Psalm 24 (CEB)
The earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants too. Because God is the one who established it on the seas; God set it firmly on the waters.
Who can ascend the Lord's mountain?
Who can stand in his holy sanctuary?
Only the one with clean hands and a pure heart; the one who hasn't made false promises, the one who hasn't sworn dishonestly.
That kind of person receives blessings from the Lord and righteousness from the God who saves. And that's how things are with the generation that seeks him -- that seeks the face of Jacob's God.
Mighty gates: lift up your heads! Ancient doors: rise up high! So the glorious king can enter! Who is the glorious king? The Lord -- strong and powerful! The Lord -- powerful in battle! Mighty gates: lift up your heads! Ancient doors: rise up high! So the glorious king can enter! Who is this glorious king? The Lord of heavenly forces -- he is the glorious king!
1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10 (CEB)
Now you are coming to him as a living stone. Even though this stone was rejected by humans, from God's perspective it is chosen, valuable. You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ... But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God's own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. Once you weren't a people, but now you are God's people. Once you hadn't received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
