Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
19 The Lord God had formed all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He had made all of them out of the ground. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give them. And the name the man gave each living creature became its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, all the birds in the sky, and all the wild animals.
But Adam didn’t find a helper that was just right for him. 21 So the Lord God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs. Then the Lord God closed the opening in the man’s side. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman. He made her from the rib he had taken out of the man. And the Lord God brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“Her bones have come from my bones.
Her body has come from my body.
She will be named ‘woman,’
because she was taken out of a man.”
24 That’s why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife. The two of them become one.
For the director of music. According to gittith. A psalm of David.
8 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in the whole earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2 You have made sure that children
and infants praise you.
Their praise is a wall
that stops the talk of your enemies.
3 I think about the heavens.
I think about what your fingers have created.
I think about the moon and stars
that you have set in place.
4 What are human beings that you think about them?
What is a son of man that you take care of him?
5 You have made them a little lower than the angels.
You placed on them a crown of glory and honor.
6 You made human beings rule over everything your hands created.
You put everything under their control.
7 They rule over all flocks and herds
and over the wild animals.
8 They rule over the birds in the sky
and over the fish in the ocean.
They rule over everything that swims in the oceans.
9 Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in the whole earth!
God Speaks His Final Word Through His Son
1 In the past, God spoke to our people through the prophets. He spoke at many times. He spoke in different ways. 2 But in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. He is the one whom God appointed to receive all things. God also made everything through him. 3 The Son is the shining brightness of God’s glory. He is the exact likeness of God’s being. He uses his powerful word to hold all things together. He provided the way for people to be made pure from sin. Then he sat down at the right hand of the King, the Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became higher than the angels. The name he received is more excellent than theirs.
Jesus Was Made Fully Human
5 God has not put angels in charge of the world that is going to come. We are talking about that world. 6 There is a place where someone has spoken about this. He said,
“What are human beings that you think about them?
What is a son of man that you take care of him?
7 You made them a little lower than the angels.
You placed on them a crown of glory and honor.
8 You have put everything under their control.” (Psalm 8:4–6)
So God has put everything under his Son. Everything is under his control. We do not now see everything under his control. 9 But we do see Jesus already given a crown of glory and honor. He was made lower than the angels for a little while. He suffered death. By the grace of God, he tasted death for everyone. That is why he was given his crown.
10 God has made everything. He is now bringing his many sons and daughters to share in his glory. It is only right that Jesus is the one to lead them into their salvation. That’s because God made him perfect by his sufferings. 11 And Jesus, who makes people holy, and the people he makes holy belong to the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters. 12 He says,
“I will announce your name to my brothers and sisters.
I will sing your praises among those who worship you.” (Psalm 22:22)
2 Some Pharisees came to test Jesus. They asked, “Does the Law allow a man to divorce his wife?”
3 “What did Moses command you?” he replied.
4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a letter of divorce and send her away.”
5 “You were stubborn. That’s why Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ (Genesis 1:27) 7 ‘That’s why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. 8 The two of them will become one.’ (Genesis 2:24) They are no longer two, but one. 9 So no one should separate what God has joined together.”
10 When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. 11 He answered, “What if a man divorces his wife and gets married to another woman? He commits adultery against her. 12 And what if she divorces her husband and gets married to another man? She commits adultery.”
Little Children Are Brought to Jesus
13 People were bringing little children to Jesus. They wanted him to place his hands on them to bless them. But the disciples told them to stop. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was angry. He said to his disciples, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t keep them away. God’s kingdom belongs to people like them. 15 What I’m about to tell you is true. Anyone who will not receive God’s kingdom like a little child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms. He placed his hands on them to bless them.
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