Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                                10 July 2021

Amos 7:7–15

          ₇This is what [the Lord God] showed me: behold, the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. ₈And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.”

Then the Lord said,

“Behold, I am setting a plumb line

          in the midst of my people Israel;

          I will never again pass by them;

₉the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,

          and the sanctuaries of Israel

          shall be laid waste,

and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.”

          ₁₀Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying, “Amos has conspired against you in the midst of the house of Israel. The land is not able to bear all his words. ₁₁For thus Amos has said,

“‘Jeroboam shall die by the sword,

          and Israel must go into exile

          away from his land.’”

₁₂And Amaziah said to Amos, “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, ₁₃but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.”

          ₁₄Then Amos answered and said to Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor a prophet’s son, but I was a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs. ₁₅But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’”

Psalm 85

₁LORD, you were favorable | to your land;*

you restored the fortunes of | Jacob.

₂You forgave the iniquity of your | people;*

you covered | all their sin.

₃You withdrew | all your wrath;*

you turned from your hot | anger.

₄Restore us again, O God of our sal- | vation,*

and put away your indignation | toward us!

₅Will you be angry with us for- | ever?*

Will you prolong your anger

to all gener- | ations?

₆Will you not revive | us again,*

that your people may re- | joice in you?

₇Show us your steadfast love, | O LORD,*

and grant us your sal- | vation.

₈Let me hear what God the | LORD will speak,*

for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to | folly.

₉Surely his salvation is near

to those who | fear him,*

that glory may dwell | in our land.

₁₀Steadfast love and faith- | fulness meet;*

righteousness and peace kiss each | other.

₁₁Faithfulness springs up | from the ground,*

and righteousness looks down | from the sky.

₁₂Yes, the LORD will give | what is good,*

and our land will yield its | increase.

₁₃Righteousness will go be- | fore him*

and make his foot- | steps a way.

Ephesians 1:3–14

          ₃Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ₄even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ₅he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ₆to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ₇In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ₈which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ₉making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ₁₀as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

          ₁₁In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ₁₂so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ₁₃In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ₁₄who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Mark 6:14–29

          ₁₄King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” ₁₅But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” ₁₆But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” ₁₇For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. ₁₈For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ₁₉And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, ₂₀for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.

          ₂₁But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. ₂₂For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” ₂₃And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” ₂₄And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” ₂₅And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” ₂₆And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. ₂₇And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison ₂₈and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. ₂₉When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.