Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A Song to God’s Care
81 Sing for joy to God our strength! Call out for joy to the God of Jacob! 2 Sing a song, beat the timbrel. Play the sweet-sounding harps. 3 Blow the horn at the new moon, at the full moon on the day of our special supper. 4 For this is a Law for Israel, a Law of the God of Jacob. 5 He made it a Law for Joseph, when he went through the land of Egypt. I heard a language that I did not know:
6 “I took the load off his shoulders. His hands were set free from the basket. 7 You called in your trouble, and I took you out of it. I answered you in the hiding place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. 8 Hear, O My people, and I will tell you what to do. O Israel, if you would listen to Me! 9 Let there be no strange god among you. Do not worship any false god. 10 I, the Lord, am your God. I brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
Religious Suppers
23 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ‘These are the special suppers of the Lord, which you will keep for holy meetings. These are My special suppers. 3 Work may be done for six days. But the seventh day is the Day of Rest, a holy meeting when you do no work at all. It is the Day of Rest to the Lord in all your homes.
The Supper of Bread without Yeast
4 ‘These are the special suppers of the Lord, the holy meetings you will keep at the right times. 5 On the fourteenth day of the first month in the evening begins the Lord’s religious gathering to remember how His people left Egypt. 6 On the fifteenth day of the same month is the Lord’s special supper of bread without yeast. For seven days you will eat bread made without yeast. 7 On the first day you will have a holy meeting. You will not do any hard work. 8 But you will give a gift by fire to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy meeting. You will not do any hard work.’”
31 What can we say about all these things? Since God is for us, who can be against us? 32 God did not keep His own Son for Himself but gave Him for us all. Then with His Son, will He not give us all things? 33 Who can say anything against the people God has chosen? It is God Who says they are right with Himself. 34 Who then can say we are guilty? It was Christ Jesus Who died. He was raised from the dead. He is on the right side of God praying to Him for us. 35 Who can keep us away from the love of Christ? Can trouble or problems? Can suffering wrong from others or having no food? Can it be because of no clothes or because of danger or war? 36 The Holy Writings say, “Because of belonging to Jesus, we are in danger of being killed all day long. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed.” (A) 37 But we have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much. 38 For I know that nothing can keep us from the love of God. Death cannot! Life cannot! Angels cannot! Leaders cannot! Any other power cannot! Hard things now or in the future cannot! 39 The world above or the world below cannot! Any other living thing cannot keep us away from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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