Book of Common Prayer
(A psalm by David.)
Who Can Enter the Lord's Temple?
1 (A) The earth and everything on it,
including its people,
belong to the Lord.
The world and its people
belong to him.
2 The Lord placed it all
on the oceans and rivers.
3 Who may climb the Lord's hill[a]
or stand in his holy temple?
4 (B) Only those who do right
for the right reasons,
and don't worship idols
or tell lies under oath.
5 The Lord God, who saves them,
will bless and reward them,
6 because they worship and serve
the God of Jacob.[b]
7 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
8 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord, a strong
and mighty warrior.
9 Open the ancient gates,
so that the glorious king
may come in.
10 Who is this glorious king?
He is our Lord,
the All-Powerful!
(A psalm by David.)
The Voice of the Lord in a Storm
1 (A) All you angels[a] in heaven,
honor the glory and power
of the Lord!
2 Honor the wonderful name
of the Lord,
and worship the Lord
most holy and glorious.[b]
3 The voice of the Lord
echoes over the oceans.
The glorious Lord God
thunders above the roar
of the raging sea,
4 and his voice is mighty
and marvelous.
5 The voice of the Lord
destroys the cedar trees;
the Lord shatters cedars
on Mount Lebanon.
6 God makes Mount Lebanon
skip like a calf
and Mount Hermon
jump like a wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord
makes lightning flash
8 and the desert tremble.
And because of the Lord,
the desert near Kadesh
shivers and shakes.
9 The voice of the Lord
makes deer give birth
before their time.[c]
Forests are stripped of leaves,
and the temple is filled
with shouts of praise.
10 The Lord rules on his throne,
king of the flood[d] forever.
11 Pray that our Lord
will make us strong
and give us peace.
(A psalm by David for the music leader.[a])
The Wonderful Name of the Lord
1 Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
everywhere on earth!
You let your glory be seen[b]
in the heavens above.
2 (A) With praises from children
and from tiny infants,
you have built a fortress.
It makes your enemies silent,
and all who turn against you
are left speechless.
3 I often think of the heavens
your hands have made,
and of the moon and stars
you put in place.
4 (B) Then I ask, “Why do you care
about us humans?
Why are you concerned
for us weaklings?”
5 (C) You made us a little lower
than you yourself,[c]
and you have crowned us
with glory and honor.
6 (D) You let us rule everything
your hands have made.
And you put all of it
under our power—
7 the sheep and the cattle,
and every wild animal,
8 the birds in the sky,
the fish in the sea,
and all ocean creatures.
9 Our Lord and Ruler,
your name is wonderful
everywhere on earth!
(For the music leader.[a] A psalm by the clan of Korah.)
The Joy of Worship
1 Lord God All-Powerful,
your temple is so lovely!
2 Deep in my heart I long
for your temple,
and with all that I am
I sing joyful songs to you.
3 Lord God All-Powerful,
my King and my God,
sparrows find a home
near your altars;
swallows build nests there
to raise their young.
4 You bless everyone
who lives in your house,
and they sing your praises.
5 You bless all who depend
on you for their strength
and all who deeply desire
to visit your temple.
6 When they reach Dry Valley,[b]
springs start flowing,
and the autumn rain fills it
with pools of water.[c]
7 Your people grow stronger,
and you, the God of gods,
will be seen in Zion.
8 Lord God All-Powerful,
the God of Jacob,
please answer my prayer!
9 You are the shield
that protects your people,
and I am your chosen one.
Won't you smile on me?
10 One day in your temple
is better than a thousand
anywhere else.
I would rather serve
in your house,
than live in the homes
of the wicked.
11 Our Lord and our God,
you are like the sun
and also like a shield.
You treat us with kindness
and with honor,
never denying any good thing
to those who live right.
12 Lord God All-Powerful,
you bless everyone
who trusts you.
