Jeremiah 15:15-21
Psalm 26 or 26:1-8
Romans 12:1-8
Matthew 16:21-27

The Collect

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament

Jeremiah 15:15-21

O LORD, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult.
Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart;
for I am called by your name,
O LORD, God of hosts.
I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;
under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
for you had filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail.
Therefore thus says the LORD:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.
And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
says the LORD.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.

The Psalm

Psalm 26 or 26:1-8
Judica me, Domine

1
Give judgment for me, O LORD,
for I have lived with integrity; *
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.

2
Test me, O LORD, and try me; *
examine my heart and my mind.

3
For your love is before my eyes; *
I have walked faithfully with you.

4
I have not sat with the worthless, *
nor do I consort with the deceitful.

5
I have hated the company of evildoers; *
I will not sit down with the wicked.

6
I will wash my hands in innocence, O LORD, *
that I may go in procession round your altar,

7
Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving *
and recounting all your wonderful deeds.

8
LORD, I love the house in which you dwell *
and the place where your glory abides.

9
Do not sweep me away with sinners, *
nor my life with those who thirst for blood,

10
Whose hands are full of evil plots, *
and their right hand full of bribes.

11
As for me, I will live with integrity; *
redeem me, O LORD, and have pity on me.

12
My foot stands on level ground; *
in the full assembly I will bless the LORD.

The Epistle

Romans 12:1-8

I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God– what is good and acceptable and perfect.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

The Gospel

Matthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.”

Brother Roger, founder of the ecumenical Taize’ community, was murdered Tuesday during a vespers service.

This is a terrible loss to Christians everywhere, as Brother Roger was working to reconcile divided Christianity and the disenfranchised.

UPDATE:

The Taize’ community, founded in 1940 by Brother Roger when he was 25, became a safe haven for political refugees and people of all faiths, among them Jews fleeing the Holocaust. Since the late 1950s, thousands of young adults from many countries have come to Taize’ to take part in weekly meetings of prayer and reflection. More than 100 Taize’ brothers, committed to material and spiritual sharing, celibacy, and simplicity of life, make visits and lead meetings in Africa, North and South America, Asia, and in Europe, as part of what they call “a pilgrimage of trust on earth.” Eight years ago, Brother Roger designated Brother Alois to succeed him as the person in charge of the community.

On the morning after his death, the following prayer was read in the church:

“Christ of compassion, you enable us to be in communion with those who have gone before us, and who can remain so close to us. We confide into your hands our Brother Roger. He already contemplates the invisible. In his footsteps, you are preparing us to welcome a radiance of your brightness.”

Via AKMA’s Random Thoughts

This could be really exciting news – it’s only a mid-season replacement, but still it’s intriguing: a progressive Christian point of view might be shown on network television as an alternative to the somewhate more conservative depictions of faith that are typical of TV drama.

Those of us who attended the enjoyable Via Media sessions may recognize the location; I believe it’s the same church where they taped.

[Episcopal News Service] A new television drama featuring the struggles of an Episcopal priest with family, church politics and Jesus, his mentor and friend, and even his own nagging reliance on painkillers, is planned for the NBC 2005-2006 mid-season line-up.

“This challenging new series is our first announced drama for mid-season as we continue to seek different, out-of-the-box projects,” said Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment, when announcing the new series.

” ‘The Book of Daniel’ is bold and surprising storytelling told by a great cast led by Aidan Quinn,” Reilly added.

The new series also offers the Episcopal Church a rare product placement opportunity at a time when TIVO devices make it possible to excise paid commercials from home viewing. In 2004, the value of television product placements (a product or brand name inserted for marketing purposes into entertainment fare) increased by 46.4 percent over the year before, to $1.88 billion, according to the research firm PQ Media.

A pilot episode for ‘The Book of Daniel’ was filmed at All Saints Church in Pasadena, where Quinn portrays Daniel, a young, liberal priest and father who clashes frequently with his conservative bishop, Dr. Beatrice Congreve, played by Ellen Burstyn.

The series, set in upstate New York, would also feature Quinn’s frequent conversations with Jesus, played by actor Garrett Dillahunt. Among his parishioners is long-time actress and comedienne Phyllis Diller.

The Rev. Susan Russell, an associate rector at the Pasadena parish, said the plot for the series is hopeful.

“It is one more indicator of how much issues of faith and religion are “in” right now,” said Russell, who is also national Integrity president.

“How cool is it that a progressive Episcopal priest has a shot at being a prime-time drama protagonist,” she added. “How surprising might it be to many who tune in to find out there actually IS a church where women can be bishops — clergy can be human — and there’s enough Good News around to extend to everybody?” — Episcopal News Service

I am just wondering a little about Phyllis Diller, but it could be interesting.