The Texts for the 22nd Sunday After the Pentecost, October 16th, 2016

First Reading: Genesis 32:22-31

22The same night [Jacob] got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.

Psalm: Psalm 121

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; 

    from where is my help to come?

2 My help comes from the LORD, 

    the maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved 

    and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.

4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel 

    shall neither slumber nor sleep;

5 The LORD himself watches over you; 

    the LORD is your shade at your right hand,

6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, 

    nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; 

    it is he who shall keep you safe.

8 The LORD shall watch over your going out and

                             your coming in, 

    from this time forth for evermore.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14--4:5

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, 15and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.

 4:1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8

1Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The Greek Text of Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1-8

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ 4For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” 6And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

v1 προσευχεσθαι (προσερχομαι) res. inf. [it is necessary always] to pray

μη εγκακειν (εγκακεω) pres. inf. "not give up".

v2 κριτης (ης ου) "judge" - of a village, think “justice of the peace” who settled small claims.

μη φοβουμενος (φοβεω) pres. pas. Part. "neither fearing [God]"

μη εντρεπομενος (εντρεπω) pres. mid. part. "nor respecting [men]" the use of the middle voice expresses the sense of "incapable of shame." This judge is unlikely to waste his time acting for a powerless and financially disadvantaged widow, since neither the laws of God nor public opinion could stir his conscience!

v3 ηρχετο (ερχομαι) imperf. "kept coming" - the imperfect tense is durative so, "she constantly came".

εκδικησον (ενδικεω) aor. imp. "grant [me] vengeance" - protect me from my opponent.

v4 επι χρονον "for some time" – idiomatic; meaning an undefined period of time.

ουκ ηθελεν (θελω) imperf. "he refused" – a continual refusal to act – same tense as vs 3.

v5 εκδικησω (εδικεω) fut. "I will see that [she] gets justice" - I will avenge her.

υπωπιαζη (υποπιαζω) subj. "she...wear [me] out" – literally “give me a black eye”!

v6 ακουσατε (ακουω) aor. imp. "listen" - take note/pay attention.

της αδικιας (α) gen. "[the] unrighteous one".

λεγει (λεγω) pres. "says" - Do we take Jesus literally and draw application from what the judge said (and did) rather than from the story as a whole? Some scholars argue that the lesson is drawn from the judge and his words not from the widow. Most argue for a wider application, which is how we end up with this parable being used to promote persistence in prayer.

v7 ου μη ποιηση (ποιεω) subj. "will not [God] bring about" – a subjunctive of emphatic negation expecting a strong positive answer – yes indeed He will.

την εκδικησιν (ις εως) "vengeance, with the verb "do" expresses a sense of the punishment of persecutors, so "vindication".

των εκλεκτων gen. adj. "for [his] elect/chosen ones.

των βοωντων pres. part. gen. "who cry out" - the strength of this word takes us back to chapter 17 and the tribulation faced by God's elect as they await the coming of the Son of Man.

v8 την εκδικησιν (ις εως) "[they get] justice" - [ a similar periphrastic construction is used in Numbers 31:2 and 1 Maccabees 2:67 to express the sense "see to it that justice is done."

πλην "however" The meaning of the particle is somewhat unclear. Here it is treated as an exceptive, e.g., "however". The sense here may be; "So now, back to the central issue, namely the return of the Son of Man. When he comes will he find faith on the earth?

ελθων (ερχομαι) aor. part. "when [the Son of Man] comes"  

την πιστιν (ις εως) "faith" Given the presence of the definite article, does Jesus mean us to understand a particular faith or in the general sense, "faithfulness"?

No Black Eyes in the End

You can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest - honestly. It’s the good ones you have to worry about because you really don’t know when they might do something really . . . Stupid.” - Captain Jack Sparrow

There is a little gem hidden in this text: “in the end, she may wear me out,” or “ give me a black eye,” as the Greek suggests. “In the End,” (eis telos) is the words of the judge and those words tie the text back to the discourse that Jesus has just embarked on, the coming of the Son or Man, the “End.” 

