gospel songwriting competition

The position of the Gospel according to Matthew as the first of the four gospels in the New Testament reflects both the view that it was the first to be written, a view that goes back to the late second century A.D., and the esteem in which it was held by the church; no other was so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity. Although the majority of scholars now reject the opinion about the time of its composition, the high estimation of this work remains. The reason for that becomes clear upon study of the way in which Matthew presents his story of Jesus, the demands of Christian discipleship, and the breaking-in of the new and final age through the ministry but particularly through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel begins with a narrative prologue, the first part of which is a genealogy of Jesus starting with Abraham, the father of Israel. Yet at the beginning of that genealogy Jesus is designated as “the son of David, the son of Abraham”. The kingly ancestor who lived about a thousand years after Abraham is named first, for this is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the royal anointed one. In the first of the episodes of the infancy narrative that follow the genealogy, the mystery of Jesus’ person is declared. He is conceived of a virgin by the power of the Spirit of God. The first of the gospel’s fulfillment citations, whose purpose it is to show that he was the one to whom the prophecies of Israel were pointing, occurs here: he shall be named Emmanuel, for in him God is with us. The announcement of the birth of this newborn king of the Jews greatly troubles not only King Herod but all Jerusalem, yet the Gentile magi are overjoyed to find him and offer him their homage and their gifts. Thus his ultimate rejection by the mass of his own people and his acceptance by the Gentile nations is foreshadowed. He must be taken to Egypt to escape the murderous plan of Herod. By his sojourn there and his subsequent return after the king’s death he relives the Exodus experience of Israel. The words of the Lord spoken through the prophet Hosea, “Out of Egypt I called my son,” are fulfilled in him; if Israel was God’s son, Jesus is so in a way far surpassing the dignity of that nation, as his marvelous birth and the unfolding of his story show. Back in the land of Israel, he must be taken to Nazareth in Galilee because of the danger to his life in Judea, where Herod’s son Archelaus is now ruling. The sufferings of Jesus in the infancy narrative anticipate those of his passion, and if his life is spared in spite of the dangers, it is because his destiny is finally to give it on the cross as “a ransom for many”. Thus the word of the angel will be fulfilled, “…he will save his people from their sins”. In Matthew begins his account of the ministry of Jesus, introducing it by the preparatory preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus that culminates in God’s proclaiming him his “beloved Son”, and the temptation in which he proves his true sonship by his victory over the devil’s attempt to deflect him from the way of obedience to the Father. The central message of Jesus’ preaching is the coming of the kingdom of heaven and the need for repentance, a complete change of heart and conduct, on the part of those who are to receive this great gift of God Galilee is the setting for most of his ministry; he leaves there for Judea only and his ministry in Jerusalem, the goal of his journey, is limited to a few days. In this extensive material there are five great discourses of Jesus, each concluding with the formula “When Jesus finished these words” or one closely similar. These are an important structure of the gospel. In every case the discourse is preceded by a narrative section, each narrative and discourse together constituting a “book” of the gospel. The discourses are, respectively, the “Sermon on the Mount”, the missionary discourse, the parable discourse, the “church

The Gospel according to Luke is the first part of a two-volume work that continues the biblical history of God’s dealings with humanity found in the Old Testament, showing how God’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus and how the salvation promised to Israel and accomplished by Jesus has been extended to the Gentiles. The stated purpose of the two volumes is to provide Theophilus and others like him with certainty—assurance—about earlier instruction they have received. To accomplish his purpose, Luke shows that the preaching and teaching of the representatives of the early church are grounded in the preaching and teaching of Jesus, who during his historical ministry prepared his specially chosen followers and commissioned them to be witnesses to his resurrection and to all else that he did. This continuity between the historical ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles is Luke’s way of guaranteeing the fidelity of the Church’s teaching to the teaching of Jesus. Luke’s story of Jesus and the church is dominated by a historical perspective. This history is first of all salvation history. God’s divine plan for human salvation was accomplished during the period of Jesus, who through the events of his life fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, and this salvation is now extended to all humanity in the period of the church. This salvation history, moreover, is a part of human history. Luke relates the story of Jesus and the church to events in contemporary Palestinian history for, as Paul says, “this was not done in a corner.” Finally, Luke relates the story of Jesus and the church to contemporaneous church history. Luke is concerned with presenting Christianity as a legitimate form of worship in the Roman world, a religion that is capable of meeting the spiritual needs of a world empire like that of Rome. To this end, Luke depicts the Roman governor Pilate declaring Jesus innocent of any wrongdoing three times. At the same time Luke argues in Acts that Christianity is the logical development and proper fulfillment of Judaism and is therefore deserving of the same toleration and freedom traditionally accorded Judaism by Rome. The prominence given to the period of the church in the story has important consequences for Luke’s interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. By presenting the time of the church as a distinct phase of salvation history, Luke accordingly shifts the early Christian emphasis away from the expectation of an imminent parousia to the day-to-day concerns of the Christian community in the world. He does this in the gospel by regularly emphasizing the words “each day” in the sayings of Jesus. Although Luke still believes the parousia to be a reality that will come unexpectedly, he is more concerned with presenting the words and deeds of Jesus as guides for the conduct of Christian disciples in the interim period between the ascension and the parousia and with presenting Jesus himself as the model of Christian life and piety. Throughout the gospel, Luke calls upon the Christian disciple to identify with the master Jesus, who is caring and tender toward the poor and lowly, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted, toward all those who recognize their dependence on God, but who is severe toward the proud and self-righteous, and particularly toward those who place their material wealth before the service of God and his people. No gospel writer is more concerned than Luke with the mercy and compassion of Jesus. No gospel writer is more concerned with the role of the Spirit in the life of Jesus and the Christian disciple, with the importance of prayer, or with Jesus’ concern for women. While Jesus calls all humanity to repent, he is particularly demanding of those who would be his disciples. Of them he demands absolute and total detachment from family and material possessions. To all who respond in faith and repentance to the word Jesus preaches, he brings salvation and peace and life.

