November 19, 2008
Revelation 4: 1 - 11
After this I had another vision: above me there was an open door to heaven, and I heard the trumpetlike voice which had spoken to me before. it said, "Come up here and I will show you what must take place in time to come." At once I was caught up in ecstasy. A throne was standing there in heaven, and on the throne was seated One whose appearance had a gemlike sparkle as of jasper and carnelian. Around the throne was a rainbow as brilliant as emerald. Surrounding this throne were twenty-four other thrones upon which were seated twenty-four elders, they were clothed in white garmets and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning and peals of thunder; before it burned seven flaming torches, the seven spirits of God. The floor around the throne was like a sea of glass that was crystal-clear. At the very center, around the throne itself, stood four living creatures covered with eyes front and back. The first creature resembled a lion, the second an ox; the third had the face of a man, while the fourth looked like an eagle in flight. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and eyes all over in side and out. Day and night without pause, they sang: "Holy, holy holy, is the Lord God Almighty, He who was and who is, and who is to come!" Whenever these creatures give glory and honor and praise to the One seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before the One seated on the throne, and worship him who lives forever and ever. They throw down their crowns before the throne and sing: "O Lord our God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power! For you have created all things; by your will they came to be and were made."
Psalms 150: 1 - 6
Praise the Lord in his sanctuary, praise him in the firmament of his strength Praise him for his mighty deeds, praise him for his sovereign majesty. Praise him with the blast of the trumpet, praise him with lyre an harp, praise him with timbrel and dance, praise him with sounding cymbals, praise him with clanging cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Alleluia.
Luke 19: 11 - 28
While they were listening to these things he went on to tell a parable, because he was near Jerusalem where they thought that the reign of God was about to appear. He said: "A man of noble birth went to a faraway country to become its king, and then return. He summoned ten of his servants and gave them sums of ten units each, saying to them, 'Invest this until I get back.' But his fellow citizens despised him, and they immediately sent a deputation after him with instructions to say, 'We will not have this man rule over us.' He returned, however, crowned king. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money to learn what profit each had made. The first presented himself and said, 'Lord, the sum you gave me has earned you another ten.' 'Good man!' he replied. 'You showed yourself capable in a small matter. For that you can take over ten villages.' The second came and said, 'Your investment, my lord has netted you five.' His word to him was, 'Take over five villages.
The third came in and said: 'Here is your money, my lord, which I hid for safekeeping. You see I was afraid of you because you are a hard man. You withdraw what you never deposited. You reap what you never sowed.' To him the king said: 'You worthless lout! I intend to judge you in your own evidence. You knew I was a hard man, withdrawing what I never deposited, reaping what I never sowed! Why, then, did you not put my money out on load, so that on my return I could get it bake with interest?' He said to those standing around, 'Take from him what he has, and give it to the man with the ten.' 'Yes, but he already has ten,' they said. He responded with 'The moral is: whoever has will be given more, but the one who has not will lose the little he has. Now about those enemies of mine who do not want me to be king, bring them in and slay them in my presence.'"