The Eleventh Sunday of Israel (Ps) November 17th

Psalm 78:1-24

¹  Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;

incline your ears to the words of my mouth!

²    I will open my mouth in a parable;

I will utter dark sayings from of old,

³    things that we have heard and known,

that our fathers have told us.

⁴    We will not hide them from their children,

but tell to the coming generation

       the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,

and the wonders that he has done.

⁵    He established a testimony in Jacob

and appointed a law in Israel,

       which he commanded our fathers

to teach to their children,

⁶    that the next generation might know them,

the children yet unborn,

       and arise and tell them to their children,

⁷        so that they should set their hope in God

       and not forget the works of God,

but keep his commandments;

⁸    and that they should not be like their fathers,

a stubborn and rebellious generation,

       a generation whose heart was not steadfast,

whose spirit was not faithful to God.

⁹    The Ephraimites, armed with the bow,

turned back on the day of battle.

¹⁰    They did not keep God’s covenant,

but refused to walk according to his law.

¹¹    They forgot his works

and the wonders that he had shown them.

¹²    In the sight of their fathers he performed wonders

in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.

¹³    He divided the sea and let them pass through it,

and made the waters stand like a heap.

¹⁴    In the daytime he led them with a cloud,

and all the night with a fiery light.

¹⁵    He split rocks in the wilderness

and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.

¹⁶    He made streams come out of the rock

and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

¹⁷    Yet they sinned still more against him,

rebelling against the Most High in the desert.

¹⁸    They tested God in their heart

by demanding the food they craved.

¹⁹    They spoke against God, saying,

“Can God spread a table in the wilderness?

²⁰    He struck the rock so that water gushed out

and streams overflowed.

       Can he also give bread

or provide meat for his people?”

²¹    Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;

a fire was kindled against Jacob;

his anger rose against Israel,

²²    because they did not believe in God

and did not trust his saving power.

²³    Yet he commanded the skies above

and opened the doors of heaven,

²⁴    and he rained down on them manna to eat

and gave them the grain of heaven.

What gifts or benefits does baptism grant? Answer:

It brings about forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as the words and promise of God declare.

What are these words and promise of God? Answer:

Where our Lord Christ says in Mark 16[:16*], “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be damned.”

O God, the source of all that is just and good, nourish in us every virtue and bring to completion every good intent that we may grow in grace and bring forth the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (B75)