Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Wednesday 22 November 2006

I'm back! Now back from my trip and also semi-recovered from a really nasty flu.

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 65:1-13
Malachi 1:1, 6-14
James 3:13-4:12
Luke 17:11-19
Evening: Psalm 125:1-5

To read the lectionary click on the lick to the right that says: PC(USA) - Daily Lectionary
__________________________________

The Book of James always intrigues me. First of all it has these passages in it that Martin Luther just couldn't deal with, like:

[13] Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life
that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.

It wasn't supposed to be about "works," but living a good life is all over the Book of James.
The other thing that intrigues me is the role of intention in James. Why do you do what you do? How does your intention affect the outcome?

You do not have, because you do not ask. [3] You ask and
do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you
get on your pleasures.

So it's not just the works, it's the intention: not just the visible, but also the invisible.

rpv

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Ross is going out of town...

Hi Folks,

I'll be out of town from tomorrow until Sunday night, and I may not have access to the internet. If I do, I'll post some stuff for us, but if I don't you'll know why.

Have a great weekend,
Ross P-V

The Study Catechism - Wednesday, 8 November 2006

Question 70. What is the main difference between baptism and the Lord's Supper?

While I receive baptism only once, I receive the Lord's Supper again and again. Being unrepeatable, baptism indicates not only that Christ died for our sins once and for all, but that by grace we are also united with him once and for all through faith. Being repeatable, the Lord's Supper indicates that as we turn unfilled to him again and again, our Lord continually meets us in the power of the Holy Spirit to renew and deepen our faith.

Acts 2:41 "So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added."

John 6:33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

John 6:56 "Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them."

1 Cor. 11:26 "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

The Study Catechism - something else we might look at...

Hi Folks,

I was looking on the Devotionals page of the PC(USA) web site and noticed this link to the "question of the day" from the Study Catechism. I'm not sure which one I like better, the daily lectionary or the study catechism question. I'll post some of the questions to see what you think. In the meantime, check out the web page for the question of the day at:
http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/catechd.cgi
.

rpv
______________________________________

Question 69. How do you understand the relationship between the word of promise and the sacramental sign?

Take away the word of promise, and the water is merely water, or the bread and wine, merely bread and wine. But add water, or bread and wine, to the word of promise, and it becomes a visible word. In this form it does what by grace the word always does: it brings the salvation it promises, and conveys to faith the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The sacraments are visible words which uniquely assure and confirm that no matter how greatly I may have sinned, Christ died also for me, and comes to live in me and with me.

Luke 24:30-31 "When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight."

1 Cor. 10:16 "The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?"

Matt. 28:20 "Teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Col. 1:27 "To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Daily Lectionary Readings for Tuesday 7 November 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Tuesday 7 November 2006

Read the full texts at: http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 42:1-11
Zephaniah 1:14-18
Revelation 14:14-15:8
Luke 13:1-9
Evening: Psalm 102:1-28

Today there's a lot of wrath:

Zephaniah
[14] The great day of the LORD is near...[15] That day will be a day of wrath, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness

Revelations
[19] So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God. [20] And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse’s bridle, for a distance of about two hundred miles.

Luke
[6] Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. [7]So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?'
________________________________________________

Not exactly comforting. With the morning and evening psalms to "bookend" this stuff, it's pretty clear that storing up treasures on earth is not the way to go. Not in building up cities, not in gathering wealth, not in victories over enemies - none of that will do it. But besides what we shouldn't do, what are we to do? What should the figs on our fig trees be like? Which fruits of our labors would be the ones for harvest?

rpv

Monday, November 06, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Monday 6 November 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Monday 6 November 2006

Read the full texts at: http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 5:1-12
Zephaniah 1:7-13
Revelation 14:1-13
Luke 12:49-59
Evening: Psalm 82:1-8

The excerpt from Luke:

[54] He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in
the west, you immediately say, 'It is going to rain'; and so it
happens. [55] And when you see the south wind blowing, you say,
'There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. [56] You
hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth
and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present
time?

