hand shall lead me,
  
            and your right hand shall hold me fast.
  
  ¹¹  If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
  
            and the light around me become night,”
  
  ¹²  even the darkness is not dark to you;
  
            the night is as bright as the day,
  
            for darkness is as light to you.

  ¹³  For it was you who formed my inward parts;
  
            you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
  
  ¹⁴  I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
  
            Wonderful are your works;
  
       that I know very well.
  
  ¹⁵       My frame was not hidden from you,
  
       when I was being made in secret,
  
            intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
  
  ¹⁶  Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
  
       In your book were written
  
            all the days that were formed for me,
  
            when none of them as yet existed.
  
  ¹⁷  How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
  
            How vast is the sum of them!
  
  ¹⁸  I try to count them — they are more than the sand;
  
            I come to the end — I am still with you.

  ¹⁹  O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
  
            and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me —
  
  ²⁰  those who speak of you maliciously,
  
            and lift themselves up against you for evil!
  
  ²¹  Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD?
  
            And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
  
  ²²  I hate them with perfect hatred;
  
            I count them my enemies.
  
  ²³  Search me, O God, and know my heart;
  
            test me and know my thoughts.
  
  ²⁴  See if there is any wicked way in me,
  
            and lead me in the way everlasting.

• Daily Lectionary Readings for February 04, 2012
  

  Morning Psalm 63

  ¹   O God, you are my God, I seek you,
  
            my soul thirsts for you;
  
       my flesh faints for you,
  
            as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
  
  ²   So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
  
            beholding your power and glory.
  
  ³   Because your steadfast love is better than life,
  
            my lips will praise you.
  
  ⁴   So I will bless you as long as I live;
  
            I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

  ⁵   My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast,
  
            and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
  
  ⁶   when I think of you on my bed,
  
            and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
  
  ⁷   for you have been my help,
  
            and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
  
  ⁸   My soul clings to you;
  
            your right hand upholds me.

  ⁹   But those who seek to destroy my life
  
            shall go down into the depths of the earth;
  
  ¹⁰  they shall be given over to the power of the sword,
  
            they shall be prey for jackals.
  
  ¹¹  But the king shall rejoice in God;
  
            all who swear by him shall exult,
  
            for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

  Morning Psalm 149

  ¹   Praise the Lord!
  
       Sing to the Lord a new song,
  
            his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
  
  ²   Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
  
            let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
  
  ³   Let them praise his name with dancing,
  
            making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
  
  ⁴   For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
  
            he adorns the humble with victory.
  
  ⁵   Let the faithful exult in glory;
  
            let them sing for joy on their couches.
  
  ⁶   Let the high praises of God be in their throats
  
            and two-edged swords in their hands,
  
  ⁷   to execute vengeance on the nations
  
            and punishment on the peoples,
  
  ⁸   to bind their kings with fetters
  
            and their nobles with chains of iron,
  
  ⁹   to execute on them the judgment decreed.
  
            This is glory for all his faithful ones.
  
       Praise the Lord!

  First Reading Genesis 24:28-38, 49-51

  ²⁸Then the girl ran and
  told her mother’s household about these things.
  ²⁹Rebekah had a brother
  whose name was Laban; and Laban ran out to the man, to
  the spring. ³⁰As soon
  as he had seen the nose-ring, and the bracelets on his
  sister’s arms, and when he heard the words of his
  sister Rebekah, “Thus the man spoke to me,” he
  went to the man; and there he was, standing by the camels
  at the spring. ³¹He
  said, “Come in, O blessed of the LORD. Why do you
  stand outside when I have prepared the house and a place
  for the camels?” ³²So the man came into the house;
  and Laban unloaded the camels, and gave him straw and
  fodder for the camels, and water to wash his feet and the
  feet of the men who were with him. ³³Then food was set before him to
  eat; but he said, “I will not eat until I have told
  my errand.” He said, “Speak on.”
  ³⁴So he said, “I
  am Abraham’s servant. ³⁵The LORD has greatly blessed my
  master, and he has become wealthy; he has given him
  flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female
  slaves, camels and donkeys. ³⁶And Sarah my master’s wife
  bore a son to my master when she was old; and he has
  given him all that he has. ³⁷My master made me swear, saying,
  ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the
  daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live;
  ³⁸but you shall go to
  my father’s house, to my kindred, and get a wife for
  my son.’”

