Fifth Sunday of the Apostles
June 8, 2008
First Reading: Deuteronomy 1:33-2:1
Moses said to the people: "The Lord heard your words, and was
angered, and he swore, 'Not one of these men of this evil
generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your
fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and
to him and to his children I will give the land upon which he
has trodden, because he has wholly followed the Lord!' The Lord
was angry with me also on your account, and said, 'You also
shall not go in there; Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before
you, he shall enter; encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to
inherit it. Moreover your little ones, who you said would become
a prey, and your children, who this day have no knowledge of
good or evil, shall go in there, and to them I will give it, and
they shall possess it. But as for you, turn, and journey into
the wilderness in the direction of the Red Sea.'
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Second Reading: Isaiah 1:21-end
How the faithful city has become a harlot, she that was full of
justice! Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers. Your
silver has become dross, your wine mixed with water. Your
princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Every one loves a
bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the fatherless,
and the widow's cause does not come to them. Therefore the Lord
says, the Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel: "Ah, I will
vent my wrath on my enemies, and avenge myself on my foes. I
will turn my hand against you and will smelt away your dross as
with lye and remove all your alloy. And I will restore your
judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the
faithful city." Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in
her who repent, by righteousness. But rebels and sinners shall
be destroyed together, and those who forsake the Lord shall be
consumed. For you shall be ashamed of the oaks in which you
delighted; and you shall blush for the gardens which you have
chosen. For you shall be like an oak whose leaf withers, and
like a garden without water. And the strong shall become tow,
and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with
none to quench them.
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Epistle: 1 Corinthians 14:1-19
Now, brethren, if I come to you speaking in tongues, how shall I
benefit you unless I bring you some revelation or knowledge or
prophecy or teaching? If even lifeless instruments, such as the
flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will any one
know what is played? And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound,
who will get ready for battle? So with yourselves; if you in a
tongue utter speech that is not intelligible, how will any one
know what is said? For you will be speaking into the air. There
are doubtless many different languages in the world, and none is
without meaning; but if I do not know the meaning of the
language, I shall be a foreigner to the speaker and the speaker
a foreigner to me. So with yourselves; since you are eager for
manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the
church. Therefore, he who speaks in a tongue should pray for the
power to interpret. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays
but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with the
spirit and I will pray with the mind also; I will sing with the
spirit and I will sing with the mind also. Otherwise, if you
bless with the spirit, how can any one in the position of an
outsider say the "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not
know what you are saying? For you may give thanks well enough,
but the other man is not edified. I thank God that I speak in
tongues more than you all; nevertheless, in church I would
rather speak five words with my mind, in order to instruct
others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.
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Gospel: Luke 12:16-34
And he told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man
brought forth plentifully; and he thought to himself, 'What
shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?' And he said,
'I will do this: I will pull down my barns, and build larger
ones; and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I
will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many
years; take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to
him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the
things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is he who lays
up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." And he
said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious
about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what
you shall put on. For life is more than food, and the body more
than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap,
they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.
Of how much more value are you than the birds!
And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of
life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that,
why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how
they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But
if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he
clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are
to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For
all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father
knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these
things shall be yours as well. "Fear not, little flock, for it
is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell
your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses
that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does
not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For
where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
