1st Samuel 2:1-10: Hannah, Samuel's mother, prays her song to God.
Psalm 113:7-9: same as 1st Samuel 2:5,8
Romans 12:13-16: Be hospitable to strangers, live in harmony, don't be arrogant, but associate with everyone.
Luke 1:44-55: Mary's Magnificat. Almost the same as Hannah's song in 1st Samuel 2:1-10.
Psalm 97:11: Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
Exodus 33:14: God said to Moses: My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
Acts 1:1-11: Jesus tells his disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit which will give them power to witness throughout the whole world. Then Jesus is taken up to heaven..... Is the Holy Spirit just the background radiation that pervades the whole Universe that enhances our ability to understand the mysteries of everything?
Psalm 47: Clap your hands all ye peoples, shout to God with songs of joy. God is awesome.
Psalm 93: God's decrees are very sure.
Ephesians 1:15-23: Paul prays that the church, which is Christ's body, may receive the spirit of wisdom.
Luke 24:44-53: Jesus says when the Holy Spirit comes, you will preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in my name unto all the nations. Then he was taken up to heaven.
2nd Chronicles 34:20-33: Josiah brings Israel back into compliance with God's covenant.
Luke 2:25-38: Simeon and Anna rejoice when they see Jesus at the Temple when he is eight days old.
2nd Chronicles 15:1-15: On the advice of the prophet Azariah, King Asa puts away all the idols and starts worshipping God again. That's all well and good, but then in verse 13, it says, whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel shall be put to death...... No freedom of religion there. It is very intolerant and a lot of people act the same way today. Seems like any religion, anywhere in the Universe, should have just one credo: Be nice!
Revelation 21:15-22: Measurements and fancy materials of the New Jerusalem. It says in verse 22, God us the temple...... So why do you need all the other gold and precious stones? Religions are like car salespeople: This model is better!
Psalm 93: God is strong.
1st Chronicles 12:16-22: David gathers allies for his fight against Saul.
Revelation 21:5-14: list of people going to hell and more descriptions of the New Jerusalem......the first people on the list are the fearful and unbelieving. But who can believe this stuff? Why can't religions be commonsensical and even-keeled?
Acts 16:9-15: Paul travels to Philippi and meets Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, and converts her and her family to the Way of Christ. .....Seems like most of the people who are named in the Bible, except for the beggar Lazarus, are people with money. And after Constantine is converted, the main way Christianity is spread is a prince or king of a region is converted and then the whole region is de facto converted as Christianity is mostly all there is, at least in the West, but same principles apply to other areas and other religions. And the women go to church to keep the family on the straight and narrow, and the men go sometimes to keep the women happy. It's more of a cultural phenomenon than a spiritual or theological thing.
Revelation 19,22-22:5: the holy city Jerusalem coming out of the sky. There is no temple, because God is the temple. No need for sun or moon because God is the light. The crystal clear river of life flows thru the city and the tree of life bears a different fruit each month.
John 14:23-29: Jesus says the Holy Spirit will come and help you understand things when I am gone. So is the Holy Spirit the background radiation or the the neutrino wind that flows through the Universe? In reality, we don't have to believe in anything, our religion surrounds us all the time.
John 5:1-9: A man has been lying by the Bethzatha pool near the Sheep Gate for 38 years and Jesus heals him.
Proverbs 2:11: Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee.
Luke 19:1-10: Jesus meets Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Zacchaeus perceives the narrow path, and says he will give half his goods to the poor and if he has taken anything falsely, he will return it fourfold. Jesus says, the light has come on in this house, for he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost.
Sometimes the Revised Common Lectionary makes no sense to me. I'm not in favor of hierarchical Gods or organizations. I like to interact with people on an individual basis not thru a top-down organization. Some of the Bible like today's passages, are decrees sent down by God or church higher-ups giving the church controlling guidance. I suppose everyone needs guidance, rules for street intersections come to mind, but a lot of guidance is just to make God and the higher-ups happy and doesn't do much except complicate the life of the scrubs.