  ⁴⁹“Now then, if
  you will deal loyally and truly with my master, tell me;
  and if not, tell me, so that I may turn either to the
  right hand or to the left.” ⁵⁰Then Laban and Bethuel answered,
  “The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to
  you anything bad or good. ⁵¹Look, Rebekah is before you, take
  her and go, and let her be the wife of your master’s
  son, as the LORD has spoken.”

  Second Reading Hebrews 12:12-29

  ¹²Therefore lift your
  drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
  ¹³and make straight
  paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put
  out of joint, but rather be healed.

  ¹⁴Pursue peace with
  everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see
  the Lord. ¹⁵See to it
  that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no
  root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and
  through it many become defiled. ¹⁶See to it that no one becomes
  like Esau, an immoral and godless person, who sold his
  birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷You know that later, when he
  wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he
  found no chance to repent, even though he sought the
  blessing with tears.

  ¹⁸You have not come to
  something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and
  darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, ¹⁹and the sound of a trumpet, and a
  voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another
  word be spoken to them. ²⁰(For they could not endure the
  order that was given, “If even an animal touches the
  mountain, it shall be stoned to death.” ²¹Indeed, so terrifying was the
  sight that Moses said, “I tremble with fear.”)
  ²²But you have come to
  Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the
  heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal
  gathering, ²³and to the
  assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and
  to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the
  righteous made perfect, ²⁴and to Jesus, the mediator of a
  new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a
  better word than the blood of Abel.

  ²⁵See that you do not
  refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not
  escape when they refused the one who warned them on
  earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one
  who warns from heaven! ²⁶At that time his voice shook the
  earth; but now he has promised, “Yet once more I
  will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.”
  ²⁷This phrase,
  “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what
  is shaken — that is, created things — so that what cannot
  be shaken may remain. ²⁸Therefore, since we are receiving
  a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by
  which we offer to God an acceptable worship with
  reverence and awe; ²⁹for indeed our God is a consuming
  fire.

  Gospel John 7:14-36

  ¹⁴About the middle of
  the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to
  teach. ¹⁵The Jews were
  astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have
  such learning, when he has never been taught?”
  ¹⁶Then Jesus answered
  them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me.
  ¹⁷Anyone who resolves
  to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is
  from God or whether I am speaking on my own. ¹⁸Those who speak on their own seek
  their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him
  who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him.

  ¹⁹“Did not Moses
  give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are
  you looking for an opportunity to kill me?”
  ²⁰The crowd answered,
  “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?”
  ²¹Jesus answered them,
  “I performed one work, and all of you are
  astonished. ²²Moses
  gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses,
  but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the
  sabbath. ²³If a man
  receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the
  law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me
  because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath?
  ²⁴Do not judge by
  appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

  ²⁵Now some of the
  people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the
  man whom they are trying to kill? ²⁶And here he is, speaking openly,
  but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the
  authorities really know that this is the Messiah?
  ²⁷Yet we know where
  this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will
  know where he is from.” ²⁸Then Jesus cried out as he was
  teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know
  where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one
  who sent me is true, and you do not know him.
  ²⁹I know him, because I
  am from him, and he sent me.” ³⁰Then they tried to arrest him,
  but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not
  yet come. ³¹Yet many in
  the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the
  Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has
  done?”

  ³²The Pharisees heard
  the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief
  priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him.
  ³³Jesus then said,
  “I will be with you a little while longer, and then
  I am going to him who sent me. ³⁴You will search for me, but you
  will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
  ³⁵The Jews said to one
  another, “Where does this man intend to go that we
  will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion
  among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? ³⁶What does he mean by saying,
  ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’
  and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

  Evening Psalm 125

  ¹   Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,
  
            which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
  
  ²   As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
  
            so the LORD surrounds his people,
  
            from this time on and forevermore.
  
  ³   For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
  
            on the land allotted to the righteous,
  
       so that the righteous might not stretch out
  
            their hands to do wrong.
  
  ⁴   Do good, O LORD, to those who are good,
  
            and to those who are upright in their hearts.
  
  ⁵   But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways
  
            the LORD will lead away with evildoers.
  
            Peace be upon Israel!

  Evening Psalm 90

  ¹   Lord, you have been our dwelling place
  
            in all generations.
  
  ²   Before the mountains were brought forth,
  
            or ever you had formed the earth and the world,
  
            from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

  ³   You turn us back to dust,
  
            and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
  
  ⁴   For a thousand years in your sight
  
            are like yesterday when it is past,
  
            or like a watch in the night.

  ⁵   You sweep them away; they are like a dream,
  
            like grass that is renewed in the morning;
  
  ⁶   in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
  
            in the evening it fades and withers.

  ⁷   For we are consumed by your anger;
  
            by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
  
  ⁸   You have set our iniquities before you,
  
            our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

  ⁹   For all our days pass away under your wrath;
  
            our years come to an end like a sigh.
  
  ¹⁰  The days of our life are seventy years,
  
            or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
  
       even then their span is only toil and trouble;
  
            they are soon gone, and we fly away.

  ¹¹  Who considers the power of your anger?
  
            Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
  
  ¹²  So teach us to count our days
  
            that we may gain a wise heart.

  ¹³  Turn, O LORD! How long?
  
            Have compassion on your servants!
  
  ¹⁴  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
  
            so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
  
  ¹⁵  Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us,
  
            and as many years as we have seen evil.
  
  ¹⁶  Let your work be manifest to your servants,
  
            and your glorious power to their children.
  
  ¹⁷  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
  
            and prosper for us the work of our hands —
  
            O prosper the work of our hands!

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Connection, February 2012

Connection, January 2012

• Daily Lectionary Readings for February 03, 2012
  

  Morning Psalm 84

  ¹   How lovely is your dwelling place,
  
            O LORD of hosts!
  
  ²   My soul longs, indeed it faints
  
            for the courts of the LORD;
  
       my heart and my flesh sing for joy
  
            to the living God.

  ³   Even the sparrow finds a home,
  
            and the swallow a nest for herself,
  
            where she may lay her young,
  
       at your altars, O LORD of hosts,
  
            my King and my God.
  
  ⁴   Happy are those who live in your house,
  
            ever singing your praise.                        Selah

  ⁵   Happy are those whose strength is in you,
  
            in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
  
  ⁶   As they go through the valley of Baca
  
            they make it a place of springs;
  
            the early rain also covers it with pools.
  
  ⁷   They go from strength to strength;
  
            the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

  ⁸   O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
  
            give ear, O God of Jacob!                          Selah
  
  ⁹   Behold our shield, O God;
  
            look on the face of your anointed.

  ¹⁰  For a day in your courts is better
  
            than a thousand elsewhere.
  
       I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
  
            than live in the tents of wickedness.
  
  ¹¹  For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
  
            he bestows favor and honor.
  
       No good thing does the LORD withhold
  
            from those who walk uprightly.
  
  ¹²  O LORD of hosts,
  
            happy is everyone who trusts in you.

  Morning Psalm 148

  ¹   Praise the Lord!
  
       Praise the Lord from the heavens;
  
            praise him in the heights!
  
  ²   Praise him, all his angels;
  
            praise him, all his host!

  ³   Praise him, sun and moon;
  
            praise him, all you shining stars!
  
  ⁴   Praise him, you highest heavens,
  
            and you waters above the heavens!

  ⁵   Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  
            for he commanded and they were created.
  
  ⁶   He established them forever and ever;
  
            he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

  ⁷   Praise the Lord from the earth,
  
            you sea monsters and all deeps,
  
  ⁸   fire and hail, snow and frost,
  
            stormy wind fulfilling his command!

  ⁹   Mountains and all hills,
  
            fruit trees and all cedars!
  
  ¹⁰  Wild animals and all cattle,
  
            creeping things and flying birds!

  ¹¹  Kings of the earth and all peoples,
  
            princes and all rulers of the earth!
  
  ¹²  Young men and women alike,
  
            old and young together!

  ¹³  Let them praise the name of the Lord,
  
            for his name alone is exalted;
  
            his glory is above earth and heaven.
  
