Ah! City of bloodshed, utterly deceitful, full of booty— no end to the plunder!…I will throw filth at you and treat you with contempt, and make you a spectacle.Then all who see you will shrink from you and say,‘Nineveh is devastated; who will bemoan her?’ Where shall I seek comforters for you? From Nahum 2:…
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As I watched in the night visions,I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.To him was given dominion and glory and kingship,that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. From Daniel 7: 9-10, 13-14(NRSV) Today’s First Reading in…
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Thus says the Lord:The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness;when Israel sought for rest, the Lord appeared to him from far away.I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.. From Jeremiah 31: 1-7 (NRSV) Although we often hear of Jeremiah’s reputation as a prophet of doom,…
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Thus says the Lord:Your hurt is incurable, your wound is grievous.There is no one to uphold your cause, no medicine for your wound, no healing for you. … Thus says the Lord:I am going to restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob, and have compassion on his dwellings…Out of them shall come thanksgiving,…
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The prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, ‘Listen, Hananiah, the Lord has not sent you, and you made this people trust in a lie.’ From Jeremiah 28: 1-17 The short extract chosen for today comes towards the end of the Reading and describes part of the final confrontation between Jeremiah and Hanahiah who…
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Thus says the Lord:O come to the water all you who are thirsty;though you have no money, come!From Isaiah 55: 1-3 On Sundays, the First Reading is chosen to complement the gospel which, today, is the account of Jesus feeding five thousand people with just five loaves and two fishes. What Isaiah is proclaiming…
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The officials and all the people then said to the priests and prophets, ‘This man does not deserve to die: he has spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God.’ From Jeremiah 26; 11-16, 24 The full reading is an account of a confrontation between the priests and prophets on the…
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The Lord said to Jeremiah, ‘… you must speak all the words I have commanded you to tell them; do not omit one syllable. ‘Say this to them: “If you will not listen to me… I will treat this Temple as I treated Shiloh, and make this city a curse for all the nations…
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Jeremiah went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. The vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to him.‘ From Jeremiah 18: 1-6 (NRSV) Like Jesus, Jeremiah was good at looking at everyday…
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Jeremiah said to the Lord. ‘When your words came, I devoured them: your word was my delight and the joy of my heart… (So) ‘why is my suffering continual, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?’ From Jeremiah 15: 10, 16-21 It is fair to say that Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet – little…
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