Father,
I seek Your wisdom.
The world shouts at me, demanding that I buy into its agendas. Noisy advertisements distract me and try to manipulate me with fear. It seems that everyone has something to sell. Now I am waiting in this quiet place, where You can help me to regain perspective - a place where Your wisdom and truth can reign and rule. Thank You for wisdom from above. Amen.
(From "Everyday Prayers for Everyday Cares")

1 The Lord is king; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name.
Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity;
you have executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the Lord our God;
worship at his footstool.
Holy is he!
Psalm 99 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
1 Kings 3:5-14 – James 4:13-17,5:7-11 – John 5:1-15

Lord, You know what is best; let this be done or that be done as You please. Give what You will, as much as You will, when You will. Do with me as You know best, as will most please You, and will be for Your greater honor. Place me where You will and deal with me freely in all things. I am in Your hand; turn me about whichever way You will. Behold, I am Your servant, ready to obey in all things. Not for myself do I desire to live, but for You - would that I could do this worthily and perfectly!by Thomas A Kempis

1 The Lord is king, he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed, he is girded with strength.
He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
more majestic than the waves* of the sea,
majestic on high is the Lord!
5 Your decrees are very sure;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, for evermore.
Psalm 93 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
1 Kings 17:17-24 – 3 John 1-15 – John 4:46-54

Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr

O Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Thomas triumphed over suffering and was faithful even unto death: Grant us, who now remember him with thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with him the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

1Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity,
and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.
2Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
3For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.*
4I do not sit with the worthless,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
5I hate the company of evildoers,
and will not sit with the wicked.
6I wash my hands in innocence,
and go around your altar, O Lord,
7singing aloud a song of thanksgiving,
and telling all your wondrous deeds
Psalm 26 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
2 Samuel 23:13-17 – 2 John 1-13 – John 2:1-11

The Holy Innocents

We remember today, O God, the slaughter of the holy innocents Of Bethlehem by King Herod. Receive, we pray, into the arms of your mercy all innocent victims; and by your great might frustrate the designs of evil tyrants and establish your rule of justice, love, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Book of Common Prayer 1979

1 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
—let Israel now say—
2 if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive,
when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away,
the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone
the raging waters.
8 Our help is in the name of the Lord
who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 124 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading) Jeremiah 31:15-17 – Revelation 21:1-7 - Matthew 2:13-18

Christmas Eve

God of surprises, let us be your Christ-bearer, your servant, your deacon in this world grown too distracting and complicated. Make us ready for the gifts you give, the grace you impart, the opportunities you make available to help us grow in holiness. Grant that our eyes might be open to see, our ears to listen, our hearts to love, and our mouths to laugh with delight and joy when our awareness of your presence informs any moment of the day. Amen.
(Thomas Merton)

1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord,* for ever;
with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
2 I declare that your steadfast love is established for ever;
your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
3 You said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to my servant David:
4 “I will establish your descendants for ever,
and build your throne for all generations.” ’
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
Psalm 89 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Baruch 4:36-5:9 - Galatians 3:23-47 - Matthew 1:18-25

O Emmanuel
O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, hope of the nations and their savior: come and save us, O Lord our God.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Relevant verse in Veni, Veni Emmanuel:

O come, o come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the Lord,
studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work,
and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
the Lord is gracious and merciful.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
2 Samuel 7:1-17 - Titus 2:11-3:8 - Luke 1:39-56

O Rex Gentium
O king of the nations, you alone can fulfill their desires: cornerstone, binding all together: come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust of the earth. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Relevant verse in Veni, Veni Emmanuel:

O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
‘O Lord, I pray, save my life!’
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6 The Lord protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Psalm 116 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading) 1 Samuel 2:1-10 - Titus 2:1-10 - Luke 1:1-25

O Oriens – St Thomas, Apostle
O morning star, splendor of the light eternal and bright sun of righteousness: come and bring light to those who dwell in darkness and walk in the shadow of death. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Relevant verse in Veni, Veni Emmanuel:

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer,
Our spirits by your advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death's dark shadows put to flight.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,*
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
Psalm 126 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Zephaniah 3:14-20 - Titus 1:1-16 - Luke 1:1-25

O Adonai
O Adonai, and leader of the House of Israel,
who appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush
and gave him the law on Sinai:
Come and redeem us with an outstretched arm.

Relevant verse in Veni, Veni Emmanuel:
O come, O come, thou Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai's height
In ancient times didst give the law
In cloud and majesty, and awe.

