Break Open the Word

  The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 22, 4 October 2020     Track 1 or Track 2   Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 Psalm 19 Philippians 3:4b-14 Matthew 21:33-46   Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:7-14 Philippians 3:4b-14 Matthew 21:33-46   The Collect   Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen. Background: Ancient Vineyards   Wine has been a part of human culture for over nine thousand years (China), and in the ancient near east since 5,000 BCE (Iran). The effects of alcohol were long linked with religious experiences, and there were gods who ...

  The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 21, 27 September 2020   Track 1 or Track 2 Exodus 17:1-7 Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32   Ezekiel 18:1-4,25-32 Psalm 25:1-8 Philippians 2:1-13 Matthew 21:23-32     The Collect   O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.     Background: Early Christian hymns   Though they compiled Gospels, Narratives, Letters, and Collections of Sayings, the early Christians did not leave us any early hymnals. What we can see, however, such as the example in the Second Reading for this day, a bits and pieces, some large and some small. The hymns of Luke sung by Zacharias ( the Benedictus ), Simeon (the...