Then, last of all,
– just as if
to one untimely born –
to me.
For I am the very least important of the apostles,
I am not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am who I am,
and his grace, towards me,
has not been fruitless,
rather
I worked harder
than all of them,
though not I,
but the grace of God
which is (working) in me.

So whether I or they,
in this way
we preach
and in this way you believed.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

For I as a priority
handed onto you
what I also received
that:
Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures
that:
he was buried
and that:
he was raised on the third day
according to the scriptures
and that:
he was seen by Kephas
then the twelve,
then he was seen by more than five hundred sisters/brothers at one time
the majority of whom remain until now,
though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to Jacob (James)
then to all the apostles.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

So I make known to you,
brothers/sisters,
the good news,
which I preached to you,
which you also received,
in which you also stand
through which you also are being saved,
–for what reason did I preach to you? –
if you hold fast?
–unless you believed without consideration.

For I as a priority
handed onto you
what I also received
that…

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

…as in all the churches of the holy ones,

let the women be silent in the churches.
For they are not permitted to speak,
but to be subject
as the ‘Law’ also says.

Moreover if anyone (of them) wishes to learn,
let them ask their own husband
at home.
For it is disgraceful
for a woman to speak in church.
Did the Word of God
originate from you (fem)
or
did it reach you (masc/fem) alone?

If anyone thinks they are a prophet,
or a spiritual person,
let them recognise that what I am writing to you
is a commandment from the Lord.

If anyone disregards (it/me?)
then they are to be disregarded.

So then, my brothers/ sisters
seek to prophesy,
and do not forbid to speak in tongues,
So act in all things
properly
and
in order.

Eternal God and Father,
you create us by your power,
and redeem us by your love,
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves in love and service
to one another and to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

So what is it, sisters.brothers?
Suppose whenever you come together,
each one has a song of praise,
has a teaching,
has a revelation,
has a tongue,
has a interpretation,
let all these things be for building up (of the church).

If someone speaks in a tongue
– (it should) two or at the most three times,
– and one after the other
then let one interpret.
But if there is no interpreter
let them remain silent in the church,
Let them speak to themselves
and to God.
Let two or three prophets speak
and the others sift (what is said).
And if someone sitting is given a revelation,
let the first one be silent.
For you can all prophesy one at a time,
so that all might learn, and all might be encouraged.
And the spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets,
for God is not of disorder but peace.

O Lord, in whom is our hope,
remove far from us, we pray thee,
empty hopes and presumptuous confidence.
Make our hearts so right with thy most holy and loving heart,
that hoping in thee we may do good;
until that day when faith and hope
shall be abolished by sight and possession,
and love shall be all in all.

Christina Rossetti (1830-94)

Brothers /sisters
do not be children in thinking,
instead be an infant with regard to wickedness,
but be ‘grown up’ in thinking.

For it has been written in the Law:
By foreign languages
and by the lips of others,
I will speak to this people,
but not even then will they listen to me. ¹
says the Lord.
So then, tongues are a sign,
not for the believers,
but the unbelievers,
or
prophecy is
not for those with unbelief,
but for those who believe.

If the whole church has come together,
in the same place,
and everyone speaks in tongues,
and a seeker or unbeliever comes in,
will they not say that you are raving / out of your minds?

But if all prophesy,
and a unbeliever or seeker comes in,
they will become convicted of sin by everything,
they will be called to account by everyone.,
the hidden things of their heart
will become evident.,
and in this way falling upon their faces
they will worship God
declaring:
‘God is truly among you.’

1. Isaiah 28:11-12 ↩︎

Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth,
in a serious seeking after thee,
and in an affectionate walking with thee,
every day of our lives;
that when thou comest,
we may be found not hiding our talent,
nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished,
but waiting and longing for our Lord,
our glorious King, for ever and ever.

Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

Therefore let the one who speaks in a tongue pray
that they might interpret.
For if I pray in a tongue
my spirit prays,
but my mind is fruitless.

So what is it?
I will pray in (my) spirit,
so also I will pray with (my) mind.
I will sing in (my) spirit,
so also I will sing with (my) mind.

Otherwise if you are blessing in spirit,
the [one who fills the place of the (seeker)] –
how can they say the Amen to your thanksgiving,
– when they do not know what you are saying?

For you bless beautifully,
but the other one is not strengthened.
I thank God
that I speak in tongues more (often) than all of you.
But
in church
I would rather speak five words with my mind,
so that I might also instruct others
than thousands of words in a tongue.

Lord God,
you feed us with the living bread from heaven;
you renew our faith,
increase our hope,
and strengthen our love.

Teach us to hunger
for Christ who is the true and living bread,
and to live by every word
that comes from your mouth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

So then, brothers/sisters,
if I came to you,
– speaking with tongues,
what benefit would that be to you all,
unless I spoke
with either
a revelation or knowledge
or prophecy or teaching?
Likewise
lifeless things make a sound-
whether a flute or a harp:
if they do not make a distinct sound,
how will what is played on the flute be known,
or what is played on the harp?
For if a trumpet gives an indistinct sound,
who would get ready for battle?
So also you:
if you do not (speak) intelligibly
with the tongue,
how will it be known what you say?
For you will be speaking into the air.
There are perhaps many kinds of sounds in the world
and none without meaning.
Therefore if I do not know the meaning of the sound,
I will be a babbler to the speaker,
and the one who speaks a babbler to me.
So also you:
since you are seekers of spiritual (things)
seek to increase in (them) for the building up of the church.

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts;
Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil;
Eternal Power, be our support;
Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance:
That we may seek your face
with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. Amen.

Alcuin

Pursue love,
and eagerly desire the spiritual (gifts),
and especially that you will prophesy.

For
the one speaking in a tongue
is not speaking to people
but God.
For no understands
but by the Spirit they speak mysteries.

But
the one speaking prophecies
speaks to people
encouragement and comfort,
strengthening (them).

The one speaking in a tongue
strengthens themselves.
But the one who prophecies
strengthens the church.

Now
I wish that you all would speak in tongues,
but more so that you would prophecy.
Greater is the one who prophecies
thank the one who speaks in tongues
unless they interpret,
so that the church might be strengthened.

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.