Book of Common Prayer

¹³ My brothers, the Lord loves you. We should thank God for you always. Here is why. From the beginning God chose you to be saved. You were saved because the Spirit made you holy and because you believed the true message.

¹⁴ God called you to be saved by the good news we brought you. He did this so that you would have some of the honour which the Lord Jesus Christ has.

¹⁵ So my brothers, be strong. Hold on to the things we taught you by our words or by letter.

¹⁶ God has loved us and made us happy through his kindness. He gave us everlasting comfort and good hope.

¹⁷ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, comfort your hearts and make you strong to do and say everything that is good.

3 My brothers, please talk to God about us. Ask God that the Lord's message may reach many people quickly and that they may receive it gladly as you did.

² Ask God that we may be saved from bad people who do wrong things. Not everyone believes in Christ.

³ But the Lord can be trusted. He will make you strong. He will keep you safe from all that is wrong.

⁴ The Lord makes us feel sure about you. We are sure that you are doing, and will do, what we tell you to do.

⁵ May the Lord lead you to love God and be patient like Christ.

¹⁴ When it was time to eat, he sat down at the table and the apostles sat down with him.

¹⁵ He said to them, `I have wanted very much to eat this Passover Feast with you before my troubles come.

¹⁶ I tell you this. I will not eat it again until the great feast in the kingdom of God.'

¹⁷ He took the cup and thanked God. He said, `Take this. All of you drink from this.

¹⁸ I tell you this. I will not drink from the fruit of the vine again until the kingdom of God comes.'

¹⁹ He took some bread. He thanked God for it and broke it. He gave it to the disciples and said, `This is my body, which is given for you. When you do this, then remember me.'

²⁰ In the same way he took the cup after they had eaten. He said, `This cup is the new agreement made by my blood. It is given for you.

²¹ `There is a man who will give me over to my enemies. His hand is here at the table with me.

²² The Son of Man will go on as it was planned for him. But the man who gives him over will have trouble!'

²³ The disciples began to ask each other, `Which of us will do this?'

²⁴ They started to quarrel among themselves about which of them was the greatest person.

²⁵ Jesus said to them, `The kings of countries make their people obey them. Those who rule give themselves a good name.

²⁶ But it must not be so among you. The one who is greatest among you must be like the most unimportant. And the leader must be like one who helps others.

²⁷ Which man is greater, the man who sits at the table or the man who helps him? Is it not the man who sits at the table? But I am like the man who helps you.

²⁸ `You have stayed with me through my troubles.

²⁹ My Father made me a ruler, and now I make you rulers.

³⁰ You will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom. You will sit on chief chairs or thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.'