Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A Prayer for the King

For the director of music. A song of David.

Gifts for the Lord

25 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites to bring me gifts. Receive for me the gifts each man wants to give. ³ These are the gifts that you should receive from them: gold, silver, bronze, ⁴ blue, purple and red thread, and fine linen. Receive cloth made of goat hair. ⁵ Receive the male sheep skins that are dyed red. Receive fine leather, acacia wood ⁶ and olive oil to burn in the lamps. And receive spices for sweet-smelling incense and the special olive oil poured on a person’s head to make him a priest. ⁷ Also accept onyx stones and other jewels to be put on the holy vest and the chest covering.

⁸ “The people must build a holy place for me. Then I can live among them. ⁹ Build this Holy Tent and everything in it by the plan I will show you.

The Ark of the Covenant

¹⁰ “Use acacia wood and build an Ark. It must be 45 inches long, 27 inches wide and 27 inches high. ¹¹ Cover the Ark of the Covenant inside and out with pure gold. And put a gold strip all around it. ¹² Make four gold rings for the Ark of the Covenant. Attach the gold rings to its four feet, two rings on each side. ¹³ Then make poles from acacia wood and cover them with gold. ¹⁴ Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the Ark. Use these poles to carry the Ark of the Covenant. ¹⁵ These poles must always stay in the rings of the Ark of the Covenant. Do not take the poles out. ¹⁶ Then put the two flat stones in the Ark of the Covenant. I will give you these stones on which the commands are written.

¹⁷ “Then make a lid of pure gold for the Ark of the Covenant. This lid is the mercy seat. Make it 45 inches long and 27 inches wide. ¹⁸ Then hammer gold to make two creatures with wings. Put one on each end of the lid. ¹⁹ Put one creature with wings on one end of the lid. And put the other creature with wings on the other end. Attach the creatures with wings to the lid so that they will all be one piece. ²⁰ The creatures’ wings should be spread out over the lid. The creatures are to face each other across the lid. ²¹ Put this lid on top of the Ark of the Covenant. Also put in this Ark of the Covenant the agreement which I will make with you. ²² I will meet with you there, above the lid between the two creatures with wings. These are on the Ark of the Covenant. There I will give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The Message of Christ’s Death

2 Dear brothers, when I came to you, I did not come as a proud man. I preached God’s truth, but not with fancy words or a show of great learning. ² I decided that while I was with you I would forget about everything except Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. ³ When I came to you, I was weak and shook with fear. ⁴ My teaching and my speaking were not with wise words that persuade people. But the proof of my teaching was the power that the Spirit gives. ⁵ I did this so that your faith would be in God’s power, not in the wisdom of a man.

God’s Wisdom

⁶ Yet I speak wisdom to those who are mature. But this wisdom is not from this world or of the rulers of this world. (These rulers are losing their power.) ⁷ But I speak God’s secret wisdom, which he has kept hidden. God planned this wisdom for our glory, before the world began. ⁸ None of the rulers of this world understood it. If they had, they would not have killed the Lord of glory on a cross. ⁹ But as it is written in the Scriptures:

¹⁰ But God has shown us these things through the Spirit.

The Spirit knows all things, even the deep secrets of God.