1 Corinthians 2.9-3.8
(Epistle)
9But as it is written, “Things which an eye didn’t see, and an ear didn’t hear, which didn’t enter into the heart of man, these God has prepared for those who love him.”
10But to us, God revealed them through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
11For who among men knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except God’s Spirit.
12But we received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might know the things that were freely given to us by God.
13We also speak these things, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual things.
14Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him; and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
15But he who is spiritual discerns all things, and he himself is to be judged by no one.
16“For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct him?” But we have Christ’s mind.
1Brothers, I couldn’t speak to you as to spiritual, but as to fleshly, as to babies in Christ.
2I fed you with milk, not with solid food, for you weren’t yet ready. Indeed, you aren’t ready even now,
3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men?
4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly?
5Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed, and each as the Lord gave to him?
6I planted. Apollos watered. But God gave the increase.
7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.
8Now he who plants and he who waters are the same, but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1 Corinthians 1.18-24
(Epistle, Cross)
18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.”
20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Hasn’t God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For seeing that in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom didn’t know God, it was God’s good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save those who believe.
22For Jews ask for signs, Greeks seek after wisdom,
23but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks,
24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God;
Hebrews 11.33-12.2
(Epistle, Martyrs)
33who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked out righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, grew mighty in war, and caused foreign armies to flee.
35Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
36Others were tried by mocking and scourging, yes, moreover by bonds and imprisonment.
37They were stoned. They were sawn apart. They were tempted. They were slain with the sword. They went around in sheep skins and in goat skins; being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated—
38of whom the world was not worthy—wandering in deserts, mountains, caves, and the holes of the earth.
39These all, having been commended for their faith, didn’t receive the promise,
40God having provided some better thing concerning us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect.
1Therefore let’s also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
2looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Matthew 13.31-36
(Gospel)
31He set another parable before them, saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took, and sowed in his field,
32which indeed is smaller than all seeds. But when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches.”
33He spoke another parable to them. “The Kingdom of Heaven is like yeast which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, until it was all leavened.”
34Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the multitudes; and without a parable, he didn’t speak to them,
35that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.”
36Then Jesus sent the multitudes away, and went into the house. His disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the darnel weeds of the field.”
John 19.6-11, 13-20, 25-28, 30-35
(Gospel, Cross)
6When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”
7The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”
8When therefore Pilate heard this saying, he was more afraid.
9He entered into the Praetorium again, and said to Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer.
10Pilate therefore said to him, “Aren’t you speaking to me? Don’t you know that I have power to release you and have power to crucify you?”
11Jesus answered, “You would have no power at all against me, unless it were given to you from above. Therefore he who delivered me to you has greater sin.”
13When Pilate therefore heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called “The Pavement”, but in Hebrew, “Gabbatha.”
14Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, at about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!”
15They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”
16So then he delivered him to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus and led him away.
17He went out, bearing his cross, to the place called “The Place of a Skull”, which is called in Hebrew, “Golgotha”,
18where they crucified him, and with him two others, on either side one, and Jesus in the middle.
19Pilate wrote a title also, and put it on the cross. There was written, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
20Therefore many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
25But standing by Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26Therefore when Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing there, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son!”
27Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour, the disciple took her to his own home.
28After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now finished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty!”
30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31Therefore the Jews, because it was the Preparation Day, so that the bodies wouldn’t remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a special one), asked of Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.
32Therefore the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with him;
33but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they didn’t break his legs.
34However, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
35He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe.
Matthew 10.32-36, 11.1
(Gospel, Martyrs)
32Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven.
33But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.
34“Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword.
35For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36A man’s foes will be those of his own household.
1When Jesus had finished directing his twelve disciples, he departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Hebrews 2.11-18
(Epistle, At the Blessing of Waters)
11For both he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers,
12saying, “I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the congregation I will sing your praise.”
13Again, “I will put my trust in him.” Again, “Behold, here I am with the children whom God has given me.”
14Since then the children have shared in flesh and blood, he also himself in the same way partook of the same, that through death he might bring to nothing him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
15and might deliver all of them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16For most certainly, he doesn’t give help to angels, but he gives help to the offspring of Abraham.
17Therefore he was obligated in all things to be made like his brothers, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people.
18For in that he himself has suffered being tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted.
John 5.1-4
(Gospel, At the Blessing of Waters)
1After these things, there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
2Now in Jerusalem by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, “Bethesda”, having five porches.
3In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water;
4for an angel went down at certain times into the pool and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was healed of whatever disease he had.