O God, who in this day didst teach the hearts of thy faithful people by sending to them the light of they Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through the merits of Christ Jesus our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Collect on the day of Pentecost, The Book of Common Prayer

Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall! My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.”

Lamentations 3:19–24

Psalm 63

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.

In a fair bit of Western evangelicalism, there is a worrying tendency to focus on the periphery….[describing the heritage and story of a colleague] One generation of Mennonites believed the gospel and held as well that there were certain social, economic, and political entailments. The next generation assumed the gospel, but identified with the entailments. The following generation denied the gospel: the “entailments” became everything. Assuming this sort of scheme for evangelicalism, one suspects that large swaths of the movement are lodged in the second step, with some drifting toward the third.

What we must ask one another is this: What is it in the Christian faith that excites you? What consumes your time? What turns you on? Today there are endless subgroups of confessing Christians who invest enormous quantities of time and energy in one issue or another: abortion, pornography, home schooling, women’s ordination (for or against), economic justice, a certain style of worship, the defense of a particular Bible version, and much more. The list varies from country to country, but not a few countries have a full agenda of urgent, peripheral demands. Not for a a moment am I suggesting we should not think about such matters or throw our weight behind some of them. But when such matters devour most of our time and passion, each of us must ask: In what fashion am I confessing the centrality of the gospel?

D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers:An Exposition of Philippians

He bestows upon us according to his own good will a new heart in order that we may will, and a new power, whereby we may be enabled to carry out his commandments. And all these blessings he showers upon us for the sake of Jesus Christ out Lord, who—even though he was one God with the Father—put on our flesh, to enter a covenant with us and to join us (far separated from God by our sins) closely to him. He also by the merit of his death paid our debts to God’s justice, and appeased his wrath. He redeemed us from the curse and judgment that bound us, and in his body the punishment of sin, so as to absolve us from it.

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion

Today’s quote is a small part of a sermon from Matt Chandler:

Forgiveness—Matt Chandler

PSALM 63

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
³ Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
⁴ So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.

Today’s reading John 20:1–10

When we say, ‘Alleluia, Christ is risen,’ we re not saying ‘Something very strange has just happened which provides a happy ending after all the sorrow of Holy Week and Good Friday,’ we are saying that the dwelling place of God is with humans, that he has come to be with us, and made us his people, and that God will wipe away all tears from all eyes.”

N.T. Wright, The Scriptures, the Cross & the Power of God

The Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33–46)

“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted ra vineyard sand put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and tleased it to tenants, and uwent into another country. 34 When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants1 to the tenants tto get his fruit. 35 vAnd the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and wstoned another. 36 xAgain he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, y‘This is the heir. Come, zlet us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and athrew him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 bWhen therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, c“He will put those wretches to a miserable death and dlet out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.”

42 Jesus said to them, e“Have you never read in the Scriptures:

f“‘The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;2

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God gwill be taken away from you and given to a people hproducing its fruits. 44 And ithe one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and jwhen it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”3

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46 And lalthough they were seeking to arrest him, mthey feared the crowds, because they held him to be na prophet.

I BIND UNTO MYSELF TODAY

I bind unto myself today
The strong name of the Trinity
By invocation of the same
The Three in One, and One in Three

I bind this day to me forever,
By pow’r of faith, Christ’s Incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on the Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spiced tomb;
His riding up the heav’nly way,
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself today
The pow’r of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch,His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward;
The word of God to give me speech,
His heav’nly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many far or nigh,
In every place, and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me those holy pow’rs

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart’s idolatry,
Against the wizard’s evil craft, Against the death-wound
and the burning,
The choking wave, the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the name,
The strong name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One, and One in Three.
Of whom all nature hath creation;
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord for my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

 

—Saint Patrick