  ¹⁴  He has raised up a horn for his people,
  
            praise for all his faithful,
  
            for the people of Israel who are close to him.
  
       Praise the Lord!

  First Reading Genesis 24:1-27

  ¹Now Abraham was old,
  well advanced in years; and the LORD had blessed Abraham
  in all things. ²Abraham
  said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had
  charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my
  thigh ³and I will make
  you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth, that
  you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of
  the Canaanites, among whom I live, ⁴but will go to my country and to
  my kindred and get a wife for my son Isaac.”
  ⁵The servant said to
  him, “Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow
  me to this land; must I then take your son back to the
  land from which you came?” ⁶Abraham said to him, “See to
  it that you do not take my son back there. ⁷The LORD, the God of heaven, who
  took me from my father’s house and from the land of
  my birth, and who spoke to me and swore to me, ‘To
  your offspring I will give this land,’ he will send
  his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my
  son from there. ⁸But if
  the woman is not willing to follow you, then you will be
  free from this oath of mine; only you must not take my
  son back there.” ⁹So the servant put his hand under
  the thigh of Abraham his master and swore to him
  concerning this matter.

  ¹⁰Then the servant took
  ten of his master’s camels and departed, taking all
  kinds of choice gifts from his master; and he set out and
  went to Aram-naharaim, to the city of Nahor. ¹¹He made the camels kneel down
  outside the city by the well of water; it was toward
  evening, the time when women go out to draw water.
  ¹²And he said, “O
  LORD, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success
  today and show steadfast love to my master Abraham.
  ¹³I am standing here by
  the spring of water, and the daughters of the townspeople
  are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴Let the girl to whom I shall say,
  ‘Please offer your jar that I may drink,’ and who
  shall say, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels’
  — let her be the one whom you have appointed for your
  servant Isaac. By this I shall know that you have shown
  steadfast love to my master.”

  ¹⁵Before he had
  finished speaking, there was Rebekah, who was born to
  Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s
  brother, coming out with her water jar on her shoulder.
  ¹⁶The girl was very
  fair to look upon, a virgin, whom no man had known. She
  went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up.
  ¹⁷Then the servant ran
  to meet her and said, “Please let me sip a little
  water from your jar.” ¹⁸“Drink, my lord,” she
  said, and quickly lowered her jar upon her hand and gave
  him a drink. ¹⁹When she
  had finished giving him a drink, she said, “I will
  draw for your camels also, until they have finished
  drinking.” ²⁰So
  she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran again
  to the well to draw, and she drew for all his camels.
  ²¹The man gazed at her
  in silence to learn whether or not the LORD had made his
  journey successful.

  ²²When the camels had
  finished drinking, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing
  a half shekel, and two bracelets for her arms weighing
  ten gold shekels, ²³and
  said, “Tell me whose daughter you are. Is there room
  in your father’s house for us to spend the
  night?” ²⁴She said
  to him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah,
  whom she bore to Nahor.” ²⁵She added, “We have plenty
  of straw and fodder and a place to spend the night.”
  ²⁶The man bowed his
  head and worshiped the LORD ²⁷and said, “Blessed be the
  LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken
  his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master.
  As for me, the LORD has led me on the way to the house of
  my master’s kin.”

  Second Reading Hebrews 12:3-11

  ³Consider him who
  endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so
  that you may not grow weary or lose heart. ⁴In your struggle against sin you
  have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your
  blood. ⁵And you have
  forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children
  — “My child, do not regard lightly the discipline of
  the Lord, or lose heart when you are punished by him;
  ⁶for the Lord
  disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every
  child whom he accepts.” ⁷Endure trials for the sake of
  discipline. God is treating you as children; for what
  child is there whom a parent does not discipline?
  ⁸If you do not have
  that discipline in which all children share, then you are
  illegitimate and not his children. ⁹Moreover, we had human parents to
  discipline us, and we respected them. Should we not be
  even more willing to be subject to the Father of spirits
  and live? ¹⁰For they
  disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them,
  but he disciplines us for our good, in order that we may
  share his holiness. ¹¹Now, discipline always seems
  painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it
  yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who
  have been trained by it.

