Do not fear,
little flock,
because your Father is pleased
to give you the Kingdom.
Sell your possessions
and give alms,
make a money bag, which doesn’t wear out,
inexhaustible treasure in the heavens,
where a thief cannot draw near
nor a moth destroy.
For where your treasure is
there also is your heart.

Let your loins be girded about
and (your) lamps burning.
be like people waiting for their master,
when he returns home from the wedding
so that when he comes and knocks
immediately they might open (the door) for him.
Blessed are those slaves,
whom the master, coming, finds awake.
Truly I tell you,
he will make himself ready (to serve)
have them recline
and he will come and serve them.
And even if in the second or third watch
he comes and finds like that
blessed are those ones.

But know this
that if the householder had known
what time the thief was coming
he would not have left him to dig through (into) his house.
And you all – be ready, because the Son of Man comes
at the time you do not suppose.

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

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible…

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith, with Sarah’s involvement, he received power of procreation, even though he was too old, because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better homeland, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

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)

JJJ Tissot: The Chaldees Destroy the Brazen Sea

10 Listen to Yahweh’s word, rulers of Sodom!
Give ear to our God’s instruction, people of Gomorrah!
11 What use to me is the large number of your sacrifices? (Yahweh says).
I’m full of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fatlings.
In the blood of bulls and lambs and goats I do not delight.
12 When you come to appear to my face,
who sought this from your hand?
Trampling my courtyards –
13 you will do it no more, bringing an empty offering.
Incense is an offence to me, new month and sabbath,
the calling of a convocation.
I cannot bear trouble and assembly;

14 your new moons and your appointed times
my entire being dislikes.
They’ve become a burden to me that I’m weary of carrying.
15 And when you spread the palms of your hands,
I shall lift up my eyes from you.
Even when you offer many a plea,
there will be no listening on my part.
Your hands are full of bloodshed –
16 wash, get clean.
Remove the badness of your practices from in front of my eyes.
Stop dealing badly,
17 learn doing good.
Require the exercise of authority,
put the oppressor right,
exercise authority for the orphan,
argue for the widow.

18 Come on, please,
let’s argue it out (Yahweh says).
If your wrongdoings are like scarlet,
they’re to be white like snow.
If they’re red like crimson,
they’re to be like wool.
19 If you’re willing and you listen,
you will consume the good things of the country.
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
you’ll be consumed by the sword;
because Yahweh’s mouth has spoken.

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)

Someone from the crowd said to him:
‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide with me
the inheritance.’
But he said to him:
‘Man,
who appointed me judge
or arbitrator
over you (both)?

And he said to them:
‘Take care!
and guard (yourselves) from all (kinds of) greed
Because is a person’s life
is not about when they have abundance.’

So he told them a parable:
The field of certain rich man produced a good crop.
And he thought to himself:
What will I do,
because I do not have somewhere
to gather the harvest?
And he said:
‘I will do this:
I will tear down my barns
and I will build bigger ones
and I will gather there
all my wheat and goods.
And I will say to my Soul:
‘Soul, you have plenty of goods stored.
for many years,
relax, eat, drink, be glad.

But God said to him:
Fool, this night your soul
is demanded
from you.
the things you have prepared – whose will they be?
This is the way for those who store treasure for themselves
and are not rich toward God.

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.

If you have died with Christ …

So if you have been raised with Christ,
– seek the things from above,
where Christ is,
seated at the right (hand) of God.
– fix your thoughts on things from above
not things on the earth
for you have died
and your life is ‘safe and hidden’
with Christ
in God.
When Christ… your life… is revealed
then you too
will be revealed in glory
with him.

Therefore put to death…

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.