[57] "And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? [58] Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. [59] I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny."
_____________________________________

Even though the lectionary breaks the paragraphs between v56 and v57, I want to include v57 with the previous paragraph. It feels like the "thesis" formed from the examples of the paragraph above it. Plus I'm struck by Jesus's admonition to follow both our senses of what we know to be right (our consciences) and our sense of justice in the application of law to our own behavior. It sounds at once in agreement with and disagreement with American Transcendentalists.

rpv

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Sunday 5 November 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Sunday 5 November 2006

Read the full texts at: http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 103:1-22
Zephaniah 1:1-6
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:13
Matthew 18:21-35
Evening: Psalm 117:1-2

THIRTY-FIRST SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME LECTIONARY:

Ruth 1:1-18
Psalm 146:1-10
Hebrews 9:11-14
Mark 12:28-34
______________________________________

There's a lot to choose from today, but what comes up for me most in these passages is love and forgiveness.

From the morning psalm:
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.

To Paul's proclamation of a "more excellent way" than knowledge:
[8] Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. [9] For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; [10] but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.

To Jesus' clarification to the scribe in Mark's gospel:
[28] One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the first of all?" [29] Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; [30] you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' [31] The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Saturday, November 04, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Saturday 4 November 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Saturday 4 November 2006

Read the full texts at: http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi

DAILY LECTIONARY:
Morning: Psalm 63:1-11
Nahum 3:8-19
Revelation 13:11-18
Luke 12:32-48
Evening: Psalm 125:1-5

Excerpt from Nahum:
18Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. 19There is no assuaging your hurt, your wound is mortal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands over you. For who has ever escaped your endless cruelty?


Excerpt from Revelations:
11Then I saw another beast that rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and it makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound had been healed…16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18This calls for wisdom: let anyone with understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a person. Its number is six hundred sixty-six.

Excerpt from Luke:
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
------------------------------------------------

Wow, lambs, and money and values... what a combo. Seriously, it appears that Luke's answer to the 666 beast is an interesting proposition. Who cares if you can't buy or sell anything without the mark of the beast if you are actually engaged in what Jesus advises? If we are doing God's work, does that mean giving our whole lives over? What does it mean to "make for yourself a purse that does not wear out"?

rpv

Friday, November 03, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Friday 3 November 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Friday 3 November 2006

Read the full texts at: http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 84:1-12
Nahum 2:13-3:7
Revelation 13:1-10
Luke 12:13-31
Evening: Psalm 25:1-22


An excerpt from Luke:
16Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?" 18Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' 20But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

I find this passage really compelling; in particular this sentence: "The things you have prepared, whose will they be?" We are gearing up for this year's annual pledge campaign, and I wonder - every time we do the budget - what is a faithful spending plan? What is a faithful distribution of church resources? Are we giving enough away to others as a community? To what extent are all these capital improvements truly faithful, and to what extent are they storing up treasures on earth and not in heaven (even necessary things like fixing plumbing leaks, roof leaks, and water seepage through the basement walls)? What are we worried about in this time of surpluses and budgets that run in the black?

Those kinds of questions are the ones I hope we can talk about in the next few months and years - the kinds of questions that matter.

rpv

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Thursday 2 November 2006

You'll find the list of passages below and a couple of those passages (so this post won't be so long). You can find the entire set of passages on one web page at http://www.pcusa.org/cgi-bin/lectiond.cgi, or use the link on the right-hand side of this page called: PC(USA) - Daily Lectionary.

Daily Lectionary Readings for Thursday 2 November 2006

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 116:1-19
Nahum 1:15-2:12
Revelation 12:7-17
Luke 11:53-12:12
Evening: Psalm 26:1-12


----------------------------------------------------------------------


Morning: Psalm 116:1-19

[1] I love the LORD, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
[2] Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
[3] The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
[4] Then I called on the name of the LORD:
"O LORD, I pray, save my life!"