Psalm 67: a song of praise to God.
Proverbs 2:2: Incline your ear to wisdom and apply your heart to understanding.
Acts 15:36-41: Paul splits up with Barnabas and John Mark because John Mark had deserted them one time. They take off to Cyprus and Paul takes Silas on a trip through Syria and Cilicia to check on how the churches are doing.
Leviticus 19:9-18: When you harvest, don't fully reap the corners of your field or gather up the gleanings, but leave them for the poor and strangers. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Luke 10:25-28: Someone asked Jesus what do I do to get eternal life? Jesus asked, what do the Scriptures say? The man said, Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus said, you have answered wisely, do it and you shall live.
2nd Samuel 1:4-27: Saul & Jonathan are killed in battle. David acts like he's distressed...... David had his chance here. He could have gone home to his sheep. Israel only needed God as king. But David had a king-sized ego.
Acts 11:27-30: People come to Antioch from Jerusalem telling of hard times in Judea. They collect a relief fund and send it to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Paul.
Psalm 133:1: How good and pleasant it is for people to dwell together in unity.
1st Samuel 20:1-42: David tells his best friend, Jonathan, that his father Saul is out to get him. Well, as I've said before, all David has to do is go home and tend his sheep and he wouldn't have these problems.
Acts 11:19-26: Believers fan out from Jerusalem to Phenice, Cyprus and Antioch to tell the Good News. Barnabas goes out to check on things and then finds Saul in Tarsus, then they go to Antioch for a year.
Acts 11:1-18: The believers in Jerusalem are concerned that Peter are with the gentiles. He told them that he had a vision from God that nothing was unclean and the gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit, also.
Revelation 21:1-6: The New Jerusalem comes down from God.
John 13:35: Jesus says you will be known as my disciples if you love one another.
Daniel 7:27: All dominions shall serve and obey the most High...... Seems like a hierarchical God leads to hierarchies on earth. Better to have a horizontal God that we each have a piece of and we all work together.
Revelation 11:16-19: Apocalyptic stuff that's doesn't make much sense.
Daniel 7:13-14: The Ancient of Days gives the Son of Man dominion over everything forever.
Revelation 11:15: And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Jeremiah 50:17-20: the passage says that God says he will punish Assyria and Babylon for taking Israel into exile. But wasn't it because Israel was behaving badly that God let them be taken into exile? .... I think a lot of this stuff didn't come from God.
John 10:31-42: the Pharisees want to stone Jesus because he says he's the Son of God. But Jesus says that in Scripture (Psalm 9:5) it says man was made a little less than God and above the angels. If you don't believe in me, believe the works I do. Then he slipped away from them, to the area beyond the Jordan.
Ezekiel 45:1-9: God says to reserve part of the land for the Sanctuary and the Levites. And in verse 9:
Thus saith the Lord God; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God.
Acts 9:32-35: Peter heals Aeneas.
Psalm 100: Another Psalm I memorized as a kid.
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
2 Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Ezekiel 37:15-28: God says Israel will be one nation under one king, not split into Israel and Judah. And the King will be David forever..... But this is written after David, so maybe it means the Messiah, who is supposed to come from David's lineage.
Revelation 15:1-4: seven angels with seven last plagues - last, because God's wrath is done..... Dangerous words because some people seem to think they can be instruments of God's wrath and take action against other people on their own.
Acts 9:36-43: Peter brings Tabitha back from the dead. Why do people fear death? Why do they like these back from the dead miracles? Why is eternal life a part of religion?..... I used to believe in that stuff. Now I figure, you live, hopefully a good long life, and then you die, and the world moves on, usually a better place from people being here.
Revelation 7:9-17: An uncountable multitude dressed in white stands before the throne singing praises to God.
