Sunday A B C, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Themes:
Hosea: God wants Love and Sacrifice
Romans: Justification
Matthew: Jesus
came to call sinners; the call of Matthew
Hosea 6:3-6 - punishment and love
The Hope of
Afflicted People of the North (Ephraim) and the South (Judah)
"Let us know, let us strive to
know the Lord.
As certain as the dawn, is His
coming,
and his
judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth."
God’s Response
“Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through
the prophets.
I slew them by the words of my
mouth,
for it is
love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than
holocausts.”
Romans 4:18-25 - justification
Abraham is the
Father of Many Nations and their Descendents
Abraham believed, hoping against hope, that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "Thus shall your descendants be."
He believed God
when told that their old age he and wife would have a child.
“He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body as already dead - for he was almost a hundred years old - and the dead womb of Sarah.”
Righteousness is
credited:
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written that it was credited to him.
It was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead , Who was handed over for our transgressions , and was raised for our justification.
Matthew 9:9-13 -
The Call of
Matthew: "Follow
me."
Objection to Jesus
eating with Matthew
"Why does your teacher eat
with tax collectors and sinners?"
Explanation
"Those who are well do not need
a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the
words:, `I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'
I did not come to call the righteous
but sinners."
Questions
Hosea: Who was Hosea? In his prophecies, what did God say about Ephraim and Judah? Who or what were they? What was their problem? What did God want of them?
Romans: What is justification? How does it differ from salvation? How are was Abraham justified before God? How are we justified before God? How does being “credited” from being “earned”? What does the Roman canon say about Abraham?
Matthew: Who was Matthew the tax collector? Is he the same person as Matthew the Apostle? Is he the same person as Matthew the Gospel writer? How was Matthew the tax collection called by Jesus? What was the problem with eating with him? Why were tax collectors considered as sinners? Where they? How did Jesus explain his dining with Matthew?
Petitions
Hosea: That our worship of God be internal, and not just in appearance, we pray to the Lord.
Romans: That we have the faith of Abraham, our Father in faith, we pray to the Lord.
Matthew: That sinners follow the example of Matthew, we pray to the Lord.
Ezekiel 17:22-24:
[The Lord's Shi
Thus says the Lord God:
I, too,
will take from the crest of the cedar,
from its
topmost branches tear off a tender shoot,
and plant
it on a high and lofty mountain;
On the
mountain heights of
It shall
put forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar.
Birds of
every kind shall dwell beneath it, every winged thing in the shade of its
boughs.
And all the
trees of the field shall know
that I, the
Lord, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree,
wither up
the green tree, and make the withered tree bloom.
As I, the Lord,
have spoken, so will I do.
2 Corinthian 5:6-10:
Courage and Judgment
We are
always courageous,
although
we know that while we are at home in the body, we are away from the Lord,
for we
walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are
courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.
Therefore,
we aspire to please Him, whether we are at home or away.
For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that
each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body,
whether
good or evil.
Mark
"This
is how it is with the
It is as if
a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep
and rise
night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows
not how.
Of its own
accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear,
then the
full grain in the ear.
And when
the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has
come."
He said,
"To
what shall we compare the
It is like
a mustard seed that,
when it is
sown in the ground. is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it
is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts
forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its
shade."
With many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables He did not speak to them,
but to His own disciples He
explained everything in private.
YEAR 1
2
Corinthians 1:1-7 - the beginning of the letter
“Paul,
an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the
grace
to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Encouragement
“Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and
the God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction,
so that
we maybe able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the
encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God.”
Hope
“Our
hope for you is firm, for we know that as you share in the suffering , you also
share in the encouragement.”
1
Kings 17:1-6
Elijah
Predictions Drought
“As the
Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be
no dew or rain except at my word.”
Elijah
to be Cared for
“Ravens
brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.”
Matthew
5: 1-12 - Sermon on the Mount
The
Beatitudes
"Blessed are the poor in spirit for the theirs is the
Kingdom of heaven."
Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed too the peacemakers for they will be called
children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of
righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and
utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of Me.
Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in
heaven. Thus they persecuted the
prophets before you in the very same way."
YEAR
1
2
Corinthians 1:18-22
The faithfulness of God to His promises, & Their seal
"For however many are the
promises of God, their Yes is in Him.
Therefore, the Amen from us also goes through Him to God for
glory."
YEAR
2
1
Kings 17:7-16 The Widow of Zarephath
Elijah
“Do not
be afraid. Go and do as you
propose. But first make me a little
cake and bring it to me. Then you can
prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go
empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon
the earth.”
Matthew 5: 13-16 - Sermon on the Mount
Salt and light
"You are the salt of the
earth."
"You are the light of the
world. ... Just so, your light must shine before other, that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father."
YEAR
1
2 Corinthians
3: 4-11 -
Paul the minister
of Christ & the New Covenant of enduring life
"For
if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be
glorious."
