Psalm 8; Numbers 6:22–27; Luke 2:15–21; Philippians 2:1–6; Ecclesiastes 3:1–13; Matthew 25:31–46; Revelation 21:1–6

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Psalm 8

How Majestic Is Your Name

To the choirmaster: according to The pGittith.1 A Psalm of David.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your qname in all the earth!

You have set your rglory above the heavens.

sOut of the mouth of babies and infants,

you have established tstrength because of your foes,

to still uthe enemy and the avenger.

When I vlook at your heavens, the work of your wfingers,

the moon and the stars, xwhich you have set in place,

ywhat is man that you are zmindful of him,

and athe son of man that you bcare for him?

Yet you have made him a little lower than cthe heavenly beings2

and crowned him with dglory and honor.

You have given him edominion over the works of your hands;

fyou have put all things under his feet,

all sheep and oxen,

and also the beasts of the field,

the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,

whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!


Numbers 6:22–27

Aaron’s Blessing

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus zyou shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24  The Lord abless you and bkeep you;

25  the Lord cmake his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26  the Lord dlift up his countenance1 upon you and give you peace.

27 eSo shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.


Luke 2:15–21

15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us. 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby mlying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But nMary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, oglorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

21 And pat the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, qhe was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.


Philippians 2:1–6

Christ’s Example of Humility

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from flove, any gparticipation in the Spirit, any haffection and sympathy, icomplete my joy by being jof the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from kselfish ambition or lconceit, but in mhumility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you nlook not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. oHave this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,1 pwho, though he was in qthe form of God, did not count equality with God ra thing to be grasped,2


Ecclesiastes 3:1–13

A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season, and la time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to mdie;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to nweep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to odance;

a time to pcast away stones, and a time to qgather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to rrefrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to slose;

a time to keep, and a time to tcast away;

a time to utear, and a time to sew;

a time to vkeep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to whate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.

The God-Given Task

What xgain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen ythe business that zGod has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has amade everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot bfind out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is cnothing better for them than to be joyful and to ddo good as long as they live; 13 also ethat everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toilthis is fGod’s gift to man.


Matthew 25:31–46

The Final Judgment

31 iWhen the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, jthen he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him kwill be gathered lall the nations, and mhe will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates nthe sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then othe King will say to pthose on his right, Come, you qwho are blessed by my Father, rinherit sthe kingdom tprepared for you ufrom the foundation of the world. 35 For vI was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you wgave me drink, xI was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 vI was naked and you clothed me, yI was sick and you zvisited me, aI was in prison and you came to me. 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? 40 And bthe King will answer them, cTruly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these dmy brothers,1 you did it to me.

41 Then he will say to those on his left, eDepart from me, you fcursed, into gthe eternal fire prepared for hthe devil and his angels. 42 For iI was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me. 44 Then they also will answer, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? 45 Then he will answer them, saying, Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, jyou did not do it to me. 46 And these will go away kinto eternal punishment, but the righteous kinto leternal life.


Revelation 21:1–6

The New Heaven and the New Earth

Then I saw ya new heaven and a new earth, for zthe first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw athe holy city, bnew Jerusalem, ccoming down out of heaven from God, dprepared eas a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, fthe dwelling place1 of God is with man. He will gdwell with them, and they will be his people,2 and God himself will be with them as their God.3 hHe will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and ideath shall be no more, jneither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

And khe who was seated on the throne said, Behold, I lam making all things new. Also he said, Write this down, for mthese words are trustworthy and true. And he said to me, nIt is done! oI am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. pTo the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.