John 10:22-30: People ask Jesus, tell us plainly if you are the Messiah. He says, I told you and you didn't believe. You don't believe the works I do in God's name. My sheep hear me and follow me. I will give them eternal life..... It's been a dog eat dog world for most people throughout history. I suppose people figure they'll get a rest after death. But it seems to me, it's like when you're going under anesthesia. The black closes in from your peripheral vision and then everything is dark and it stays that way. And the baton is passed to the next generation.
Ezekiel 28:25-26: God says Israel will live in the land he has given her and he will inflict punishment on her neighbors...... The right wing in Israel 2025 probably looks at these words and figures they have a blank check in the West Bank and Gaza. But people always forget, revenge is God's bailiwick.
Luke 12:29-32: Jesus says don't worry about eat or drink, but seek ye first the Kingdom of God. I suppose he's saying, those of us with food should seek the Kingdom by giving food to those who need it.
Ezekiel 20:39-44: Israel always falls away, but God never gives up on them. God says, I will deal with you for my name's sake and not according to your evil ways.
Revelation 6:1-7:4: six of the even seals are opened. The first four release the four horsemen, white, red, black and pale. The fifth seal shows all the slain saints and prophets who testified about God. The six seal releases an earthquake. The sun turns black, the moon red and the stars fall from the sky. Then the servants of God are marked before the seventh seal is opened.
Psalm 23: the most famous Psalm. Memorized by many from the King James version as kids. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Ezekiel 11: The people left in charge of Jerusalem when Israel was exiled haven't done very well. They've allowed vile images and idols to be set up. God will drive them out to be slain by foreigners and the Israel will return from exile to make Jerusalem right again.
Revelation 5:1-10: God has a scroll to with seven seals and only Jesus is worthy to open it.
Psalm 148: a song of praise.
Ezekiel 2:-3:11: Ezekiel is given a scroll to eat with words of lament, mourning and woe, and told to talk to people in exile.
Revelation 10: almost the same story as Ezekiel 3:3.....It seems like over half of the New Testament comes almost directly from the Old Testament.
Isaiah 6:1-8: Isaiah sees a vision and is overwhelmed and says, I'm a goner and I live among a people with unclean lips. The seraphim takes a hot coal and touches his lips, and says You're ready now. God asks, who shall I send? Isaiah says, send me!
Luke 5:1-11: Jesus is being crowded and he asks Simon to push his boat out in the water a little so he can teach the people from there. When he's done speaking he tells Simon to push out and let down his nets. Peter says ok but we didn't catch anything all night. The net comes up and is almost breaking with fish. Simon is astonished. Jesus you haven't seen anything yet. Now you will fish for people. And Simon and his partners James & John left everything and followed Jesus.
Acts 25-26: The Jewish leaders accuse Paul of blasphemy and other crimes and Felix the Roman governor puts Paul in jail until he can deal with it. But then Festus the new governor arrives and has to deal with it. Festus listens to Paul and realizes it is just a religious dispute and asks Paul if he will stand trial in Jerusalem before his accusers. Paul, a Roman citizen, appeals to Caesar. Festus says to Caesar you shall go. Then King Agrippa, the king over Judea, shows up and Festus tells him about Paul and Agrippa wants to hear him. Paul lays out his defense which is that a careful reading of the Scriptures show that Jesus is the Messiah. Agrippa realizes the same thing as Festus, that Paul just has a religious dispute and has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. Agrippa says to Festus, this man could have been set free if he hadn't appealed to Caesar....... First thing, you wonder why they didn't talk to Paul about changing his mind about his appeal and just let him go. But also, why did he appeal to Caesar? He says all along he was a good Pharisee and now is a fervent Christian, and in Acts 25:11 he says he's not afraid to die if guilty. So why wave your Roman citizenship around? Like I've said before, in every religion it's their way or the highway. No middle ground. Jesus and all the prophets and religious higher-ups warn against being lukewarm. But I say the world would run a lot smoother if people were lukewarm about everything.
