The readings for this week are:
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13: Samuel anoints David, son of Jesse, at God’s instruction.
Psalm 20: A prayer for victory. Some take pride in horses and chariots, but we trust in the Lord.
Ezekiel 17:22-24: The Lord will plant a shoot on top of a high mountain and all the birds and winged creatures will shelter in it. All the other trees will know that the Lord is God.
Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15: A song of thanksgiving for the longevity of the righteous.
2 Corinthians 5:6-17: Christ died for all, so that those who live might live for him; if anyone lives in Christ there is a new creation.
Mark 4:26-34: The Kingdom of God is like the sower, who sows seed, doesn’t really understand how it turns into grain, and eventually goes in with the sickle when it’s time for harvest. Also the Kingdom of God is like the tiny mustard seed that grows into the greatest of all shrubs.
As it is in heaven by Dale Trumbore sets text from Leo Tolstoy’s meditation on the Lord’s Prayer, excerpted from his essay “On Reason, Faith and Prayer.”