  Gospel John 7:1-13

  ¹After this Jesus went
  about in Galilee. He did not wish to go about in Judea
  because the Jews were looking for an opportunity to kill
  him. ²Now the Jewish
  festival of Booths was near. ³So his brothers said to him,
  “Leave here and go to Judea so that your disciples
  also may see the works you are doing; ⁴or no one who wants to be widely
  known acts in secret. If you do these things, show
  yourself to the world.” ⁵(For not even his brothers
  believed in him.) ⁶Jesus said to them, “My time
  has not yet come, but your time is always here.
  ⁷The world cannot hate
  you, but it hates me because I testify against it that
  its works are evil. ⁸Go
  to the festival yourselves. I am not going to this
  festival, for my time has not yet fully come.”
  ⁹After saying this, he
  remained in Galilee.

  ¹⁰But after his
  brothers had gone to the festival, then he also went, not
  publicly but as it were in secret. ¹¹The Jews were looking for him at
  the festival and saying, “Where is he?”
  ¹²And there was
  considerable complaining about him among the crowds.
  While some were saying, “He is a good man”,
  others were saying, “No, he is deceiving the
  crowd.” ¹³Yet no
  one would speak openly about him for fear of the Jews.

  Evening Psalm 25

  ¹   To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
  
  ²   O my God, in you I trust;
  
            do not let me be put to shame;
  
            do not let my enemies exult over me.
  
  ³   Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
  
            let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

  ⁴   Make me to know your ways, O LORD;
  
            teach me your paths.
  
  ⁵   Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
  
            for you are the God of my salvation;
  
            for you I wait all day long.

  ⁶   Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,
  
            for they have been from of old.
  
  ⁷   Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
  
            according to your steadfast love remember me,
  
            for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!

  ⁸   Good and upright is the LORD;
  
            therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
  
  ⁹   He leads the humble in what is right,
  
            and teaches the humble his way.
  
  ¹⁰  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,
  
            for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.

  ¹¹  For your name’s sake, O LORD,
  
            pardon my guilt, for it is great.

  ¹²  Who are they that fear the LORD?
  
            He will teach them the way that they should choose

  ¹³  They will abide in prosperity,
  
            and their children shall possess the land.
  
  ¹⁴  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him,
  
            and he makes his covenant known to them.
  
  ¹⁵  My eyes are ever toward the LORD,
  
            for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

  ¹⁶  Turn to me and be gracious to me,
  
            for I am lonely and afflicted.
  
  ¹⁷  Relieve the troubles of my heart,
  
            and bring me out of my distress.
  
  ¹⁸  Consider my affliction and my trouble,
  
            and forgive all my sins.

  ¹⁹  Consider how many are my foes,
  
            and with what violent hatred they hate me.
  
  ²⁰  O guard my life, and deliver me;
  
            do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
  
  ²¹  May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
  
            for I wait for you.

  ²²  Redeem Israel, O God,
  
            out of all its troubles.

  Evening Psalm 40

  ¹   I waited patiently for the LORD;
  
            he inclined to me and heard my cry.
  
  ²   He drew me up from the desolate pit,
  
            out of the miry bog,
  
       and set my feet upon a rock,
  
            making my steps secure.
  
  ³   He put a new song in my mouth,
  
            a song of praise to our God.
  
       Many will see and fear,
  
            and put their trust in the LORD.

  ⁴   Happy are those who make
  
            the LORD their trust,
  
       who do not turn to the proud,
  
            to those who go astray after false gods.
  
  ⁵   You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
  
            your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
  
            none can compare with you.
  
       Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
  
            they would be more than can be counted.

  ⁶   Sacrifice and offering you do not desire,
  
            but you have given me an open ear.
  
       Burnt offering and sin offering
  
            you have not required.
  
  ⁷   Then I said, “Here I am;
  
            in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
  
  ⁸   I delight to do your will, O my God;
  
            your law is within my heart.”

  ⁹   I have told the glad news of deliverance
  
            in the great congregation;
  
       see, I have not restrained my lips,
  
            as you know, O LORD.
  
  ¹⁰  I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,
  
            I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation;
  
       I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness
  
            from the great congregation.

