Lessons for November 13, 2005 – Twenty sixth Sunday after Pentecost The first lesson Zephaniah. 1:7, 12-18 Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord, for the awesome day of the Lord's judgment has come. The Lord has prepared his people for a great slaughter and has chosen their executioners. "I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem's darkest corners to find and punish those who sit contented in their sins, indifferent to the Lord, thinking he will do nothing at all to them. 13They are the very ones whose property will be plundered by the enemy, whose homes will be ransacked. They will never have a chance to live in the new homes they have built. They will never drink wine from the vineyards they have planted. 14"That terrible day of the Lord is near. Swiftly it comes—a day when strong men will cry bitterly. 15It is a day when the Lord's anger will be poured out. It is a day of terrible distress and anguish, a day of ruin and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, of clouds, blackness, 16trumpet calls, and battle cries. Down go the walled cities and strongest battlements! 17"Because you have sinned against the Lord, I will make you as helpless as a blind man searching for a path. Your blood will be poured out into the dust, and your bodies will lie there rotting on the ground." 18Your silver and gold will be of no use to you on that day of the Lord's anger. For the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy. He will make a terrifying end of all the people on earth. (NLT) Psalm 90:1-12 L. Lord, through all the generations you have been our home! C. Before the mountains were created, before you made the earth and the world, L. you are God, without beginning or end. C. You turn people back to dust, saying, "Return to dust!" L. For you, a thousand years are as yesterday! They are like a few hours! C. You sweep people away like dreams that disappear or like grass that springs up in the morning. L. In the morning it blooms and flourishes, but by evening it is dry and withered. C. We wither beneath your anger; we are overwhelmed by your fury. L. You spread out our sins before you—our secret sins—and you see them all. C. We live our lives beneath your wrath. We end our lives with a groan. L. Seventy years are given to us! Some may even reach eighty. C. But even the best of these years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we are gone. L. Who can comprehend the power of your anger? C. Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve. Teach us to make the most of our time, so that we may grow in wisdom. (NLT) The second lesson 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters. 2For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 3When people are saying, "All is well; everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape. 4But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. 5For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night. 6So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober. 7Night is the time for sleep and the time when people get drunk. 8But let us who live in the light think clearly, protected by the body armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 9For God decided to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. 10He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return. 11So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Matthew 25:14-30 14 "Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15 To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17 So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18 But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. 19 "After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.' 21 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 22 "The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' 23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' 24 "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.' 26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' (NIV)