St. Martin's Church from the Balcony

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 15 are from the Lectionary Year A Proper 28: Track 1: Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123 or Track 2: Zephaniah 1:7,12-18; Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12 and for both: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 and Matthew 25:14-30. The text is from the Bible Study Tools - New International Version.

Track 1:

Judges 4:1-7

¹ Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, now that Ehud was dead. ² So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. Sisera, the commander of his army, was based in Harosheth Haggoyim. ³ Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

⁴ Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time. ⁵ She held court under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went up to her to have their disputes decided. ⁶ She sent for Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you: ‘Go, take with you ten thousand men of Naphtali and Zebulun and lead them up to Mount Tabor. ⁷ I will lead Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his troops to the Kishon River and give him into your hands.’ ”

Psalm 123

¹ I lift up my eyes to you,
     to you who sit enthroned in heaven.

² As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master,
     as the eyes of a female slave look to the hand of her mistress,

so our eyes look to the LORD our God,
     till he shows us his mercy.

³ Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy on us,
     for we have endured no end of contempt.

⁴ We have endured no end of ridicule from the arrogant,
     of contempt from the proud.

or Track 2:

Zephaniah 1:7,12-18

⁷ Be silent before the Sovereign LORD,
     for the day of the LORD is near.

The LORD has prepared a sacrifice;
     he has consecrated those he has invited.

¹² At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps
     and punish those who are complacent,

who are like wine left on its dregs,
     who think,

‘The LORD will do nothing,
     either good or bad.’

¹³ Their wealth will be plundered,
     their houses demolished.

Though they build houses,
     they will not live in them;

though they plant vineyards,
     they will not drink the wine.”

¹⁴ The great day of the LORD is near—
     near and coming quickly.

The cry on the day of the LORD is bitter;
     the Mighty Warrior shouts his battle cry.

¹⁵ That day will be a day of wrath—
     a day of distress and anguish,

a day of trouble and ruin,
     a day of darkness and gloom,

a day of clouds and blackness—
    ¹⁶ a day of trumpet and battle cry

against the fortified cities
     and against the corner towers.

¹⁷ “I will bring such distress on all people
     that they will grope about like those who are blind,
     because they have sinned against the LORD.

Their blood will be poured out like dust
     and their entrails like dung.

¹⁸ Neither their silver nor their gold
     will be able to save them
     on the day of the LORD’s wrath.”

In the fire of his jealousy
     the whole earth will be consumed,

for he will make a sudden end
     of all who live on the earth.

Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12

¹ Lord, you have been our dwelling place
     throughout all generations.

² Before the mountains were born
     or you brought forth the whole world,
     from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

³ You turn people back to dust, saying,
     “Return to dust, you mortals.”

⁴ A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,
     or like a watch in the night.

⁵ Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death—
     they are like the new grass of the morning:

⁶ In the morning it springs up new,
     but by evening it is dry and withered.

⁷ We are consumed by your anger
     and terrified by your indignation.

⁸ You have set our iniquities before you,
     our secret sins in the light of your presence.

(⁹ All our days pass away under your wrath;
     we finish our years with a moan.

¹⁰ Our days may come to seventy years,
     or eighty, if our strength endures;
     yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow,
     for they quickly pass, and we fly away.

¹¹ If only we knew the power of your anger!
     Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due.)

¹² Teach us to number our days,
     that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

and for both:

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

¹ Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ² for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. ⁴ But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be awake and sober. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. ¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ ²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ ²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ ²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ ²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. ²⁸ “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Thanks to Bible Study Tools for today's text.