Jesus Christ: New Life, Identity in Trinity

Transcription

1 December 11 St. Dominic s RCIA Program Jesus Christ: New Life, Identity in Trinity Disciple 2 Goal Today we focus on the new life that Jesus offers us. This new life directs us towards our ultimate future, yet, it begins today. We do not earn salvation, but we respond to Jesus offer. We ll explore Luke s parable of the Prodigal Son and other parables. We will also return to the notion of Trinity, God s relational inner dynamism. We believe that God is not only loving, but Love itself. Through Jesus Christ we are invited to share in God s divine life and love. All our other beliefs as Christians stand in relation to this fundamental idea. Agenda Welcome / Housekeeping / Mass on Sundays / Prayer (10) Answers to your questions (5) Parables and New Life Presentation (20) Discussion (15): 1. What do you think the symbols/characters in the parable represent? 2. What moral, spiritual, or metaphysical insight does the parable offer? 3. What response does the parable call out from you? 4. How might this parable challenge the expectations of Jesus s society? Of ours? 5. How might you update the analogy in the parable to relate to our times? Break (10) Prayer: Examination of Conscience (10) Christ & Trinity (35) Discussion (remaining time) Response to Examination of Conscience & Presentation? Why is the Greatest Commandment to love God and your neighbor? Do you gravitate more to the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit in prayer? Which person in the Trinity do you wish to learn more about or invoke/name/encounter more often in your spiritual life? Housekeeping Notes Commitment Forms (Ivory half-sheet forms initially handed out last week) Please turn one in if you haven t already. Rite of Acceptance: Feb. 10th at 11:30 & 5:30 Masses. Bring your sponsor. Already baptized participants don t forget to get me a copy of your Baptism certificate. Handouts Session Overview (this sheet) Answers to your questions Slides: Parables & The Prodigal Son & Trinity The Prodigal Son with Examination of Conscience Love Passages Bible Journey: What is the Church? Next Week (Topic: Church The Body of Christ) Bible Journey: What Is The Church? Reflection Questions When I imagine Church what is it that I imagine (e.g., building, people, ritual, rules, etc.)? What has been my experience of Church (good and bad)?

2 Parables The Parable of the Lamp--Mark 4: He said to them, Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light.anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear. The Parable of the Mustard Seed--Mark 4: He said, To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade. The Rich Fool (Luke 12:21-31) Then he told them a parable. There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest? And he said, This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry! But God said to him, You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong? Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God. The Wedding Feast (Luke 14: 7-15) He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honor at the table. When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honor. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, 9and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, Give your place to this man, and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, My friend, move up to a higher position. Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted. Then he said to the host who invited him, When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

3 The Wheat and the Weeds (Matthew 13: 24-30) He proposed another parable to them. The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from? He answered, An enemy has done this. His slaves said to him, Do you want us to go and pull them up? He replied, No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn. The Parable of the Yeast (Matthew 13: 33) He spoke to them another parable. The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened The Hidden Treasure (Matthew 13: 44) The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. The Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20: 1-16) The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just. So they went off. [And] he went out again around noon, and around three o clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, Why do you stand here idle all day? They answered, Because no one has hired us. He said to them, You too go into my vineyard. When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first. When those who had started about five o clock came, each received the usual daily wage.10so when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day s burden and the heat. He said to one of them in reply, My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? [Or] am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous? Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.

4 Parables & New Life Reflections on Seeking The Lost (Luke 15) The Confiteor I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God. Recap Jesus Sermon on the Mount, Beatitudes. TONIGHT: We ll focus on: Jesus teaching in Parables Examination of Conscience The Mystery of Christ & the Trinity. Parable A simple story used by Jesus to illustrate a lesson for the community of disciples. Uses parallelism and analogy, often rooted in everyday life. May involve a moral, spiritual, ecclesial, or metaphysical lesson. Can be multi-valent. Frequently allude to the eschaton (end times).

5 PARABLE OF THE LAST JUDGMENT: Matthew 25: Judgment Seat of God, Symbolic Creatures When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Eternity with the King Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Jesus in Disguise Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?when did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you? And the king will say to them in reply, Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least of mine, you did for me.

