Therefore,
having this ministry
inasmuch as we have been shown mercy,
we do not lose heart,
but
we have renounced
secret, shameful ways,
neither walking in deceit
nor distorting the word of God,
but by an open display of the truth
commending ourselves
to everyone’s conscience,
before God.

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)

(…but whenever someone turns to the Lord
the veil is removed.)
And the Lord is the Spirit.
And where the Spirit of the Lord is – freedom!
And we all
having unveiled faces,
beholding the glory of the Lord
are being transformed into the same image,
from glory to (even more)glory
appropriately by the Lord
the Spirit.

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)

So having such a hope
we act with great boldness
and not as Moses
putting a veil
over his face
in order that the Children of Israel
did not gaze
to the end of what was fading away
but their minds were hardened,
for until this day
at the reading of the old covenant
the same veil
remains
not lifted because it is (only) set aside in Christ
but until this day
whenever Moses is read
a veil lies over their heart
but whenever someone turns to the Lord
the veil is removed.

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.

But if the ministry of death
carved in letters of stone
was with glory,
so that the children of Israel were not able to
look intently at the face of Moses
because of the glory of his face,
(which was fading away)
how will the ministry of the Spirit
not be more glorious?
For if the ministry
of condemnation
(had) glory,
the ministry of righteousness
will abound with much more glory.
Indeed
what has been glorified (i.e. the ministry of death)
has not been glorified –
in this matter
by the surpassing glory.

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

Such is the confidence
we have
through Christ
before God.
Not that we are qualified in ourselves
to reckon anything as ( coming) from ourselves
but our qualification is from God
who also has qualified us
to be servants of a new covenant
not of the letter
but of the Spirit –
for the letter kills
but the Spirit gives life.

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.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again?
(or)
we don’t need
(as some people do)
letters of recommendation
to you or
from you, do we?
(or)
you are our letter,
written on our hearts
recognised and read by everyone
showing that you are a letter (written by) Christ ,
delivered by us,
written not with ink
but the Spirit of the Living God,
not on stone tablets
but on tablets of human hearts.

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,
Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us;
that with all our heart and mind
and soul and strength we may seek thy face
and be brought by thine infinite mercy
to thy holy presence;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alcuin (735-804)

But to God
–thanks be
who always leads us in a victory procession
in Christ
and
who spreads the aroma, the knowledge of him
through us
in every place.
Because we are
(ascending) to God
the fragrance of Christ
among those being saved
and among those perishing.
To some we are the aroma
from death to death
but to others
an aroma
from life to life,
– and who is adequate for these things?
For we are not
as many are
peddling / adulterate the word of God
but people of sincerity
indeed as from God,
– before God
in Christ

Lord, you have given me so much,
I ask for one more thing –
a grateful heart.

George Herbert

I have put together (as someone requested!) a map and chronology of how the back and forth between Paul and the Corinthians most probably happened. Enjoy. Paul is talking about slides 14 and 15 below.

So having come to Troas
to proclaim the Gospel of Christ,
even though a door stood open to me,
in the Lord.
I did not have peace in my spirit,
by not finding Titus my brother,
but I bade farewell to them,
and left for Macedonia.

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.

St Columba

But if someone has caused pain
he has not caused pain to me
but in a certain respect
– not to say too much-
(he has pained) all of you,
Enough it is
for such a one
this punishment
by the many;
so that you should rather
forgive and comfort him
lest somehow such a person
be swallowed up by too great a grief

Therefore I encourage you
to reaffirm love to him.

For this reason also I wrote to you:
that I might come to know your character-
if you are obedient in everything.

Then, anyone whom you forgive
– me too.
For what I have forgiven
– if I have forgiven something-
is because of you
‘in the presence of’ Christ.
so that we might not be bettered by Satan.
For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

Be thou a bright flame before me,
Be thou a guiding star above me
Be thou a smooth path below me
Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me
Today – tonight -forever
Amen.

St Columba

Now I call upon God as witness
upon my life,
that sparing you
I did not come to Corinth.
I do not lord it over your faith
but are co-workers
of your joy.
For we stand – by faith.
For I considered this
by myself
not to come to you again
with grief.
For if I cause you grief
who would cheer me up
except for the one
who was grieved
by me?
And I wrote this very thing to you
that I might not be received with sorrow
by those who ought to (make me) rejoice
having confidence in all of you
that all my joy is yours.
For out of many afflictions and distresses of the heart
I wrote to you
with many tears
so that you might not be grieved
but that you might know the love
which I have all the more for you all.

O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.

Gertrude the Great