); Proverbs 8:22-31 (Wisdom’s part in creation); 1 John 5:1-12 (Whoever loves God loves God’s child) (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 148
Creation’s Praise of the Lord
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise Him in the heights.(A)
2 Praise Him, all His angels;
praise Him, all His hosts.(B)
3 Praise Him, sun and moon;
praise Him, all you shining stars.(C)
4 Praise Him, highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens.(D)
5 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for He commanded, and they were created.(E)
6 He set them in position forever and ever;
He gave an order that will never pass away.(F)
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
all sea monsters and ocean depths,(G)
8 lightning[a] and hail, snow and cloud,
powerful wind that executes His command,(H)
9 mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars,(I)
10 wild animals and all cattle,
creatures that crawl and flying birds,(J)
11 kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all judges of the earth,(K)
12 young men as well as young women,
old and young together.(L)
13 Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
for His name alone is exalted.
His majesty covers heaven and earth.(M)
14 He has raised up a horn for His people,
resulting in praise to all His godly ones,
to the Israelites, the people close to Him.(N)
Hallelujah!
22 “The Lord made[a] me
at the beginning of His creation,[b]
before His works of long ago.(A)
23 I was formed before ancient times,
from the beginning, before the earth began.(B)
24 I was born
when there were no watery depths(C)
and no springs filled with water.
25 I was delivered
before the mountains and hills were established,(D)
26 before He made the land, the fields,
or the first soil on earth.
27 I was there when He established the heavens,(E)
when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,(F)
28 when He placed the skies above,
when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
29 when He set a limit for the sea
so that the waters would not violate His command,(G)
when He laid out the foundations of the earth.(H)
30 I was a skilled craftsman[c] beside Him.(I)
I was His[d] delight every day,
always rejoicing before Him.
31 I was rejoicing in His inhabited world,(J)
delighting in the human race.(K)
5 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God,(A) and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. 2 This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey[a] His commands. 3 For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden,(B) 4 because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5 And who is the one who conquers the world(C) but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?(D)
The Certainty of God’s Testimony
6 Jesus Christ—He is the One who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water(E) and by blood.(F) And the Spirit is the One who testifies,(G) because the Spirit is the truth. 7 For there are three that testify:[b](H) 8 the Spirit,(I) the water, and the blood(J)—and these three are in agreement. 9 If we accept the testimony of men, God’s testimony(K) is greater, because it is God’s testimony that He has given about His Son. 10 (The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within him. The one who does not believe God has made Him a liar,(L) because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about His Son.) 11 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 The one who has the Son has life.(M) The one who doesn’t have the Son of God does not have life.
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