Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
…All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see.
Then he said to the crowd,
“If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way,
take up your cross daily,
and follow me.
If you try to hang on to your life,
you will lose it.
But if you give up your life for my sake,
you will save it.
O God, do not be silent!
Do not be deaf.
Do not be quiet, O God.
Don’t you hear the uproar of your enemies?
Don’t you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up?
They devise crafty schemes against your people;
they conspire against your precious ones.
“Come,” they say, “let us wipe out Israel as a nation.
We will destroy the very memory of its existence.”
Yes, this was their unanimous decision.
They signed a treaty as allies against you—
…for they said, “Let us seize for our own use
these pasturelands of God!”
…they will learn that you alone are called the LORD,
that you alone are the Most High,
supreme over all the earth.
Never pay back evil with more evil.
Do things in such a way that everyone can see
you are honorable.
Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
Rejoice in our confident hope.
Be patient in trouble,
and keep on praying.
When God’s people are in need,
be ready to help them.
Always be eager to practice hospitality.
…“In the beginning, Lord, 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 fold them up like a cloak
and discard them like old clothing.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.”
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created
and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers,
and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
…”Pay close attention to what you hear.
The closer you listen,
the more understanding you will be given—
and you will receive even more.
To those who listen to my teaching,
more understanding will be given.
But for those who are not listening,
even what little understanding they have
will be taken away from them.”
Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created
and is supreme over all creation…
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
Colossians 1:15, 17
(Photo by: Doug Mims)
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said,
“Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
Which is easier to say,
‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say,
‘Get up and walk’?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins…”
Then he said to the paralytic,
“Get up, take your mat and go home.”
And the man got up and went home.