YEAR 2
1 Kings
18:20-39 - Elijah’s Challenge to Ahab
“How long
will you straddle the issue?
If the
Lord is God, follow him. If Baal, follow
him.”
“I am
the only surviving prophet of the Lord, and there are four hundred and fifty
prophets of Baal.”
“You
shall call on your gods, and I will call on the Lord. The God who answers with fire is God.”
The
Result
“Seeing
this, all the people fell prostrate and said, “The
Lord is God! The Lord is God!”
Matthew
5:17-19 - Sermon on the Mount
Not abolishing The
Law and the Prophets
"Do not think that i have
come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to
fulfill."
Obedience
and Reward
"But whoever obeys and
teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the Kingdom of
heaven."
YEAR 1
2
Corinthians 3:15-4:1, 3-6
The veil of Moses
"To this day, whenever Moses
is read, a veil lies over the hearts of the children of
YEAR 2
1 Kings
18:41-46 -
Elijah
to King Ahab
“Go up,
eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
Elijah
to his servant
“Climb
up and look out to sea”
Elijah
runs down
But the
hand of the Lord was on Elijah, who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab
as far as the approaches to Jezreel.
Matthew 5: 20-26 - Sermon on the Mount
A new righteousness needed]
"I tell you, unless your
righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter
into the Kingdom of heaven."
What killing really means
"I say to you, whoever is
angry with his brother ... will be answerable to the Sanhedrin."
The
need for reconciliation
"Therefore, if you bring
your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against
you, leave your gift thee at the altar go first and be reconciled with your
brother and then come and offer your gift."
YEAR 1
2
Corinthians 4:7-15 -
Earthen vessels
& surpassing power
"We hold this treasure in
earthen vessels, that the surpassing power may be of God and not from us."
"Since then we have the same
spirit of faith, according to what is written: 'I believed, therefore I spoke'
we too believer and therefore speak."
YEAR 2
1
Kings 19:9a, 11-16 -
God’s Message to Elijah
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the
Lord. The Lord will be passing by.”
God not in the storm or earthquake or fire
“After
the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
…’Elijah, why are you here?’ ”
Elijah’s Response
“I have been most zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts,
but the children of
God’s Commission
“Go,
take the road back to the desert near
Matthew 5: 27-32 - Sermon on the Mount
Adultery
"I say to you: everyone who looks at a women with lust
has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Divorce
"I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the
marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a
divorced woman commits adultery."
YEAR 1
2
Corinthians 5:14-21
All have died; new
creation; ministry of reconciliation
"So we are ambassadors for
Christ, as if God were appealing through us.
We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."
YEAR 2
1
Kings 19:19-21 -
Elijah
is Commissioned by Elijah
Elijah
went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha
response
Elisha
left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow
you.” … “Elisha left him and, taking the
yoke of oxen, slaughtered them. “He
used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his
people to eat. Then he left and
followed Elijah as his attendant.”
Matthew 5: 33-37 -
Sermon on the Mount
Telling the truth and openness
“Let your 'yes' mean 'Yes' and your 'No' mean 'No.'
2
Corinthians 3:15-4:1, 3-6
Brothers
and sisters: To this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over the hearts
of the children of Israel,
but whenever
a person turns to the Lord the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit and
where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
All of
us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord,
are
being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who
is the Spirit.
Therefore,
since we have this ministry through the mercy shown us, we are not discouraged.
And
even though our Gospel is veiled,
it is
veiled for those who are perishing,
in
whose case the god of this age
h4s blinded
the minds of the unbelievers,
so that
they may not see the light of the Gospel
of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For we
do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord,
and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus.
For God
who said, Let light shine out of darkness, ,}
has shone in our hearts to bring to light
knowledge
o1 the glory of and on the face of Jesus Christ.
A
reading from the second Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians 4:7-15
Brothers
and sisters: We hold this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing
power may be of God and not from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not
constrained;
perplexed,
but not driven to despair;
persecuted,
but not abandoned;
struck
down, but not destroyed;
always
carrying about in the Body the dying of Jesus,
so that
the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our body.
For we
who live are constantly being given up to death for the sake of Jesus,
so that
the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
So
death is at work in us, but life in you.
Since,
then, we have the same spirit of faith,
according
to what is written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we too believe
and therefore speak,
knowing
that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise
us also with Jesus
and
place us with you in his presence.
Everything
indeed is for you,
so that
the grace bestowed in abundance on more and more people may cause the
thanksgiving to overflow for the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Brothers
and sisters: The love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction
that one died for all; therefore, all have died.
He
indeed died for all,
so that
those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their
sake died and was raised.
Consequently,
from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew
Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer.
So
whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away;
behold,
new things have come.
And all
this is from God,
who has
reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of
reconciliation,
namely,
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,
not
counting their trespasses against them
and entrusting
to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ,
as if
God were appealing through us.
We
implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
For our
sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in him.