Good Among the Bad, or
Bad Among the Good?
He put before them another parable:
"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in
his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among
the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then
the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to
him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these
weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' The slaves said to
him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he replied, 'No; for in
gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of
them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the
reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but
gather the wheat into my barn.'"
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached
him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field
is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are
the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds
are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The
Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of
fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears
listen!"
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Parable
of the Wheat and the Tares
BLOEMAERT,
Abraham
1624
The
Walters Art Museum
Baltimore,
Maryland
In this parable from the Gospel of Matthew,
the devil, identified by his horns and tail, sows weeds (or tares) in the field
where wheat has been planted, while the lazy peasants are sleeping. Christians
considered sloth one of the Seven Deadly Sins to which mankind was subject as a
result of the Original Sin of Adam and Eve, to whom the two naked sleepers
allude. The dovecote (a birdhouse to attract doves or pigeons that can be
trapped for food without the bother of raising them) was associated with the
morally lazy who take the easy way. The goat, known for its lust, alludes to
self-indulgence, and the peacock, to pride. Bloemaert was gifted in depicting
natural detail, but he never painted pure landscapes, preferring pictures with
a lesson. He was one of the leading artists of Utrecht and trained many major
artists of the next generation.
http://art.thewalters.org/detail/26419/parable-of-the-wheat-and-the-tares/
If you judge people,
you have no time to love them.
~
Mother Teresa
There are only two kinds of [people]:
the righteous who believe they are sinners,
the sinners who believe they are righteous.
~
Blaise Pascal
A
double rainbow from the Andrew’s deck on Tuesday evening!
Nancy
Grant and Dorothy Stough at Bunco on Tuesday evening.
Jackie
Andrew and her neighbor, Judy, at Bunco.
Our
Wednesday Breakfast Group had breakfast in Silver Plume at the Teahouse.
Sarah
and Wilson Franklin were celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary on that
very day!
Wilson
and Sarah in their Tearoom
Dave
Kellogg and his father, Jack Kellogg, at Rotary on Friday.
Both
Dave and Jack were Charter Members of our Rotary Club of Evergreen.
We
had a beautiful day for Summerfest on Saturday and we count on a repeat
tomorrow from 10:00-5:00.
Cindy,
Ardis, and Carolyn collecting money at one of the two tables at the entrance.
We
had more than 3,000 attendees by the time I left at 6:00!
Nancy
Eldridge, our yoga instructor, rode her bike to Summerfest.
She
is with our friend Gayle MacDougall, a member of Alliance Artists of Evergreen,
who
had a booth at Summerfest.
http://www.allianceartistsofevergreen.com/artists.php
This
booth with garden decorations was a BIG seller!
Be careful lest in fighting the dragon,
you become the dragon.
~
Friedrich Nietzsche
July 20, 2014 Sixth
Sunday after Pentecost — Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time — Proper 11
Previous OPQs may
be found at:
Agnus Day, by
James Wetzstein
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
http://www.heartlight.org/gallery/469.html
Genesis 28: 10-19a
Psalm 139: 1-12, 23-24
Romans 8: 12-25
Matthew 13: 24-30, 36-43
Genesis
28:10-19a
Jacob left Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. He came to a certain place and
stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones
of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he
dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to
heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And the Lord
stood beside him and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father
and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your
offspring; and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you
shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the
south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your
offspring. Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will
bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I
have promised you." Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, "Surely
the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it!" And he was afraid, and
said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of
God, and this is the gate of heaven."
So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under
his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called
that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first.
Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24
O God, you have searched me
and known me.
You know when I sit down
and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path
and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O God, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high that I cannot attain it.
Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, "Surely the shadows shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,"
even the night is not without light to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for night is as light to you.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my thoughts.
See if there is any wicked way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
OR
Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19
For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
For your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.
For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.
Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous must be kind,
and you have filled your children with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.
or
Isaiah 44:6-8
Thus says the Lord,
the King of Israel
and his Redeemer,
the Lord of hosts:
I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me?
Let them proclaim it,
let them declare and set it forth before me.
Who has announced from of old
the things to come?
Let them tell us what is yet to be.
Do not fear,
or be afraid;
have I not told you from of old
and declared it?
You are my witnesses!
Is there any god besides me?
There is no other rock; I know not one.
with
Psalm 86:11-17
Teach me your way, O God,
that I may walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart
to revere your name.
I give thanks to you, O God my God,
with my whole heart,
and I will glorify your name for ever.
For great is your steadfast love toward me;
you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
O God, the insolent rise up against me;
a band of ruffians seeks my life,
and they do not set you before them.
But you, O God,
are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love
and faithfulness.
Turn to me and be gracious to me;
give your strength to your servant;
save the child of your serving-maid.
Show me a sign of your favor,
so that those who hate me may see it and be put to shame,
because you, God, have helped me and comforted me.
Romans 8:12-25
So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
according to the flesh — for if you live according to the flesh, you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For
all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not
receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a
spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very
Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if
children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if, in fact,
we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing
with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager
longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was
subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of
God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until
now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of
the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our
bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who
hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it
with patience.
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared
to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an
enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the
plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves
of the householder came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in
your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has
done this.' The slaves said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather
them?' But he replied, 'No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the
wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at
harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in
bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached
him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
He answered, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field
is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are
the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds
are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The
Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all
causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of
fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears
listen!"