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Proper 14
Closest to August 10 |
| Grant to us, Lord, we
beseech thee, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right,
that we, who cannot exist without thee, may by thee be enabled to live
according to thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and
reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. |
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Lesson |
Genesis 15:1-6
God's Covenant with Abram
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Fear
not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, for I continue
childless, and the heir of my house is Elie'zer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave
born in my house will be my heir." And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your
heir; your own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the
stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your
descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. |
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Epistle |
Hebrews 11:1-3(4-7)8-16
The Meaning of Faith
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things
not seen. For by it the men of old received divine approval. By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God, so
that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear. By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain,
through which he received approval as righteous, God bearing witness by
accepting his gifts; he died, but through his faith he is still speaking. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death; and he was
not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was
attested as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever would draw
near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek
him. By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, took
heed and constructed an ark for the saving of his household; by this he
condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness which comes by
faith.
The faith of Abraham
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he
was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was
to go. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land,
living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city which has foundations, whose builder
and maker is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was
past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants
as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the
seashore. These all died in faith, not having received what was promised, but
having seen it and greeted it from afar, and having acknowledged that they
were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a
homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out,
they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for
them a city. |
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Gospel |
Luke 12:32-40
"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give
you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses
that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail,
where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Watchful Slaves
"Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the
marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and
knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes;
truly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit at table, and he
will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them so,
blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief
was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an unexpected
hour." |
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