(~) Bible Readings for Sunday May 1
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 17:22-31
or Isaiah 41:17-20
1 Peter 3:8-18
or Acts 17:22-31
John 15:1-8
First Lesson Acts 17:22-31
Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how
extremely religious you are in every way. For as I went through the city
and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found among them an
altar with the inscription, `To an unknown god.' What therefore you
worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and
everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in
shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he
needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and
all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole
earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of
the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and
perhaps grope for him and find him-- though indeed he is not far from each
one of us. For `In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some
of your own poets have said,
`For we too are his offspring.'
Since we are God's offspring, we ought not to think that the deity is like
gold, or silver, or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of
mortals. While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he
commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on
which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has
appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from
the dead."
or
Old Testament Isaiah 41:17-20
Thus says the Lord your God:
"When the poor and needy seek water,
and there is none,
and their tongue is parched with thirst,
I the LORD will answer them,
I the God of Israel will not forsake them.
I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and fountains in the midst of the valleys;
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
I will put in the wilderness the cedar,
the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive;
I will set in the desert the cypress,
the plane and the pine together,
so that all may see and know,
all may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
the Holy One of Israel has created it."
The Epistle 1 Peter 3:8-18
Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another,
a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for
abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that
you were called-- that you might inherit a blessing. For
"Those who desire life
and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil
and their lips from speaking deceit;
let them turn away from evil and do good;
let them seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you
do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they
fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as
Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you
an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and
reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned,
those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's
will, than to suffer for doing evil. For Christ also suffered for sins
once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to
God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,
or
Second Lesson Acts 17:22-31
[See above]
The Gospel John 15:1-8
Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He
removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears
fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed
by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just
as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the
branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because
apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown
away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into
the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask
for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified
by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."
Ninure Saunders aka Rainbow Christian
The Lord is my Shepherd and He knows I'm Gay
http://Ninure-Saunders.tk
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