6 Luke 15 Three Parables Lost Sheep Lost Coin Lost Son Luke 15: 3-10 The Lost Sheep What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep. I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance. The Lost Coin. Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost. In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents. What do the parables mean? Parables only occasionally require explanation (ie. Parable of the Sower in Mark 4) Why give the story without the lesson? (ie. the Mustard Seed)? Whey not give the lesson without the story? Luke 15: The Prodigal Son A mini-gospel. Perhaps the most iconic parable of Jesus Well represented in art We all see a little bit of ourselves in the story Prodigal = wastefully extravagant What is the message? Who is the audience for the message?

7 Luke 15 Takeaways Core Points We stray God takes the initiative in seeking us Our challenge is to accept His love and become His love The special challenge to the religious insider is to seek the lost Discussion of Parables 1.What do you think the symbols/characters in the parable represent? 2. What moral, spiritual, or metaphysical insight does the parable offer? 3.What response does the parable call out from you? 4.How might this parable challenge the expectations of Jesus s society? Of ours? 5.How might you update the analogy in the parable to relate to our times?

8 EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE A good spiritual practice to be done regularly Daily, weekly, seasonally at different levels. Before Mass (GOOD IDEA) Before the Sacrament Confession (ALWAYS) Various tools to help you: Walk through your day Use Scripture as a prompt Journaling Talk to someone you trust SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Next week, only for those who are already Confirmed, during RCIA class. Anyone who is baptized can receive this Sacrament if they have been prepared and catechized on it. Examination of Conscience Based on perspectives in the Prodigal Son Parable The younger brother The father The older brother St. Dominic s R.C.I.A Christ & Trinity

9 Big Questions How can this baby in a manger be God? Why would God take on human form? What does it mean that God has shared our human experience? How is Jesus related to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit? Why Are these Questions Important? Because Jesus was trying to tell us something Because we want to know the truth About God About us About life (meaning, purpose, destiny, etc.) Because simple answers tend to cause more problems than they solve The answers impact our relationship with God! Big Mysteries Incarnation One Person, Two Natures Trinity Three Persons, One Nature Trinity Talk : From the Nicene Creed I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made..

10 Power & Limitation of Proofs Our rational minds are gifts of God, and logical proofs help us understand creation and our Creator. But, often our mind can t move our will to make an act of trust Difference between thinking something is true and trusting that it is true Question: What s the difference between knowing about love and falling in love? Ultimately we hope for An experience Understanding to make sense of our experience Faith seeking understanding (St. Augustine) EXPERIENCE The journey of faith (analogy of toddler approaching a slide) Watching Sensing Pondering Responding Committing Loving WITNESS Love Is Born In A Stable John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. Love Dies On A Cross No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

11 Letter to the Hebrews Hebrews 4:14 Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Baptismal Witness & Implications Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19) name, not names The Name Biblical Usage In baptism one receives a share in the life and communion of God. Origins of the doctrine of Trinity Starting Point: Jesus & his experience of the Father, Confirmed by the resurrection and Ignited by the gift of the Spirit Threefold experience, radically one God Existing expressions insufficient Created language: One God in Three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit God Communicates the Divine Self John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be 4 through him was life and this life was the light of the human race; 5 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it 10 He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. 12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man s decision but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father s only Son, full of grace and truth. Jesus is the Word, or Logos.

12 The issue at the Council of Chalcedon, 451 St. Gregory Nazianzen What Has Not Been Assumed Has Not Been Healed In Jesus Christ We Experience Fully Divine Fully Human One Person, Two Natures (hypostatic union) Council of Chalcedon We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach people to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God (the God-Bearer), according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ Hypostatic Union From the Greek: ὑπόστασις, "hypostasis", sediment, foundation, substance, or subsistence) Cardinal W. Kasper: for hypostasis meant not a state, but an act, not being static in itself, but being as happening. Thus the term corresponded to the relational sense of the concept of person.. the individuality of the person does not accrue to it accidentally from outside, but belongs to it intrinsically of itself. Precisely this make it possible for the divine person to take up the human nature into most intimate unity with itself and yet be itself.

