Christ healing an infirm woman, opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper by James Tissot, 1886-1896 at the Brooklyn Museum, New York

Prime Timers

The Prime Timers were a Bible study group at St. Martin's for eight years. One of the goals of our founder, Jackie Rose, was to have a weekly web page for the group and all the pages are still online here. The group disbanded but the readings below are being kept up to date.

Lectionary readings

The Readings for Sunday, August 25 are from Lectionary Year C, Proper 16: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6 or Isaiah 58:9b-14; Psalm 103:1-8; Hebrews 12:18-29 and Luke 13:10-17. The text is from the Bible Study Tools - New International Version.

Jeremiah 1:4-10

⁴ The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

    ⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
      before you were born I set you apart;
      I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” ⁷ But the LORD said to me,

     “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’
      You must go to everyone I send you to
      and say whatever I command you.
     ⁸ Do not be afraid of them,
      for I am with you and will rescue you,”

declares the LORD.

⁹ Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me,

     “I have put my words in your mouth.
   ¹⁰ See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms
      to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow,
      to build and to plant.”

Psalm 71:1-6

¹ In you, LORD, I have taken refuge;
     let me never be put to shame.

² In your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me;
     turn your ear to me and save me.

³ Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go;
     give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴ Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked,
     from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

⁵ For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD,
     my confidence since my youth.

⁶ From birth I have relied on you;
     you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
     I will ever praise you.

or Isaiah 58:9b-14

“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
     with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

¹⁰ and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
     and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,

then your light will rise in the darkness,
     and your night will become like the noonday.

¹¹ The LORD will guide you always;
     he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
     and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden,
     like a spring whose waters never fail.

¹² Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
     and will raise up the age-old foundations;

you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
     Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

¹³ “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
     and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight
     and the LORD’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way
     and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the LORD,
     and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
     The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Psalm 103:1-8

¹ Praise the LORD, my soul;
     all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

² Praise the LORD, my soul,
     and forget not all his benefits—

³ who forgives all your sins
     and heals all your diseases,

⁴ who redeems your life from the pit
     and crowns you with love and compassion,

⁵ who satisfies your desires with good things
     so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

⁶ The LORD works righteousness
     and justice for all the oppressed.

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
     his deeds to the people of Israel:

⁸ The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
     slow to anger, abounding in love.

Hebrews 12:18-29

¹⁸ You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; ¹⁹ to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, ²⁰ because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” ²¹ The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.” ²² But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, ²³to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

²⁵ See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? ²⁶ At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” ²⁷ The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. ²⁸ Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, ²⁹ for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Luke 13:10-17

¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God. ¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.” ¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.

Thanks to Bible Study Tools for today's text.