Abraham Prays for Sodom
16 When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.
17 The Lord said to himself, “I should tell Abraham what I am going to do, 18 since his family will become a great and powerful nation that will be a blessing to all the other nations on earth.[a] 19 I have chosen him to teach his family to obey me forever and to do what is right and fair. If they do, I will give Abraham many descendants, just as I promised.”
20 The Lord said, “Abraham, I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are doing all kinds of evil things. 21 Now I am going down to see for myself if those people really are that bad. If they aren't, I would like to know.”
22 The men turned and started toward Sodom. But the Lord stayed with Abraham. 23 And Abraham asked him, “Lord, when you destroy the evil people, are you also going to destroy those who are good? 24 Wouldn't you spare the city if there are only 50 good people in it? 25 You surely wouldn't let them be killed when you destroy the evil ones. You are the judge of all the earth, and you do what is right.”
26 The Lord replied, “If I find 50 good people in Sodom, I will save the city to keep them from being killed.”
27 Abraham answered, “I am nothing more than the dust of the earth. Please forgive me, Lord, for daring to speak to you like this. 28 But suppose there are only 45 good people in Sodom. Would you still wipe out the whole city?”
“If I find 45 good people,” the Lord replied, “I won't destroy the city.”
29 “Suppose there are just 40 good people?” Abraham asked.
“Even for them,” the Lord replied, “I won't destroy the city.”
30 Abraham said, “Please don't be angry, Lord, if I ask you what you will do if there are only 30 good people in the city.”
“If I find 30,” the Lord replied, “I still won't destroy it.”
31 Then Abraham said, “I don't have any right to ask you, Lord, but what would you do if you find only 20?”
“Because of them, I won't destroy the city,” was the Lord's answer.
32 Finally, Abraham said, “Please don't get angry, Lord, if I speak just once more. Suppose you find only 10 good people there.”
“For the sake of 10 good people,” the Lord told him, “I still won't destroy the city.”
33 After speaking with Abraham, the Lord left, and Abraham went back home.
13 My friends, you were chosen to be free. So don't use your freedom as an excuse to do anything you want. Use it as an opportunity to serve each other with love. 14 (A) All the Law says can be summed up in the command to love others as much as you love yourself. 15 But if you keep attacking each other like wild animals, you had better watch out or you will destroy yourselves.
God's Spirit and Our Own Desires
16 If you are guided by the Spirit, you won't obey your selfish desires. 17 (B) The Spirit and your desires are enemies of each other. They are always fighting each other and keeping you from doing what you feel you should. 18 But if you obey the Spirit, the Law of Moses has no control over you.
19 People's desires make them give in to immoral ways, filthy thoughts, and shameful deeds. 20 They worship idols, practice witchcraft, hate others, and are hard to get along with. People become jealous, angry, and selfish. They not only argue and cause trouble, but they are 21 envious. They get drunk, carry on at wild parties, and do other evil things as well. I told you before, and I am telling you again: No one who does these things will share in the blessings of God's kingdom.
22 God's Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, 23 gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways. 24 And because we belong to Christ Jesus, we have killed our selfish feelings and desires. 25 God's Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit.
Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
22 As Jesus and his disciples were going into Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man. 23 Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of the village, where he spit into the man's eyes. He placed his hands on the blind man and asked him if he could see anything. 24 The man looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees walking around.”
25 Once again Jesus placed his hands on the man's eyes, and this time the man stared. His eyes were healed, and he saw everything clearly. 26 Jesus said to him, “You may return home now, but don't go into the village.”
Who Is Jesus?
(Matthew 16.13-20; Luke 9.18-21)
27 Jesus and his disciples went to the villages near the town of Caesarea Philippi. As they were walking along, he asked them, “What do people say about me?”
28 (A) The disciples answered, “Some say you are John the Baptist or maybe Elijah.[a] Others say you are one of the prophets.”
29 (B) Then Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?”
“You are the Messiah!” Peter replied.
30 Jesus warned the disciples not to tell anyone about him.
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