Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁰ As the rain and snow come down from heaven and stay upon the ground to water the earth, and cause the grain to grow and to produce seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry, ¹¹ so also is my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it. ¹² You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills, the trees of the field—all the world around you—will rejoice. ¹³ Where once were thorns, fir trees will grow; where briars grew, the myrtle trees will sprout up. This miracle will make the Lord’s name very great and be an everlasting sign of God’s power and love.^[a]

92 A song to sing on the Lord’s Day.^[a]

It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods.

² Every morning tell him, “Thank you for your kindness,” and every evening rejoice in all his faithfulness. ³ Sing his praises, accompanied by music from the harp and lute and lyre. ⁴ You have done so much for me, O Lord. No wonder I am glad! I sing for joy.

¹² But the godly shall flourish like palm trees and grow tall as the cedars of Lebanon. ¹³ For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own garden and are under his personal care. ¹⁴ Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green. ¹⁵ This honors the Lord and exhibits his faithful care. He is my shelter. There is nothing but goodness in him!

⁵¹ But I am telling you this strange and wonderful secret: we shall not all die, but we shall all be given new bodies! ⁵² It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky,^[a] and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too. ⁵³ For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever.

⁵⁴ When this happens, then at last this Scripture will come true—“Death is swallowed up in victory.” ^55-56 O death, where then your victory? Where then your sting? For sin—the sting that causes death—will all be gone; and the law, which reveals our sins, will no longer be our judge. ⁵⁷ How we thank God for all of this! It is he who makes us victorious through Jesus Christ our Lord!

⁵⁸ So, my dear brothers, since future victory is sure, be strong and steady, always abounding in the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever wasted as it would be if there were no resurrection.

³⁹ Here are some of the story-illustrations Jesus used in his sermons: “What good is it for one blind man to lead another? He will fall into a ditch and pull the other down with him. ⁴⁰ How can a student know more than his teacher? But if he works hard, he may learn as much.

⁴¹ “And why quibble about the speck in someone else’s eye—his little fault^[a] —when a board is in your own? ⁴² How can you think of saying to him, ‘Brother, let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the board in yours? Hypocrite! First get rid of the board, and then perhaps you can see well enough to deal with his speck!

⁴³ “A tree from good stock doesn’t produce scrub fruit nor do trees from poor stock produce choice fruit. ⁴⁴ A tree is identified by the kind of fruit it produces. Figs never grow on thorns, or grapes on bramble bushes. ⁴⁵ A good man produces good deeds from a good heart. And an evil man produces evil deeds from his hidden wickedness. Whatever is in the heart overflows into speech.

⁴⁶ “So why do you call me ‘Lord’ when you won’t obey me? ^47-48 But all those who come and listen and obey me are like a man who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm, for it is strongly built.

⁴⁹ “But those who listen and don’t obey are like a man who builds a house without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it crumbles into a heap of ruins.”