Book of Common Prayer
God’s Greatness and Man’s Worth
For the director of music. By the gittith. A song of David.
8 Lord our Master,
your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!
It brings you praise in heaven above.
2 You have taught children and babies
to sing praises to you.
This is because of your enemies.
And so you silence your enemies
and destroy those who try to get even.
3 I look at the heavens,
which you made with your hands.
I see the moon and stars,
which you created.
4 But why is man important to you?
Why do you take care of human beings?
5 You made man a little lower than the angels.
And you crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You put him in charge of everything you made.
You put all things under his control:
7 all the sheep, the cattle
and the wild animals,
8 the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
and everything that lives under water.
9 Lord our Master,
your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth!
God, the King of the World
For the director of music. A song of the sons of Korah.
47 Clap your hands, all you people.
Shout to God with joy.
2 The Lord Most High is wonderful.
He is the great King over all the earth!
3 He defeated nations for us
and put them under our control.
4 He chose the land we would inherit.
We are the children of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah
5 God has risen with a shout of joy.
The Lord has risen as the trumpets sounded.
6 Sing praises to God. Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King. Sing praises.
7 God is King of all the earth.
So sing a song of praise to him.
8 God is King over the nations.
God sits on his holy throne.
9 The leaders of the nations meet
with the people of the God of Abraham.
Even the leaders of the earth belong to God.
He is supreme.
A Welcome for God into the Temple
A song of David.
24 The earth and everything in it belong to the Lord.
The world and all its people belong to him.
2 He built it on the waters.
He set it on the rivers.
3 Who may go up on the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy Temple?
4 Only those with clean hands and pure hearts.
They must not have worshiped idols.
They must not have made promises in the name of a false god.
5 It is they who will receive a blessing from the Lord.
The God who saves them will declare them right.
6 They try to follow God.
They look to the God of Jacob for help. Selah
7 Open up, you gates.
Open wide, you aged doors.
Then the glorious king will come in.
8 Who is this glorious king?
The Lord, strong and mighty.
The Lord, the powerful warrior.
9 Open up, you gates.
Open wide, you aged doors.
Then the glorious king will come in.
10 Who is this glorious king?
The Lord of heaven’s armies—
he is the glorious king. Selah
Praise for God’s Glory
96 Sing to the Lord a new song.
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to the Lord and praise his name.
Every day tell how he saves us.
3 Tell the nations of his glory.
Tell all peoples the miracles he does.
4 The Lord is great; he should be praised.
He should be honored more than all the gods.
5 All the gods of the nations are only idols.
But the Lord made the skies.
6 The Lord has glory and majesty.
He has power and beauty in his Temple.
7 Praise the Lord, all nations on earth.
Praise the Lord’s glory and power.
8 Praise the glory of the Lord’s name.
Bring an offering and come into his Temple courtyards.
9 Worship the Lord because he is holy.
The whole earth should tremble before the Lord.
10 Tell the nations, “The Lord is king.”
The earth is set, and it cannot be moved.
He will judge the people fairly.
11 Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad.
Let the sea and everything in it shout.
12 Let the fields and everything in them show their joy.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy.
13 They will sing before the Lord because he is coming.
He is coming to judge the world.
He will judge the world with fairness
and the nations with truth.
Ezekiel’s Vision of Living Things
1 It was the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month of our captivity. I, Ezekiel, was by the Kebar River in Babylon. I was among the people who had been carried away as captives from the land of Judah. The sky opened, and I saw visions of God.
2 It was the fifth year that King Jehoiachin had been a prisoner. It was on the fifth day of the month. 3 The Lord spoke his word to Ezekiel son of Buzi. This was in the land of the Babylonians by the Kebar River. There he felt the power of the Lord.
4 When I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming from the north. There was a great cloud with a bright light around it. Fire was flashing out of it. And there was something that looked like glowing metal in the center of the fire. 5 Inside the cloud were what looked like four living creatures. They were shaped like men. 6 Each of them had four faces. And each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight. Their feet were like a calf’s hooves. And they sparkled like polished bronze. 8 The living creatures had men’s hands. They were under their wings on their four sides. All four of them had faces and wings. 9 And their wings touched each other. The living creatures did not turn when they moved. Each went straight ahead.
10 Their faces looked like this: In front each living creature had the face of a man. Each one had the face of a lion on the right side. Each one had the face of an ox on the left side. And in back each one had the face of an eagle. 11 This was what their faces looked like. Their wings were spread out above. Each had two wings that touched one of the other living creatures. Each living creature had two wings that covered its body. 12 Each went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, the living creatures would also go. When they went, they did not turn. 13 The living creatures looked like burning coals of fire. They were like torches. Fire went back and forth among the living creatures. It was bright, and lightning flashed from it. 14 The living creatures ran back and forth like bolts of lightning.
24 I heard the sound of their wings as they moved. It was like the roaring sound of the sea. It was like the voice of God All-Powerful. It was a roaring sound like a noisy army. When the living creatures stood still, they lowered their wings.
25 And a voice came from above the dome over the heads of the living creatures. When the living creatures stood still, they lowered their wings. 26 Now above the dome there was something that looked like a throne. It looked like a sapphire gem. And on the throne was a shape like a man. 27 Then I noticed what he looked like from the waist up. He looked like glowing metal with fire inside it. And from his waist down he looked like fire. I saw a bright light all around him. 28 The glow around him looked like the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day. It seemed to look like the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I bowed facedown on the ground. And I heard a voice speaking.
Christ Became Like Men
5 God did not choose angels to be the rulers of the new world that was coming. It is that future world we have been talking about. 6 It is written somewhere in the Scriptures,
“Why is man important to you?
Why do you take care of the son of man?[a]
7 For a short time you made him lower than the angels.
But you crowned him with glory and honor.
8 You put all things under his control.” Psalm 8:4-6
If God put everything under his control, there was nothing left that he did not rule. But we do not yet see him ruling over everything. 9 But we see Jesus! For a short time he was made lower than the angels. But now we see him wearing a crown of glory and honor because he suffered and died. Because of God’s grace, he died for everyone.
10 God is the One who made all things. And all things are for his glory. God wanted to have many sons share his glory. So God made perfect the One who leads people to salvation. He made Jesus a perfect Savior through Jesus’ suffering.
11 Jesus, who makes people holy, and those who are made holy are from the same family. So he is not ashamed to call them his brothers. 12 He says,
“Then, I will tell my fellow Israelites about you.
I will praise you when your people meet to worship you.” Psalm 22:22
13 He also says,
“I will trust in God.” Isaiah 8:17
And he also says,
“I am here. And with me are the children that God has given me.” Isaiah 8:18
14 These children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like them and had the same experiences they have. He did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death. That one is the devil. 15 Jesus became like men and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. 16 Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps, but the people who are from Abraham.[b] 17 For this reason Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every way. He became like men so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could bring forgiveness for their sins. 18 And now he can help those who are tempted. He is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.
Jesus Talks to His Followers
16 The 11 followers went to Galilee. They went to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. 17 On the mountain they saw Jesus and worshiped him. But some of them did not believe that it was really Jesus. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the world.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.