Lessons for February 19, 2006 – Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany The first lesson Isaiah 43:18-25 "But forget all that—it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert! 20The wild animals in the fields will thank me, the jackals and ostriches, too, for giving them water in the wilderness. Yes, I will make springs in the desert, so that my chosen people can be refreshed. 21I have made Israel for myself, and they will someday honor me before the whole world. 22"But, my dear people, you refuse to ask for my help. You have grown tired of me! 23You have not brought me lambs for burnt offerings. You have not honored me with sacrifices, though I have not burdened and wearied you with my requests for grain offerings and incense. 24You have not brought me fragrant incense or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices. Instead, you have burdened me with your sins and wearied me with your faults. 25"I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again. (NLT) Psalm 41 L. Oh, the joys of those who are kind to the poor. C. The Lord rescues them in times of trouble. L. The Lord protects them and keeps them alive. C. He gives them prosperity and rescues them from their enemies. L. The Lord nurses them when they are sick and eases their pain and discomfort. C. "O Lord," I prayed, "have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you." L. But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. C. "How soon will he die and be forgotten?" they ask. L. They visit me as if they are my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, C. and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. L. All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst for me. C. "Whatever he has, it is fatal," they say. "He will never get out of that bed!" L. Even my best friend, the one I trusted completely, the one who shared my food, has turned against me. C. Lord, have mercy on me. Make me well again, so I can pay them back! L. I know that you are pleased with me, for you have not let my enemy triumph over me. C. You have preserved my life because I am innocent; you have brought me into your presence forever. L. Bless the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives forever from eternal ages past. C. Amen and amen! (NLT) The second lesson 2 Corinthians 1:18-22 As surely as God is true, I am not that sort of person. My yes means yes 19because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, never wavers between yes and no. He is the one whom Timothy, Silas, and I preached to you, and he is the divine Yes—God's affirmation. 20For all of God's promises have been fulfilled in him. That is why we say "Amen" when we give glory to God through Christ. 21It is God who gives us, along with you, the ability to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, 22and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment of everything he will give us. (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Mark 2:1-12 Several days later Jesus returned to Capernaum, and the news of his arrival spread quickly through the town. 2Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there wasn't room for one more person, not even outside the door. And he preached the word to them. 3Four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4They couldn't get to Jesus through the crowd, so they dug through the clay roof above his head. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My son, your sins are forgiven." 6But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there said to themselves, 7"What? This is blasphemy! Who but God can forgive sins!" 8Jesus knew what they were discussing among themselves, so he said to them, "Why do you think this is blasphemy? 9Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man, 'Your sins are forgiven' or 'Get up, pick up your mat, and walk'? 10I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins." Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11"Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!" 12The man jumped up, took the mat, and pushed his way through the stunned onlookers. Then they all praised God. "We've never seen anything like this before!" they exclaimed. (NLT)