Anarchy and Dictatorship - 11.10.24 The Rev. Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D.

Twenty-fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Alternative Readings chosen by the Vicar

First Reading: The Prophet Isaiah 44:24 – 45:1-5

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,

who formed you in the womb:

I the LORD, have made all things,

I alone stretched out the heavens,

I alone hammered the earth into shape.

It is I who frustrates the omens of soothsayers,

and makes fools of diviners;

who turns back the wise,

and makes their knowledge into folly;

who confirms the word of my servant,

and who makes the plans of my envoys succeed;

who says of Jerusalem, “You shall be inhabited,”

and of the cities of Judah, “You shall be rebuilt,

and I will raise up their ruins”;

who says to the deep, “Be dry—

I shall make your rivers run dry;”

who says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd,

and he shall carry out all my purpose”;

and who says of Jerusalem, “It shall be rebuilt,”

and of the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.”

Thus says the LORD to his anointed one,

to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped

to subdue nations before him

and strip kings of their robes,

to open doors before him—

so that the gates shall be closed no more:

I myself shall go before you

I shall level the mountains,

I shall shatter the bronze gateways

and cut through the bars of iron,

I shall give you the treasures of darkness

and hidden hoards of wealth,

so that you may know that it is I, the LORD,

who call you by your name, the God of Israel.

For the sake of my servant Jacob,

and Israel my chosen,

I call you by your name,

I have given you a title, though you do not know me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other;

There is no other god beside me.

I arm you, though you do not know me,

so that it may be known from east to west that there is no one except me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

I form light and create darkness,

I make well-being and create disaster;

I the LORD do all these things.

Second Reading: The Book of Revelation 13:1-10

And I saw a beast rising out of the sea having ten horns and seven heads; and on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous titles. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. I saw that one of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast. They worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against him?”

The beast was allowed to mouth its haughty boasts and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. It was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. It was given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slaughtered.

Let anyone who has an ear listen:

If you are to be taken captive,

into captivity you go;

if you kill with the sword,

with the sword you must be killed.

This is why the saints must have perseverance and faith.

John 8:2-11

Early in the morning Jesus came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them.  The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him.  Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus straightened up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, sir,” she said. And Jesus replied, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again.”