Book of Common Prayer

3 So if you were raised to life with the Messiah, search for the things that are above, where the Messiah is seated at God’s right hand! ² Think about the things that are above, not the things that belong on the earth. ³ Don’t you see: you died, and your life has been hidden with the Messiah, in God! ⁴ When the Messiah is revealed (and he is your life, remember), then you too will be revealed with him in glory.

Old clothes, new clothes

⁵ So, then, you must kill off the parts of you that belong on the earth: illicit sexual behavior, uncleanness, passion, evil desire and greed (which is a form of idolatry). ⁶ It’s because of these things that God’s wrath comes on the children of disobedience. ⁷ You too used to behave like that, once, when your life consisted of that sort of thing.

⁸ But now you must put away the lot of them: anger, rage, wickedness, blasphemy, dirty talk coming out of your mouth. ⁹ Don’t tell lies to each other! You have stripped off the old human nature, complete with its patterns of behavior, ¹⁰ and you have put on the new one—which is being renewed in the image of the creator, bringing you into possession of new knowledge. ¹¹ In this new humanity there is no question of “Greek and Jew,” or “circumcised and uncircumcised,” of “barbarian, Scythian,” or “slave and free.” The Messiah is everything and in everything!

Love, peace and thanksgiving

¹² These are the clothes you must put on, then, since God has chosen you, made you holy, and lavished his love upon you. You must be tender-hearted, kind, humble, meek, and ready to put up with anything. ¹³ You must bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against someone else, you must forgive each other. Just as the master forgave you, you must do the same. ¹⁴ On top of all this you must put on love, which ties everything together and makes it complete. ¹⁵ Let the Messiah’s peace be the deciding factor in your hearts; that’s what you were called to, within the one body. And be thankful.

¹⁶ Let the Messiah’s word dwell richly among you, as you teach and exhort one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God with grateful hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or action, do everything in the name of the master, Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the father.

⁶ “I am the way,” replied Jesus, “and the truth and the life! Nobody comes to the father except through me. ⁷ If you had known me, you would have known my father. From now on you do know him! You have seen him.”

⁸ “Just show us the father, then, Master,” said Philip to Jesus, “and that’ll be good enough for us!”

⁹ “Have I been with you for such a long time, Philip,” replied Jesus, “and still you don’t know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the father! How can you say, ‘Show us the father’? ¹⁰ Don’t you believe that I am in the father, and the father is in me? The words I’m speaking to you, I’m not speaking on my own initiative. It’s the father, who lives within me, who is doing his own works. ¹¹ You must trust me that I am in the father and the father is in me. If not, then trust because of all the things you’ve seen done.”

Another helper

¹² “I’m telling you the solemn truth,” Jesus continued. “Anyone who trusts in me will also do the works that I’m doing. In fact, they will do greater works than these, because I’m going to the father! ¹³ And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, so that the father may be glorified in the son. ¹⁴ If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.