Sunday, February 17, 2019

What's Your Favorite Bible Passage?

Once as part of an interview, I was asked what my favorite Bible passages were. I had never given it any thought before that time, but immediately the Beatitudes came to mind followed by the 23rd Psalm. This Sunday, the Beatitudes will be heard in many churches,
He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them. Then he looked up at his disciples and said:‘Blessed are you who are poor,   for yours is the kingdom of God. ‘Blessed are you who are hungry now,   for you will be filled.‘Blessed are you who weep now,   for you will laugh. ‘Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you* on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. ‘But woe to you who are rich,   for you have received your consolation. ‘Woe to you who are full now,   for you will be hungry.‘Woe to you who are laughing now,   for you will mourn and weep. ‘Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. Luke 6:17-26
It is interesting that the "woe to you" bits at the end are included in the lectionary selection for Sunday. Usually those parts get the ax.

So, what us your favorite Bible verse?

1 comment:

  1. Katherine1:57 PM

    Psalm 18:28 goes with my favorite collect, from Evening Prayer: "Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord." I take this to mean not only physical darkness, but more importantly, spiritual and psychological darkness.

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