Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                               31 May 2025

Isaiah 11:1–5

₁There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,

         and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit.

₂And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,

         the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

         the Spirit of counsel and might,

         the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.

₃And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,

         or decide disputes by what his ears hear,

₄but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,

         and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;

and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,

         and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

₅Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist,

         and faithfulness the belt of his loins.

Psalm 138

₁I give you thanks, O Lord, with | my whole heart;*

         before the gods I | sing your praise;

₂I bow down toward your holy temple

         and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your | faithfulness,*

         for you have exalted above all things

         your name | and your word.

₃On the day I called, you | answered me;*

         my strength of soul | you increased.

₄All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, | O Lord,*

         for they have heard the words | of your mouth,

₅and they shall sing of the ways | of the Lord,*

         for great is the glory | of the Lord.

₆For though the Lord is high, he regards the | lowly,*

         but the haughty he knows | from afar.

₇Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

         you pre- | serve my life;*

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

         and your right hand de- | livers me.

₈The Lord will fulfill his pur- | pose for me;*

         your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

         Do not forsake the work | of your hands.

Romans 12:9–16

         ₉Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ₁₀Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ₁₁Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ₁₂Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ₁₃Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

         ₁₄Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ₁₅Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ₁₆Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited.

Luke 1:39–45

         ₃₉In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, ₄₀and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. ₄₁And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, ₄₂and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ₄₃And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ₄₄For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ₄₅And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."