Book of Common Prayer

Male and female in the worshiping church

² I congratulate you that you are remembering me in everything, and you are keeping the traditions as I handed them on to you.

Rich and poor at the table of the Lord

¹⁷ What I have to talk about now isn’t a matter for praise. When you meet together, you make things worse, not better! ¹⁸ What I mean is this: to begin with, I hear that when you come together in the assembly there are divisions among you. Well, I believe it—at least partly. ¹⁹ There are bound to be groupings among you; that’s how the genuine ones among you will stand out, I suppose! ²⁰ So when you gather together into one meeting, it isn’t the Lord’s Supper that you eat. ²¹ Everyone brings their own food to eat, and one person goes hungry while another gets drunk. ²² Haven’t you got houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise God’s assembly, and shame those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? No, in this matter I shan’t!

The healing of the paralytic

9 Jesus got into the boat, and crossed back over to his own town.

² Some people brought to him a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Cheer up, my son! Your sins are forgiven!”

³ “This fellow’s blaspheming!” said some of the scribes to themselves.

⁴ Jesus read their thoughts. “Why let all this wickedness fester in your hearts?” he said. ⁵ “Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But, to let you know that the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he spoke to the paralyzed man—“Get up, pick up your bed, and go home!”

⁷ And he got up, and went away to his home. ⁸ When the crowds saw it they were frightened, and praised God for giving authority like this to humans.