Boo!

Prime Timers Wants You!

We are a Christian Education group at St. Martin's for Episcopalians aged fifty and above. If you are near the Parlor in between the 9:15 and 11:00am services, come on in and check us out! We follow a course of study based on the Revised Common Lectionary, the three year cycle of readings from the Bible you hear at every church service. Next week's readings are right here, at the bottom of the page! Haven't you every thought you could do a better job reading these Scripture passages than the lay reader? This is your chance!! You are invited to join us in the Parlor near the church offices, Sunday after the 9:00am service, 10:15am to 11:00. No costume required!

Prime Timer Good News!

A Prime Timer tradition is hearing what others are up to, and charging a dollar for the privilege! We donate the money we collect to charities supported by the church.

The Humble Will Be Raised

Our readings were the conclusion and beginning of the story of Moses and the establishment of Israel, with the Lord giving Joshua a blessing, and Israel crossing the Jordan in a manner not unlike the crossing of the Red Sea in Exodus 14. The Psalm for today reminds us of the Exodus story and the wonders of the Lord.

Paul, in his letter to the Thessalonians reminds them that the proper way to live their lives is in a manner worthy of God's kingdom.

Jesus, in Matthew 23, reminds us that many times people do not practice what they preach!!

H. King Oehmig is a retired Episcopal priest and founder and editor of Synthesis Publications. He has written about today's readings:

“For Jesus to discount the prestige that comes from religious prominence—from wearing elaborate vestments, claiming places of honor at banquets, and bearing the title of ‘teacher’—was indeed radical. Then, to proclaim the truth that the greatest of all is the servant of all really turned things upside down.
“Jesus was not against excellence in itself, nor opposed to being successful in life. He did caution, however, against these human-made criteria that were used to define who you were as a person. The only self-definition Jesus cared about was being named as a child of the Most High—all else was commentary. To a world driven by hunger for notoriety—yet laboring and travailing under its effects (such as eating disorders, sleep difficulties, and personality disorders)—maybe this teaching of Jesus is just the good news we need to hear.”

Lectionary readings

The Readings for Sunday, November 6 are from Lectionary Year One, Sunday After All Saints' Day-A, "For All the Saints": Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1-10, 22; 1 John 3:1-3 and Matthew 5:1-12. The text this week is from the New Revised Standard Version.

Revelation 7:9-17

⁹ After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. ¹⁰They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’
¹¹And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, ¹²singing,
‘Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honour
and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.’

¹³ Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ ¹⁴I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
¹⁵ For this reason they are before the throne of God,
and worship him day and night within his temple,
and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
¹⁶ They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
the sun will not strike them,
nor any scorching heat;
¹⁷ for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

Psalm 34:1-10, 22

Of David, when he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him out, and he went away.

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul makes its boast in the Lord;
let the humble hear and be glad.
³ O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me,
and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Look to him, and be radiant;
so your faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord,
and was saved from every trouble.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
⁸ O taste and see that the Lord is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him.
⁹ O fear the Lord, you his holy ones,
for those who fear him have no want.
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

²² The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

1 John 3:1-3

¹See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. ²Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. ³And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Matthew 5:1-12

¹When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

³ ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷ ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰ ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

NRSV