Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The law of the Spirit gives life. The Spirit of God makes us God’s children and heirs with Christ. We cannot be separated from the abundant love of God.

8 There is then no damnation to those who are in Christ Jesus – who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. ² For the law of the Spirit that brings life through Jesus Christ has delivered me from the law of sin and death. ³ For what the law could not do, inasmuch as it was weak because of the flesh, God has performed. He sent his Son in the similitude of sinful flesh, and by a sin offering punished sin in the flesh, ⁴ so that the righteousness required by the law may be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. ⁵ For those who are fleshly are fleshly minded, but those who are spiritual are spiritually minded. ⁶ To be fleshly minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ⁷ For the fleshly mind is enmity against God, because it is not obedient to the law of God, neither can be. ⁸ So then, those who are given to the flesh cannot please God.

⁹ But you are not given to the flesh, but to the Spirit, if it so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. If there is any person who does not have the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his. ¹⁰ If Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life for righteousness’ sake. ¹¹ And so if the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from death dwells in you, he who raised up Christ from death will give life to your mortal bodies, because his Spirit dwells in you.

The parables of the seed, of the tares, of the mustard seed, of the leaven, of the treasure hid in the field, of the pearls, and of the net.

13 The same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea side. ² And crowds of people gathered to him, so greatly that he went and sat in a boat, and all the people stood on the shore. ³ And he spoke many things to them in similitudes, saying, Behold, the sower went forth to sow. ⁴ And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it up. ⁵ Some fell on stony ground where it had not much earth, and it sprang up quickly because it had no depth of earth; ⁶ and when the sun was up, it caught heat, and for lack of rooting withered away. ⁷ Some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked it. ⁸ But part fell in good ground and brought forth good fruit: some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. ⁹ Whosoever has ears to hear, let him hear!

¹⁸ Hear therefore the similitude of the sower. ¹⁹ Whosoever hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, there comes the evil one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart; and this is he who received the seed by the wayside. ²⁰ But he who received the seed in the stony ground is the person who hears the word of God, and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ Yet he has no roots in himself, and therefore endures but a season, for as soon as tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, at once he falls. ²² He who received the seed among thorns is the person who hears the word of God, but the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and so he is made unfruitful. ²³ But he who receives the seed in good ground is the person who hears the word and understands it; who also bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.