Luke 1:1-4 RSV

Acts 1:15-26 In those days Peter stood up among the brethren (the company of persons was in all about a hundred and twenty), and said,

"Brethren, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David, concerning Judas who was guide to those who arrested Jesus.

For he was numbered among us, and was allotted his share in this ministry.

(Now this man bought a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out.

And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language A-kel'da-ma, that is, Field of Blood.)

For it is written in the book of Psalms, 'Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it'; and 'His office let another take.'

So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us--one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection."

And they put forward two, Joseph called Bar-sab'bas, who was surnamed Justus, and Mat-thi-'as.

And they prayed and said, "Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two thou hast chosen

to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place."

And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Mat-thi'as; and he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.

Hebrews 2:1-9 Therefore we must pay the closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.

For if the message declared by angels was valid and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution,

how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard him,

while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his own will.

For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.

It has been testified somewhere, "What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him?

Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor,

putting everything in subjection under his feet." Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him.

But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that