Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Abrahamic Covenant
15 After these events, the word of the Lord came(A) to Abram in a vision:
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can You give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”[a] 3 Abram continued, “Look, You have given me no offspring, so a slave born in[b] my house will be my heir.”
4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body[c] will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”(D)
6 Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.(E)
12 Happy is the nation whose God is Yahweh—
the people He has chosen to be His own possession!(A)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
He observes everyone.(B)
14 He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth
from His dwelling place.(C)
15 He alone shapes their hearts;
He considers all their works.(D)
16 A king is not saved by a large army;
a warrior will not be delivered by great strength.(E)
17 The horse is a false hope for safety;
it provides no escape by its great power.(F)
Heroes of Faith
11 Now faith is the reality[a] of what is hoped for, the proof[b] of what is not seen.(A) 2 For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.
3 By faith we understand that the universe was[c] created by God’s command,[d](B) so that what is seen has been made from things that are not visible.
8 By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went out to a place he was going to receive as an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he was going.(A) 9 By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.(B) 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.(C)
11 By faith even Sarah herself, when she was unable to have children, received power to conceive offspring, even though she was past the age, since she[a] considered that the One who had promised was faithful.(D) 12 Therefore from one man—in fact, from one as good as dead—came offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as innumerable as the grains of sand by the seashore.(E)
13 These all died in faith without having received the promises, but they saw them from a distance,(F) greeted them, and confessed that they were foreigners and temporary residents on the earth.(G) 14 Now those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they were thinking about where they came from, they would have had an opportunity to return. 16 But they now desire a better place—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.(H)
32 Don’t be afraid,(A) little flock,(B) because your Father delights(C) to give you the kingdom.(D) 33 Sell(E) your possessions and give to the poor.(F) Make money-bags(G) for yourselves that won’t grow old, an inexhaustible treasure(H) in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.(I)
Ready for the Master’s Return
35 “Be ready for service[a] and have your lamps lit.(J) 36 You must be like people waiting for their master(K) to return[b] from the wedding banquet(L) so that when he comes and knocks, they can open the door for him at once.(M) 37 Those slaves the master will find alert(N) when he comes will be blessed. I assure you: He will get ready,[c] have them recline at the table, then come and serve them.(O) 38 If he comes in the middle of the night, or even near dawn,[d] and finds them alert, those slaves are blessed. 39 But know this: If the homeowner had known at what hour the thief was coming,(P) he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also be ready,(Q) because the Son of Man(R) is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”(S)
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