New Year Really Begins Monday

Morning in New Jersey 2001

Face up to it!

Lectionary Reading

Sirach 24:1-12

24:1 Wisdom praises herself, and tells of her glory in the midst of her people.
24:2 In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth, and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory:
24:3 "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a mist.
24:4 I dwelt in the highest heavens, and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.
24:5 Alone I compassed the vault of heaven and traversed the depths of the abyss.
24:6 Over waves of the sea, over all the earth, and over every people and nation I have held sway."
24:7 Among all these I sought a resting place; in whose territory should I abide?
24:8 "Then the Creator of all things gave me a command, and my Creator chose the place for my tent. He said, 'Make your dwelling in Jacob, and in Israel receive your inheritance.'
24:9 Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me, and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.
24:10 In the holy tent I ministered before him, and so I was established in Zion.
24:11 Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place, and in Jerusalem was my domain.
24:12 I took root in an honored people, in the portion of the Lord, his heritage.

NRSV

Seasons

Copyright © 2007 Jean and Alexander Heard Library, Vanderbilt University




Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
3:2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3:3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
3:4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
3:5 a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
3:7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
3:8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
3:9 What gain have the workers from their toil?
3:10 I have seen the business that God has given to everyone to be busy with.
3:11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;
3:13 moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil.

NRSV

Scripture for the New Year

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

Colossians 2:6-7 NRSV

The Evil Behind the Smile

Read Nicholas D. Kristof's piece on the exploitation of teenage women in Cambodia. From the piece:

"Sex trafficking is truly the 21st century’s version of slavery. One of the differences from 19th-century slavery is that many of these modern slaves will die of AIDS by their late 20s.

"Whenever I report on sex trafficking, I come away less depressed by the atrocities than inspired by the courage of modern abolitionists like Somaly and Sina. They are risking their lives to help others still locked up in the brothels, and they have the credibility and experience to lead this fight. In my next column, I’ll introduce a girl that Sina is now helping to recover from mind-boggling torture in a brothel — and Sina’s own story gives hope to the girl in a way that an army of psychologists couldn’t."

RE: http://www.facebook.com/kristof