Scripture Readings-resources

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

Slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
Nor will he harbor his anger for ever;
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
Or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is his love for those who fear him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
For he knows how we are formed,
He remembers that we are dust.
As for man, his days are like grass,
He flourishes like a flower of the field;
The wind blows over it and it is gone,
And its place remembers it not more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
The Lord's love is with those who fear him.
(Psalm 103: 8-17)

There is a time for everything,
And a season for every activity under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die
A time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to kill and a time to heal,
A time to tear down and a time to build,
A time to weep and a time to laugh,
A time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
A time to embrace and a time to refrain,
A time to search and a time to give up,
A time to keep and a time to throw away,
A time to tear and a time to mend,
A time to be silent and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate,
A time for war and a time for peace.
(Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. . . . For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
(Isaiah 41:10, 13)
 

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers,

nor things present nor things to come,

nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

 shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
(Romans 8:37-38)

 

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him,

 so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

  (Romans 15:13)

 

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable; It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that, the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.

I declare to you brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with the immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
(1 Corinthians 15:42-57)

 

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

 the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

 who comforts us in all our troubles,

 so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

 For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives,

 so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

 (2 Corinthians 3:1-5)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
(2 Corinthians 4:16-15:8)

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two; I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.
(Philippians 1:20-23)
 

"God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand,

will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus...

and this same God - will supply all your needs from His glorious riches,

which have been given to us in Christ Jesus."

(Phil 4:7,19,20)

 

We do not want you to be uninformed about those who fall asleep,

or to grieve like the rest of men who have no hope. 

We believe that Jesus died and rose again

and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him..... 

Therefore comfort one another with these words." 

 (1 Thess. 4:13,14,18)

 

"So God has given us both his promise and his oath.

 These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie.

 Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage,

 for we can hold on to his promise with confidence.

 This confidence is like a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.

 It leads us through the curtain of heaven into God's inner sanctuary." 

(Hebrews 6:18-19)