Beyond the Lectionary

In 1 John 3, the author exhorts his readers to love one another. In chapter 4, he calls them to discern truth from falsehood and encourages them to do so by saying, “For the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (v 4).

When the apostle Paul considers spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 13, he writes, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (v 1

No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lor