Proper 18 (23) (Year C)
The Prayer:
Grant us, O God, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus the Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Readings:
1Jeremiah received Yahweh’s word: 2Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. 3So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel. 4But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him. 5Then Yahweh’s word came to me: 6House of Israel, can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares Yahweh? Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel! 7At any time I may announce that I’ll dig up, pull down, and destroy a nation or kingdom; 8but if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I’ll relent and not carry out the harm I intended for it. 9At the same time, I may announce that I’ll build and plant a nation or kingdom; 10but if that nation displeases and disobeys me, then I’ll relent and not carry out the good I intended for it. 11Now say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem: This is what Yahweh says: I’m a potter preparing a disaster for you; I’m working out a plan against you. So each one of you, turn from your evil ways; reform your ways and your actions.
1Yahweh, you’ve examined me.
You know me.
2You know when I sit down and when I stand up.
Even from far away, you comprehend my plans.
3You study my traveling and resting.
You’re thoroughly familiar with all my ways.
4There isn’t a word on my tongue, Yahweh,
that you don’t already know completely.
5You surround me — front and back.
You put your hand on me.
12 even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you!
Nighttime would shine bright as day,
because darkness is the same as light to you!
13You’re the one who created my innermost parts;
you knit me together while I was still in my mother’s womb.
14I give thanks to you that I was marvelously set apart.
Your works are wonderful — I know that very well.
15My bones weren’t hidden from you
when I was being put together in a secret place,
when I was being woven together in the deep parts
of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my embryo,
and on your scroll every day was written that was being formed
for me,
before any one of them had yet happened.
17God, your plans are incomprehensible to me!
Their total number is countless!
1From Paul, who is a prisoner for the cause of Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy.
To Philemon our dearly loved coworker, 2Apphia our sister, Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church that meets in your house.
3May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Christ be with you.
4Philemon, I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers 5because I’ve heard of your love and faithfulness, which you have both for the Lord Jesus and for all God’s people. 6I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ. 7I have great joy and encouragement because of your love, since the hearts of God’s people are refreshed by your actions, my brother.
8Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to command you to do the right thing, 9I’d rather appeal to you through love. I, Paul — an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus — 10appeal to you for my child Onesimus. I became his father in the faith during my time in prison. 11He was useless to you before, but now he’s useful to both of us. 12I’m sending him back to you, which is like sending you my own heart. 13I considered keeping him with me so that he might serve me in your place during my time in prison because of the gospel. 14However, I didn’t want to do anything without your consent so that your act of kindness would occur willingly and not under pressure. 15Maybe this is the reason that Onesimus was separated from you for a while so that you might have him back forever — 16no longer as a slave but more than a slave — that is, as a dearly loved brother. He’s especially a dearly loved brother to me. How much more can he become a brother to you, personally and spiritually in the Lord!
17So, if you really consider me a partner, welcome Onesimus as if you were welcoming me. 18If he’s harmed you in any way or owes you money, charge it to my account. 19I, Paul, will pay it back to you (I’m writing this with my own hand). Of course, I won’t mention that you owe me your life.
20Yes, brother, I want this favor from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ. 21I’m writing to you, confident of your obedience and knowing that you’ll do more than what I ask. 22Also, one more thing — prepare a guest room for me. I hope that I’ll be released from prison to be with you because of your prayers.
23Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the cause of Christ Jesus, greets you, 24as well as my coworkers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
25May the grace of the Lord Jesus the Christ be with your spirit.
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus. Turning to them, he said, 26“Whoever comes to me and doesn’t hate father and mother, spouse and children, and brothers and sisters — yes, even one’s own life — cannot be my disciple. 27Whoever doesn’t carry their own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28“If one of you wanted to build a tower, wouldn’t you first sit down and calculate the cost, to determine whether you have enough money to complete it? 29Otherwise, when you’ve laid the foundation but couldn’t finish the tower, all who see it will begin to belittle you. 30They’ll say, ‘Here’s the person who began construction and couldn’t complete it!’ 31Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand soldiers could go up against the twenty thousand coming against him? 32And if he didn’t think he’d win, he’d send a representative to discuss terms of peace while his enemy was still a long way off. 33In the same way, none of you who are unwilling to give up all of your possessions can be my disciple.
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In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
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[1] Scripture quotations marked (CEB) are taken from The Common English Bible. Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible.
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