Grant Us Help Against Our Foes--July 5, 2015

We like to do whatever seems good to us,

or at least what seems good to others,

but human help against our foes

is worthless; it is you who

will tread them down.

Then let us draw near to you, O God,

for you have invited us to do so,

though we have made light of

your invitation and turned

our backs on you to go

about our business.

Show us that our principal foes

are not outside, but within.

And remind us while we

still were sinners, you

sent Christ, who

died for us.

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 108; 150; 66; 23

1 Sam. 14:36b

Rom. 5:1-11

Matt. 22:1-14

Selected Verses

Ps. 108:12-13

O grant us help against the foe,
          for human help is worthless.
With God we shall do valiantly;
          it is he who will tread down our foes.

1 Sam. 14:36

Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and despoil them until the morning light; let us not leave one of them.”  [The people] said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”  But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 

Rom. 5:8

But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.

Matt. 22:4-5

"…Again [the king] sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’  But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business…"  [From Jesus' parable to the chief priests and elders]