Should not We Be Whipped out of the Temple?--Jan. 16, 2016

O God, how manifold are your works;

in wisdom you have made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures;

before you no creature is hidden.

Among the creatures you have placed

on this beautiful planet are we humans,

and we have been corrupting it--spoiling it

for ourselves and for all living beings through

violence and mindless consumption of resources,

thus polluting soils, waters, and the very atmosphere.

As Jesus drove sheep and cattle out of the temple,

so we deserve to be driven from your temple of the earth.

Forgive us, God; help us amend our ways before it is too late!

Lectionary Readings

Ps. 104; 149; 138; 98

Gen. 6:9-22

Heb. 4:1-13

John 2:13-22

Selected Verses

Ps. 104:24

O LORD, how manifold are your works!
          In wisdom you have made them all;
          the earth is full of your creatures. 

Gen. 6:11

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

Heb. 4:13

And before [God] no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

John 2:15

Making a whip of cords, [Jesus] drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle.  He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.