Proper 13
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
Come, O children, listen to me;
I till teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help,
the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Alternate Image
The Singer takes his nephew with him for a tour around town.
They stop at a shop where the Singer feels he has been
overcharged for some work he has had done on his car. At
the shop they hear the owner berating his employees. While the
Singer speaks with the owner, the nephew notices that the workers
slow down and even stop working when the boss isn't around. No
wonder the bill was high. The Singer decides not to do business
with that shop again. Next the Singer and his nephew go to the
clinic for the Singer's annual physical examination. There they
are surprised to find the owner of the shop being carried in on a
stretcher. He is being brought in with a perforated ulcer. While
waiting for the Singer's physical examination, a pleasant nurse
takes down his medical history and inquires about how his life
has been since his last examination. She smiles frequently and
comments how happy she is to be working at this clinic, which has
a family feeling and is such important work.
Back at the Singer's home, his nephew comments on what an
instructive day it has been.
Reflection
Faith and unfaith is taught daily in the lives of believers
and unbelievers. While we may complain about the lack of justice
and inequality in the world, with a little perception we can
readily see that evil produces evil and good produces good.
Economic and civil injustices may continue, but the feelings
produced by conscientious behavior or by rebellious behavior are
apparent. People who do what they consider right feel better
about themselves and others. People who fail to live up to
recognized ethical standards tend to be guilt ridden and
pessimistic about the world. Believers also stand assured that in
the end all does indeed work for good and in compliance with
God's will.
I till teach you the fear of the Lord.
Which of you desires life,
and covets many days to enjoy good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their cry.
The face of the Lord is against evildoers,
to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help,
the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
and saves the crushed in spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord rescues them from them all.
He keeps all their bones;
not one of them will be broken.
Evil brings death to the wicked,
and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The Lord redeems the life of his servants;
none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
Alternate Image
The Singer takes his nephew with him for a tour around town.
They stop at a shop where the Singer feels he has been
overcharged for some work he has had done on his car. At
the shop they hear the owner berating his employees. While the
Singer speaks with the owner, the nephew notices that the workers
slow down and even stop working when the boss isn't around. No
wonder the bill was high. The Singer decides not to do business
with that shop again. Next the Singer and his nephew go to the
clinic for the Singer's annual physical examination. There they
are surprised to find the owner of the shop being carried in on a
stretcher. He is being brought in with a perforated ulcer. While
waiting for the Singer's physical examination, a pleasant nurse
takes down his medical history and inquires about how his life
has been since his last examination. She smiles frequently and
comments how happy she is to be working at this clinic, which has
a family feeling and is such important work.
Back at the Singer's home, his nephew comments on what an
instructive day it has been.
Reflection
Faith and unfaith is taught daily in the lives of believers
and unbelievers. While we may complain about the lack of justice
and inequality in the world, with a little perception we can
readily see that evil produces evil and good produces good.
Economic and civil injustices may continue, but the feelings
produced by conscientious behavior or by rebellious behavior are
apparent. People who do what they consider right feel better
about themselves and others. People who fail to live up to
recognized ethical standards tend to be guilt ridden and
pessimistic about the world. Believers also stand assured that in
the end all does indeed work for good and in compliance with
God's will.
