Author: THERESA JACOBSON

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost	September 29, 2024
Prayer of the Day
O Almighty and most Merciful God, through your bountiful goodness, keep us from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that you would have us do. Grant this, we pray, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29
^4The rabble that was among {the Israelites} had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat! ^5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ^6But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”
^10Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. ^11Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? ^12Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers? ^13Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ^14I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ^15If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.” ^16Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.” 
^24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. ^25Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it. ^26Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ^27And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” ^28And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.” ^29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!”
Psalm 104:28-37* (LBW)
^28All of them | look to you*
	to give them their food | in due season.
^29You give it to them; they | gather it;*
	you open your hand, and they are filled | with good things.
^30You hide your face, and | they are terrified;*
	you take away their breath, and they die and return | to their dust.
^31You send forth your Spirit, and they | are created;*
	and so you renew the face | of the earth.
^32May the glory of the Lord en- | dure forever;*
	may the Lord rejoice in | all his works.
^33He looks at the earth | and it trembles;*
	he touches the mountains | and they smoke.
^34I will sing to the Lord as long | as I live;*
	I will praise my God while I | have my being.
^35May these words | of mine please him;*
	I will rejoice | in the Lord.
^36Let sinners be consumed out | of the earth,*
	and the wicked | be no more.
^37Bless the Lord, | O my soul.*
	 | Hallelujah!
Psalm 104:27-35 (ESV)
^27These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.
^28When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
^29When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
^30When you send forth your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the ground.
^31May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works,
^32who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke!
^33I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
^34May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
^35Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!
Second Reading: James 5:[1-12] 13-20 
[^1Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. ^2Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. ^3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. ^4Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. ^5You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ^6You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you. ^7Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. ^8You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. ^9Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. ^10As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ^11Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. ^12But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.] ^13Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ^14Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ^15And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ^16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. ^17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. ^18Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. ^19My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ^20let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Gospel: Mark 9:38-50
^38John said to {Jesus}, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” ^39But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. ^40For the one who is not against us is for us. ^41For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward. ^42Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. ^43And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. ^45And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. ^47And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, ^48‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ ^49For everyone will be salted with fire. ^50Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
Next Week’s Readings:
Genesis 2:18-25; Psalm 128; Hebrews 2:1-13 [14-18]; Mark 10:2-16
* — Some psalms within the Book of Common Prayer psalter, which the Sola lectionary uses, are numbered differently than the psalms in the psalter of the English Standard Version Bible, on which the lectionary calendar is based. To account for this difference, today’s psalm reading begins at verse 28 (the ESV reading will begin at verse 27) and ends at verse 37 (the ESV reading will end at verse 35).