Daily Lectionary in Poetry Sunday 1st February 2015

Psalm 111 

Praise for God’s Wonderful Works
1 Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart,
    in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the Lord,
    studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work,
    and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds;
    the Lord is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
    he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
    in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever,
    to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people;
    he has commanded his covenant forever.
    Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
    all those who practice it[a] have a good understanding.
    His praise endures forever.
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Praise the Lord
I give thanks to you
With all of my heart

Praise the Lord
Your works are great
Full of righteousness

Praise the Lord
He does wonderful deeds
He is gracious and merciful

Praise the Lord
He feeds the hungry
He cares for the needy

Praise the Lord
His works are faithful
Holy and awesome is His name

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1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge;  but anyone who loves God is known by him.  Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one."  Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are many gods and many lords-- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.  "Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.  But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.  For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols?  So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed.  But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ.  Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

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Knowledge puffs us up
Makes us falsely greater
Love builds us up
Sustains us in our endeavours

We need not follow
Rules about food
That was the old way
Now we are renewed

We are not weak
We rely on Jesus
We share his strength
We follow him alone

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Mark 1:21-28

They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.  They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.  Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."  But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!"   And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.   They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."   At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

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In Capernaum
On the sabbath
Jesus went to the synagogue
And taught

They listened
They heard his authority
Except for one
He was unclean

He shouted to Jesus
Asked who he was
Jesus silenced him
The spirit left the man

They all were amazed
They spoke to many more
His fame spread
They wanted Jesus to talk

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