Christ by El Greco, 1606, oil on canvas at the Cathedral, Toledo, Spain

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, June 30 are from Lectionary Year C, Sunday closest to June 29: 2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20 or 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1,13-25 and Luke 9:51-62. The text is from the Bible Study Tools - New International Version.

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14

¹ When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” And he replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them walked on. ⁷ Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. ¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” ¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. ¹² Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore it in two.

¹³ Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

¹ I cried out to God for help;
     I cried out to God to hear me.

² When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
     at night I stretched out untiring hands,
     and I would not be comforted.

¹¹ I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
     yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

¹² I will consider all your works
     and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”

¹³ Your ways, God, are holy.
     What god is as great as our God?

¹⁴ You are the God who performs miracles;
     you display your power among the peoples.

¹⁵ With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
     the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

¹⁶ The waters saw you, God,
     the waters saw you and writhed;
     the very depths were convulsed.

¹⁷ The clouds poured down water,
     the heavens resounded with thunder;
     your arrows flashed back and forth.

¹⁸ Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
     your lightning lit up the world;
     the earth trembled and quaked.

¹⁹ Your path led through the sea,
     your way through the mighty waters,
     though your footprints were not seen.

²⁰ You led your people like a flock
     by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

or 1 Kings 19:15-16,19-21

¹⁵ The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.

¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. ²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” ²¹ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.

Psalm 16

¹ Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
     ² I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
      apart from you I have no good thing.”

³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
     “They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”

⁴ Those who run after other gods
     will suffer more and more.

I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
      or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup;
     you make my lot secure.

⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
     surely I have a delightful inheritance.

⁷ I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
     even at night my heart instructs me.

⁸ I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
     With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
     my body also will rest secure,

¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
     nor will you let your faithful one see decay.

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
     you will fill me with joy in your presence,
     with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Galatians 5:1,13-25

¹ It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵ If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. ¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Luke 9:51-62

⁵¹ As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. ⁵² And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; ⁵³ but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and rebuked them. ⁵⁶ Then he and his disciples went to another village.

⁵⁷ As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” ⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” ⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” ⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” ⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” ⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Thanks to Bible Study Tools for today's text.