[5] Gracious is the LORD, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
[6] The LORD protects the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
[7] Return, O my soul, to your rest,
for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.

[8] For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling.
[9] I walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
[10] I kept my faith, even when I said,
"I am greatly afflicted";
[11] I said in my consternation,
"Everyone is a liar."

[12] What shall I return to the LORD
for all his bounty to me?
[13] I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the LORD,
[14] I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people.
[15] Precious in the sight of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
[16] O LORD, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
[17] I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the LORD.
[18] I will pay my vows to the LORD
in the presence of all his people,
[19] in the courts of the house of the LORD,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the LORD!


Luke 11:53-12:12

[53] When he went outside, the scribes and the Pharisees began to
be very hostile toward him and to cross-examine him about many
things, [54] lying in wait for him, to catch him in something he
might say.

[12:1] Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered by the thousands, so that
they trampled on one another, he began to speak first to his
disciples, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. [2] Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered,
and nothing secret that will not become known. [3] Therefore
whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed
from the housetops.

[4] "I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body,
and after that can do nothing more. [5] But I will warn you whom
to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast
into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! [6] Are not five sparrows
sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s
sight. [7] But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not
be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

[8] "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others,
the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; [9]
but whoever denies me before others will be denied before the
angels of God. [10] 1And everyone who speaks a word against the
Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against the
Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. [11] When they bring you before
the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about
how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; [12] for
the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to
say."

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Wednesday 1 November 2006

Daily Lectionary Readings for Wednesday 1 November 2006

DAILY LECTIONARY:

Morning: Psalm 96:1-13
Nahum 1:1-14
Revelation 12:1-6
Luke 11:37-52
Evening: Psalm 132:1-18

ALL SAINTS DAY LECTIONARY:

Isaiah 25:6-9
Psalm 24:1-10
Revelation 21:1-6a
John 11:32-44


----------------------------------------------------------------------


DAILY LECTIONARY
Morning: Psalm 96:1-13

[1] O sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
[2] Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
[3] Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples.
[4] For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
[5] For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
[6] Honor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

[7] Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
[8] Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts.
[9] Worship the LORD in holy splendor;
tremble before him, all the earth.

[10] Say among the nations, "The LORD is king!
The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
He will judge the peoples with equity."
[11] Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
[12] let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
[13] before the LORD; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his truth.


* * * * * * * * * *


Nahum 1:1-14

[1] An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum
of Elkosh.

[2] A jealous and avenging God is the LORD, the LORD is avenging and
wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and rages against
his enemies. [3] The LORD is slow to anger but great in power, and the
LORD will by no means clear the guilty.

His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of
his feet. [4] He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and he dries up
all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon
fades. [5] The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the
earth heaves before him, the world and all who live in it.

[6] Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat
of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and by him the
rocks are broken in pieces. [7] The LORD is good, a stronghold
in a day of trouble; he protects those who take refuge in him, [8]
even in a rushing flood. He will make a full end of his adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness. [9] Why do you plot
against the LORD? He will make an end; no adversary will rise up
twice. [10] Like thorns they are entangled, like drunkards they
are drunk; they are consumed like dry straw. [11] From you one has
gone out who plots evil against the LORD, who counsels wickedness.

[12] Thus says the LORD, "Though they are at full strength and many,
they will be cut off and pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I
will afflict you no more. [13] And now I will break off his yoke
from you and snap the bonds that bind you."

[14] The LORD has commanded concerning you: "Your name shall be
perpetuated no longer; from the house of your gods I will cut off the
carved image and the cast image. I will make your grave, for you are
worthless."


* * * * * * * * * *


Revelation 12:1-6

[1] A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars. [2] She was pregnant and was crying out in birthpangs, in the
agony of giving birth. [3] Then another portent appeared in heaven:
a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven
diadems on his heads. [4] His tail swept down a third of the stars
of heaven and threw them to the earth. Then the dragon stood before
the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her
child as soon as it was born. [5] And she gave birth to a son, a
male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron. But
her child was snatched away and taken to God and to his throne; [6]
and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place
prepared by God, so that there she can be nourished for one
thousand two hundred sixty days.


