In your sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales,
like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground.
Yet you are merciful to all, because you can do all things
and overlook men’s sins so that they can repent.
Yes, you love all that exists, you hold nothing of what you have made in abhorrence,
for had you hated anything, you would not have formed it.
And how, had you not willed it, could a thing persist,
how be conserved if not called forth by you?
You spare all things because all things are yours, Lord, lover of life,
you whose imperishable spirit is in all.
Little by little, therefore, you correct those who offend,
you admonish and remind them of how they have sinned,
so that they may abstain from evil and trust in you, Lord.
Psalm 144
I will give you glóry, O Gód my Kíng,
I will bléss your náme for éver.
I will bléss you dáy after dáy
and práise your náme for éver.
The Lord is gréat, híghly to be práised,
his gréatness cánnot be méasured.
Age to áge shall procláim your wórks,
shall decláre your míghty déeds,
shall spéak of your spléndour and glóry,
tell the tále of your wónderful wórks.
They will spéak of your térrible déeds,
recóunt your gréatness and míght.
They will recáll your abúndant góodness;
age to áge shall ríng out your jústice.
The Lord is kínd and fúll of compássion,
slow to ánger, abóunding in lóve.
How góod is the Lórd to áll,
compássionate to áll his créatures.
All your créatures shall thánk you, O Lórd,
and your fríends shall repéat their bléssing.
They shall spéak of the glóry of your réign
and decláre your míght, O Gód,
to make knówn to mén your mighty déeds
and the glórious spléndour of your réign.
Yóurs is an éverlasting kíngdom;
your rúle lasts from áge to áge.
The Lord is fáithful in áll his wórds
and lóving in áll his déeds.
The Lórd suppórts all who fáll
and ráises áll who are bowed dówn.
The éyes of all créatures look to yóu
and you gíve them their fóod in due tíme.
You ópen wíde your hánd,
grant the desíres of áll who líve.
The Lord is júst in áll his wáys
and lóving in áll his déeds.
He is clóse to áll who cáll him,
who cáll on hím from their héarts.
He gránts the desíres of those who féar him,
he héars their crý and he sáves them.
The Lórd protécts all who lóve him;
but the wícked he will útterly destróy.
Let me spéak the práise of the Lórd,
let all mankínd bléss his holy náme
for éver, for áges unénding.
2 Thessalonians 1:11 - 2:2
Knowing this, we pray continually that our God will make you worthy of his call, and by his power fulfil all your desires for goodness and complete all that you have been doing through faith; because in this way the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in you and you in him, by the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
To turn now, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived.
Luke 19:1 - 10
Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance; he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd; So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost’.This week we have an extract from the book of Wisdom from a section about God being all powerful, but at the same time merciful to his creatures because he loves them. And in the gospel we have this mercy and love demonstrated in the story of Jesus and Zacchaeus. We also have the psalm singing about the same mercy and love.
- What do you know about Zacchaeus?
- What do you know about tax collectors like Zacchaeus?
- Were they like the inland revenue today?
- Was the tax used in the same way our taxes are used today?
- Why do you think Jesus decided to stay at Zacchaeus's house?
- Why do you think the other people complained?
- Who nowadays do you think might be like the 1st century tax collectors?
- How can we follow Zacchaeus's example?
