Overview
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 (Semicontinuous) or Ezekiel 17:22-24 (Complementary)
Psalm 20 (Semicontinuous) or Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 (Complementary)
2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 11-13, 14-17
Mark 4:26-34
Liturgical Color:
1st Reading
1 Samuel 15:34-16:13 (NRSV)
34 Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. 35 Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.
16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 He said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lordchosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.” 12 He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
or
Ezekiel 17-22-24 (NRSV)
22 Thus says the Lord God:
I myself will take a sprig
from the lofty top of a cedar;
I will set it out.
I will break off a tender one
from the topmost of its young twigs;
I myself will plant it
on a high and lofty mountain.
23 On the mountain height of Israel
I will plant it,
in order that it may produce boughs and bear fruit,
and become a noble cedar.
Under it every kind of bird will live;
in the shade of its branches will nest
winged creatures of every kind.
24 All the trees of the field shall know
that I am the Lord.
I bring low the high tree,
I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
and make the dry tree flourish.
I the Lord have spoken;
I will accomplish it.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Psalm
Psalm 20 (NRSV)
1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary,
and give you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings,
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices.Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire,
and fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory,
and in the name of our God set up our banners.
May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the Lord will help his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with mighty victories by his right hand.
7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright.
9 Give victory to the king, O Lord;
answer us when we call.
or
Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15 (NRSV)
1 It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree,
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit;
they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2nd Reading
2 Corinthians (NRSV)
6 So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord— 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.
11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. 12 We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. 15 And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. 17 So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Gospel
Mark 4:26-34 (NRSV)
26 He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, 27 and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. 28 The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; 32 yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; 34 he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Contemporary Song Suggestions for the Day:
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH Joel Houston / Marty Sampson | 2002 | CCLI Song #3744578
HERE IN YOUR PRESENCE Jon Egan | 2006 | CCLI Song #4882707
ONLY KING FOREVER Chris Brown / Mack Brock / Steven Furtick / Wade Joye | 2013 | CCLI Song #7011438
RAISE UP THE CROWN Chris Tomlin / Edward Perronet / Jesses Reeves / Oliver Holden | 2004 | CCLI Song #4256917
BUILD YOUR KINGDOM HERE Rend Collective Experiment | 2011 | CCLI Song #6186078
BEAUTIFUL THINGS Lisa Gungor / Michael Gungor | CCLI Song #5665521
ALL THINGS NEW Ben Fielding \ Dean Ussher | 2013 | CCLI Song #7019975
FOR YOUR SPLENDOR Christy Nockels / Nathan Nockels | 2012 | CCLI Song #6248253
LORD STRONG AND MIGHTY Ben Cantelon \ Matt Redman \ Tim Hughes | 2011 | CCLI Song #6273792
BLESSED ARE THE ONES Audrey Assad / Derek Webb / Sandra McCracken | 2012 | CCLI Song #5957710
THANK YOU JESUS Hannah Hobbs / Matt Crocker | 2013 | CCLI Song #7004672
WHAT FAITH CAN DO Scott Davis / Krippayne | 2008 | CCLI Song #5380356
BODY BROKEN (MYSTERY OF GRACE) Diana Rose Dawson / W. Zachary Taylor | 2014 | CCLI Song #7037732 | VIEW SONG
BROKEN AND BEAUTIFUL Brian Doerksen / Josh Fox | 2008 | CCLI Song #5253490
WHAT CAN I DO Graham Kendrick \ Paul Baloche | 2005 | CCLI Song #4554279
ONE DAY Robin Mark / Vicky Beeching | 2009 | CCLI Song #5462511
HOSANNA Brooke Fraser | 2006 | CCLI Song #4785835
ALL THE WAY Jason Ingram / Seth Mosley | 2011 | CCLI Song #6140612
OUR MESSIAH REIGNS Glenn Packiam / Ian Eskelin | 2011 | CCLI Song #5881525
MAKER OF HEAVEN Glenn Packiam | 2007 | CCLI Song #5040115
CHOSEN GENERATION Chris Tomlin / Daniel Carson / Jesse Reeves / Louie Giglio | 2010 | CCLI Song #5677454
I LIFT MY HANDS Chris Tomlin / Louie Giglio / Matt Maher | 2010 | CCLI Song #5869884
KINGDOM OF GOD Kari Jobe \ Mia Fieldes \ Paul Baloche | 2007 | CCLI Song #4874722
This week’s worshipcurrent pick for Holy Communion/Eucharist
Found exclusively on worshipcurrent
Hymn Suggestions for the Day:
HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION J. Rippon, A Selection of Hymns \ early American | Public Domain | CCLI Song #1175988 | Hymnary
MY FAITH HAS FOUND A RESTING PLACE E. E. Hewitt | Public Domain | CCLI Song #22070 | Hymnary
GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS Thomas Obediah Chisholm | William Marion Runyan | 1951 Hope Publishing | CCLI Song #18723 | Hymnary
YOU ARE THE SEED (Sois la seminal) Cesàreo Gabraraín | © 1979 Ediciones Paulinas | CCLI Song #5208627 | Hymnary
I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY Katherine Hankey / William G. Fischer | Public Domain | CCLI Song #29413 | Hymnary
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