Author: missionscs

Proverbs 1

The Beginning of Knowledge

1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

            2       To know wisdom and instruction,

      to understand words of insight,

            3       to receive instruction in wise dealing,

      in righteousness, justice, and equity;

            4       to give prudence to the simple,

      knowledge and discretion to the youth—

            5       Let the wise hear and increase in learning,

      and the one who understands obtain guidance,

            6       to understand a proverb and a saying,

      the words of the wise and their riddles.

            7       The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

      fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

            8       Hear, my son, your father’s instruction,

      and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

            9       for they are a graceful garland for your head

      and pendants for your neck.

            10       My son, if sinners entice you,

      do not consent.

            11       If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;

      let us ambush the innocent without reason;

            12       like Sheol let us swallow them alive,

      and whole, like those who go down to the pit;

            13       we shall find all precious goods,

      we shall fill our houses with plunder;

            14       throw in your lot among us;

      we will all have one purse”—

            15       my son, do not walk in the way with them;

      hold back your foot from their paths,

            16       for their feet run to evil,

      and they make haste to shed blood.

            17       For in vain is a net spread

      in the sight of any bird,

            18       but these men lie in wait for their own blood;

      they set an ambush for their own lives.

            19       Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;

      it takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

            20       Wisdom cries aloud in the street,

      in the markets she raises her voice;

            21       at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

      at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:

            22       “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?

                  How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing

      and fools hate knowledge?

            23       If you turn at my reproof,

                  behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;

      I will make my words known to you.

            24       Because I have called and you refused to listen,

      have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

            25       because you have ignored all my counsel

      and would have none of my reproof,

            26       I also will laugh at your calamity;

      I will mock when terror strikes you,

            27       when terror strikes you like a storm

      and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

      when distress and anguish come upon you.

            28       Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

      they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

            29       Because they hated knowledge

      and did not choose the fear of the LORD,

            30       would have none of my counsel

      and despised all my reproof,

            31       therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,

      and have their fill of their own devices.

            32       For the simple are killed by their turning away,

      and the complacency of fools destroys them;

            33       but whoever listens to me will dwell secure

      and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”

Alternate Gospel Readings This Week

(A) Matthew 24:36-44

36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

(B) Mark 13:24-37

The Coming of the Son of Man

24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

28 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 30 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

No One Knows That Day or Hour

32 “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. 34 It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. 35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— 36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

(C) Luke 21:25-37

The Coming of the Son of Man

25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Watch Yourselves

34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

37 And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. 38 And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him.

First Sunday in Advent (C)

Psalm 25:1-10

Teach Me Your Paths

25  OF DAVID.

            1       To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.

            2       O my God, in you I trust;

      let me not be put to shame;

      let not my enemies exult over me.

            3       Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;

      they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

            4       Make me to know your ways, O LORD;

      teach me your paths.

            5       Lead me in your truth and teach me,

      for you are the God of my salvation;

      for you I wait all the day long.

            6       Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love,

      for they have been from of old.

            7       Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;

      according to your steadfast love remember me,

      for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!

            8       Good and upright is the LORD;

      therefore he instructs sinners in the way.

            9       He leads the humble in what is right,

      and teaches the humble his way.

            10       All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness,

      for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Jeremiah 33:14-16

The LORD’s Eternal Covenant with David

14 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 16 In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The LORD is our righteousness.’

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

9 For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, 10 as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith?

11 Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, 12 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, 13 so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

Luke 19:28-40

The Triumphal Entry

28 And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, 30 saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” 32 So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. 33 And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34 And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” 35 And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36 And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road. 37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

First Sunday in Advent (B)

Psalm 80:1-7

Restore Us, O God

80 TO THE CHOIRMASTER: ACCORDING TO LILIES. A TESTIMONY. OF ASAPH, A PSALM.

            1       Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,

      you who lead Joseph like a flock.

                  You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth.

            2       Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh,

                  stir up your might

      and come to save us!

            3       Restore us, O God;

      let your face shine, that we may be saved!

            4       O LORD God of hosts,

      how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?

            5       You have fed them with the bread of tears

      and given them tears to drink in full measure.

            6       You make us an object of contention for our neighbors,

      and our enemies laugh among themselves.

            7       Restore us, O God of hosts;

      let your face shine, that we may be saved!

Isaiah 64:1-9

            1       Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down,

      that the mountains might quake at your presence—

            2        as when fire kindles brushwood

      and the fire causes water to boil—

                  to make your name known to your adversaries,

      and that the nations might tremble at your presence!

            3       When you did awesome things that we did not look for,

      you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

            4       From of old no one has heard

      or perceived by the ear,

                  no eye has seen a God besides you,

      who acts for those who wait for him.

            5       You meet him who joyfully works righteousness,

      those who remember you in your ways.

                  Behold, you were angry, and we sinned;

      in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved?

            6       We have all become like one who is unclean,

      and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

                  We all fade like a leaf,

      and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

            7       There is no one who calls upon your name,

      who rouses himself to take hold of you;

                  for you have hidden your face from us,

      and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.

            8       But now, O LORD, you are our Father;

      we are the clay, and you are our potter;

      we are all the work of your hand.

            9       Be not so terribly angry, O LORD,

      and remember not iniquity forever.

      Behold, please look, we are all your people.

1 Corinthians 1:3-9

1 Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving

4 I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, 5 that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— 6 even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— 7 so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mark 11:1-10

1 Now when they drew near to Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples 2 and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. 3 If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’ ” 4 And they went away and found a colt tied at a door outside in the street, and they untied it. 5 And some of those standing there said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” 6 And they told them what Jesus had said, and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”

My name is Aaron, I am Husband to a Smoking Hot Wife and Father to five wonderful kiddo’s. I love scripture and am convinced that through a simple study of God’s Word we become more joyful, regardless of any daily circumstances. I have served in the Ministry through various assignments in the US Army for over 20 years and am preparing to move on to Seminary as soon as I can, I pray you enjoy this simple study and fall in love with the Word of God!