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Proper 22
Closest to October 5 |
| Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to
hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either
we desire or deserve: Pour down upon us the abundance of
thy mercy, forgiving us those things whereof our conscience
is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not
worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus
Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. |
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Lesson |
Habakkuk 1:1-6(7-11)12-13; 2:1-4
The Prophet's Complaint
The oracle of God which Habak'kuk the prophet saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and thou wilt not hear? Or cry to
thee "Violence!" and thou wilt not save? Why dost thou make me see wrongs and look upon trouble? Destruction and
violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is slacked and justice never goes forth. For the wicked
surround the righteous, so justice goes forth perverted. Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing
a work in your days that you would not believe if told. For lo, I am rousing the Chalde'ans, that bitter and hasty nation, who
march through the breadth of the earth, to seize habitations not their own. Dread and terrible are they; their justice and dignity proceed from
themselves. Their horses are swifter than leopards, more fierce than the evening
wolves; their horsemen press proudly on. Yea, their horsemen come from afar;
they fly like an eagle swift to devour. They all come for violence; terror of them goes before them. They gather
captives like sand. At kings they scoff, and of rulers they make sport. They laugh at every
fortress, for they heap up earth and take it. Then they sweep by like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own might
is their god! Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, my Holy One? We shall not
die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them as a judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast
established them for chastisement. Thou who art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on
wrong, why dost thou look on faithless men, and art silent when the wicked
swallows up the man more righteous than he? I will take my stand to watch, and station myself on the tower, and look
forth to see what he will say to me, and what I will answer concerning my
complaint. And the LORD answered me: "Write the vision; make it plain upon tablets,
so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its time; it hastens to the end -- it will
not lie. If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not
delay. Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous
shall live by his faith. |
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Epistle |
2 Timothy 1:(1-5)6-14
Thanksgiving and Encouragement
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God according to the
promise of the life which is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my beloved child: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God whom I serve with a clear conscience, as did my fathers, when
I remember you constantly in my prayers. As I remember your tears, I long night and day to see you, that I may be
filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your
grandmother Lo'is and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you. Hence I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through
the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and
love and self-control. Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner,
but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our
works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in
Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus,
who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the
gospel. For this gospel I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, and therefore I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I
have believed, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that Day what
has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in
the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who
dwells within us. |
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Gospel |
Luke 17:5-10
Some Sayings of Jesus
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" And the Lord said, "If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you
could say to this sycamine tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,'
and it would obey you. "Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to
him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at
table'? Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself
and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink'? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are
unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" |
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