Jer. 3:19–25

3:19 “I thought to myself,

‘Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son!

What a joy it would be for me to give you a pleasant land,

the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!’

I thought you would call me ‘Father’

and would never cease being loyal to me.

20But, you have been unfaithful to me, nation of Israel,

like an unfaithful wife who has left her husband,”

says the Lord.

21“A noise is heard on the hilltops.

It is the sound of the people of Israel crying and pleading to their gods.

Indeed they have followed sinful ways;

they have forgotten to be true to the Lord their God.

22Come back to me, you wayward people.

I want to cure your waywardness.

Say, ‘Here we are. We come to you

because you are the Lord our God.

23We know our noisy worship of false gods

on the hills and mountains did not help us.

We know that the Lord our God

is the only one who can deliver Israel.

24From earliest times our worship of that shameful god, Baal,

has taken away all that our ancestors worked for.

It has taken away our flocks and our herds

and even our sons and daughters.

25Let us acknowledge our shame.

Let us bear the disgrace that we deserve.

For we have sinned against the Lord our God,

both we and our ancestors.

From earliest times to this very day

we have not obeyed the Lord our God.’

Ps. 119:113–120

119:113 ס (Samek)

I hate people with divided loyalties,

but I love your law.

114You are my hiding place and my shield.

I find hope in your word.

115Turn away from me, you evil men,

so that I can observe the commands of my God.

116Sustain me as you promised, so that I will live.

Do not disappoint me.

117Support me so that I will be delivered.

Then I will focus on your statutes continually.

118You despise all who stray from your statutes,

for such people are deceptive and unreliable.

119You remove all the wicked of the earth like slag.

Therefore I love your rules.

120My body trembles because I fear you;

I am afraid of your judgments.

Acts 1:1–11

1:1 I wrote the former account, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after he had given orders by the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3To the same apostles also, after his suffering, he presented himself alive with many convincing proofs. He was seen by them over a forty-day period and spoke about matters concerning the kingdom of God. 4While he was with them, he declared, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait there for what my Father promised, which you heard about from me. 5For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6So when they had gathered together, they began to ask him, “Lord, is this the time when you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7He told them, “You are not permitted to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth.” 9After he had said this, while they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them 11and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven.”