(But now, Christ has been raised from the dead
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.)

Otherwise what about those who have themselves
baptised for the sake of the dead
If actually the dead are not being raised
why are they being baptised for them?

And we, why are we in danger at each and every hour?
Every day I am dying,
I swear by my boast in you,
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If according to a human point of view
I have fought with wild beasts in Ephesus,
what benefit could it to me?

If the dead are not raised
Let us eat and drink,
for tomorrow we will die,¹
Do not be deceived!

Bad cliques ruin good morals.
Sober up as you ought,
and do not sin,
for some people have no knowledge of God,
I say this to your shame.

1. Isa 22:13? ↩︎

O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me.
O Love, who redeemed me,
fill up in me whatever part of your love
has fallen into neglect within me.
O Love, O God, who first loved me,
grant that with my whole heart,
and with my whole soul,
and with my whole strength,
I may love you.

Gertrude the Great

But now, Christ has been raised from the dead
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since through a human (was) death,
so through a human (was) resurrection of the dead.
For just as in (the case of) Adam all died
so also in (the case of) Christ will all be made alive.
But each in their own order:
first Christ,
then Christ’s
at his coming.

Then the end (will happen)
when he hands over the kingdom
to God, and (his) Father,
when every rule , and every authority and power
will be destroyed.

For it is necessary for him (Christ) to reign
until he put all the enemies under his feet,

The last enemy being eliminated is Death.
For he (God) has put in subjection all things
under his feet.
For when he (God?) said that all things have been put into subjection
it is evident that
(all things have been put into subjection to Christ)
except for the One (God)
who put everything in subjection to him (Christ)

Moreover when all things are subjected to him (Christ)
then the Son himself
will be subjected
to the one
who subjected all things to him (Christ),
so that God might be
‘the all’
in all things.

Teach us, good Lord,
to serve thee as thou deservest;
to give and not to count the cost;
to fight and not to heed the wounds;
to toil and not to seek for rest;
to labour and not to ask for any reward,
save that of knowing that we do thy will,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

St Ignatius

Then, last of all,
– just as if
to one untimely born –
to me.
For I am the very least important of the apostles,
I am not fit to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am who I am,
and his grace, towards me,
has not been fruitless,
rather
I worked harder
than all of them,
though not I,
but the grace of God
which is (working) in me.

So whether I or they,
in this way
we preach
and in this way you believed.

Thank you, dear Jesus,
for all you have given me,
for all you have taken away from me,
for all you have left me.

Thomas More (c.1478-1535)

For I as a priority
handed onto you
what I also received
that:
Christ died for our sins
according to the scriptures
that:
he was buried
and that:
he was raised on the third day
according to the scriptures
and that:
he was seen by Kephas
then the twelve,
then he was seen by more than five hundred sisters/brothers at one time
the majority of whom remain until now,
though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to Jacob (James)
then to all the apostles.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is discord, union;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy,
For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen

So I make known to you,
brothers/sisters,
the good news,
which I preached to you,
which you also received,
in which you also stand
through which you also are being saved,
–for what reason did I preach to you? –
if you hold fast?
–unless you believed without consideration.

For I as a priority
handed onto you
what I also received
that…

O Lord Jesus Christ,
stay beside me to defend me,
within me to guide me,
before me to lead me,
and above me to bless me,
that with you and in you,
I may live, and move and have my being,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

(unknown)

…as in all the churches of the holy ones,

let the women be silent in the churches.
For they are not permitted to speak,
but to be subject
as the ‘Law’ also says.

Moreover if anyone (of them) wishes to learn,
let them ask their own husband
at home.
For it is disgraceful
for a woman to speak in church.
Did the Word of God
originate from you (fem)
or
did it reach you (masc/fem) alone?

If anyone thinks they are a prophet,
or a spiritual person,
let them recognise that what I am writing to you
is a commandment from the Lord.

If anyone disregards (it/me?)
then they are to be disregarded.

So then, my brothers/ sisters
seek to prophesy,
and do not forbid to speak in tongues,
So act in all things
properly
and
in order.

Eternal God and Father,
you create us by your power,
and redeem us by your love,
guide and strengthen us by your Spirit,
that we may give ourselves in love and service
to one another and to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

So what is it, sisters.brothers?
Suppose whenever you come together,
each one has a song of praise,
has a teaching,
has a revelation,
has a tongue,
has a interpretation,
let all these things be for building up (of the church).

If someone speaks in a tongue
– (it should) two or at the most three times,
– and one after the other
then let one interpret.
But if there is no interpreter
let them remain silent in the church,
Let them speak to themselves
and to God.
Let two or three prophets speak
and the others sift (what is said).
And if someone sitting is given a revelation,
let the first one be silent.
For you can all prophesy one at a time,
so that all might learn, and all might be encouraged.
And the spirits of the prophets
are subject to the prophets,
for God is not of disorder but peace.

O Lord, in whom is our hope,
remove far from us, we pray thee,
empty hopes and presumptuous confidence.
Make our hearts so right with thy most holy and loving heart,
that hoping in thee we may do good;
until that day when faith and hope
shall be abolished by sight and possession,
and love shall be all in all.

Christina Rossetti (1830-94)

Brothers /sisters
do not be children in thinking,
instead be an infant with regard to wickedness,
but be ‘grown up’ in thinking.

For it has been written in the Law:
By foreign languages
and by the lips of others,
I will speak to this people,
but not even then will they listen to me. ¹
says the Lord.
So then, tongues are a sign,
not for the believers,
but the unbelievers,
or
prophecy is
not for those with unbelief,
but for those who believe.

If the whole church has come together,
in the same place,
and everyone speaks in tongues,
and a seeker or unbeliever comes in,
will they not say that you are raving / out of your minds?

But if all prophesy,
and a unbeliever or seeker comes in,
they will become convicted of sin by everything,
they will be called to account by everyone.,
the hidden things of their heart
will become evident.,
and in this way falling upon their faces
they will worship God
declaring:
‘God is truly among you.’

1. Isaiah 28:11-12 ↩︎

Keep us, O Lord, while we tarry on this earth,
in a serious seeking after thee,
and in an affectionate walking with thee,
every day of our lives;
that when thou comest,
we may be found not hiding our talent,
nor yet asleep with our lamp unfurnished,
but waiting and longing for our Lord,
our glorious King, for ever and ever.

Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

Therefore let the one who speaks in a tongue pray
that they might interpret.
For if I pray in a tongue
my spirit prays,
but my mind is fruitless.

So what is it?
I will pray in (my) spirit,
so also I will pray with (my) mind.
I will sing in (my) spirit,
so also I will sing with (my) mind.

Otherwise if you are blessing in spirit,
the [one who fills the place of the (seeker)] –
how can they say the Amen to your thanksgiving,
– when they do not know what you are saying?

For you bless beautifully,
but the other one is not strengthened.
I thank God
that I speak in tongues more (often) than all of you.
But
in church
I would rather speak five words with my mind,
so that I might also instruct others
than thousands of words in a tongue.

Lord God,
you feed us with the living bread from heaven;
you renew our faith,
increase our hope,
and strengthen our love.

Teach us to hunger
for Christ who is the true and living bread,
and to live by every word
that comes from your mouth,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.