  ¹¹  Do not, O LORD, withhold
  
            your mercy from me;
  
       let your steadfast love and your faithfulness
  
            keep me safe forever.
  
  ¹²  For evils have encompassed me
  
            without number;
  
       my iniquities have overtaken me,
  
            until I cannot see;
  
       they are more than the hairs of my head,
  
            and my heart fails me.

  ¹³  Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
  
            O LORD, make haste to help me.
  
  ¹⁴  Let all those be put to shame and confusion
  
            who seek to snatch away my life;
  
       let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
  
            who desire my hurt.
  
  ¹⁵  Let those be appalled because of their shame
  
            who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”

  ¹⁶  But may all who seek you
  
            rejoice and be glad in you;
  
       may those who love your salvation
  
            say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
  
  ¹⁷  As for me, I am poor and needy,
  
            but the Lord takes thought for me.
  
       You are my help and my deliverer;
  
            do not delay, O my God.

“We Are One In The Spirit: We Are One In The Lord” at this year’s High School Retreat on March 16-18 at Holston Presbytery Camp & Retreat Center in Banner Elk. This year’s speaker is David Prentice-Hyers.

You may arrive between 7-7:30 p.m. and click here for registration forms. Cost is $65 per person. 10% discount to those who bring a friend from another church.

Click here for a copy of the flyer.

Holston Presbytery’s Commissioned Ruling Elders will again converge on Holston Camp on March 9-10 for their annual retreat. The New Form of Government will be the topic for continuing education with Executive Presbytery Rich Fifield as leader.

Click here for details and to register by Friday, March 2.

The Campus House Lunch & Colloquium, the weekly Wednesday lunch gatherings for fellowship and thought provoking topics of discussion, are meeting from 11:45-12:45.  Encourage your friends to come see what it’s all about!

February 8 – Faces of Latin America: Images of Mexico & Ecuador with Dr. Ken Mijeski – Dr. Mijeski (Emeritus Professor of Political Science) did a program last spring for us on his recently published book concerning the indigenous movement in Ecuador. This year he shares his years of experience in Latin America with a broader view of Mexico and Eduador.

Come, enjoy the fellowship, a good lunch and a lively discussion 

Send any ideas you may have concerning possible programs to YYAM.

This Sunday’s We Believe curriculum for older elementary and mixed-ages highlights the work of Living Waters for the World, the mission of the Synod of Living Waters.  We invite you to download the following fun arts and crafts activities as a supplement to your lesson plan:

Creation cut-outs

Rain sticks

Water wands

Water well

• Daily Lectionary Readings for February 02, 2012
  

  Morning Psalm 116

  ¹   I love the LORD, because he has heard
  
            my voice and my supplications.
  
  ²   Because he inclined his ear to me,
  
            therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
  
  ³   The snares of death encompassed me;
  
            the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
  
            I suffered distress and anguish.
  
  ⁴   Then I called on the name of the LORD:
  
            “O LORD, I pray, save my life!”

  ⁵   Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
  
            our God is merciful.
  
  ⁶   The LORD protects the simple;
  
            when I was brought low, he saved me.
  
  ⁷   Return, O my soul, to your rest,
  
            for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

  ⁸   For you have delivered my soul from death,
  
            my eyes from tears,
  
            my feet from stumbling.
  
  ⁹   I walk before the LORD
  
            in the land of the living.
  
  ¹⁰  I kept my faith, even when I said,
  
            “I am greatly afflicted”;
  
  ¹¹  I said in my consternation,
  
            “Everyone is a liar.”

  ¹²  What shall I return to the LORD
  
            for all his bounty to me?
  
  ¹³   I will lift up the cup of salvation
  
            and call on the name of the LORD,
  
  ¹⁴  I will pay my vows to the LORD
  
            in the presence of all his people.
  
  ¹⁵  Precious in the sight of the LORD
  
            is the death of his faithful ones.
  
  ¹⁶  O LORD, I am your servant;
  
            I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
  
            You have loosed my bonds.
  
  ¹⁷  I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
  
            and call on the name of the LORD.
  
  ¹⁸  I will pay my vows to the LORD
  
            in the presence of all his people,
  
  ¹⁹  in the courts of the house of the LORD,
  
            in your midst, O Jerusalem.
  
