John 15:12-17

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants[a] any longer, because the servant[b] does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my father. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. 17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

A Word of God that is still speaking,

Thanks be to God

The Word in Music

choral anthem

1 Samuel 18:30-19:10

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Scripture: 1 Samuel 18:30-19:10; 20: 32-42 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

 NARRATOR: Saul’s Plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers and his name became well known. Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David and warned him:

JONATHAN: My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.

NARRATOR: Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father:

JONATHAN: Let not the kind do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by Killing him for no reason?

NARRATOR: Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath:

SAUL: As surely as the Lord Lives, David will not be put to death.

NARRATOR: So, Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before. Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. But an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. Whild David was playing the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

NARRATOR: Saul’s anger flared up at Jonathan as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send someone to bring him to me, for he must die!”

JONATHAN: Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

NARRATOR: But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David. Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David. In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him,

JONATHAN: Run and find the arrows I shoot.

NARRATOR: As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.  When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen. The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 3 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan’s arrow had fallen,

JONATHAN: Isn’t the arrow beyond you? Hurry! Go quickly! Don’t stop!

NARRATOR: The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. (The boy knew nothing about all this; only Jonathan and David knew this was code). Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy to carry home. After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

JONATHAN Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.’”

NARRATOR: Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

 A Word of God that is still speaking,

Thanks be to God.