Psalm 121:1-2: I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Ezekiel 1:1-25: Ezekiel sees a vision of heaven, but his winged creatures just have 4 wings instead of 6 like Isaiah and Revelation. Why, when people are trying to sell stuff they always go to the extreme? Why can't they be like Joe Friday in the TV show Dragnet, "Just the facts, please."
Acts 9:19-31: Saul preaches in Damascus, escapes from there as people trying to kill him. Then he goes and preaches in Jerusalem but disciples there don't believe he has changed. Barnabas tells them, yes, he has and recounts his conversion experience on the road. He debates the Hellenistic Jews but they want to kill him, so his friends ship him off to Tarsus. The last line says now there was peace in the region and the church grew in numbers. People didn't seem to see the departure of Saul being related to the peace. Saul seemed to rub people the wrong way everywhere he went. He should have mellowed out as should religions everywhere.
Acts 9:1-20: Saul, after persecuting followers of Jesus in and stoning Stephen to death, heads to Damascus to persecute there. On the way he had his conversion experience and pretty much launches the Christian movement on the world..... I think that this was a mental health reaction to his stoning of Stephen. I've always thought that most religions are started due to people not being able to personally process their situation or the situation of the world at the time. Joseph Smith and the golden plates, Martin Luther and his inability to handle his inner guilt, Mohammed and his visions, Moses and the burning bush. But why do crowds of people indulge them? Why can't people just do their own thing as far as religion goes? Maybe people have their own crises and it's easier to latch on to someone else's explanation than work through things on their own. But when you have these large groups of people who fervently believe certain things, there is a lot of friction and a lot of people get hurt.
Revelation 5:11-14: Thousands of angels sing praises to God and Jesus.
John 21:1-19: Disciples are still reeling after Jesus death and resurrection. Peter says, I'm going fishing. Jesus appears to them and cooks breakfast by the Sea of Galilee. Then Jesus puts Peter in charge. I like this story as most people are like Peter; faced with unexplainable stuff, they revert back to familiar things.....maybe Peter just kept fishing. Maybe he's been fishing all along. Maybe our whole existence is just like Whoville in the Grinch, our whole Universe just a snowflake in another time continuum. I'm kind of reverting to that now. Following daily baseball games. We all need something we feel is on solid ground to get through the day to day turmoil of life.
Genesis 18:1-8: God appears to Abraham at Mamre. That's not the important part. The big thing, Abraham falls over himself preparing refreshments. He tells Sarah, Quick, bake some bread. He picks the fatted calf and has a servant prepare it. Probably should have said please to Sarah. Women were taken for granted back then. But generally Middle Eastern people are pretty hospitable.
Luke 14:12-14: Jesus says don't invite your friends and neighbors to dinner, but invite the poor and downtrodden from the streets and you'll get your reward in heaven. ...... There's always this quid pro quo. Why can't you do it just to be nice? And you don't have to do dinner. It's like the rich man and Lazarus. It wouldn't hurt to give the leftovers from dinner. Or carry around a granola bar if people ask for something. I'm not big on eternal life as a reward or anything else. Just do the best you can and then pass the baton.
Isaiah 6:1-4: Isaiah has a vision of God in heaven, similar to Revelation 4.
Revelation 4:1-11: John has a vision of heaven, similar to Isaiah 6. 6-winged creatures. .....It's probably code to keep the authorities off their backs, but sometimes it seems like these prophets are smoking the wacky weed. Makes you feel tolerance for the Native American Church peyote rituals. But seems like people should write clear language.
Psalm 30:5: For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Isaiah 5:12-13,15: they have no regard for the deeds of the Lord, no respect for the work of his hands.13 Therefore my people will go into exile for lack of understanding; So people will be brought low and everyone humbled, the eyes of the arrogant humbled.
Revelation 3:16: You are lukewarm...... Well, better not to get too excited about theology and religion.
