Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
22 Thus says the Lord God:
I, too, will pluck from the crest of the cedar
the highest branch.
From the top a tender shoot
I will break off and transplant[a]
on a high, lofty mountain.
23 On the mountain height of Israel
I will plant it.
It shall put forth branches and bear fruit,
and become a majestic cedar.
Every small bird will nest under it,
all kinds of winged birds will dwell
in the shade of its branches.(A)
24 Every tree of the field will know
that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
lift high the lowly tree,
Wither up the green tree,
and make the dry tree bloom.(B)
As I, the Lord, have spoken, so will I do!
12 My eyes look with glee on my wicked enemies;
my ears shall hear what happens to my wicked foes.(A)
13 The just shall flourish like the palm tree,
shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.(B)
14 [a]Planted in the house of the Lord,
they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
15 They shall bear fruit even in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
6 [a]So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.(A) 9 Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. 10 For we must all appear[b] before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.(B)
The Ministry of Reconciliation. 11 [a]Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we are clearly apparent to God, and I hope we are also apparent to your consciousness.(A) 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you an opportunity to boast of us, so that you may have something to say to those who boast of external appearance rather than of the heart.(B) 13 For if we are out of our minds,[b] it is for God; if we are rational, it is for you.
14 [a]For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died.(A) 15 He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.(B)
16 Consequently,[b] from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. 17 (C)So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.
Seed Grows of Itself. 26 He said, “This is how it is with the kingdom of God;[a] it is as if a man were to scatter seed(A) on the land 27 and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. 28 Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.”
The Mustard Seed. 30 (B)He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. 32 [b]But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” 33 With many such parables(C) he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. 34 Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.