Author: admin

“And I look for the resurrection of the dead…” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

LORD God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Make haste, O God, to deliver me.” Psalm 70 (antiphon: v. 4)

O Lord, Do Not Delay

4 

May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”

70 

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
    O Lord, make haste to help me!

2 

Let them be put to shame and confusion
    who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!

3 

Let them turn back because of their shame
    who say, “Aha, Aha!”

4 

May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”

5 

But I am poor and needy;
    hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

4 

May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”

COLLECT OF THE DAY

LORD God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Let justice roll down like waters.” Amos 5:18-24

Let Justice Roll Down

18 

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
    Why would you have the day of the Lord?
It is darkness, and not light,

19 

    as if a man fled from a lion,
    and a bear met him,
or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall,
    and a serpent bit him.

20 

Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light,
    and gloom with no brightness in it?

21 

“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

22 

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,
    I will not accept them;
and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,
    I will not look upon them.

23 

Take away from me the noise of your songs;
    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

24 

But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

LORD God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Money is temporary.” Matthew 22:15–22

Paying Taxes to Caesar

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how to entangle him in his words. 16 And they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone’s opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. 17 Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” 18 But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. 20 And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 22 When they heard it, they marveled. And they left him and went away.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

LORD God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Where is your citizenship?” Philippians 3:17–21

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

LORD God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Hate evil.” Proverbs 8:11–22

11 

for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

12 

“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and discretion.

13 

The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and perverted speech I hate.

14 

I have counsel and sound wisdom;
    I have insight; I have strength.

15 

By me kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;

16 

by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.

17 

I love those who love me,
    and those who seek me diligently find me.

18 

Riches and honor are with me,
    enduring wealth and righteousness.

19 

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than choice silver.

20 

I walk in the way of righteousness,
    in the paths of justice,

21 

granting an inheritance to those who love me,
    and filling their treasuries.

22 

“The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,
    the first of his acts of old.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

LORD God, heavenly Father, send forth Your Son to lead home His bride, the Church, that with all the company of the redeemed we may finally enter into His eternal wedding feast; through the same Jesus Christ, our LORD, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“What is fatherly love?” 1 John 3:1-3

3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“God takes pleasure in you.” Psalm 149 (antiphon: v. 4)

4 

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.

Sing to the Lord a New Song

149 

Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
    his praise in the assembly of the godly!

2 

Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
    let the children of Zion rejoice in their King!

3 

Let them praise his name with dancing,
    making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

4 

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
    he adorns the humble with salvation.

5 

Let the godly exult in glory;
    let them sing for joy on their beds.

6 

Let the high praises of God be in their throats
    and two-edged swords in their hands,

7 

to execute vengeance on the nations
    and punishments on the peoples,

8 

to bind their kings with chains
    and their nobles with fetters of iron,

9 

to execute on them the judgment written!
    This is honor for all his godly ones.
Praise the Lord!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

4 

For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
he adorns the humble with salvation.

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

“Present suffering can’t erase your eternal joy.” Revelation 7:9-17

A Great Multitude from Every Nation

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and from where have they come?” 14 I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

15 

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.

16 

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.

17 

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

COLLECT OF THE DAY

Almighty and everlasting God, You knit together Your faithful people of all times and places into one holy communion, the mystical body of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Grant us so to follow Your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living that, together with them, we may come to the unspeakable joys You have prepared for those who love You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen