Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
10 For as the (A)rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it bear and sprout,
And giving (B)seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 So will My (C)word be which goes forth from My mouth;
It will (D)not return to Me empty,
Without (E)accomplishing what pleases Me,
And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
12 For you will go out with (F)gladness
And be led forth with (G)peace;
The (H)mountains and the hills will break forth into shouts of joy before you,
And all the (I)trees of the field will clap their hands.
13 Instead of the (J)thorn bush the (K)cypress will come up,
And instead of the (L)nettle the myrtle will come up,
And [a]it will be to Yahweh for His [b](M)renown,
For an everlasting (N)sign which (O)will not be cut off.”
Blessed Is the One Whom You Choose
For the choir director. A Psalm of David. A Song.
65 To You, there will be silence and praise in Zion, O God,
And to You the (A)vow will be paid.
2 O You who hear prayer,
To You (B)all flesh comes.
3 (C)Words of iniquity prevail against me;
As for our transgressions, You (D)atone for them.
4 How (E)blessed is the one whom You (F)choose and bring near to You
That he would dwell in Your courts.
We will be (G)satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
Your holy temple.
5 By [a](H)fearsome deeds You answer us in righteousness, O (I)God of our salvation,
You who are the trust of all the (J)ends of the earth and of the farthest [b](K)sea;
6 Who (L)establishes the mountains by His strength,
Being (M)girded with might;
7 Who (N)stills the rumbling of the seas,
The rumbling of their waves,
And the (O)tumult of the peoples.
8 They who inhabit the (P)ends of the earth are in fear on account of Your signs;
You make [c]the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and (A)cause it to overflow;
You greatly (B)enrich it;
The [a](C)stream of God is full of water;
You establish their (D)grain, for thus You establish [b]the earth.
10 You water its furrows abundantly,
You smooth its ridges,
You soften it (E)with showers,
You bless its growth.
11 You crown the year [c]with Your (F)goodness,
And Your [d]paths (G)drip with richness.
12 (H)The pastures of the wilderness drip,
And the (I)hills gird themselves with rejoicing.
13 The meadows are (J)clothed with flocks
And the valleys are (K)covered with grain;
They (L)make a loud shout, indeed, they sing.
The Spirit of God Dwells in You
8 Therefore there is now no (A)condemnation for those who are (B)in (C)Christ Jesus. 2 For (D)the law of the Spirit of life [a]in (E)Christ Jesus (F)has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For (G)what the Law could not do, [b](H)weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in (I)the likeness of [c]sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the (J)righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who (K)do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on (L)the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, (M)the things of the Spirit. 6 (N)For the mind set on the flesh is (O)death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7 because the mind set on the flesh is at (P)enmity toward God, for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are (Q)in the flesh are not able to please God.
9 However, you are not (R)in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God (S)dwells in you. But (T)if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 (U)But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is [d]alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who (V)raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, (W)He who raised (X)Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [e]through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The Parable of the Sower
13 On that day Jesus went out of (A)the house and was sitting (B)by the sea. 2 And [a]large crowds gathered to Him, so (C)He got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd was standing on the beach.
3 And He spoke many things to them in (D)parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 and as he sowed, some seeds fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate them up. 5 And others fell on the rocky places, where they did not have much soil; and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of soil. 6 But when the sun had risen, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. 7 And others fell [b]among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out. 8 And others fell on the good soil and were yielding [c]a crop, some a (E)hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 (F)He who has ears, [d]let him hear.”
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “(A)Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears (B)the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, (C)the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road. 20 And the one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he [a](D)falls away. 22 And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the one who hears the word, and the worry of (E)the [b]world and the (F)deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 23 And the one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some (G)a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.”
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