Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Lord Works Miracles
1 Sing a new song to the Lord!
He has worked miracles,
and with his own powerful arm,
he has won the victory.
2 The Lord has shown the nations
that he has the power to save
and to bring justice.
3 God has been faithful
in his love for Israel,
and his saving power is seen
everywhere on earth.
4 Tell everyone on this earth
to sing happy songs
in praise of the Lord.
5 Make music for him on harps.
Play beautiful melodies!
6 Sound the trumpets and horns
and celebrate with joyful songs
for our Lord and King!
7 Command the ocean to roar
with all its creatures,
and the earth to shout
with all its people.
8 Order the rivers
to clap their hands,
and all the hills
to sing together.
9 Let them worship the Lord!
He is coming to judge
everyone on the earth,
and he will be honest
and fair.
The Lord's Glory Leaves the Temple
10 (A) I saw the dome that was above the four winged creatures,[a] and on it was the sapphire[b] throne.[c] 2 (B) The Lord said to the man in the linen robe, “Walk among the four wheels beside the creatures and pick up as many hot coals as you can carry. Then scatter them over the city of Jerusalem.” I watched him as he followed the Lord's instructions.
3 The winged creatures were standing south of the temple when the man walked among them. A cloud filled the inner courtyard, 4 and the brightness of the Lord's glory moved from above the creatures and stopped at the entrance of the temple. The entire temple was filled with his glory, and the courtyard was dazzling bright. 5 The sound of the creatures' wings was as loud as the voice of God All-Powerful and could even be heard in the outer courtyard.
6 The man in the robe was now standing beside a wheel. 7 One of the four creatures reached its hand into the fire among them and gave him some of the hot coals. The man took the coals and left.
8 I noticed again that each of the four winged creatures had what looked like human hands under their wings, 9 (C) and I saw the four wheels near the creatures. These wheels were shining like chrysolite.[d] 10 Each wheel was exactly the same and had a second wheel that cut through the middle of it,[e] 11 so that they could move in any direction without turning. The wheels moved together whenever the creatures moved. 12 (D) I also noticed that the wheels and the creatures' bodies, including their backs, their hands, and their wings, were covered with eyes. 13 And I heard a voice calling these “the wheels that spin.”
14 (E) Each of the winged creatures had four faces: the face of a bull,[f] the face of a human, the face of a lion, and the face of an eagle. 15-17 These were the same creatures I had seen near the Chebar River. They controlled when and where the wheels moved—the wheels went wherever the creatures went and stopped whenever they stopped. Even when the creatures flew in the air, the wheels stayed beside them.
18 Then I watched the brightness of the Lord's glory move from the entrance of the temple and stop above the winged creatures. 19 They spread their wings and flew into the air with the wheels at their side. They stopped at the east gate of the temple, and the Lord's glory was above them.
God's Kingdom
(Matthew 24.23-28,37-41)
20 Some Pharisees asked Jesus when God's kingdom would come. He answered, “God's kingdom isn't something you can see. 21 There is no use saying, ‘Look! Here it is’ or ‘Look! There it is.’ God's kingdom is here with you.”[a]
22 Jesus said to his disciples:
The time will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not. 23 When people say to you, “Look there,” or “Look here,” don't go looking for him. 24 The day of the Son of Man will be like lightning flashing across the sky. 25 But first he must suffer terribly and be rejected by the people of today. 26 (A) When the Son of Man comes, things will be just as they were when Noah lived. 27 (B) People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day when Noah went into the big boat. Then the flood came and drowned everyone on earth.
28 (C) When Lot[b] lived, people were also eating and drinking. They were buying, selling, planting, and building. 29 But on the very day Lot left Sodom, fiery flames poured down from the sky and killed everyone. 30 The same will happen on the day when the Son of Man appears.
31 (D) At that time no one on a rooftop[c] should go down into the house to get anything. No one in a field should go back to the house for anything. 32 (E) Remember what happened to Lot's wife.[d]
33 (F) People who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them. 34 On that night two people will be sleeping in the same bed, but only one will be taken. The other will be left. 35-36 Two women will be together grinding wheat, but only one will be taken. The other will be left.[e]
37 Then Jesus' disciples spoke up, “But where will this happen, Lord?”
Jesus said, “Where there is a corpse, there will always be vultures.”[f]
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