Lin Jie, a transmigrator, is the owner of a bookstore in another world.

This shortest of all New Testament gospels is likely the first to have been written, yet it often tells of Jesus’ ministry in more detail than either Matthew or Luke. It recounts what Jesus did in a vivid style, where one incident follows directly upon another. In this almost breathless narrative, Mark stresses Jesus’ message about the kingdom of God now breaking into human life as good news and Jesus himself as the gospel of God. Jesus is the Son whom God has sent to rescue humanity by serving and by sacrificing his life. The opening verse about good news in Mark serves as a title for the entire book. The action begins with the appearance of John the Baptist, a messenger of God attested by scripture. But John points to a mightier one, Jesus, at whose baptism God speaks from heaven, declaring Jesus his Son. The Spirit descends upon Jesus, who eventually, it is promised, will baptize “with the holy Spirit.” This presentation of who Jesus really is, rounded out with a brief reference to the temptation of Jesus and how Satan’s attack fails. Jesus as Son of God will be victorious, a point to be remembered as one reads of Jesus’ death and the enigmatic ending to Mark’s Gospel. The key verses at Mark which are programmatic, summarize what Jesus proclaims as gospel: fulfillment, the nearness of the kingdom, and therefore the need for repentance and for faith. After the call of the first four disciples, all fishermen we see Jesus engaged in teaching, preaching, and healing, and exorcising demons. The content of Jesus’ teaching is only rarely stated, and then chiefly in parables about the kingdom. His cures, especially on the sabbath; his claim, like God, to forgive sins; his table fellowship with tax collectors and sinners; and the statement that his followers need not now fast but should rejoice while Jesus is present, all stir up opposition that will lead to Jesus’ death. Jesus’ teaching in exalts the word of God over “the tradition of the elders” and sees defilement as a matter of the heart, not of unclean foods. Yet opposition mounts. Scribes charge that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul. His relatives think him “out of his mind”. Jesus’ kinship is with those who do the will of God, in a new eschatological family, not even with mother, brothers, or sisters by blood ties. But all too often his own disciples do not understand Jesus. The fate of John the Baptist hints ominously at Jesus’ own passion. Momentarily he is glimpsed in his true identity when he is transfigured before three of the disciples, but by and large Jesus is depicted in Mark as moving obediently along the way to his cross in Jerusalem. Occasionally there are miracles, the only such account in Jerusalem), sometimes teachings, but the greatest concern is with discipleship. For the disciples do not grasp the mystery being revealed. One of them will betray him, Judas; one will deny him, Peter; all eleven men will desert Jesus. The Gospel of Mark ends in the most ancient manuscripts with an abrupt scene at Jesus’ tomb, which the women find empty. His own prophecy of Mk is reiterated, that Jesus goes before the disciples into Galilee; “there you will see him.” These words may imply resurrection appearances there, or Jesus’ parousia there, or the start of Christian mission, or a return to the roots depicted in Galilee. Mark’s Gospel is even more oriented to christology. Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Messiah, the anointed king of Davidic descent, the Greek for which, Christos, has, by the time Mark wrote, become in effect a proper name. Jesus is also seen as Son of Man, a term used in Mark not simply as a substitute for “I” or for humanity in general or with reference to a mighty figure who is to come, but also in connection with Jesus’ predestined, necessary path of suffering and vindication.

