Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Chapter 3
A Time for Everything[a]
1 For everything there is a season,
and a time[b] for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build up.
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to discard.
7 A time to tear, and a time to mend;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate:
a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 What gain does the worker have from his toil? 10 I have observed the tasks that God has designated to keep men occupied. 11 He has made everything suitable for its time, and he has given men a sense of past and future,[c] but they never have the slightest comprehension of what God has wrought from beginning to end.
12 I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. 13 And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God.
Psalm 8[a]
The Majesty of God and the Dignity of Human Beings
1 For the director.[b] “Upon the gittith.” A psalm of David.
2 O Lord, our Lord,
how glorious is your name[c] in all the earth!
You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.
3 Out of the mouths of newborn babes and infants[d]
you have brought forth praise
as a bulwark against your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
4 When I look up at your heavens
that have been formed by your fingers,
the moon and the stars
that you set in place,
5 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man[e] that you care for him?
6 You have made him a little less than the angels[f]
and crowned him with glory and honor.
7 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands
and placed everything under his feet:
8 all sheep and oxen
as well as the beasts of the field,
9 the birds of the air, the fish of the sea,
and whatever swims in the paths of the sea.
10 O Lord, our Lord,
how glorious is your name in all the earth!
The New Jerusalem A New World and a New People[a]
Chapter 21
The New Heaven and the New Earth. 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.[b] 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, like a bride adorned and ready for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice proclaim from the throne:
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with mankind;
he will dwell with them.
They will be his people,
and he will be their God,
God-with-them.[c]
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there will no longer be death.
Neither will there be any mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order has passed away.”
5 The one seated on the throne then said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.[d] To those who are thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of life-giving water.
31 The Solemn Judgment at the End of Time.[a]“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you welcomed me; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was ill and you took care of me; I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will say to him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you something to eat, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 When did we see you ill or in prison and come to visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you did for me.’
41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty and you did not give me anything to drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me; I was naked and you did not give me any clothing; I was ill and in prison and you did not visit me.’
44 “Then they will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison and not minister to you?’ 45 He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you failed to do for one of the least of these brethren of mine, you failed to do for me.’ 46 And they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous will enter eternal life.”
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