1 I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
4Happy are those who make the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts towards us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.
Psalm 40 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Zechariah 7:8-8:8 - Revelation 5:6-14 - Matthew 25:14-30

O Sapientia
O Wisdom, coming forth from the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to the other mightily,
and sweetly ordering all things:
Come and teach us the way of prudence

O Love of God, descend into my heart;
Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling, And scatter there Your cheerful beams. Dwell in the soul that longs to be Your temple; Water that barren soil overrun with weeds and briars And lost for lack of cultivating. Make it fruitful with Your dew.
Morning Prayer — St. Augustine

1The mighty one, God the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
3Our God comes and does not keep silence,
before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4He calls to the heavens above
and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5‘Gather to me my faithful ones,
who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!’
6The heavens declare his righteousness,
for God himself is judge.
Psalm 50 New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Zechariah 4:1-14 - Revelation 4:9-5:5 - Matthew 25:1-13

God of light, be the hope of our suffering. Keep us from the darkness of sin and greed; keep us from the mindless quest for superiority and success, from the depravity of hatred and anger. Astonish us with your mercy and love so that we may never forget your faithful compassion. Let us use this time of waiting to recover our bearings and refrain from afflicting anyone with our own sins, no matter how insignificant they may seem to be. Amen.
(Thomas Merton)

57 The Lord is my portion;
I promise to keep your words.
58 I implore your favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
59 When I think of your ways,
I turn my feet to your decrees;
60 I hurry and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
63 I am a companion of all who fear you,
of those who keep your precepts.
64 The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes.
Psalm 119 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Zechariah 3:1-10 - Revelation 4:1-8 - Matthew 24:45-51

Time is quite an enigma for many people - perhaps even most, since humans are typically devoid of much patience.
This is especially true as an adverb, as we wonder when something is going to occur (not when something happened). In Mark's gospel, as Jesus sits on the Mount of Olives opposite the incredible edifice of Herod's temple, of his disciples ask, "When will the massive stones comprising the temple be thrown down, not one to be left on top of another?" When, indeed.
Prophets (including Amos, Joel, and Micah) described When with utterances of impending gloom and darkness, yet they also called for restoration of Judah and Jerusalem featuring beauty and grace. This is When indeed, when hatred, mistrust, and inequality will be of the past.
Yet while we don't know when the When will occur, may we play an integral role to help justice roll down like waters and find shalom which God has intended for all of us to share with each other. While we live in the now and the not yet, may time never be our master; let us establish patience in waiting for the return of the One who exemplified humility and loved all without exception.
Yes, we are all broken, hopefully availing to us more motivation to accompany the hungry, love the unloved and embrace all we meet with the light and love of Christ. Yes, Jesus who came from a lowly family to testify to the word the absolute truth. Yes, the Lamb of God who is Truth and takes away the sin of the world. When indeed.
Bob Swanson, Intern , Ascension Lutheran Church, Columbus OH

God of love, help us to hear your knock on the door to our hearts so that we may not fail to be invited to your eternal banquet. Amplify in us the spirit of courage and love so that we may surrender our tendencies toward moral dysfunction and prideful self-indulgence. Give us the wisdom we need to face the problems of our world, our families, ourselves with radical honesty and appropriate sensitivity. Keep our heads from the sands so we may address the real improprieties we find around us. Let us work to heal at least one wound this Advent. Amen.
(Thomas Merton)

1My heart overflows with a goodly theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2You are the most handsome of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you for ever.
3Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your glory and majesty.
4In your majesty ride on victoriously
for the cause of truth and to defend the right;
let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
6Your throne, O God, endures for ever and ever.
Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
Psalm 45 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Zechariah 2:1-13 - Revelation 3:14-22 - Matthew 24:32-44

John of the Cross, Renewer of the Church

Almighty God, you taught John of the Cross to find you in trials and hardships, to adore you in the darkness, and to tell of your love in his poems: Grant that, when all is dark, we may wait patiently for the light, and in silence listen for your voice, and in all things trust your promises in Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
L.W. Copwie and J.S. Gummer, The Christian Calendar

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time on and for evermore.
Psalm 121 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Zechariah 1:7-17 - Revelation 3:7-13 - Matthew 24:15-31

Come, dear Refreshment of those who languish;
Come, Star and Guide of those who sail amidst tempests.
You are the Haven of the tossed and shipwrecked.
Come now, Glory and Crown of the living,
As well as the Safeguard of the dying.
Come, Sacred Spirit;
Come, and make me fit to receive You.
– St. Augustine

18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord:
19 that he looked down from his holy height,
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 so that the name of the Lord may be declared in Zion,
and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
Psalm 102 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Haggai 1:1-15 - Revelation 2:18-29 - Matthew 23:13-26

Thomas Merton

May God the Father, and the eternal High Priest Jesus Christ, build us up in faith and truth and love, and grant to us our portion among the saints with all those who believe on our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray for all saints, for kings and rulers, for the enemies of the Cross of Christ; and for ourselves, we pray that our fruit may abound and we be made perfect in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Bishop Polycarp, 69-155 AD

3Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
4Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
6He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
7Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Psalm 37 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 9:1-10 - Revelation 1:17-2:7 - Matthew 23:13-26

Eternal Light, shine into our hearts,Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil,Eternal Power, be our support,Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance,Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us;that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength we may seek thy face and be brought to your infinite mercy to thy holy presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord. -Alcuin of York 735-804 AD

33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
and I will observe it to the end.
34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
35 Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
36 Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain.
37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
give me life in your ways.
38 Confirm to your servant your promise,
which is for those who fear you.
39 Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
for your ordinances are good.
40 See, I have longed for your precepts;
in your righteousness give me life.
Psalm 119 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 8:1-14 - Revelation 1:17-2:7 - Matthew 23:1-12

O Lord, awake us from the comfortable existence in which we too often may be safely cocooned, and challenge us to accept the call of our baptism. Afflict us with your grace so that we take seriously our efforts to aid the poor, to comfort the sad and lonely, to let our light shine as a beacon to all who may need our help. Allow us to serve also as a wake-up call to our brothers and sisters whose companionship in Christ we share. Amen.
(Thomas Merton)

1 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me,
for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help,
as I lift up my hands towards your most holy sanctuary.*
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil,
who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
7The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them for ever
Psalm 28 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 7:10-17 - Revelation 1:9-16 - Matthew 22:34-46

Yesterday's Pain
Some of us walk into Advent
tethered to our unresolved yesterdays
the pain still stabbing
the hurt still throbbing.
It's not that we don't know better;
it's just that we can't stand up anymore by ourselves.
On the way to Bethlehem,
will you give us a hand?
Ann Weems, “Kneeling in Bethlehem”

Ambrose, Bishop of Milan

O God, you enabled your servant Ambrose to humble the pride of princes, to win the learned, and to teach the simple: Grant that we in our turn may walk humbly before you and resist iniquity in high places, glad to sing your praises before the whole assembly of your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns in you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
(Horace Finn Tucker)

5For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will set me high on a rock.
6Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,
be gracious to me and answer me!
8‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’
Your face, Lord, do I seek.
11Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Psalm 27 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 7:1-9 - Revelation 1:1-8 - Matt. 22:23-33

If we listen closely, we can hear the labor pained cry of the whole creation in the howl of the coyote at a full moon on a clear winter night or in the hum of the hummingbird's wing on a still summer day.
If we listen closely to the restlessness within ourselves, we will hear it there.
All these cries are in essence the same cry for that which only God can provide - that which goes by names like wholeness, healing, redemption and salvation.
Each Advent, we sit in the pregnant tension between what we groan for and the hope of its coming that we cannot yet see.
Take some time today to patiently sit within this tension. What does God want to birth anew in you this season?
Rev Mark Sloss, Christ Lutheran, Kokomo, IN.

John of Damascus

Confirm our minds, O Lord, in the mysteries of the true faith, Set forth with power by your servant John of Damscus; that we, with him, confessing Jesus to be true God and true Man, and singing the praises of the risen Lord, may, by the power of the resurrection, attain to eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for evermore.

14The Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
15There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
‘The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.’
17I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
18The Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.
19Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
Psalm 118 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 5:1-17 - Jude 1-16 - Matthew 22:1-14

Francis Xavier, Missionary

Almighty and everlasting God, we thank you for your Servant Francis, whom you called to preach the Gospel to the peoples of Asia. Raise up, we pray, in this and every land heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, that your Church may proclaim the unsearchable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

8As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God establishes for ever.
9We ponder your steadfast love, O God,
in the midst of your temple.
10Your name, O God, like your praise,
reaches to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad,
let the towns of Judah rejoice
because of your judgments.
Psalm 48 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 4:6-13 - 2 Peter 3:11-18 - Matthew 21:33-46

Lord Jesus, assuage our blindness and activate our hearts during this Advent, so that we may find your presence hidden in ourselves. May we unveil the mystery of Christ-with-us and work toward the true restoration of the whole world in your image. Let your light shine in our hearts so that we may always know the truth of your love. Amen.
(Thomas Merton)

1Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
2Happy are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways.
4You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5O that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
Psalm 119 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 3:12-4:5 - 2 Peter 3:1-10 - Matthew 21:23-32

Nicholas Ferrar, Deacon

Grant, we pray you, Almighty God, that we, remembering your deacon Nicholas Ferrar and his household, and their detachment from the ambitions of this world, may be weaned from all that may hinder us from union with you; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
Oxford Centenary Supplementary Missal

1Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments. 2Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures for ever. 4They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous. 5It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice. 6For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered for ever.Psalm 112 - New Revised Standard Version

Readings for today from the Daily Lectionary
(click on underlined link to go directly to the reading)
Amos 3:1-11 - 2 Peter 1:12-21 - Matthew 21:12-22