Monday July 26 Pentecost 9
Click here for simplified daily office prayers
Psalm 64
The wicked are very clever, but God will defeat them, and everyone will be in awe at God’s power to restore goodness.
Psalm 65
God, you blot out our sins even though they are stronger than we, and just as generously you clothe creation with plenty, and with great goodness. God’s generosity extends to the furthermost ocean and to the gentle rain—water is a recurring image in this psalm. It ends with some other lovely images of hills, meadows, and valleys wearing clothes of joy and plenty.
2 Samuel 2: 1-11 What’s Samuel about?
David is anointed king by the people. But the commander of Saul’s army appoints one of Saul’s surviving sons as king in opposition to David. The struggle between the house of David and the house of Saul is continuing even after Saul’s death. How David responds to this act of treason will demonstrate his character.
Mark 6: 14-29 What’s Mark about?
King Herod executes Jesus’ cousin. Herod knew that John the Baptist was encouraging people to expect that God would overthrow the Roman empire, and so Herod considered John the Baptist to be a terrorist. Since Jesus was related to John and had joined John’s disciples and had been baptized by him not long before, it’s quite possible that Herod may execute Jesus, too, because anyone related to someone who has been beheaded is in imminent danger of execution themselves. As does indeed happen to Jesus. The threat to Jesus’ life is growing imminent.
This week’s collect:
O God,
the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy,
increase and multiply upon us your mercy,
that with you as our ruler and guide,
we may so pass through things temporal,
that we lose not the things eternal;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Click here to share a comment on the web site.