Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                               29 May 2021

Isaiah 6:1–8

          ₁In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ₂Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ₃And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

the whole earth is full of his glory!”

₄And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. ₅And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

          ₆Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. ₇And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

          ₈And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”

Psalm 29

Acts 2:14a, 22–36

          ₁₄Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, . . .

          ₂₂“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ₂₃this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

₂₄God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ₂₅For David says concerning him,

“‘I saw the Lord always before me,

          for he is at my right hand

          that I may not be shaken;

₂₆therefore my heart was glad,

and my tongue rejoiced;

          my flesh also will dwell in hope.

₂₇For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

          or let your Holy One see corruption.

₂₈You have made known to me the paths of life;

          you will make me full of gladness

          with your presence.’

          ₂₉“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ₃₀Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ₃₁he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ₃₂This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. ₃₃Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ₃₄For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,

Sit at my right hand,

          ₃₅until I make your enemies

          your footstool.’

₃₆Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

John 3:1–17

          ₁Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ₂This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” ₃Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ₄Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ₅Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ₆That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ₇Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ ₈The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

          ₉Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ₁₀Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? ₁₁Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. ₁₂If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ₁₃No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ₁₄And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ₁₅that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

          ₁₆“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. ₁₇For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”