Book of Common Prayer

א Aleph

ב Beth

ג Gimel

For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David.

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹⁴ When it was time to eat, Boaz spoke to Ruth again. “Come over here,” he said. “Have some bread. Dip it in the wine vinegar.”

She sat down with the workers. Then Boaz offered her some grain that had been cooked. She ate all she wanted. She even had some left over. ¹⁵ Ruth got up to pick up more grain. Then Boaz gave orders to his men. He said, “Let her take some stalks from what the women have tied up. Don’t tell her she can’t. ¹⁶ Even pull out some stalks for her. Leave them for her to pick up. Don’t tell her she shouldn’t do it.”

¹⁷ So Ruth picked up grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the barley from the straw. The barley weighed 30 pounds. ¹⁸ She carried it back to town. Her mother-in-law saw how much she had gathered. Ruth also brought out the food left over from the lunch Boaz had given her. She gave it to Naomi.

¹⁹ Her mother-in-law asked her, “Where did you pick up grain today? Where did you work? May the man who noticed you be blessed!”

Then Ruth told her about the man whose field she had worked in. “The name of the man I worked with today is Boaz,” she said.

²⁰ “May the Lord bless him!” Naomi said to her daughter-in-law. “The Lord is still being kind to those who are living and those who are dead.” She continued, “That man is a close relative of ours. He’s one of our family protectors.”

²¹ Then Ruth, who was from Moab, said, “He told me more. He even said, ‘Stay with my workers until they have finished bringing in all my grain.’ ”

²² Naomi replied to her daughter-in-law Ruth. She said, “That will be good for you, my daughter. Go with the women who work for him. You might be harmed if you go to someone else’s field.”

²³ So Ruth stayed close to the women who worked for Boaz as she picked up grain. She worked until the time when all the barley and wheat had been harvested. And she lived with her mother-in-law.

Rules for Choosing Leaders and Deacons

3 Here is a saying you can trust. If anyone wants to be a leader in the church, they want to do a good work for God and people. ² A leader must be free from blame. He must be faithful to his wife. In anything he does, he must not go too far. He must control himself. He must be worthy of respect. He must welcome people into his home. He must be able to teach. ³ He must not get drunk. He must not push people around. He must be gentle. He must not be a person who likes to argue. He must not love money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well. He must make sure that his children obey him. And he must do this in a way that gains him respect. ⁵ Suppose someone doesn’t know how to manage his own family. Then how can he take care of God’s church? ⁶ The leader must not be a new believer. If he is, he might become proud. Then he would be judged just like the devil. ⁷ The leader must also be respected by those who are outside the church. Then he will not be put to shame. He will not fall into the devil’s trap.

⁸ In the same way, deacons must be worthy of respect. They must be honest and true. They must not drink too much wine. They must not try to get money by cheating people. ⁹ They must hold on to the deep truths of the faith. Even their own minds tell them to do that. ¹⁰ First they must be tested. Then let them serve as deacons if there is nothing against them.

¹¹ In the same way, the women must be worthy of respect. They must not say things that harm others. In anything they do, they must not go too far. They must be worthy of trust in everything.

¹² A deacon must be faithful to his wife. He must manage his children and family well. ¹³ Those who have served well earn the full respect of others. They also become more sure of their faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul’s Reasons for Giving Instructions to Timothy

¹⁴ I hope I can come to you soon. But now I am writing these instructions to you. ¹⁵ Then if I have to put off my visit, you will know how people should act in God’s family. The family of God is the church of the living God. It is the pillar and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ There is no doubt that true godliness comes from this great mystery.

The Stories of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast

¹⁸ Then Jesus asked, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it to? ¹⁹ It is like a mustard seed. Someone took the seed and planted it in a garden. It grew and became a tree. The birds sat in its branches.”

²⁰ Again he asked, “What can I compare God’s kingdom to? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman used. She mixed it into 60 pounds of flour. The yeast worked its way all through the dough.”

The Narrow Door

²² Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching the people. He was on his way to Jerusalem. ²³ Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”

He said to them, ²⁴ “Try very hard to enter through the narrow door. I tell you, many will try to enter and will not be able to. ²⁵ The owner of the house will get up and close the door. Then you will stand outside knocking and begging. You will say, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you. And I don’t know where you come from.’

²⁶ “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in our streets.’

²⁷ “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you. And I don’t know where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil!’

²⁸ “You will weep and grind your teeth together when you see those who are in God’s kingdom. You will see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets there. But you yourselves will be thrown out. ²⁹ People will come from east and west and north and south. They will take their places at the feast in God’s kingdom. ³⁰ Then the last will be first. And the first will be last.”