The text ends in equally neat fashion: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find Faith on earth?” 

But it is supposed to be about prayer, right? Or is it about not loosing heart? Are those connected and if so, how? And how is that: “Faith?”

To be a judge is a public thing. To be neglectful of the widow is also public when indeed he is neglectful of her petitions. He is to protect her. As the text progresses, he seems to come to his senses and decides to do the right thing. He does not fear God, says Jesus, but he comes to realize that: She might give him a black eye at “the End.” (scary quotes implied here) How he treats her will be a witness against him when the vultures gather. (17:27) He has Moses and the Prophets, he has heard them. (16:29) He will now obey but because he fears "the end."

The widow, keeps coming to him. Doing the right thing is demanded of him daily when she appears. She becomes the daily reminder that the demands of righteousness have not been set aside for anyone, whether they fear God or not. “And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them?  I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.” (18:7-8) Woe to the unjust judge when the Son of Man comes and grants justice to those whom justice has been denied.  That Son of Man will come in a flash (17:24) and there will be judgement.

Jesus' words to the disciples is that they need to pray always and not to lose heart. (18:1) This is not, I believe, about asking what we need or want, even if we really need and want it, even urgently. Rather, "in spite of the injustice that you see, like Lazarus who lies at the gate but no one helps, will you maintain trust in God," that is the question to be dealt with. Will you keep relationship with God? Will you lose heart? God is God but dogs are licking Lazarus’ sores.

Prayer and persistence in prayer have already been dealt with in chapter 11. There, the point was to teach how to address God and keep relationship with him. Here there is an addition. The dishonest magistrate in this parable is not God. Rather, the magistrate is the world in sin. The widow is the church. She knows that the time until the coming of the Son of Man is finite. Will she be the daily reminder to the world that he is at hand? Will she be the daily living reminder that God’s will is being trampled on? 

God is patient but eventually God will no longer delay judgement. When judgement is finally given and the widow’s cause is vindicated, who will be glad? Who will welcome the judgement with relief and joy, not over the demise of the adversaries but as relief? 

God delays judgement. That is in itself a biblical theme. “He is patient and merciful,” is a refrain in both Psalm and Prophets. God never asked me if it was OK with me that he not smite those who do wrong and do so right away, but rather wait to see whether they might turn and repent. When the moment of decision came for my father to fight and live a few more years or to go and be in palliative care he quietly said: “I have seen enough. It is OK to go now.” I sometimes remind myself that World War II was part of what he had seen. Luke would say: “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace, your word has been fulfilled.” (2:29) Simeon, who speaks those words, is longing for the redemption of Israel and he sees it in Jesus, the infant.

Faith, if the Son of Man will indeed find it, is that spark that sees Jesus, recognizes the kingdom in him (17:21), and knows that this is enough. “We have seen the salvation that you have prepared in the sight of every people.” (2:30-31) In Jesus, Simeon, in Faith, sees that the redemption of Israel and the widow are certain. In our text, Jesus invites us to believe and live likewise. 

But there is a caveat. Those who believe that they are not, like the judge, in need of turning, are warned that the publican, who is willing to beg for mercy, is the one who will depart the holy places justified. (18:14) There is the present possibility that we are the unrighteous judge. The widow is at the door to see us. 

The Readings for the 21st Sunday after the Pentecost, October 9th, 2016

First Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

1Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. 2Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”

  8But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 13But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

  15a-cThen he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel.”

Psalm: Psalm 111

1 Hallelujah!

I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, 

    in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

2 Great are the deeds of the LORD! 

    they are studied by all who delight in them.

3 His work is full of majesty and splendor, 

    and his righteousness endures for ever.

4 He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; 

    the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

5 He gives food to those who fear him; 

    he is ever mindful of his covenant.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works 

    in giving them the lands of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; 

    all his commandments are sure.

