Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Origin of the World and Humankind[a]
Creation and the Fall
Chapter 1
Origin of the Universe.[b] 1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[c] 2 The earth was formless and barren, and darkness covered the abyss while the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.
3 God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 And he called the light day, and he called the darkness night. This was the evening and the morning of the first day.
6 God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters to separate one set of waters from the other.”[d] 7 God separated the firmament from the waters, those waters that are under the firmament from those that are above the firmament. And it was so. 8 God called the firmament the heavens. This was the evening and the morning of the second day.
9 God said, “Let the waters that are under the heavens be gathered into one place and let a dry place appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry place the land, and the gathered waters he called the sea. And God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the land bring forth plants, those that produce seeds and fruit trees that have seeds inside of the fruit they bear, each according to its own kind. And it was so. 12 The land brought forth plants, each according to its kind, and trees that have fruit with seeds inside of them, each according to its kind.” God saw that they were good. 13 This was the evening and the morning of the third day.
14 God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; let them be markers to separate seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light to the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night, and he also made the stars. 17 God placed them in the firmament of the heavens to light the earth 18 and to rule over the day and the night and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 This was the evening and the morning of the fourth day.
20 God said, “Let the waters be filled with living creatures and let birds fly above the earth in the firmament of the heavens.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and all the other creatures that fill the waters, each according to its kind, and all the birds that fly in the sky, each according to its kind. 22 God blessed them saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the sea, and let the birds multiply upon the earth.” 23 And this was the evening and the morning of the fifth day.
24 God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures each according to its kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 God made the savage beasts according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind and all of the reptiles according to their kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, “Let us[e] make man in our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the wild animals and reptiles that crawl upon the earth.”
27 God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth; subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the seas and over the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.”
29 And God said, “Behold, I give you every plant that produces seeds upon the earth and every tree that has fruit with its seed inside of it: these shall be your food. 30 And I give all green plants to every wild animal and to all the birds of the air and to all creatures that move upon the surface of the earth and that have the breath of life in them.” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and behold, it was very good. This was the evening and the morning of the sixth day.
Chapter 2
1 This is how the heavens and the earth and everything in them were made.
2 [f]God completed his work on the seventh day and on the seventh day he rested from all of his work. 3 God blessed the seventh day and he consecrated it, for on it he rested from all the work he had done when he created all things.
4 This was the origin of the heavens and the earth when they were first created.
Origin of Human Beings.[g] When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
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!
Conclusion[a]
11 Live in Peace. And now, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways. Encourage one another. Be of one mind and live in peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.[b] All the saints send you greetings.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
16 Jesus Gives the Great Commission.[a] Then the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to meet him. 17 When they saw him, they prostrated themselves before him, although some doubted. 18 Then Jesus approached them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,[b] 20 and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the world.”
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