Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save. As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the message that we preach. And so, while the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Ring out your joy to the Lord, O you just;
  for praise is fitting for loyal hearts.
Give thanks to the Lord upon the harp,
  with a ten-stringed lute sing him songs.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

For the word of the Lord is faithful
  and all his works to be trusted.
The Lord loves justice and right
  and fills the earth with his love.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

He frustrates the designs of the nations,
  he defeats the plans of the peoples.
His own designs shall stand for ever,
  the plans of his heart from age to age.

The Lord fills the earth with his love.

Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!