Worship, Prayer and Bible Resources
28 Sunday in Ordinary, Year B, Green
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'Easier for a camel than rich man' |
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Introduction
It was not uncommon at the time of Jesus to
consider that a person who had wealth and riches was blessed by God. Believe
it or not, it is still a view which exists today. Some people think that
when things go badly for them that this is a sign of God's disapproval.
Occasionally if a person suffers prolonged illness they will be heard to
utter the words, 'What have I done to deserve this?' The answer is of course
'Nothing'. God does not reward us with blessings, or punish us with curses.
This explains why in our reading today Jesus is able to say that it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the Kingdom of God. The wealth of the rich is not a sign of God's
blessing, indeed Jesus sees wealth as having the potential so to divide our
commitment and loyalty to God, that the rich are in a perilous position.
Considering that many of us are a lot wealthier than the folks living at the
time of Jesus, we need to listen to the words of Jesus this week very
carefully.
Opening Sentence
Seek the Lord and live. Amos 5 v 6
Collect Prayer for the Day— Before we read we pray
God, the giver of life, whose Holy Spirit wells up within your Church: by the Spirit’s gifts equip us to live the gospel of Christ and make us eager to do your will, that we may share with the whole creation the joys of eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. CW
God, our light and our salvation: illuminate our lives, that we may see your goodness in the land of the living, and looking on your beauty may be changed into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Lord. CW
First Bible Reading Job 23.1-9,16-17
Job answered his companions: ‘Today also my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy despite my groaning. O that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his dwelling! I would lay my case before him,
and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what he would answer me,
and understand what he would say to me. Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; but he would give heed to me. There an upright person could reason with him,
and I should be acquitted for ever by my judge. ‘If I go forward, he is not there;
or backward, I cannot perceive him; on the left he hides, and I cannot behold him;
I turn to the right, but I cannot see him. God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me; If only I could vanish in darkness,
and thick darkness would cover my face! NRSV
Alternate Reading (Related) Amos Chapter 5:6-7, 10-15
Seek the LORD and live,
or he will break out against the house of Joseph like fire,
and it will devour Bethel, with no one to quench it.
Ah, you that turn justice to wormwood,
and bring righteousness to the ground!
They hate the one who reproves in the gate,
and they abhor the one who speaks the truth.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor
and take from them levies of grain,
you have built houses of hewn stone,
but you shall not live in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards,
but you shall not drink their wine.
For I know how many are your transgressions,
and how great are your sins –
you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe,
and push aside the needy in the gate.
Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time;
for it is an evil time.
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you,
just as you have said.
Hate evil and love good,
and establish justice in the gate;
it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. NRSV
Second Reading Hebrews 4:12-16
The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account. Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. NRSV
Gospel Reading Mark 10.17-31
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.”’ He said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were greatly astounded and said to one another, ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’
Peter began to say to him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age – houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields – but with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.’ NRSV
Post Communion Sentence
God our Father, whose Son, the light unfailing, has come from heaven to deliver the world from the darkness of ignorance: let these holy mysteries open the eyes of our understanding that we may know the way of life, and walk in it without stumbling; through Jesus Christ our Lord. CW
Commentary
Wealth and riches
It was not uncommon at the time of Jesus to
consider that a person who had wealth and riches was blessed by God. Believe
it or not, it is still a view which exists today. Some people think that
when things go badly for them that this is a sign of God's disapproval.
Occasionally if a person suffers prolonged illness they will be heard to
utter the words, 'What have I done to deserve this?' The answer is of course
'Nothing'. God does not reward us with blessings, or punish us with curses.
This explains why in our reading today Jesus is able to say that it is
easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to
enter the Kingdom of God. The wealth of the rich is not a sign of God's
blessing, indeed Jesus sees wealth as having the potential so to divide our
commitment and loyalty to God, that the rich are in a perilous position.
Considering that many of us are a lot wealthier than the folks living at the
time of Jesus, we need to listen to the words of Jesus this week very
carefully.
Notice how Jesus does not mention some of the commandments which we might expect. Jesus does not say
- have no other gods
- no graven images
- no taking God's name in vain
Instead he tells the man to sell everything which he has and give away the money. This is a sure way of ensuring that there was no possibility of the material possessions of this world distracting the disciple form Jesus.
