Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
A song to sing as we climb.
Solomon wrote this song.
Every good thing comes from God[a]
127 The Lord must build your house.
If not, the work of the builders is useless.
The Lord must keep the city safe.
If not, the city guards are useless.
2 It will not help you to work all day for food, and never stop.
God gives food to the people that he loves.
Even while they sleep, God takes care of them.
3 Children are a gift from the Lord.
He blesses us with descendants.
4 If you have sons while you are a young man,
they are like a soldier's arrows.
5 If a man has many sons,
God has blessed him.[b]
When his enemies speak against him at the city gate,
they will not win.[c]
12 Remember to serve God while you are young.
He is the one who made you.
Your life will have many troubles in the future.
During those years, you will say,
‘I do not enjoy my life any more.’
2 When you are old, the light from the sun will not seem to be bright.
You will not see the moon or the stars.
There will always be dark clouds after the rain.
3 Your arms that have kept you safe will shake.
Your legs will become weak.
You will have only a few teeth to eat with.
Your eyes will no longer see very well.
4 Your ears will not hear noises outside in the streets.
You will not hear the sound of people as they work.
You will not hear the sound of people as they sing songs.
But a bird's song will wake you
when you want to sleep.
5 You will be afraid to stand on high places.
You will worry about danger in the streets.
When you are old, your hair will become white,
like the flowers on an almond tree.
You will feel too tired to move yourself,
like an old grasshopper.
You will not want to have sex.
Finally, we will all die and go to our home in the ground.
Many people will weep at our funeral.
6 Remember to serve God while you are young,
because one day your life will finish.
It will be like a silver chain that breaks;
like a gold bowl that breaks;
like a water pot at the well that breaks into pieces;
like a rope at the well that breaks apart.[a]
7 Our bodies go back into the ground as dust.
The breath of our life goes back to God,
who gave it to us.[b]
8 So I, the Teacher, say,
‘All these things have no purpose.
We cannot understand why they happen.’
13 Now I have heard everything and this is what I have decided: Respect God and obey his commands. That is God's purpose for all people. 14 Remember that God will judge everything that we do, to see if it is good or it is bad. He knows even the things that we do secretly.
Do not have troubles in your mind
22 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you this: You should not worry about how to stay alive. Do not worry about the food that you need to stay alive. Do not worry about the clothes that you need to wear. 23 Your life is more important than the food that you eat. Your body is more important than your clothes.
24 Think about the birds. They do not plant seeds in the ground. They do not cut down plants to eat. They have no buildings to store food. But God gives them food to eat. You are much more valuable than the birds. 25 Even if you always worry about your life, you cannot make it as much as one hour longer! 26 No, you cannot even do a small thing like that. So, if you are always worrying about the things that you need, will that really help you?
27 Think about how the wild flowers grow. They do not do work or make clothes for themselves. But I tell you this about them: Even one wild flower is more beautiful than King Solomon was. And King Solomon wore the most beautiful clothes. 28 It is God that gives beautiful clothes even to the grass. One day the grass is growing in the field, but the next day people will cut it and burn it.[a] God will certainly take care of you, much more than he takes care of the grass. You should trust him more than you do!
29 Do not always be thinking about the food and drink that you need. Do not worry about things like that. 30 People who do not know God are always trying to get these things. But as for you, your Father God knows that you need them. 31 Instead, always think about the things that are important in the kingdom of God. Then God will also give you the things that you need each day.
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