Today's Readings (and Wage Theft)

Thursday, November 18, 2010 -- Week of Proper 28, Year Two
Hilda, Abbess of Whitby, 680
To read about our daily commemorations, go to our Holy Women, Holy Men blog:
http://liturgyandmusic.wordpress.com/category/holy-women-holy-men/

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p 993)
Psalms 105:1-22 (morning)       115:23-45 (evening)
Malachi 2:1-16
James 4:13 - 5:6
Luke 17:20-37

I have an early meeting today.  Don't have enough time to write.  But here are today's readings (note: I posted and read the wrong Gospel yesterday)

 

If I were to write, here are a few things that caught my attention:

"We continue to seek your face."  Ps. 105:4

From Malachi
"My covenant with [Levi] was a covenant of life and well-being, which I gave him; this called for reverence..."
"Have we not all one father?  Has not one God created us?  Why then are we faithless to one another...?"

From James:
"Listen! The wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts."

From Luke:
"...the kingdom of God is among you."
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In reference to the passage from James about the wages that have been kept back by fraud --

Today the organization "Interfaith Workers Justice" is organizing a National Day of Action Against Wage Theft.  (I wonder if they knew this passage from James would be our Daily Office reading.)  Some local friends are organizing a Vigil to protest wage theft here in Fayetteville at the corner of Dickson and West Streets (near the Walton Arts Center) at 5:00 p.m., sponsored by the NWA Workers' Justice Center. 

Last January I wrote an article in the paper about a young woman who was a victim of wage theft from her employer, a Fayetteville restaurant just a few blocks from St. Paul's.  Maybe you were there a few weeks ago when St. Paul's hosted a forum on wage theft that included a visitor from the national office of "Interfaith Workers Justice."  It was a fascinating evening.  If you would like to learn more about wage theft, go to iwj.org.  If you'd like to do something, join the group gathering at 5:00 at Dickson and West.

Lowell

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Audio podcast:  Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week.  Click the following link: -- Morning Reflection Podcasts About Morning Reflections "Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church. Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer. Evening Prayer begins on p. 117 An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at missionstclare.com -- Click for online Daily Office Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html --  Click for Divine Hours Discussion Blog:  To comment on today's reflection or readings, go to http://lowellsblog.blogspot.com, or click here for Lowell's blog find today's reading, click "comment" at the bottom of the reading, and post your thoughts.

The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church is to explore and celebrate God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love. See our Web site at www.stpaulsfay.org Our Rule of Life:  We aspire to...     worship weekly     pray daily     learn constantly     serve joyfully      live generously. Lowell Grisham, Rector St. Paul's Episcopal Church Fayetteville, Arkansas