Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
24 Lord, you have made so many things!
How wise you were when you made all of them!
The earth is full of your creatures.
25 Look at the ocean, so big and wide!
It is filled with more creatures than people can count.
It is filled with living things, from the largest to the smallest.
26 Ships sail back and forth on it.
Leviathan, the sea monster you made, plays in it.
27 All creatures depend on you
to give them their food when they need it.
28 When you give it to them,
they eat it.
When you open your hand,
they are satisfied with good things.
29 When you turn your face away from them,
they are terrified.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn back into dust.
30 When you send your Spirit,
you create them.
You give new life to the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord continue forever.
May the Lord be happy with what he has made.
32 When he looks at the earth, it trembles.
When he touches the mountains, they pour out smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord all my life.
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May these thoughts of mine please him.
I find my joy in the Lord.
35 But may sinners be gone from the earth.
May evil people disappear.
I will praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
The Valley of Dry Bones
37 The power of the Lord came on me. His Spirit brought me away from my home. He put me down in the middle of a valley. It was full of bones. 2 He led me back and forth among them. I saw a huge number of bones in the valley. The bones were very dry. 3 The Lord asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”
I said, “Lord and King, you are the only one who knows.”
4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones. Tell them, ‘Dry bones, listen to the Lord’s message. 5 The Lord and King speaks to you. He says, “I will put breath in you. Then you will come to life again. 6 I will attach tendons to you. I will put flesh on you. I will cover you with skin. So I will put breath in you. And you will come to life again. Then you will know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”
7 So I prophesied just as the Lord commanded me to. As I was prophesying, I heard a noise. It was a rattling sound. The bones came together. One bone connected itself to another. 8 I saw tendons and flesh appear on them. Skin covered them. But there was no breath in them.
9 Then the Lord said to me, “Prophesy to the breath. Prophesy, son of man. Tell it, ‘The Lord and King says, “Breath, come from all four directions. Go into these people who have been killed. Then they can live.” ’ ” 10 So I prophesied just as he commanded me to. And breath entered them. Then they came to life again. They stood up on their feet. They were like a huge army.
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Son of man, these bones stand for all the people of Israel. The people say, ‘Our bones are dried up. We’ve lost all hope. We are destroyed.’ 12 So prophesy. Tell them, ‘The Lord and King says, “My people, I am going to open up your graves. I am going to bring you out of them. I will take you back to the land of Israel. 13 So I will open up your graves and bring you out of them. Then you will know that I am the Lord. You are my people. 14 I will put my Spirit in you. And you will live again. I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I have spoken. I have done it,” announces the Lord.’ ”
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together. They had locked the doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came in and stood among them. He said, “May peace be with you!” 20 Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were very happy when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “May peace be with you! The Father has sent me. So now I am sending you.” 22 He then breathed on them. He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
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