The gospel story describes a seemingly impossible situation. How could a camel pass through the eye of a needle? How could a rich man enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Through our own efforts it would be impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible. In the gospel readings over the past few weeks Jesus has spoken several times about the need to come to Him as a child. To come to Him not as a rich person who, through power and money can exert influence, can make things happen, can be in control, but come to Him as a child who is totally dependent on the Father. To rest in His love and favour, to allow Him to make the impossible happen. Psalm 90 speaks about being contained in God’s love, about being secure in God’s presence, and implores us to measure our days so that we might gain a heart of wisdom so that we can rest in His love and let His favour and grace touch us. To allow Him to make the seemingly impossible happen for each one of us. To trust to Him as a child trusts their parents. For us, just as it was for the rich man in the gospel, the more riches we have, the harder it is for us to hold on to them lightly and trust in the Father alone. Indeed, for some it will be as hard as getting a large camel through the eye of a small sewing needle. For others, the camel becomes so small that the eye of the needle becomes a gaping hole through which it is possible to walk with comparative ease.
Meditation
We only deliberately waste time with those we love – it is the purest sign that we love someone if we chose to spend time idly in their presence when we could be doing something more constructive. Sheila Cassidy
Hymns and Psalms
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When morning gilds the skies
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Go tell it on the mountain
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Jesus I have promised
- May the mind of Christ my saviour
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
God and Father of us all, in Christ
you gave us one Lord, one faith, one baptism; look in your love upon the
church, the fellowship of the baptized, and renew her life in unity and
peace. Amen
May Almighty God order our days in His peace, and grant us the gift of His
Blessing. May He set us free from our anxiety, and firmly establish our
minds on the foundation of His peace and tranquility. May He adorn our lives
with the jewels of faith, hope, and love; may He keep us from all harm in
this present world, and lead us safely into life everlasting. Amen
Archbishop Robert ca 1000 AD
May the living waters of Christ cleanse us, may the Spirit descend upon us,
and the blessing of God be with us, this day and for evermore. Amen
Additional Material
Wealth and Riches
We read today about the rich and how hard it is to have wealth and God. The choice between God and Mammon is perhaps one of the single most difficult things to speak about. It is highly emotive because it questions something which we all hold very dear - our possessions, our wealth our money. We have all learned the phrase very well from 1 Timothy, money is not the root of all evil, it is rather ‘the love of money which is the root of all evil.’ And so we tell ourselves that we are OK because we don’t love money, wealth, property - we just want enough of it.
The problem is that Jesus knows we are all really just fooling ourselves. It is really hard to have any attachment to wealth, our possessions without it corrupting us.
Mammon is mentioned in two places in the New Testament in Matthew and Luke, both times on the lips of Jesus who was holding out the choice which has to be made between serving God and serving ourselves. Jesus is in the business of calling people to be disciples and the problem he recognises is one of divided loyalty.
Jesus recognises this and he is very specific that if people chose to follow him they must abandon the lure of possessions. He uses language throughout the gospels which is full of urgency and call for unwavering commitment and so there must be no room for a half hearted response which is the case if you have one eye on your future financial stability
- Easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich one to go to God
- Sell all you possess and follow me
This is hard for us because we live in western society and in our culture of materialism possessions are an enormous attraction for us and a great distraction from serving God. Few of us live as though possessions are not the most important thing in life. So that is why this passage is very hard.
We do our utmost to excuse ourselves from guilt but the truth is that few of us looking inside ourselves would be able to avoid the truth that we place far too much attention on mammon. Our possessions, our property, our money, these challenge our commitment.
We live in a society which is about creating wealth, we call it a consumer society, and Jesus would understand very clearly that this word ‘consumer’ is very appropriate because things do consume us. The reason why Jesus singles out money for such attention is because it is so very consuming.
Although Jesus uses the word mammon only on two occasions, nevertheless he speaks about money and possessions and wealth a lot. Perhaps you haven't thought of it before-but did you realise that over one third of Jesus' parables and sayings concern the relationship between faithfulness and money? Jesus talks so much about money because, when push comes to shove, loyalties are revealed by what people do with their wealth and how they feel about it.
Indeed the contrast must be drawn between the things which Jesus got worked up about and the things which we get worked up about. As a church we are very worked up about sex, about which Jesus said next to nothing, but we don’t get very worked up at all about wealth, about which Jesus said a great deal. Indeed when the church does speak out about money it is usually to ask for more !
