Sunday, July 30, 2017

Wonderful Works

Wonderful Works from Joseph Taber on Vimeo.


Psalm 105
1O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
2Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
3Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.
5Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgment he uttered,
6O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7He is the Lord our God; his judgements are in all the earth. 
8He is mindful of his covenant for ever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations, 
9the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac, 
10which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, 
11saying, ‘To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.’ 

12When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it, 
13wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people, 
14he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account, 
15saying, ‘Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.’ 

16When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread, 
17he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 
18His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; 
19until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord kept testing him. 
20The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free. 
21He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, 
22to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom. 

23Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham. 
24And the Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than z≈’c’/their foes, 
25whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. 

26He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen. 
27They performed his signs among them, and miracles in the land of Ham. 
28He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they rebelled against his words. 
29He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die. 
30Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings. 
31He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country. 
32He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that flashed through their land. 
33He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country. 
34He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number; 
35they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground. 
36He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength. 

37Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled. 
38Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it. 
39He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night. 
40They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance. 
41He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river. 
42For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant. 

43So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. 
44He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples, 
45that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Eschatology

Eschatology from Joseph Taber on Vimeo.


Isaiah 44:1-8
1But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! 2Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you in the womb and will help you: Do not fear, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

3For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will your my spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring. 4They shall spring up like a green tamarisk, like willows by flowing streams. 5This one will say, “I am the LORD’s,” another will be called by the name of Jacob, yet another will write on the hand, “The LORD’s,” and adopt the name of Israel.

6Thus says the LORD, the king of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and the last; besides me there is no god. 7Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.

8Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
24[Jesus] put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them into bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.

36Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” 37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; 38the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. 41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, 42and they will throw them into the furnace of ire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.

Sunday, July 16, 2017

Dear Prudence


Dear Prudence from Joseph Taber on Vimeo.

Romans 8:1-11
1There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the lake. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach.

3And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!’

18 ‘Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.’

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.

Sunday, July 9, 2017

Heavy Burdens

Zechariah 9:9-12
9Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 
10He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the warhorse from Jerusalem;
and the battle-bow shall be cut off, and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth. 

11As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 
12Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double. 

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30
16‘But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market-places and calling to one another, 17“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.” 18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, “He has a demon”; 19the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.’

25At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

28‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Celebratory Shout

Celebratory Shout! from Joseph Taber on Vimeo.


Matthew 10:40-42
40"Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; 42and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple - truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
1A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.
I will sing of the LORD's loyal love forever. I will proclaim your faithfulness with my own mouth from one generation to the next.
2That's why I say, "Your loyal love is rightly built--forever! You establish your faithfulness in heaven."
3You said, "I made a covenant with my chosen one; I promised my servant David:
4'I will establish your offspring forever; I will build up your throne from one generation to the next.'"Selah

15The people who know the celebratory shout are truly happy! They walk in the light of your presence, LORD!
16They rejoice in your name all day long and are uplifted by your righteousness
17Because you are the splendor of their strength. By your favor you make us strong
18Because our shield is the LORD's own; our king belongs to the holy one of Israel!

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God