Sunday, November 18, 2018
Lectionary 33

First Reading: Daniel 12:1-3

The book of Daniel is an example of apocalyptic literature, which is full of strange visions and symbolism. Arising during times of great persecution, apocalyptic literature is concerned with God’s revelation about the end time and the coming kingdom of God, when God will vindicate the righteous who have been persecuted.

¹“At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. ²Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. ³Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

Semicontinuous First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:4-20

This story introduces us to Elkanah, a devout Israelite, and his wife, Hannah, who is barren. God grants Hannah’s prayer and she bears a son, Samuel, who will be an important figure in Israel’s history. Samuel, the last of Israel’s judges, anoints the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.

⁴On the day when Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters; ⁵but to Hannah he gave a double portion, because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb. ⁶Her rival used to provoke her severely, to irritate her, because the Lord had closed her womb. ⁷So it went on year by year; as often as she went up to the house of the Lord, she used to provoke her. Therefore Hannah wept and would not eat. ⁸Her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? Why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?”
⁹After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. ¹¹She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”
¹²As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. ¹³Hannah was praying silently; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she was drunk. ¹⁴So Eli said to her, “How long will you make a drunken spectacle of yourself? Put away your wine.” ¹⁵But Hannah answered, “No, my lord, I am a woman deeply troubled; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. ¹⁶Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation all this time.” ¹⁷Then Eli answered, “Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him.” ¹⁸And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your sight.” Then the woman went to her quarters, ate and drank with her husband, and her countenance was sad no longer.
¹⁹They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. ²⁰In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

Psalm: Psalm 16

My heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; my body shall rest in hope. (Ps. 16:9)

¹Protect me, O God, for I take ref- | uge in you;
I have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord, my good a- | bove all other.”
²All my delight is in the godly that are | in the land,
upon those who are noble a- | mong the people.
³But those who run after | other gods
shall have their troubles | multiplied.
⁴I will not pour out drink offerings | to such gods,
never take their names up- | on my lips. R
⁵O Lord, you are my portion | and my cup;
it is you who up- | hold my lot.
⁶My boundaries enclose a | pleasant land;
indeed, I have a | rich inheritance.
⁷I will bless the Lord who | gives me counsel;
my heart teaches me night | after night.
⁸I have set the Lord al- | ways before me;
because God is at my right hand, I shall | not be shaken. R
⁹My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spir- | it rejoices;
my body also shall | rest in hope.
¹⁰For you will not abandon me | to the grave,
nor let your holy one | see the pit.
¹¹You will show me the | path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for- | evermore. R

Semicontinuous Psalm: 1 Samuel 2:1-10

00My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God. (1 Sa. 2:1)

¹My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted | in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies, because I re- | joice in my victory.
²There is no Holy One like the Lord, no | one besides you;
there is no Rock | like our God.
³Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come | from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by the Lord ac- | tions are weighed.
⁴The bows of the might- | y are broken,
but the feeble | gird on strength. R
⁵Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are | fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children | is forlorn.
⁶The Lord kills and | brings to life;
the Lord brings down to Sheol and | raises up.
⁷The Lord makes poor | and makes rich;
brings low, and al- | so exalts.
⁸The Lord raises up the poor from the dust; lifting the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a | seat of honor.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord‘s, and on them God has | set the world. R
⁹You, Lord, will guard the feet of your | faithful ones,
but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness; for not by might does | one prevail.
¹⁰The Lord‘s adversaries shall be shattered; the Most High will thun- | der in heaven.
O Lord, you will judge the ends of the earth; you will give strength to your king, and exalt the power of | your anointed. R

Second Reading: Hebrews 10:11-14 [15-18] 19-25

Images of worship and sacrifice are used throughout Hebrews to highlight what Christ has uniquely accomplished through his death. Because we have received forgiveness through Christ’s death, we live with sincere hearts by trusting in God’s promises and encouraging love and good works from each other.

¹¹Every priest stands day after day at his service, offering again and again the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. ¹²But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God,” ¹³and since then has been waiting “until his enemies would be made a footstool for his feet.” ¹⁴For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. [¹⁵And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,
¹⁶“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, says the Lord:
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds,”
¹⁷he also adds,
“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
¹⁸Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.]

¹⁹Therefore, my friends, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), ²¹and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²²let us approach with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Gospel: Mark 13:1-8

In the last week of his life, Jesus warned his disciples concerning trials that were to come upon them and upon the world. He exhorts the listener: Do not be alarmed.

¹As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” ²Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
³When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. ⁶Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Sunday, November 18, 2018 Lectionary 33