The reason why this statement about wealth is so significant is because mammon is the most difficult of distractions. We can conceal our preoccupation very carefully, so carefully that we deceive even ourselves. The careful saver who builds money for their retirement may appear wise and sensible, but dependence upon material affluence and financial security is mammon. I suspect that Jesus would single out our desire for retirement nest eggs as a classic case of mammon. He would say, ‘You cannot serve God and your cunning plan for retirement,’
Mammon is that in which we place our trust going forward. Jesus very carefully allowed his followers to pray that they might receive their daily bread, bread for today not for tomorrow, the asking of God to meet our need and not our greed.
The great Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, once defined anxiety as "the next day." We don't know what will happen "the next day," which creates anxiety this day. Therefore, we are consumed on this day with trying to anticipate future calamities against which to protect ourselves. Since there is no end to the calamities we can anticipate, we're always uncertain and constantly chasing after something which, we hope, will decrease our level of uncertainty. This never works. Acquiring things doesn't reduce anxiety, rather it generates anxiety. This is the paradox of consumerism the more I have, the more I want and the less I am satisfied.
More than me
However as is so often the case Jesus is concerned with a lot more than just personal piety. It is worth remembering that when Jesus spoke these words, only about 5-10% of the people of ancient Israel had any wealth at all. A few were very wealthy indeed -- rich beyond belief. Everybody else was poor and operated at a bare subsistence level.
This calls into question our interpretations of this statement. Jesus cannot be giving his poor followers a lecture on how they ought to get better at handling the money which they didn’t have. His listeners would readily have agreed with Jesus that "you are not able to serve God and mammon." They were taxed to the hilt and near starvation under occupation. They were being exploited by the geed of others who lived well at their expense, while the people themselves were near starvation.
So who is the target of Jesus words, what was he getting at? Wwell we are told in the passage from Luke today that
The Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him
Remember people wanted to kill Jesus not because he had a new theology, but because he threatened to take away their mammon.Herod wanted to kill the baby Jesus because he threatened to become a king.
When Jesus gave his teaching in Matthew 25 that those who looked after the hungry poor and sick would be saved, the response of the chief priest and elders was that they wanted to kill him
In Mark 11 we read about Jesus overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple.
On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
Then we are told
The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
When we remember Jesus taken up on the cross we do well to remind ourselves that he was killed because he threatened the economic interests of the privileged few. He died because he challenged the vested interests of the ruling classes. He threatened their wealth and power, his actions threatened to deprive them of their mammon.
So Jesus is not just exhorting his poor peasants not to serve wealth ! Jesus is much more radical than that. Jesus is laying down a challenge to the system. Jesus does not sit comfortably with those on top. Jesus scolds those who wear fine clothes because they were the outward mark of social rank, and those who live in King’s palaces. The wealthy, including priests and scribes connected with the Temple establishment, were easily identified by their glitzzy robes.
Jesus is deeply concerned about social justice, rather more indeed than individual piety. This should not surprise us, you don’t fall out with the authorities for telling people how to pray nicely.
There are several places in the Bible where God rejects the worship of his people because they lack justice (eg. Micah 6:6-8; 1 Tim. 6:9-10, 17; Matt. 6:19-21), but nowhere in the Bible does God reject the justice of his people because they lack worship. Does this mean that social, political and economic justice are more important to God than worship? Possibly it does, what it most certainly does mean is that worship which doesn't grow out of justice is shallow.
How does Jesus tell us that we inherit eternal life ? Luke 10 and the parable of the Good Samaritan tells us that it is by looking after those who are less well off than ourselves, showing pity and spending our mammon to care for those who cannot care for themselves. And remember, the ones which we must care for are those we hate most - religious enemies. Only by doing this can we show our love for God.
Matthew 25 tells us that those blessed with inheriting the kingdom will be those who
Fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, cared for the stranger, clothed those with nothing and visited those in prison.
They will be surprised because they thought they were just engaged in social justice, they never knew that Jesus was sharing the poverty of the lost and lonely.
Therefore we as Christians we must be engaged in addressing the circumstances which give rise to poverty as did Jesus. When our wealth is built upon the sacrifices of others, that is not acceptable. As Christians we should be using opportunities to speak of a new way.
It is interesting to see how divided the church was in response to the Occupation outside St Pauls. Three senior clerics resigned over the incident. That is how dynamite money is. Possibly the only people who care enough to lose a night sleep over this issue are the ones we have evicted from the temple precincts because they protested.
They were correct, the banks are the most glaring issue of our time. At the same time as the bailiffs were moving into St Pauls, the announcement was being made that Barclays had devised a scam whereby they could engineer 500million pounds of tax avoidance.