8 They stand fast for ever and ever, 

    because they are done in truth and equity.

9 He sent redemption to his people;

he commanded his covenant for ever; 

    holy and awesome is his Name.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15

8Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, 9for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. 10Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory. 11The saying is sure: 

 If we have died with him, we will also live with him;

 12if we endure, we will also reign with him;

 if we deny him, he will also deny us;

 13if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

 for he cannot deny himself.

  14Remind them of this, and warn them before God that they are to avoid wrangling over words, which does no good but only ruins those who are listening. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19

11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Greek Study Luke 17:11-19

Greek Study Luke 17:11-19 

Because the first time apparently didn’t take (6/29/16)

v11 και εγενετο "now" - marking a new literary unit.

εν τω πορευεσθαι (πορευομαι) pres. inf. "on [his] way [to Jerusalem]" - Luke underlines the journey theme, of messiah moving inexorably toward Jerusalem and his enthronement. 

δια μεσον + gen. "along the border" – literally  "through the middle".  

v12 εισερχομενου (εισερχομαι) pres. part. gen. "as [he] was entering" - genitive absolute participle forms a temporal clause.

πηντησαν (απανταω) aor. "met" - they "approached "

πορρωθεν adv. "at a distance" - the lepers follow the custom of the time and keep distance, or did they approach as indicated prior?  

v13 λεγοντες (λεγω) pres. part. "called out [in a loud voice]" adverbial, expressing the manner of the lifting up of their voices, "they raised their voices, shouting, ...."

Ιησου επιστατα "Jesus, master" - A title normally used by disciples.

ελεησον (ελεεω) aor. imp. "have pity on [us]" - aorist expressing urgency. Probably a request to show compassion. A person begging for alms would say the same.

v14 ιδων (ειδον) aor. part. "when he saw them" - The Greek implies Jesus had not noticed them until they shouted out; which explains the prior verse.

πορευθεντες (πορευομαι) aor. pas. part. "go" – actually having gone/going  participle expressing action accompanying the main verb show, so here used as an imperative; "go and show ..." Jesus asks them to go and show themselves to the priests before they are healed. Normally a person's skin disease would have improved before going to the priests so the question is begged, is Jesus prompting a leap of faith? At any rate, they all head off.

τοις ιερευσιν (υς εως) dat. "priests" – some scholars suggest the plural of priests implies that the lepers were a mixed group of Jews and Samaritans and each would need to go to their own priest. Or because there were ten?

εν τω υπαγειν (υπαγω) pres. inf. "as they went" - a temporal clause expressing contemporaneous time; so "as they were on their way".

εκαθαρισθησαν (καθαριζω) aor. pas. "they were cleansed" - Note the parallel with the healing of Naaman (2 Kings 5:10ff). If this is the case, then perhaps Luke did see a mixed group of Jews and Samaritans.

v15 ιδων (ειδον) aor. par. "having seen” - the sense of having seen is that he was now healed, not that he has gained any spiritual insight.

υπεστρεψεν (υποστρεφω) aor. "came back" – the point is that he could have continued on his way and praised God at the temple, but the story serves to make the point that the faith that saves is faith in Jesus, not a process.

μετα + gen. "with [a loud voice]" – again with the loud voice, a reflection back upon the proclamation of the Angels and Shepherds in Luke 2?

v16 επι .... παρα + acc. "[he threw himself] at [Jesus' feet]" – a prostrate position who stretches out with their face on the ground, the proper position to take when confronted by a theophany.

ευχαριστων (ευχαριστω) pres. part. "and thanked" - some argue that gratitude is a necessary accompaniment to saving faith except for the fact that this view is contrary to scripture!

