Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                               12 June 2021

Ezekiel 17:22–24

         ₂₂Thus says the Lord God: “I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ₂₃On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest. ₂₄And all the trees of the field shall know that I am the Lord; I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish.

I am the Lord; I have spoken, and

I will do it.”

Psalm 1

₁Blessèd is the man who walks not in the counsel of the | wicked,*

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of | scoffers;

₂but his delight is in the law | of the Lord,*

and on his law he meditates | day and night.

₃He is like a tree

planted by streams of water

that yields its fruit in its season,

and its leaf does not | wither.*

In all that he does, he | prospers.

₄The wicked | are not so,*

but are like chaff that the wind |

drives away.

₅Therefore the wicked will not stand

in the | judgment,*

nor sinners in the congregation of the | righteous;

₆for the Lord knows the way of the | righteous,*

but the way of the wicked will | perish.

2 Corinthians 5:1–17

         ₁We know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ₂For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, ₃if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. ₄For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ₅He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

         ₆So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, ₇for we walk by faith, not by sight. ₈Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ₉So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. ₁₀For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

         ₁₁Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. ₁₂We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. ₁₃For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ₁₄For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ₁₅and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

         ₁₆From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ₁₇Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Mark 4:26–34

         ₂₆[Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. ₂₇He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. ₂₈The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. ₂₉But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

         ₃₀And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? ₃₁It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, ₃₂yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”

         ₃₃With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it. ₃₄He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.