We are told that we have to pay our bankers more or else they will escape the country and go elsewhere and they are so talented that we cannot afford to lose them. Well we know that they won’t go to Germany where bankers are paid so much less, but why worry if they do? They were just not that clever when they got us into this mess. Why is the same argument not used about teachers, we never say that we have to pay them more or they will go and do something else?
Eversheds which found – in a survey of 241 companies around the world between January 2007 and December 2009 – that there was no link between pay and stock price performance. In other words no link between the added value and the cost paid to acquire it by shareholders.
Pay is out of control, is socially divisive, and is not promoting capitalism, but pure greed. I think it is the John Lewis Partnership that has the right idea: the pay of the CEO is capped at a relatively low multiple of the lowest paid member of staff (partner) and all get an equal percentage of the bonuses.
Obviously I could go on and on and I am sorry if this sounds political, but of course that is what Jesus should do to us. He will not allow us to keep true faith in a religious box. The church to needs to constantly seek out its place in society to liberate people. In his penetrating book The First Circle, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the famous Russian author who defected to America, makes an interesting observation about how the Russian authorities handle the church. He writes:
"No one stops them from ringing their bells; they can break communion bread anyway they please.
They can have their processions with the cross. But they will in no way allow them to have any connection with social or civic affairs."
The church was allowed to go through the motions; it could have a presence, but it dare not have an influence. we must seek to be an influence, to be God’s presence in the world. The church needs always to question where it stands and at times we have sided with wealth and protected it, sanctified mammon.
Conclusion
There is no easy teaching here on the right use of money. However there is an imperative for society to get a right understanding on the use of money. There must be a wise use of our collective wealth which recognises need and the plight of the very poor to whom Jesus devoted so much of his time and energy.
We live in very tough times. This is the worst time in living memory to be in public services.
The church has for so long worked hard to care for the vulnerable and in the days ahead I feel there will be greater challenges. The church is well placed to live out the commands of Jesus to be his loving presence in society, to care for the hungry, the sick and those most at risk.
The difference from what we have now before is that we will have to do this without expecting to be reimbursed. We will have to be more willing to give and it may be costly.
Hear 1 Timothy
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Collect Prayer for the Day
Before we read we pray Almighty God, you have made us for yourselves and our
hearts are restless till they find their rest in you:
Pour your love into our hearts and draw us to yourself, and so bring us at
last to your heavenly city where we shall see you face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Post Communion Prayer
Lord we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, and make us continually to be given to all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Meditation
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity. Martin Luther King
Commentary Bible Notes Hebrews 4: 12-16
The Word of God. In this part of the letter, Paul is explaining the action
of the word of God. It is not a neutral thing but alive and active in the
world. The action is not to be trifled with. The writer makes it sound
almost like a weapon, a scalpel perhaps which cleaves between truth and
falsehood, cutting away evasions and half-truths. The Word of God is a force
to be reckoned with. God can see into the hears and minds of his people.
Translations of the final phrase of verse 14 vary from the vague “with whom
we have to do” to a much more powerful “”Before whom we must render
account”. Although both are correct the latter translation is more of a
warning against evasion. The picture drawn in the first half of the passage
is slightly threatening, saying in effect “lies are useless” but in the
second part, the compassion of God pours like balm. Christ is the
compassionate priest, one who will intercede with God on our behalf. Jesus
is able to understand our human frailty because of his human aspect. He
knows the temptations with which we are confronted. Jesus understands the
problems of being human and will not judge us with inhuman harshness. The
final phrase conjures up a lovely, truly heart-warming image. We are invited
to come near to the “throne of grace” where all will be judged. There, at
the foot of the throne we will find not coldness but loving mercy. That
gracious compassion can then be turned outward to those in need. The image
drawn is of a forgiveness which overflows from God to us and from us to
those around us. Comforting words indeed. Joan Crossley
Commentary on Hebrews
The writer of Hebrews starts today's passage by contrasting the Word of God, made incarnate through His Son Jesus Christ, as being living and active, in contrast to the old laws and codes of the Jews, which were becoming increasingly dead and ritualistic. To the writer there is a fundamental change in the way religion must be viewed and understood in the light of the New Covenant God has made with the world through Christ.
This is clearly seen in the description of the Word of God as being sharper than a two edged sword. On the one side this sword brings a message of sacrificial love, God so loved the world that He sent Jesus to live among us and to die for us. On the other side it brings a message of judgement, our sinful nature is exposed and laid bare before this Holy God, and it is to Him we will be asked to give account. Nothing can be hidden from His eyes.