* * * * * * * * * *


Luke 11:37-52

[37] While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with
him; so he went in and took his place at the table. [38] The Pharisee
was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. [39]
Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees clean the outside of
the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and
wickedness. [40] You fools! Did not the one who made the outside
make the inside also? [41] So give for alms those things that are
within; and see, everything will be clean for you.

[42] "But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs
of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these
you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others. [43] Woe
to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the
synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces. [44]
Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over
them without realizing it."

[45] One of the lawyers answered him, "Teacher, when you say these
things, you insult us too." [46] and he said, "Woe also to you
lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you
yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them. [47] Woe to you! For
you build the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
[48] So you are witnesses and approve of the deeds of your
ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs. [49]
Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,' [50] so
that this generation may be charged with the blood of all the
prophets shed since the foundation of the world, [51] from the
blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the
altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be charged
against this generation. [52] Woe to you lawyers! For you have
taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter yourselves, and
you hindered those who were entering."


* * * * * * * * * *


Evening: Psalm 132:1-18

[1] O LORD, remember in David's favor
all the hardships he endured;
[2] how he swore to the LORD
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
[3] "I will not enter my house
or get into my bed;
[4] I will not give sleep to my eyes
or slumber to my eyelids,
[5] until I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of Jacob."

[6] We heard of it in Ephrathah;
we found it in the fields of Jaar.
[7] "Let us go to his dwelling-place;
let us worship at his footstool."

[8] Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting-place,
you and the ark of your might.
[9] Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your faithful shout for joy.
[10] For your servant David's sake
do not turn away the face of your anointed one.

[11] The LORD swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
"One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
[12] If your sons keep my covenant
and my decrees that I shall teach them,
their sons also, for evermore,
shall sit on your throne."

[13] For the LORD has chosen Zion;
he has desired it for his habitation:
[14] "This is my resting-place for ever;
here I will reside, for I have desired it.
[15] I will abundantly bless its provisions;
I will satisfy its poor with bread.
[16] Its priests I will clothe with salvation,
and its faithful will shout for joy.
[17] There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David;
I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
[18] His enemies I will clothe with disgrace,
but on him, his crown will gleam."


----------------------------------------------------------------------


ALL SAINTS DAY LECTIONARY
Isaiah 25:6-9

[6] On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a
feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled
with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

[7] And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over
all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will
swallow up death forever.

[8] Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and
the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for
the LORD has spoken.

[9] It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited
for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have
waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.


* * * * * * * *


Psalm 24:1-10

[1] The earth is the LORD's and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
[2] for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers.

[3] Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
[4] Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
[5] They will receive blessing from the LORD,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
[6] Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.
Selah

[7] Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
[8] Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD, mighty in battle.
[9] Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.
[10] Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
he is the King of glory.
Selah


* * * * * * * * * *


Revelation 21:1-6a

[1] Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. [2]
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of
heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. [3]
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of
God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will
be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; [4] he will wipe
every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying
and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away."

[5] And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making
all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are
trustworthy and true." [6] Then he said to me, "It is done! I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will
give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life."


* * * * * * * * * *


John 11:32-44

[32] When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his
feet and said to him, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would
not have died." [33] When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who
came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and
deeply moved. [34] He said, "Where have you laid him?" They said to
him, "Lord, come and see." [35] Jesus began to weep. [36] So the
Jews said, "See how he loved him!" [37] But some of them said, "Could
not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from
dying?"

[38] Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was
a cave, and a stone was lying against it. [39] Jesus said, "Take
away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him,
"Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days."
[40] Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you
would see the glory of God?" [41] So they took away the stone. And
Jesus looked upward and said, "Father, I thank you for having heard
me. [42] I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the
sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you
sent me." [43] When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice,
"Lazarus, come out!" [44] The dead man came out, his hands and feet
bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus
said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."