The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God.
First Reading: Joel 2:21-27
The prophet Joel understood that a locust plague that ravaged the land of Judah was God’s judgment on the people, whom he then called to repentance. Today’s reading points beyond the judgment to a time when the Lord will bless the land and cause it to produce food in abundance.
21Do not fear, O soil;
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
22Do not fear, you animals of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the later rain, as before.
24The threshing floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent against you.
26You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
be glad and rejoice,
for the Lord has done great things!
22Do not fear, you animals of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit,
the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23O children of Zion, be glad
and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain,
the early and the later rain, as before.
24The threshing floors shall be full of grain,
the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter,
my great army, which I sent against you.
26You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied,
and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Psalm: Psalm 126
The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. (Ps. 126:3)
1When the Lord restored the for- | tunes of Zion,
then were we like | those who dream.
2Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with | shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great | things for them.”
3The Lord has done great | things for us,
and we are | glad indeed.
4Restore our for- | tunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses | of the Negeb.
5Those who | sowed with tears
will reap with | songs of joy.
6Those who go out weeping, carry- | ing the seed,
will come again with joy, shoulder- | ing their sheaves.
then were we like | those who dream.
2Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with | shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great | things for them.”
3The Lord has done great | things for us,
and we are | glad indeed.
4Restore our for- | tunes, O Lord,
like the watercourses | of the Negeb.
5Those who | sowed with tears
will reap with | songs of joy.
6Those who go out weeping, carry- | ing the seed,
will come again with joy, shoulder- | ing their sheaves.
Second Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Christians are encouraged to offer prayers and thanks for all people, including rulers (who were pagans rather than Christians). We offer such inclusive, far-reaching prayers because God desires to save all people.
1First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5For
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6who gave himself a ransom for all
—this was attested at the right time.7For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
there is one God;
there is also one mediator between God and humankind,
Christ Jesus, himself human,
6who gave himself a ransom for all
—this was attested at the right time.7For this I was appointed a herald and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Gospel: Matthew 6:25-33
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught his disciples about the providence of God so that they would regard life with thanksgiving and trust rather than anxiety.
[Jesus said,] 25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”