αυτος ην Σαμαριτης "he was a Samaritan" – Luke seems to love Samaritan stories (one might ask why, was there a Samaritan community, did he self-identify as a Samaritan being a Gentile and all, inquiring minds want to know!) The story certainly doesn't set up a Jew/Samaritan dichotomy; i.e. they are ALL healed of leprosy. However, Jesus' confrontation with the law-righteousness Pharisees in chapter 16 does set up chapter 17 and its declaration of the one law that gives life, faith. Religious Israel fails to obey this law; a Samaritan does. So this story prefigures the movement of the gospel from Jew to Samaritan, to God-fearer and finally, to Gentiles.

v17 αποκριθεις (αποκρινομαι) aor. pas. part. "having answered [Jesus said]” - redundant, perhaps for emphasis.

ουχι "[were] not [all ten cleansed]?" που "where" – another emphatic, "the 9, where are they?"

v18 ουχ ευρεθησαν (ευρισκω) aor. pas. "was no one found" - they were not found, Luke has returned to the lost/found theme of chapter 15!

υποστρεψαντες (υποστρεφω) aor. part. "to return" δουναι (διδωμι) aor. inf. "in order to give [praise]" - τω θεω (ος) dat. "to God".

ει μη "except" ο αλλογενης "[this] foreigner" (literally this “this other one”) – a Hapax, except that the leper who returned to Jesus is not quite a foreigner, but rather a half-cast Jew. This word was used in Greek on the “keep out” warning sign on the temple mount, where it was clearly directed at Gentiles. The point here may be that this man, normally bared from the religious life of Israel, has a better understanding of how a person gets right with God than all those so called righteous Pharisees who attend temple worship!

v19 αναστας (ανιστημι) aor. part. "rise and [go]" – and here we have the word used by the early church for “resurrection” as opposed to all the other times Jesus uses the phrase “rise and go (εγερθε)

σου πιστισ gen. "your faith" – a possessive identifies the key ingredient of the story, i.e. a saving faith, faith in the terms of reliance upon Jesus. It is used here as it is elsewhere Scripture to refer to a reliance on Jesus' word/promises.

σεσωκεν (σωζω) perf. "has made [you] well" – literally has saved you.  The perfect tense indicates a past act with ongoing consequences.

Just a little note to the Temple

He commanded them to go as being already healed so that they might bear witness to the priests, the rulers of the Jews and envious of his Glory. - Cyril the Alexandrian

“The kingdom of God: in your midst it is now.” It is a strange answer Jesus gives to the Pharisees who have come to ask him when the messianic kingdom will finally come. It is here. (Lk 17:20- 21) No reason to run around any longer. 

In this spirit, Jesus has sent nine ex-lepers to the temple. Only, they are no longer lepers. They are healed. Jesus, being headed to Jerusalem, is sending a notice to the temple: Something is on the way. He knows they will not grasp the sign. It is not the point of the healing or the sending. ”It will not come with signs,” he tells the Pharisees who inquire in eschatological zeal for signs that they can agree are indeed signs. Remember, they think they know Torah better than Jesus. They probably have specific signs in mind. Jesus is not one of those signs as far as they are concerned. What Jesus sends to the temple is a message akin to what he sent to John the Baptist. (7:22-23) Here is a sign: Lepers are being made clean. Therefore, all ye who yet have eyes to see, know that the kingdom is here. When the son of Man comes in his day it will be like a flash. But the kingdom is here now. One should perceive it if in faith one understands the kingdom. (12:56)

The nine are also a message for those who do righteousness. They fulfill the Law of Moses by having the matter adjudicated by the temple as they should. (Lev 13) They do the work of the law, which they should as servants of God. What they have done was their duty. (Lk 17:8) But something is missing. The law can make you do the right thing but it cannot make our hearts give thanks and praise. (sacramental reference purely intentional) Only Holy Ghost and Faith can do that. At least that is what Paul teaches. 

