…search again for the LORD your God.

And if you search for him

with all your heart and soul,

you will find him.

Deuteronomy 4:29

Some went off to sea in ships,

plying the trade routes of the world.

They, too, observed the LORD’s power in action,

his impressive works on the deepest seas.

He spoke, 

and the winds rose,

stirring up the waves.

Their ships were tossed to the heavens

and plunged again to the depths;

the sailors cringed in terror.

They reeled and staggered like drunkards

and were at their wits’ end.

“LORD, help!” they cried in their trouble,

and he saved them from their distress.

He calmed the storm to a whisper

and stilled the waves.

What a blessing was that stillness

as he brought them safely into harbor!

Psalm 107:23-30

(Ancient Kechrees Port on the Saronic Gulf of Corinth, Greece)

Let all that I am praise the LORD.

O LORD my God,

how great you are!

You are robed with honor and majesty.

You are dressed in a robe of light.

You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;

you lay out the rafters of your home

in the rain clouds.

You make the clouds your chariot;

you ride upon the wings of the wind.

You placed the world on its foundation

so it would never be moved.

Psalm 104:1-3, 5

Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth

and made the heavens with your hands.

They will perish,

but you remain forever;

they will wear out like old clothing.

You will change them like a garment

and discard them.

But you are always the same;

you will live forever.

Psalm 103:25-27

…spreading this Good News…

…about the endless treasures available to them

in Christ.

God’s purpose in all this was to use the church

to display his wisdom in its rich variety

to all the unseen rulers and authorities

in the heavenly places.

The LORD has made the heavens his throne;

from there he rules over everything.

Praise the LORD, 

you angels,

you mighty ones who carry out his plans,

listening for each of his commands.

Ephesians 3:7-8, 10;Psalm 103:19-20

The LORD is compassionate and merciful,

slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

He will not constantly accuse us,

nor remain angry forever. 

He does not punish us for all our sins;

he does not deal harshly with us,

as we deserve.

For his unfailing love toward those who fear him

is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.

He has removed our sins as far from us

as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:8-12

Together,

we are his house,

built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.

And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

We are carefully joined together in him,

becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

Ephesians 2:20-21

Jesus gave his life for our sins,

just as God our Father planned,

in order to rescue us from this evil world

in which we live.

All glory to God forever and ever!

Amen.

Galatians 1:4-5

Be joyful.

Grow to maturity.

Encourage each other.

Live in harmony and peace.

Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

2 Corinthians 13:11

We use God’s mighty weapons,

not worldly weapons,

to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning

and to destroy false arguments.

We destroy every proud obstacle

that keeps people from knowing God…

2 Corinthians 10:4-5