St. Martin's Church

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, November 13 are from Lectionary Year C, 23rd Sunday after Pentrecost - Proper 28 Track 1: Isaiah 65:17-25; Canticle 9 Track 2: Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98 for both: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 and Luke 21:5-19. The text is from the Bible Study Tools - New Revised Standard Version.

Track 1

Isaiah 65:17-25

¹⁷ For I am about to create new heavens
     and a new earth;

the former things shall not be remembered
     or come to mind.

¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever
     in what I am creating;

for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.

¹⁹ I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
     and delight in my people;

no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,
     or the cry of distress.

²⁰ No more shall there be in it
     an infant that lives but a few days,
     or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;

for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,
     and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;
     they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

²² They shall not build and another inhabit;
     they shall not plant and another eat;

for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,
     and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

²³ They shall not labor in vain,
     or bear children for calamity;

for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—
     and their descendants as well.

²⁴ Before they call I will answer,
     while they are yet speaking I will hear.

²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,
     the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
     but the serpent—its food shall be dust!

They shall not hurt or destroy
     on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.

Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12:2-6)

² Surely God is my salvation;
     I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the Lord God is my strength and my might;
     he has become my salvation.

³ With joy you will draw water
     from the wells of salvation.

⁴ And you will say in that day:
     Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;
     proclaim that his name is exalted.

⁵ Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;
     let this be known in all the earth.

⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,
     for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
    as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Track 2

Malachi 4:1-2a

¹ See, the day is coming, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. ² But for you who revere my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.

Psalm 98

¹ O sing to the Lord a new song,
     for he has done marvelous things.

His right hand and his holy arm
     have gotten him victory.

² The Lord has made known his victory;
     he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel.
     All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
     break forth into joyous song and sing praises.

⁵ Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
     with the lyre and the sound of melody.

⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
     make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord.

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
     the world and those who live in it.

⁸ Let the floods clap their hands;
     let the hills sing together for joy ⁹ at the presence of the Lord,
     for he is coming to judge the earth.

He will judge the world with righteousness,
     and the peoples with equity.

for both

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

⁶ Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. ⁷ For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, ⁸ and we did not eat anyone's bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. ⁹ This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. ¹⁰ For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: Anyone unwilling to work should not eat. ¹¹ For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. ¹² Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.

Luke 21:5-19

⁵ When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ⁶ "As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down."

⁷ They asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?" ⁸ And he said, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, "I am he!' and, "The time is near!' Do not go after them.

⁹ "When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately." ¹⁰ Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; ¹¹ there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.

¹² "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. ¹³ This will give you an opportunity to testify. ¹⁴ So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; ¹⁵ for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. ¹⁶ You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. ¹⁷ You will be hated by all because of my name. ¹⁸ But not a hair of your head will perish. ¹⁹ By your endurance you will gain your souls.

Thanks to Bible Study Tools for today's text.