13 Pastoral Trinitarian Analogies Flawed Notions of Trinity Modalism: one God appearing behind three masks or roles Subordinationism (Arianism): the Word and Spirit as less than the Father Partialism 3 parts to God Tritheism: three gods Distinct Notion. Hinduism and Buddhism Polytheism Avatars Pantheism Impersonal God or Atheism Mormonism Limited gods In a locale Once were men and women Judaism and Islam Shares a belief in one God God as personal God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit

14 Distinctively Christian Insight God self disclosure in Jesus God is more than loving God is love 1 John 4:8 Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 1 John 4:16 God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. Question: Can a mono-person God be love? Trinity Overflowing Divine Love It is the mystery of an unfathomable and overflowing love: God is not a solitary being, but a God who bestows and communicates himself out of the abundance of his being, a God who lives in the communion of Father, Son and Spirit, and who can therefore bestow and ground community. Because he is life and love in himself, God is able to be life and love for us. German Bishops Love Invites Us To Love Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and others Who Jesus Is What You Will Be What Christ was by nature, we become by adoption. Colossians 2: 6 So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, 7 rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving 9 For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily, 10 and you share in this fullness in him, who is the head of every principality and power 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power. 4 Through these, he has bestowed on us the precious and very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in the divine nature,

15 A Different Future Hinduism: a drop in the ocean of the all Judaism: paradise undefined Islam: paradise of earthly pleasures Mormonism: your own world A Distinctive Future Christianity: More than Paradise Radical transformation, yet still you. Participation in God s own life & being Trinitarian life Discussion Immediate responses to presentation? Why is the greatest commandment to love God and love our neighbor as ourself? Do you gravitate more to the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit in prayer? Which person in the Trinity do you wish to learn more about or invoke/name/encounter more often in your spiritual life?

16 EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE Based On: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) The Prodigal Son o Have I said, thank you, for all that I have received? o Have I done or said things that I now regret? o Have I used others for my pleasure? o Have I covered my pain with food, alcohol, work, or anything that allows me to forget? o Have I been too quick to create justification for my actions? o Have I taken the time to recognize my own brokenness? o Have I squandered any gifts that have been given me? o Have I blamed my misfortunes on others? o Have I been slow to admit my failings and to ask for forgiveness? o Have I viewed myself as worthless and undeserving of forgiveness? o Have I refused to recognize my dependence on others? o Have I taken the easy way out? o Have I learned from my mistakes? The Father o Have I been willing to share my many gifts with others? o Have I been quick to forgive others, and to restore them to my good graces? o Have I run to meet others who desire to return to God? o Have I been the face and hands of God for others? o Have I been willing to trust others? o Have I celebrated the great moments in life? o Have I been sensitive to the pain and fear of others? o Have I fully appreciated those around me? o Have I been a peacemaker? The Older Son o Have I spoken poorly of others? o Have I refused to reconcile with others? o Have I held on to anger and resentment? o Have I been quick to point out the flaws of others? o Have I failed to celebrate the good fortune of others? o Have I been jealous of the recognition others receive? o Have I approached the world with a sense of entitlement? o Have I tried to manipulate others into doing what I want? o Have I valued other s opinions of myself over God s? o Have I looked to others to affirm me? o Have I been demanding of the time, energy, or attention of others? o Have I taken the time to recognize the gifts that have always been mine?

17 Some Love Passages To Reflect On John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. John 13:1 Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. Mark 12:30-31 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.you shall love your neighbor as yourself. John 14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, 17 the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him." John 14:23 Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him. John 13:34 I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. John 15:9 As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love. 11 "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. 12 This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. John15:13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 1514 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. 16 It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. 17 This I command you: love one another. 1Corinthians 2: 9 But as it is written: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him, Romans 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 1Corinthians 16:13 Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. 14 Your every act should be done with love.

18 Matthew 5:43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? 48 So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." John 12:25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will preserve it for eternal life. 1Corinthians 13:1 If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. 2 And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4 Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, (love) is not pompous, it is not inflated, 5 it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, 6 it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. 7 It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. 9 For we know partially and we prophesy partially, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. 12 At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. 13 So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 John 4 : 7 Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. 8 Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. 10 In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us. 1 John 4 : 16 We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. 17 In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgment because as he is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, "I love God," but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 This is the commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

19 Preview of Mass Readings for Sunday, Dec. 16nd rd Sunday of Advent Gaudete Sunday The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete" Sunday (coming from the first word of the Latin Entrance Antiphon for this day, meaning "Rejoice") and the liturgical color may be rose instead of purple. This is the Church's way of further heightening our expectation as we draw ever nearer the Solemnity of Christmas. Zephaniah 3: 14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals. Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12: 2-6 R. (6) Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel. God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my savior. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!

20 Philippians 4: 4-7 Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Luke 3: The crowds asked John the Baptist, What should we do? He said to them in reply, Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise. Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, Teacher, what should we do? He answered them, Stop collecting more than what is prescribed. Soldiers also asked him, And what is it that we should do? He told them, Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages. Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.