       Praise the LORD!

  Morning Psalm 147:12-20

  ¹²  Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
  
            Praise your God, O Zion!
  
  ¹³  For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
  
            he blesses your children within you.
  
  ¹⁴  He grants peace within your borders;
  
            he fills you with the finest of wheat.
  
  ¹⁵  He sends out his command to the earth;
  
            his word runs swiftly.
  
  ¹⁶  He gives snow like wool;
  
            he scatters frost like ashes.
  
  ¹⁷  He hurls down hail like crumbs —
  
            who can stand before his cold?
  
  ¹⁸  He sends out his word, and melts them;
  
            he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
  
  ¹⁹  He declares his word to Jacob,
  
            his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
  
  ²⁰  He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
  
            they do not know his ordinances.
  
       Praise the Lord!

  First Reading Genesis 23:1-20

  ¹Sarah lived one
  hundred twenty-seven years; this was the length of
  Sarah’s life. ²And
  Sarah died at Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land
  of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to
  weep for her. ³Abraham
  rose up from beside his dead, and said to the Hittites,
  ⁴“I am a stranger
  and an alien residing among you; give me property among
  you for a burying place, so that I may bury my dead out
  of my sight.” ⁵The
  Hittites answered Abraham, ⁶“Hear us, my lord; you are a
  mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of
  our burial places; none of us will withhold from you any
  burial ground for burying your dead.” ⁷Abraham rose and bowed to the
  Hittites, the people of the land. ⁸He said to them, “If you are
  willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear
  me, and entreat for me Ephron son of Zohar, ⁹so that he may give me the cave of
  Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field.
  For the full price let him give it to me in your presence
  as a possession for a burying place.” ¹⁰Now Ephron was sitting among the
  Hittites; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the
  hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate
  of his city, ¹¹“No, my lord, hear me; I
  give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in
  it; in the presence of my people I give it to you; bury
  your dead.” ¹²Then
  Abraham bowed down before the people of the land.
  ¹³He said to Ephron in
  the hearing of the people of the land, “If you only
  will listen to me! I will give the price of the field;
  accept it from me, so that I may bury my dead
  there.” ¹⁴Ephron
  answered Abraham, ¹⁵“My lord, listen to me; a
  piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver — what
  is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”
  ¹⁶Abraham agreed with
  Ephron; and Abraham weighed out for Ephron the silver
  that he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four
  hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights
  current among the merchants.

  ¹⁷So the field of
  Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the
  field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that
  were in the field, throughout its whole area, passed
  ¹⁸to Abraham as a
  possession in the presence of the Hittites, in the
  presence of all who went in at the gate of his city.
  ¹⁹After this, Abraham
  buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of
  Machpelah facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of
  Canaan. ²⁰The field and
  the cave that is in it passed from the Hittites into
  Abraham’s possession as a burying place.

  Second Reading Hebrews 11:32-12:2

  ³²And what more should
  I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak,
  Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — ³³who through faith
  conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained
  promises, shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched raging fire, escaped the
  edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became
  mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. ³⁵Women received their dead by
  resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept
  release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. ³⁶Others suffered
  mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷They were stoned to
  death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the
  sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats,
  destitute, persecuted, tormented — ³⁸of whom the world was not worthy.
  They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and
  holes in the ground.

  ³⁹Yet all these, though
  they were commended for their faith, did not receive what
  was promised, ⁴⁰since
  God had provided something better so that they would not,
  apart from us, be made perfect.

  ¹Therefore, since we
  are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
  also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so
  closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that
  is set before us, ²looking to Jesus the pioneer and
  perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that
  was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its
  shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the
  throne of God.

  Gospel John 6:60-71

  ⁶⁰When many of his
  disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is
  difficult; who can accept it?” ⁶¹But Jesus, being aware that his
  disciples were complaining about it, said to them,
  “Does this offend you? ⁶²Then what if you were to see the
  Son of Man ascending to where he was before? ⁶³It is the spirit that gives life;
  the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you
  are spirit and life. ⁶⁴But among you there are some who
  do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who
  were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one
  that would betray him. ⁶⁵And he said, “For this
  reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless
  it is granted by the Father.”