Look at it in the light of the parable of the master and the servant we read last week. There the servant is urged not to expect reward for doing what is expected of him. On the other hand, neither will there be praise and thanksgiving from the servant for getting to do what is expected. Only when the servant, here played by the Samaritan, realizes that the master has done extraordinary grace, way beyond and apart from what wages were agreed upon, will that happen and even then he has to grasp it apart from obedience to what is next. A different attitude, a different mind, is required. In that state of mind, God owes nothing but gives all things so everything ought to be an occasion to give thanks and praise. It is right, meet, and salutary that one do exactly that. 

There is no reward for being an ex leper, other than, well, you are no longer an outcast. You no longer stand at a distance. You no longer stand at a distance at the temple — if you are a Jew that is.  Who stands at the greater distance? The out-cast lepers who call on Jesus for mercy knowing their plight or the Pharisees who are "in-casts" but insist on their righteousness? The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector will soon follow. (18:9-14)

The distances change as the story progresses. At first, the ten lepers are close to one another. Then, something happens to their common bond. When they realize it, distance between them develops. The Samaritan does not belong any longer. He is now an outsider. The healing of their infirmity has made him that. A community has been shattered. Together they could beg for mercy knowing the desperate nature of their condition. Healed they now can no longer travel together. And this makes sense? 

If one is a Pharisee, I suspect it does. That is their disease and keeping distance is the lesion that is their disease’s common symptom. If you forgive a bunch of sinners their sin will they rejoice and give praise together or will they merely find ways to be out-cast and in-cast together and apart? Once you answer this, you might be able to map how far you stand at distance from the Lord. Can you see the pharisees from where you stand? I thought so.

When the nine come to the door, their sins forgiven, how will they be divided? Will we pick out a few of them because they were such great sinners, had such a colorful life in sin, have just so many neat tattoos, that we make sure to ask them to wear tank tops at worship so we can be proud of their past because it reflects ever so well on us for having received them? Will we rejoice in the kingdom in our midst and give praise or will we be Jerusalem Priests, bureaucrats that compile the list of forgiven sins and exact the require “thank offering”? 

Middle eastern culture has a saying: “Don’t thank me, you will repay me later.” Accepting a thank offering on the other hand is a way to say: “Yes, we are even. We owe one another no more.” But what if this story is not about giving thanks but about giving praise to God because the kingdom is now here? What if there is no sin offering, no thank offering fit to even the score? The Samaritan had no place to offer one. Neither do we. Our sacrifice is thanks and praise. (sacramental reference intentional) 

The Texts for Sunday, October 2nd, the 20th Sunday after the Pentecost, 2016

First Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4

1The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw.

 2O Lord, how long shall I cry for help,

  and you will not listen?

 Or cry to you “Violence!”

  and you will not save?

 3Why do you make me see wrongdoing

  and look at trouble?

 Destruction and violence are before me;

  strife and contention arise.

 4So the law becomes slack

  and justice never prevails.

 The wicked surround the righteous—

  therefore judgment comes forth perverted.

 2:1I will stand at my watchpost,

  and station myself on the rampart;

 I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,

  and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

 2Then the Lord answered me and said:

 Write the vision;

  make it plain on tablets,

  so that a runner may read it.

 3For there is still a vision for the appointed time;

  it speaks of the end, and does not lie.

 If it seems to tarry, wait for it;

  it will surely come, it will not delay.

 4Look at the proud!

  Their spirit is not right in them,

  but the righteous live by their faith.

Psalm: Psalm 37:1-9

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; 

    do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, 

    and like the green grass fade away.

3 Put your trust in the LORD and do good; 

    dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4 Take delight in the LORD, 

    and he shall give you your heart's desire.

5 Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust in him, 

    and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light 

    and your just dealing as the noonday.

7 Be still before the LORD 

    and wait patiently for him.

8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, 

    the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; 

    do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,

  2To Timothy, my beloved child: 

  Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

  3I am grateful to God—whom I worship with a clear conscience, as my ancestors did—when I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. 5I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you. 6For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; 7for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

  8Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11For this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher, 12and for this reason I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. 13Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10

5The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

  7“Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? 8Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? 9Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? 10So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’ ”