Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Cyrus: God’s Deliverer
45 This is what the Lord says to his anointed, Cyrus,
whose right hand I have grasped
to subdue nations before him,
as I strip kings of their armor,[a]
to open doors[b] before him
and gates that cannot keep closed:
2 “I myself will go before you,
and he[c] will make the mountains[d] level;
I’ll shatter bronze doors
and cut through iron bars.
3 I’ll give you concealed treasures[e]
and riches hidden in secret places,
so that you’ll know that it is I, the Lord,
the God of Israel, who calls you by name.
4 For the sake of Jacob my servant,
Israel[f] my chosen,
I’ve called you,
and he has established you with a name,[g]
although you have not acknowledged me.
5 I am the Lord, and there is no other besides me:
and there are no gods.[h]
I’m strengthening you,
although you have not acknowledged me,
6 so that from the sun’s rising[i] to the west
people may know that there is none besides me.
“I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
God is Sovereign
7 “I form light and create darkness,
I make goodness[j] and create disaster.
I am the Lord, who does all these things.
Give Glory to the Lord
96 Sing a new song to the Lord!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
2 Sing to the Lord!
Bless his name!
Proclaim his deliverance every day!
3 Declare his glory among the nations
and his awesome deeds among all the peoples!
4 For the Lord is great,
and greatly to be praised;
he is awesome above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before him;
might and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name,
bring an offering and enter his courts!
9 Worship the Lord in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Declare among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
Indeed, he established the world so that it will not falter.
He will judge people fairly.
11 The heavens will be glad
and the earth will rejoice;
even the sea and everything that fills it will roar.[a]
12 The field and all that is in it will rejoice;
then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
13 in the Lord’s presence,
because he is coming;
indeed, he will come to judge the earth.
He will judge the world fairly
and its people reliably.
Greetings
1 From:[a] Paul, Silvanus,[b] and Timothy.
To: The church of the Thessalonians in union with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[c]
May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[d] be yours!
Paul’s Prayer for the Thessalonians
2 We always thank God for all of you when we mention you in our prayers. 3 In the presence of our God and Father, we constantly remember how your faith is active,[e] your love is hard at work,[f] and your hope in our Lord Jesus the Messiah[g] is enduring.[h] 4 Brothers whom God loves, we know that he has chosen you, 5 for the gospel we brought[i] did not come to you in words only, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit, and with deep conviction. Indeed,[j] you know what kind of people we proved to be while we were with you, acting on your behalf.
6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of a great deal of suffering, you welcomed the word with the joy that the Holy Spirit produces.[k] 7 As a result, you became a model for all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. 8 From you the word of the Lord has spread out not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place where your faith in God has become known. As a result, we do not need to say anything about it.
9 For people[l] keep telling us what kind of welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve a living and true God 10 and to wait for his Son whom he raised from the dead to come back[m] from heaven. This Jesus is the one who rescues us from the coming wrath.
A Question about Paying Taxes(A)
15 Then the Pharisees went and planned how to trap Jesus[a] in conversation. 16 They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians.[b] They said, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere and that you teach the way of God truthfully. You don’t favor any individual, because you pay no attention to external appearance. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
18 Recognizing their wickedness, Jesus asked, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? 19 Show me the coin used for the tax.”
They brought him a denarius.[c] 20 Then he asked them, “Whose face and name is this?”
21 They told him, “Caesar’s.”
So he told them, “Then give back to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22 When they heard this, they were amazed. Then they left him and went away.
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