Daily Lectionary in Poetry Saturday 13th December 2014

Psalm 126

A Harvest of Joy
A Song of Ascents.

1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,[a]
    we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
3 The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
    reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    carrying their sheaves.


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When Zion was restored
The joy overcame us
We laughed and celebrated
We thanked God for his blessings

We had cried many tears
We had suffered many years
Now we bask in joy
Thanks to God almighty

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Habakkuk 3:13-19

You came forth to save your people,
    to save your anointed.
You crushed the head of the wicked house,
    laying it bare from foundation to roof.[a]Selah
14 You pierced with their[b] own arrows the head[c] of his warriors,[d]
    who came like a whirlwind to scatter us,[e]
    gloating as if ready to devour the poor who were in hiding.
15 You trampled the sea with your horses,
    churning the mighty waters.
16 I hear, and I tremble within;
    my lips quiver at the sound.
Rottenness enters into my bones,
    and my steps tremble[f] beneath me.
I wait quietly for the day of calamity
    to come upon the people who attack us.
Trust and Joy in the Midst of Trouble
17 Though the fig tree does not blossom,
    and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails,
    and the fields yield no food;
though the flock is cut off from the fold,
    and there is no herd in the stalls,
18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord;
    I will exult in the God of my salvation.
19 God, the Lord, is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    and makes me tread upon the heights

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Oh lord you came to save us
To wipe away the wicked
I remember with fear
But I hold onto your love

I rejoice in you
Even when all hope fails
Lord you are my strength
I will follow your trails

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Matthew 21: 28-32

28 “What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29 He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father[a] went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

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Two sons were set to work
One refused to go but changed his mind
One said he'd go but never did
I ask, which followed his father?

Jesus tells us the first followed
Although they refused
What matters is their later following
So it is with us, our doing is our measure

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