Book of Common Prayer

The Word of God

A Prayer Against Liars

For the director of music. By the sheminith. A song of David.

A Prayer for God to Be Near

For the director of music. A song of David.

The Unbelieving Fool

For the director of music. Of David.

¹⁴ At mealtime Boaz told Ruth, “Come here! Eat some of our bread. Here, dip your bread in our vinegar.”

So Ruth sat down with the workers. Boaz gave her some roasted grain. Ruth ate until she was full, and there was some food left over. ¹⁵ Ruth rose and went back to work. Then Boaz told his servants, “Let her gather even around the bundles of grain. Don’t tell her to go away. ¹⁶ Drop some full heads of grain for her. Let her gather that grain, and don’t tell her to stop.”

¹⁷ So Ruth gathered grain in the field until evening. Then she separated the grain from the chaff. There was about one-half bushel of barley. ¹⁸ Ruth carried the grain into town. And her mother-in-law saw what she had gathered. Ruth also gave her the food that was left over from lunch.

¹⁹ Naomi asked her, “Where did you gather all this grain today? Where did you work? Blessed be the man who noticed you!”

Ruth told her about whose field she had worked in. She said, “The man I worked with today is named Boaz.”

²⁰ Naomi told her daughter-in-law, “The Lord bless him! The Lord still continues to be kind to all people—the living and the dead!” Then Naomi told Ruth, “Boaz is one of our close relatives,^[a] one who will take care of us.”

²¹ Then Ruth said, “Boaz also told me to come back and continue working. He said, ‘Keep close by my servants until they have finished the harvest.’”

²² Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, “It is good for you to continue working with his women servants. If you work in another field, someone might hurt you.” ²³ So Ruth continued working closely with the women servants of Boaz. She gathered grain until the barley harvest was finished. She also worked there through the end of the wheat harvest. And Ruth continued to live with Naomi, her mother-in-law.

Leaders in the Church

3 What I say is true: If anyone wants to become an overseer, he is wanting a good work. ² An overseer must be so good that people cannot rightly criticize him. He must have only one wife. He must have self-control and be wise. He must be respected by other people and must be ready to help people by accepting them into his home. He must be a good teacher. ³ He must not drink too much wine, and he must not be a man who likes to fight. He must be gentle and peaceful. He must not love money. ⁴ He must be a good leader of his own family so that his children obey him with full respect. ⁵ (If a man does not know how to be a leader over his own family, he will not be able to take care of God’s church.) ⁶ But an elder must not be a new believer. A new believer might be too proud of himself. Then he would be judged guilty for his pride just as the devil was. ⁷ An elder must also have the respect of people who are not in the church. Then he will not be criticized by others and caught in the devil’s trap.

Helpers in the Church

⁸ In the same way, deacons must be men that people can respect. They must not say things they do not mean. They must not use their time drinking too much wine, and they must not be men who are always trying to get rich by cheating others. ⁹ They must follow the faith that God made known to us and always do what they know is right. ¹⁰ You should test those men first. If you find nothing wrong in them, then they can serve as deacons. ¹¹ In the same way, the women^[a] must have the respect of other people. They must not be women who repeat evil gossip about other people. They must have self-control and be women who can be trusted in everything. ¹² Deacons must have only one wife. They must be good leaders of their children and their own families. ¹³ Those who serve well as deacons are making an honorable place for themselves. And they will feel very sure of their faith in Christ Jesus.

The Secret of Our Life

¹⁴ I hope I can come to you soon. But I am writing these things to you now. ¹⁵ Then, even if I cannot come soon, you will know about the things that people must do in the family of God. That family is the church of the living God, the support and foundation of the truth. ¹⁶ Without doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great:

Stories of Mustard Seed and Yeast

¹⁸ Then Jesus said, “What is God’s kingdom like? What can I compare it with? ¹⁹ God’s kingdom is like the seed of the mustard plant.^[a] A man plants this seed in his garden. The seed grows and becomes a tree. The wild birds build nests on its branches.”

²⁰ Jesus said again, “What can I compare God’s kingdom with? ²¹ It is like yeast that a woman mixes into a big bowl of flour. The yeast makes all the dough rise.”

The Narrow Door

²² Jesus was teaching in every town and village. He continued to travel toward Jerusalem. ²³ Someone said to Jesus, “Lord, how many people will be saved? Only a few?”

Jesus said, ²⁴ “Try hard to enter through the narrow door that opens the way to heaven! Many people will try to enter there, but they will not be able. ²⁵ A man gets up and closes the door of his house. You can stand outside and knock on the door. You can say, ‘Sir, open the door for us!’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you! Where did you come from?’ ²⁶ Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you. You taught in the streets of our town.’ ²⁷ But he will say to you, ‘I don’t know you! Where did you come from? Go away from me! All of you do evil!’ ²⁸ You will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom. But you will be thrown outside. Then you will cry and grind your teeth with pain. ²⁹ People will come from the east, west, north, and south. They will sit down at the table in the kingdom of God. ³⁰ Those who are last now will be first in the future. And those who are first now will be last in the future.”