O that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your prosperity would have been like a river, and your success like the waves of the sea;your offspring would have been like the sand, and your descendants like its grains;their name would never be cut off or destroyed from before me. From Isaiah 48:17-19, NRSV In…
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But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you…
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To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these?He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name;because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing. From Isaiah 40:25-31, NRSV…
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Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to herthat she has served her term, that her penalty is paid,that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. From Isaiah 40:1-11, NRSV In today’s first reading, we hear further words of consolation for God’s people. Although it…
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The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom;like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. From Isaiah 35:1-10, NRSV…
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A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots…He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear;but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;he shall strike the earth with…
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Truly, O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you. Though the Lord may give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide…
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On that day the deaf shall hear the words of a scroll,and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord, and the neediest people shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. From Isaiah 29:17-24, NRSV In previous chapters from the book of Isaiah,…
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Trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.For he has brought low the inhabitants of the height; the lofty city he lays low.He lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust. From Isaiah 26:1-6, NRSV These words form part of what is entitled “Judah’s Song of Victory”. Such…
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For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ From Romans 10:9-18, NRSV For Paul, a devout Jew, it was difficult to come to terms with…
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