St. Martin's Church from the Baptismal Font. The font will be moved to the front of the church on the right side this September.

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,September 23 are from Lectionary Year B, Proper 20 Sunday closest to September 21: Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1 or Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22 or Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 54; James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a and Mark 9:30-37. The text is from the Bible Study Tools - New International Version.

Proverbs 31:10-31

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
     She is worth far more than rubies.

¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
     and lacks nothing of value.

¹² She brings him good, not harm,
     all the days of her life.

¹³ She selects wool and flax
     and works with eager hands.

¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
     bringing her food from afar.

¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
     she provides food for her family
     and portions for her female servants.

¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
     out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
     her arms are strong for her tasks.

¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
     and her lamp does not go out at night.

¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
     and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
     and extends her hands to the needy.

²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
     for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

²² She makes coverings for her bed;
     she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
     where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
      and supplies the merchants with sashes.

²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
     she can laugh at the days to come.

²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
     and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
     and does not eat the bread of idleness.

²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
     her husband also, and he praises her:

²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
     but you surpass them all.”

³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
     but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
     and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked
     or stand in the way that sinners take
     or sit in the company of mockers,

² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
     and who meditates on his law day and night.

³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
     which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—
     whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
     They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
     nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
     but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

or Wisdom of Solomon 1:16-2:1, 12-22

The ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
considering him a friend, they pined away
and made a covenant with him,
because they are fit to belong to his company.

For they reasoned unsoundly, saying to themselves,
“Short and sorrowful is our life,
and there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,
and no one has been known to return from Hades
“Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,
because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions;
he reproaches us for sins against the law,
and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God,
and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
the very sight of him is a burden to us,
because his manner of life is unlike that of others,
and his ways are strange.
We are considered by him as something base,
and he avoids our ways as unclean;
he calls the last end of the righteous happy,
and boasts that God is his father.
Let us see if his words are true,
and let us test what will happen at the end of his life;
for if the righteous man is God’s child, he will help him,
and will deliver him from the hand of his adversaries.
Let us test him with insult and torture,
so that we may find out how gentle he is,
and make trial of his forbearance.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death,
for, according to what he says, he will be protected.”

Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they did not know the secret purposes of God,
nor hoped for the wages of holiness,
nor discerned the prize for blameless souls.

or Jeremiah 11:18-20

¹⁸ Because the LORD revealed their plot to me, I knew it,
     for at that time he showed me what they were doing.

¹⁹ I had been like a gentle lamb
     led to the slaughter;

I did not realize that they had plotted against me,
     saying,

“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
     let us cut him off from the land of the living,
     that his name be remembered no more.”

²⁰ But you, LORD Almighty, who judge righteously
     and test the heart and mind,

let me see your vengeance on them,
     for to you I have committed my cause.

Psalm 54

¹ Save me, O God, by your name;
     vindicate me by your might.

² Hear my prayer, O God;
     listen to the words of my mouth.

³ Arrogant foes are attacking me;
     ruthless people are trying to kill me—
     people without regard for God.

⁴ Surely God is my help;
     the Lord is the one who sustains me.

⁵ Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
     in your faithfulness destroy them.

⁶ I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
     I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.

⁷ You have delivered me from all my troubles,
     and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a

¹³ Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. ¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

¹ What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Mark 9:30-37

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. ³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” ³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

Thanks to Bible Study Tools for today's text.