The
Collect of the Day
Almighty God, the fountain of all
wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and
mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for
our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.
1st Reading (Track 1): Genesis 28:10-19a
Jacob, with the help of his mother Rebecca, has tricked his
brother Esau out of his birthright and with duplicity maneuvered his father
Isaac into given him the blessing that should have gone to the eldest Esau.
Jacob is now fleeing the wrath of his brother. He is a fugitive on the run. He
dreams, and the dream serves to reveal that God has been a part of all this
trickery and deceit. He himself wishes to bless Jacob, and he delivers the same
promise to him that he gave to his grandfather Abraham, with an addition (v.
15) that Jacob will be safe “wherever he goes,” and he will bring him home,
which at the present moment must seem an impossibility to Jacob. “Beth-el”
means literally, “House of God.” It will long be seen as Israel’s second most
sacred city.
28:10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came to a certain place and stayed there
for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place,
he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed that there was a ladder set
up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were
ascending and descending on it. 13 And
the Lord stood beside him and said,
“I am the Lord, the God of Abraham
your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you
and to your offspring; 14 and your
offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to
the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the
families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15 Know that I am with you and will keep you
wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you
until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then
Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord
is in this place—and I did not know it!” 17 And
he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than
the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” 18 So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the
stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil
on the top of it. 19 He called that
place Bethel.
Canticle (Track 1): A Song of God’s Strength in Mercy
(Wisdom 12:13, 16-19)
The Wisdom of Solomon is a book of the Apocrypha, a
collection of books not considered Scripture, but nevertheless useful “for
instruction” (see BCP, p. 868). Wisdom is attributed to King Solomon but dates
from much later. This canticle extols the restraint and mercy of God as the
source of God’s true strength.
Your care, O God,
encompasses all creation! *
Nor is there any god besides you.
To whom do you need to
prove *
that your judgments are just?
For your righteousness
comes from your strength, *
and your dominion makes way for your mercy;
for you show your might
when mortals doubt your sovereignty; *
you rebuke those who treat it with contempt.
Although you rule in
boundless power, *
you administer justice with mildness;
you govern us with great
forbearance *
though you are free to act without constraint.
You have taught your
people by such deeds *
that all who would be righteous must be kind.
You have filled your
children with good hope *
by stirring them to repent for their sins.
Or this
Psalm
139:1-11, 22-23 (Track 1)
Psalm 139 as a whole includes some harsh words about
enemies (vv. 18-21), such that the first portion of the psalm is a reminder to
God of the petitioner’s innocence and steadfast devotion to God. Such innocence
should result in justice against one’s enemies. The writer experiences God’s
complete presence. There is nowhere one can avoid it. The writer prays that this
truth will be as much for his enemies as it is for himself.
1 Lord, you have
searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.
3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord,
know it altogether.
4 You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.
5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.
6 Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?
7 If I climb up to heaven, you are there; *
if I make the grave my bed, you are there also.
8 If I take the wings of the morning *
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
9 Even there your hand will lead me *
and your right hand hold me fast.
10 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me, *
and the light around me turn to night,”
11 Darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day; *
darkness and light to you are both
alike.
22 Search
me out, O God, and know my heart; *
try
me and know my restless thoughts.
23 Look
well whether there be any wickedness in me *
and
lead me in the way that is everlasting.
1st Reading (Track 2): Isaiah 44:6-8
“Second Isaiah” (which begins with chapter 40) is written in
exile in Babylon, but prophesying the return of the people to Jerusalem and
Judea. Several passages in its early chapters proclaim the preeminence of
Israel’s God, who, to many, had seemed to have abandoned his people or even
been defeated. The image of God as “the first and the last” originates with
Second Isaiah. Its first occurrence was at 41:4, and it will be repeated at
48:12. This attribution will be picked
up in the Book of Revelation, which declares Christ to be the first and the
last, Alpha and Omega.
44:6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his
Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am
the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. 7 Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let
them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the
things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be. 8 Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told
you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides
me? There is no other rock; I know not one.
Psalm
86:11-17 (Track 2)
Psalm 86 skillfully weaves metaphors and language from
elsewhere in the Hebrew Scriptures to form what overall is a prayer for
deliverance from enemies. Two examples from our passage today are in verse 15
(Exodus 34:6, et al) and verse 16 (Numbers 6:25). “The Pit” (sometimes left as the Hebrew Sheol) was simply
the realm of the dead. Belief in an
afterlife came late to Judaism, not long before the time of Jesus (and even
then not accepted by all).
11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and I will walk in your truth; *
knit my heart to
you that I may fear your Name.
12 I will thank you, O Lord
my God, with all my heart, *
and glorify your Name for evermore.
13 For great is your love toward me; *
you have delivered me from the nethermost Pit.
14 The arrogant rise up against me, O God,
and a band of violent men seeks my life; *
they have not set you before their eyes.
15 But you, O Lord, are
gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger, and full of kindness and truth.
16 Turn to me and have mercy upon me; *
give your strength to your servant;
and save the child of your handmaid.
17 Show me a sign of your favor,
so
that those who hate me may see it and be ashamed; *
because
you, O Lord , have helped me and
comforted
me.
2nd Reading: Romans 8:12-25
This reading continues Paul’s juxtaposition of the
Spirit and “the flesh.” The latter is more than physicality. “The flesh” is
anything that draws us away from the love of God. He then switches metaphors:
“live by the flesh” becomes “a spirit of slavery to fear,” while life in the
Spirit becomes “a spirit of adoption,” in which we are literally made one of
the divine family. Paul then goes on the speak very important words about the
whole creation, implying that its salvation is wrapped up with our own.
Whatever heaven is, Paul understands it to be a renewed creation as well as a
renewed humanity.
8:12 So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to
live according to the flesh—13 for
if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put
to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery
to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we
cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 it is that
very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God
and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also
be glorified with him. 18 I consider
that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory
about to be revealed to us. 19 For
the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;
20 for the creation was subjected
to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it,
in hope 21 that the creation itself
will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the
glory of the children of God. 22 We
know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23 and not only the creation, but we
ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we
wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24
For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For
who hopes for what is seen? 25 But
if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Jesus follows the
more familiar parable of the sower (13:3-9, 18-23) with another sowing parable,
usually referred to as the parable of the weeds among the wheat (which is
unique to Matthew’s Gospel). There was, apparently, in Matthew’s community, the
very human inclination to judge between the good and the evil and to take action
to cleanse the group. Here Jesus teaches not to engage in such behavior. Note
the farmer outwits the “enemies” who have sown the weeds by finding a positive
use for them.
13:24 Jesus put before them another
parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed
in his field; 25 but while
everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then
went away. 26 So when the plants
came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and
said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did
these weeds come from?’ 28 He
answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want
us to go and gather them?’ 29 But
he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along
with them. 30 Let both of them grow
together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers,
Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the
wheat into my barn.’” 36 Then he
left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him,
saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sows the good
seed is the Son of Man; 38 the
field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the
weeds are the children of the evil one, 39 and
the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and
the reapers are angels. 40 Just as
the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of
the age. 41 The Son of Man will
send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and
all evildoers, 42 and they will
throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. 43 Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears
listen!
The Scripture quotations (except for the canticle
and the psalms) are from the New Revised
Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. The Collect of the Day and the translation of
the Psalms are from The Book of Common
Prayer. The translation of the
Canticle is copyright © 2007, Church Publishing, Inc. Commentaries are copyright
© 2020 Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY 14843. www.EpiphanyEsources.com. All rights
reserved. Permission is given to copy for group study with this attribution.
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