Lessons for July 2, 2006 – Fourth Sunday after Pentecost The first lesson Lamentations 3:22-33 The unfailing love of the Lord never ends! By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day. 24 I say to myself, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!" 25 The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. 26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord. 27 And it is good for the young to submit to the yoke of his discipline. 28 Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord's demands. 29 Let them lie face down in the dust; then at last there is hope for them. 30 Let them turn the other cheek to those who strike them. Let them accept the insults of their enemies. 31 For the Lord does not abandon anyone forever. 32 Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion according to the greatness of his unfailing love. 33 For he does not enjoy hurting people or causing them sorrow. (NLT) Psalm 30 L. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me. C. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me. L. O Lord my God, I cried out to you for help, and you restored my health. C. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. L. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. C. Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name. L. His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! C. Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning. L. When I was prosperous I said, "Nothing can stop me now!" C. Your favor, O Lord, made me as secure as a mountain. L. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered. C. I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying, L. "What will you gain if I die, if I sink down into the grave? C. Can my dust praise you from the grave? L. Can it tell the world of your faithfulness? C. Hear me, Lord, and have mercy on me. Help me, O Lord." L. You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. C. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, L. that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. C. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever! (NLT) The second lesson 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 Since you excel in so many ways—you have so much faith, such gifted speakers, such knowledge, such enthusiasm, and such love for us—now I want you to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving. 8 I am not saying you must do it, even though the other churches are eager to do it. This is one way to prove your love is real. 9 You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 10 I suggest that you finish what you started a year ago, for you were the first to propose this idea, and you were the first to begin doing something about it. 11 Now you should carry this project through to completion just as enthusiastically as you began it. Give whatever you can according to what you have. 12 If you are really eager to give, it isn't important how much you are able to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you don't have. 13 Of course, I don't mean you should give so much that you suffer from having too little. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help them. Then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way, everyone's needs will be met. 15 Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? "Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough." (NLT) The Gospel Lesson Mark 5:21-43 When Jesus went back across to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 A leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came and fell down before him, 23 pleading with him to heal his little daughter. "She is about to die," he said in desperation. "Please come and place your hands on her; heal her so she can live." 24 Jesus went with him, and the crowd thronged behind. 25 And there was a woman in the crowd who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors through the years and had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she was worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched the fringe of his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his clothing, I will be healed." 29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel that she had been healed! 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" 31 His disciples said to him, "All this crowd is pressing around you. How can you ask, 'Who touched me?' " 32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. You have been healed." 35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus's home with the message, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now." 36 But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just trust me." 37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with him except Peter and James and John. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw the commotion and the weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and spoke to the people. "Why all this weeping and commotion?" he asked. "The child isn't dead; she is only asleep." 40 The crowd laughed at him, but he told them all to go outside. Then he took the girl's father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, "Get up, little girl!" 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! Her parents were absolutely overwhelmed. 43 Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone what had happened, and he told them to give her something to eat. (NLT)