Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
18 Do not linger thinking about events of the past;
consider not the things of old.
19 I am about to do something new.
Now it comes to fruition;
can you not perceive it?
I will make a path through the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
20 The wild beasts will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches,
because I will provide water in the desert
and rivers in the wasteland
where my chosen people may drink,
21 the people whom I formed for myself
so that they may proclaim my praise.
22 Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
you grew weary of me, O Israel.
23 You have not brought me sheep for burnt offerings
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not exacted grain offerings from you
or wearied you with demands for incense.
24 You have not purchased aromatic cane for me
or sated me with the fat of your sacrifices.
Rather, you have burdened me with your sins;
you have wearied me with your crimes.
25 I, I alone, am the one
who blots out your transgressions for my own sake,
and I will remember your sins no more.
Psalm 41[a]
Trust in God in Sickness and Misfortune
1 For the director.[b] A psalm of David.
2 [c]Blessed is he who has concern for the weak;
in time of trouble the Lord will deliver him.
3 The Lord will protect him and keep him alive;
he will make him happy on earth
and not abandon him to the will of his enemies.
4 The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed
and bring him back to health.
5 Once I prayed, “O Lord, have mercy on me;
heal me, for I have sinned[d] against you.
6 In their malice my enemies say of me,
‘When will he die and his name be forgotten?’
7 When someone comes to visit me,
he utters words without sincerity;
his heart[e] harbors slander,
and on departing he gives voice to it.
8 “All my enemies whisper against me
and conjure up the worst in my regard.
9 ‘He has a fatal disease,’ they say;
‘he will never rise up from his sickbed.’
10 “Even my friend whom I trusted,
the one who dined at my table,
has risen up[f] against me.
11 But you, O Lord, be merciful to me;
make me well[g] so that I may pay them back.”
12 By this I know that you are pleased with me—
that my enemy fails to triumph over me.
13 Because of my innocence you uphold me
and let me stand in your presence forever.
14 Blessed[h] be the Lord, the God of Israel,
forever and forever.
Amen and Amen.
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been “Yes” and “No.” 19 The Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed to you by us, that is, by Silvanus[a] and Timothy and me, was not a mixture of “Yes” and “No.” He was never anything but “Yes.”
20 In him is the “Yes” to every one of the promises of God. Indeed, it is through him that we say “Amen” to give glory to God. 21 However, it is God who enables both us and you to stand firm in Christ. He has anointed us 22 and marked us with his seal and given us the Spirit in our hearts, as a down payment of what is to come.
First Oppositions[a]
Chapter 2
Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man. 1 When Jesus returned some days later to Capernaum, the word quickly spread that he was at home. 2 Such large multitudes gathered there that no longer was any space available, even in front of the door, and he was preaching the word to them.
3 Some people arrived, bringing to him a man who was paralyzed, carried by four men. 4 Since they were unable to bring him near Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above him and then lowered the bed on which the paralyzed man was lying.
5 On perceiving their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some scribes[b] were sitting there, thinking to themselves: 7 “How can this man say such things? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Jesus was able immediately to discern in his spirit what they were thinking, and he asked, “Why do you entertain such thoughts in your hearts? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say: ‘Stand up, take your mat, and walk’? 10 But that you may come to realize that the Son of Man[c] has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralyzed man— 11 “I say to you, stand up, take your bed, and go to your home.” 12 The man stood up, immediately picked up his bed, and went off in full view of all of them. The onlookers were all astonished and they glorified God, saying, “We have never before witnessed anything like this.”
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