Sin separates us from God, and because we are sinful something needs to happen if we are to have access back to Him.
To the Jews, and to many of the readers of Hebrews, the only person who could mediate between man and God was a priest. More specifically it was the high priest, who on the day of atonement each year, Yom Kippur, represented the Jews before God, by sprinkling the blood of the sacrificial goat on the mercy seat. The writer of Hebrews points out that in Jesus we have a High Priest par excellence who gives us eternal access back to God by atoning once and for all for the world. Even though Jesus knows all our weaknesses, because he has been tempted just as we are, He still reaches out to us in love, as the living Word of God.
Jesus' actions are not driven out of duty but out of a sacrificial love of humanity. This is one of the themes that Mark picks up in the parable of the rich young man. The rule of the New Covenant is the rule of love. The old rules of duty and law have been superseded. Just as Jesus let go of the glory and riches of heaven to serve His Father, so we must let go of the things that hold us back from serving God. The rich young man went away sad, he felt he had more to give up than most. It looks like he was not prepared to sacrifice everything he valued to follow God into eternity. How fortunate Jesus didn't think and act the same way.
Prayers for Sunday
'Good Teacher, what must I do to win eternal life?'
Judge of all we pray for those whose lives fall short of your standards and who need your help and guidance: governments who have failed their people, families full of disagreement and misery; churches without vision or joy; women and men whose lives are empty and meaningless. Good Teacher show us what to do to win eternal life. Help us to seek good and not evil: that we might live. Amen
'I have kept all the commandments since I was a boy.'
Ruler of all, we pray for all those whose lives are ruled by the observance of duty and not by love: governments who execute justice without mercy; families who care for but do to delight in one another; churches where doctrine matters more than people; women and men who judge and condemn others. Good Teacher, show us what to do to keep the rule of love. Help us to seek good and not evil: that we might live. Amen
'Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then come follow me.'
Saviour of all, we pray for all those who long to let go of all that holds them back from following you, yet are afraid: governments under the thumb of the wealthy and powerful; families burdened by the materialism of society; churches unwilling to use their resources to alleviate need; women and men who dare not give their lives to you. Good Teacher, show us what to do to be made new in You. Help us to seek good and not evil: that we might live. Amen
(From Companion to the revised Common Lectionary, Christine Odell)
May the love of the Father enfold you, the wisdom of the Son enlighten you, the fire of the Spirit inflame you; and may the blessing of the triune God rest upon you, and abide with you, now and evermore. Amen
Hymns for this Sunday
Praise Heaven is open wide Tune Diademata
Heaven is open wide, and Christ in glory stands,
with all authority endowed and set at God's right hand.
Above the world of noise, extends his reign of peace,
and all the blood of martyrs calls our angry ways to cease.
Heaven is open wide, and perfect love we see
In God's eternal self-revealed: the blessed Trinity
Christ for the church has prayed, that we may all be one,
And share the triune grace whereby, creation was begun.
Heaven is open wide, and Christ in glory stands:
The Source and End, the First and Last, with justice in his hands.
Let all the thirsty come where life is flowing free,
and Christ, in splendour yet unknown, Our morning star will be.
Come on and celebrate
O God our help in ages past
Jehovah Jireh, my provider
I want to walk with Jesus Christ
Jesus calls us o’er the tumult
O Jesus I have promised
Father in heaven
Like a mighty river flowing
Jesus took a piece of bread, Tune Royal OakChorus
Jesus took a piece of bread, he shared a cup of wine.
'eat and drink with me,' he said, 'because you're friends of mine!'
We eat and drink with Jesus
because we are his friends,
remembering his promise
of life that never ends.
We share with one another,
the bread and wine he gives,
and celebrate together,
the special life he lives.
We rise up from the table,
and go where Jesus sends,
to tell the world the gospel
of love that never ends.
Psalm 90 v 1 – 4, 12, 13 - 17
Lord, you have been our home, our shelter
adonay ma’on attah hayyita lanu b’dor vador
from generation to generation.
Before the mountains were born
or you brought forth the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
You return human beings to the dust,
saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or a passing hour in the night.
So teach us to measure our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Relent, O Lord! How long will it be?
Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
May your deeds be shown to your servants,
your splendour to their children.
May the favour of the Lord our God rest upon us;
vihi no’am adonay eloheinu aleinu
establish the work of our hands for us—
yes, establish the work of our hands.