  ⁶⁶Because of this many
  of his disciples turned back and no longer went about
  with him. ⁶⁷So Jesus
  asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go
  away?” ⁶⁸Simon
  Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You
  have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹We have come to believe and know
  that you are the Holy One of God.” ⁷⁰Jesus answered them, “Did I
  not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a
  devil.” ⁷¹He was
  speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though
  one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

  Evening Psalm 26

  ¹   Vindicate me, O LORD,
  
            for I have walked in my integrity,
  
            and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
  
  ²   Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
  
            test my heart and mind.
  
  ³   For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
  
            and I walk in faithfulness to you.

  ⁴   I do not sit with the worthless,
  
            nor do I consort with hypocrites;
  
  ⁵   I hate the company of evildoers,
  
            and will not sit with the wicked.

  ⁶   I wash my hands in innocence,
  
            and go around your altar, O LORD,
  
  ⁷   singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
  
            and telling all your wondrous deeds.

  ⁸   O LORD, I love the house in which you dwell,
  
            and the place where your glory abides.
  
  ⁹   Do not sweep me away with sinners,
  
            nor my life with the bloodthirsty,
  
  ¹⁰  those in whose hands are evil devices,
  
            and whose right hands are full of bribes.

  ¹¹  But as for me, I walk in my integrity;
  
            redeem me, and be gracious to me.
  
  ¹²  My foot stands on level ground;
  
            in the great congregation I will bless the LORD.

  Evening Psalm 130

  ¹   Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD.
  
  ²       Lord, hear my voice!
  
       Let your ears be attentive
  
            to the voice of my supplications!

  ³   If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities,
  
            Lord, who could stand?
  
  ⁴   But there is forgiveness with you,
  
            so that you may be revered.

  ⁵   I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
  
            and in his word I hope;
  
  ⁶   my soul waits for the Lord
  
            more than those who watch for the morning,
  
            more than those who watch for the morning.

  ⁷   O Israel, hope in the LORD!
  
            For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
  
            and with him is great power to redeem.
  
  ⁸   It is he who will redeem Israel
  
            from all its iniquities.

Each monthly issue of The Parish Paper provides ideas, insights, research-findings, and practical methods that strengthen the effectiveness of congregations in accomplishing God’s purposes through their various ministries.

April 2012 Issue – How Is Your Congregation’s Health?

March 2012 Issue – What Type of Future Are We Building?

February 2012 Issue – How to Manage Change Resistance

January 2012 Issue – How to Perfect Your Leadership Triangle

December 2011 Issue – How Do We Successfully Launch a New Project?

November 2011 Issue – Should We Unleash the Power of Congregational Planning?

October 2011 Issue – Why do Smart Churches Make Dumb Decisions?

September 2011 Issue – Why do People Connect with Christ and a Congregation?

August 2011 Issue – How to Prevent Bad Behavior During Times of Change

July 2011 Issue – How to Select Quality Staff

June 2011 Issue – What Is the Pastor’s Role in Church Finance?

May 2011 Issue – When Does Success Lead to Failure?

April 2011 Issue – Incoming Pastors–Building Smoother Transition Bridges

March 2011 Issue – Does a Congregation’s Location Influence Its Effectiveness?

February 2011 Issue – Accomplishing Worthy Goals–Being Smart Is not Enough

January 2011 Issue – What Is Your Unconscious Intent?

Holston Presbytery’s purchase of a subscription to The Parish Paper includes:

1. Permission to provide copies to our staff and to the congregations within our jurisdiction in any of the following ways: E-mail, Postal, newspaper, newsletter, meetings, training events, and our Web site.
2. Permission for each congregation within our jurisdiction to (a) photocopy or electronically distribute for local use as many copies as it needs, (b) post them on its Web site, and (c) quote sentences and paragraphs.

Congregations within Holston Presbytery to which we distribute The Parish Paper do not have permission (a) to delete the copyright ownership notice, (b) to re-write, paraphrase, delete, or change the wording of sentences and paragraphs, or (c) to give any third party—other than our staff and constituents—permission to photocopy or reprint (in any quantity, no matter how small, whether for free distribution or for sale).