Book of Common Prayer

God’s victory

19 After this I heard something like a loud voice coming from a huge crowd in heaven. “Alleluia!” they were saying. “Salvation and glory and power belong to our God! ² His judgments are true and just! He has judged the great whore who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged the blood of his servants for which she was responsible.” ³ Once more they said, “Alleluia! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”

⁴ Then the twenty-four elders and the four creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne. “Amen!” they said. “Alleluia!” ⁵ And a voice came from the throne: “Give praise to our God, all you his servants, and you who fear him, both small and great.” ⁶ Then I heard something like the sound of a great crowd, like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of strong thunder, saying, “Alleluia! The Lord our God, the Almighty, has become king! ⁷ Let us celebrate and rejoice and give him the glory, because the marriage of the lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. ⁸ She has been given shining, pure linen to wear.” (The linen is the righteous deeds of God’s holy people.)

⁹ “Write this,” he said to me. “God’s blessing on those who are called to the marriage supper of the lamb.” And he added, “These words are the true words of God.” ¹⁰ I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “Look! Don’t do that! I am a fellow-servant with you, and with your brothers and sisters who hold on to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!” (The testimony of Jesus, you see, is the spirit of prophecy.)

The cost of discipleship

²⁵ A large crowd was gathering around him. Jesus turned to face them.

²⁶ “If any of you come to me,” he said to them, “and don’t hate your father and your mother, your wife and your children, your brothers and your sisters—yes, and even your own life!—you can’t be my disciple. ²⁷ If you don’t pick up your own cross and come after me, you can’t be my disciple.

²⁸ “Don’t you see? Supposing one of you wants to build a tower; what will you do? You will first of all sit down and work out how much it will cost, to see whether you have enough to finish it. ²⁹ Otherwise, when you’ve laid the foundation and then can’t finish it, everyone who sees it will begin to make fun of you. ³⁰ ‘Here’s a fellow,’ they’ll say, ‘who began to build but couldn’t finish!’

³¹ “Or think of a king, on the way to fight a war against another king. What will he do? He will first sit down and discuss with his advisers whether, with ten thousand troops, he is going to be a match for the other side who are coming with twenty thousand! ³² If they decide he isn’t, he will send a delegation, while the other one is still a long way away, and sue for peace.

³³ “In the same way, none of you can be my disciple unless you give up all your possessions.

³⁴ “Salt is good; but if even the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? ³⁵ It’s no good for soil and no good for manure. People throw it away. If you have ears, then listen!”