Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Thanksgiving to God

The Creation

1 In the beginning, God created the universe.^{[a] 2} When the earth^[b] was as yet unformed and desolate, with the surface of the ocean depths shrouded^[c] in darkness, and while the Spirit of God was hovering^[d] over the surface of the waters, ³ God said, “Let there be light!” So there was light.

⁴ God saw that the light was beautiful.^[e] He^[f] separated the light from the darkness, ⁵ calling the light “day,” and the darkness^[g] “night.” The twilight and the dawn were day one.

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be a canopy^[h] between bodies of water,^[i] separating bodies of water^[j] from bodies of water!”^{[k] 7} So God made a canopy^[l] that separated the water beneath the canopy^[m] from the water above it.^[n] And that is what happened:^{[o] 8} God called the canopy^[p] “sky.”^[q] The twilight and the dawn were the second day.

⁹ Then God said, “Let the water beneath the sky come together into one area, and let dry ground appear!” And that is what happened:^{[r] 10} God called the dry ground “land,”^[s] and he called the water that had come together “oceans.” And God saw how good it was.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let vegetation sprout all over the earth, including^[t] seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed!” And that is what happened:^{[u] 12} Vegetation sprouted all over the earth, including seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ The twilight and the dawn were the third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be lights across^[v] the sky to distinguish day from night, to act as signs for seasons,^[w] days, and years, ¹⁵ to serve as lights in^[x] the sky, and to shine on the earth!” And that is what happened:^{[y] 16} God fashioned two great lights—the larger light to shine during^[z] the day and the smaller light to shine during^[aa] the night—as well as stars. ¹⁷ God placed them in space^[ab] to shine on the earth, ¹⁸ to differentiate between^[ac] day and night, and to distinguish^[ad] light from darkness. And God saw how good it was. ¹⁹ The twilight and the dawn were the fourth day.

The Resurrection Body

³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have when they come back?” ³⁶ You fool! The seed you plant does not come to life unless it dies, ³⁷ and what you plant is not the form that it will be, but a bare kernel, whether it is wheat or something else. ³⁸ But God gives the plant^[a] the form he wants it to have, and to each kind of seed its own form. ³⁹ Not all flesh is the same.^[b] Humans have one kind of flesh,^[c] animals in general have another,^[d] birds have another,^[e] and fish have still another. ⁴⁰ There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the splendor of those in heaven is of one kind, and that of those on earth is of another. ⁴¹ One kind of splendor belongs to the sun, another^[f] to the moon, and still another^[g] to the stars. In fact, one star differs from another star in splendor.

⁴² This is how it will be at the resurrection of the dead. What is planted is decaying, what is raised cannot decay. ⁴³ The body^[h] is planted in a state of dishonor but is raised in a state of splendor. It is planted in weakness but is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is planted a physical body but is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.^[i]

⁴⁵ This, indeed, is what is written: “The first man, Adam, became a living being.”^[j] The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual does not come first, but the physical does, and then comes the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man came from the dust of the earth; the second man came from heaven. ⁴⁸ Those who are made of the dust are like the man from the dust; those who are heavenly are like the man who is from heaven. ⁴⁹ Just as we have borne the likeness of the man who was made from dust, we will^[k] also bear the likeness of the man from heaven.