The Gospel according to John is quite different in character from the three synoptic gospels. It is highly literary and symbolic. It does not follow the same order or reproduce the same stories as the synoptic gospels. To a much greater degree, it is the product of a developed theological reflection and grows out of a different circle and tradition. It was probably written in the 90s of the first century. The Gospel of John begins with a magnificent prologue, which states many of the major themes and motifs of the gospel, much as an overture does for a musical work. The prologue proclaims Jesus as the preexistent and incarnate Word of God who has revealed the Father to us. The rest of the first chapter forms the introduction to the gospel proper and consists of the Baptist’s testimony about Jesus (there is no baptism of Jesus in this gospel—John simply points him out as the Lamb of God), followed by stories of the call of the first disciples, in which various titles predicated of Jesus in the early church are presented. The gospel narrative contains a series of “signs”—the gospel’s word for the wondrous deeds of Jesus. The author is primarily interested in the significance of these deeds, and so interprets them for the reader by various reflections, narratives, and discourses. The first sign is the transformation of water into wine at Cana (Jn 2:1–11); this represents the replacement of the Jewish ceremonial washings and symbolizes the entire creative and transforming work of Jesus. The second sign, the cure of the royal official’s son (Jn 4:46–54) simply by the word of Jesus at a distance, signifies the power of Jesus’ life-giving word. The same theme is further developed by other signs, probably for a total of seven. The third sign, the cure of the paralytic at the pool with five porticoes in chap. 5, continues the theme of water offering newness of life. In the preceding chapter, to the woman at the well in Samaria Jesus had offered living water springing up to eternal life, a symbol of the revelation that Jesus brings; here Jesus’ life-giving word replaces the water of the pool that failed to bring life. Jn 6 contains two signs, the multiplication of loaves and the walking on the waters of the Sea of Galilee. These signs are connected much as the manna and the crossing of the Red Sea are in the Passover narrative and symbolize a new exodus. The multiplication of the loaves is interpreted for the reader by the discourse that follows, where the bread of life is used first as a figure for the revelation of God in Jesus and then for the Eucharist. After a series of dialogues reflecting Jesus’ debates with the Jewish authorities at the Feast of Tabernacles in Jn 7; 8, the sixth sign is presented in Jn 9, the sign of the young man born blind. This is a narrative illustration of the theme of conflict in the preceding two chapters; it proclaims the triumph of light over darkness, as Jesus is presented as the Light of the world. This is interpreted by a narrative of controversy between the Pharisees and the young man who had been given his sight by Jesus, ending with a discussion of spiritual blindness and spelling out the symbolic meaning of the cure. And finally, the seventh sign, the raising of Lazarus in chap. 11, is the climax of signs. Lazarus is presented as a token of the real life that Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, who will now ironically be put to death because of his gift of life to Lazarus, will give to all who believe in him once he has been raised from the dead.

Wen Meng transmigrated into a melodramatic interstellar novel, becoming the malicious supporting character and fake heiress. As a result, she was thrown into a desolate star's lake at the beginning and nearly drowned. Fortunately, she awakened the beast-taming ability, and with the help of the system, she successively tamed various young disaster beasts and lived together with the little ones. One day.. A pitch-black serpent coiled around Wen Meng's body, its head affectionately resting against her cheek. "Get off her!!" The white wolf at his feet suddenly transformed into a handsome man He clenched his fists and roared at the black serpent. "What's it to you?" The black snake spoke, its voice human-like. To assert its dominance, it coiled around her even tighter and flicked its tongue against her ear. "Can't you understand?" The man, burning with jealousy, grabbed the snake by the neck. "If you play like this, it won't be fun anymore." The black snake unexpectedly transformed into the handsome 858. The smoke cleared, and the two men were grappling with each other. The scene was extremely ugly. "How did they... turn into humans?!" Wen Meng couldn't believe her eyes. "So childish, still fighting." The big eagle spread his arms and hugged Wen Meng's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, greedily inhaling the fragrance of her neck. "Only beasts without confidence compete for mates." "Exactly!" The little bear comfortably rested its head on Wen Meng's snow-white thigh, rubbing its furry face vigorously. One of its paws was stretched out, and Wen Meng was trimming its nails. The little bear spoke in a soft, childish voice, "Not like me, I'm a good baby." But at this moment, Wen Meng had already come to her senses. She murmured, "You too can turn into humans, right?" Big Eagle: "..." Little Bear: "..." Later, they all wanted to have her to themselves. Using all their tricks to ruin the reputation of other disaster beasts, Filial piety turns sour, consumed by jealousy. Bai E: "Say you love me, that you love me the most, right?" Wen Meng: ... (I love, universal love) Anaconda: "Why can't we be together? Did you give birth to me?" Wen Meng: ... (You've grown up and become disobedient) Thunderbird: "Open your eyes and look at me. I don't believe your eyes are empty." Wen Meng: "Put your clothes on!!" (nosebleed gushing) Bear King: You think I have no feelings for you? I just go into heat a bit later. Wen Meng: ? (Bear hug, uh, can't breathe) And then later— Wen Meng found the culprit who had plotted against her. "Compete with me? You're not even worthy." That person glanced at Wen Meng with disdain Not a trace of remorse. She had never taken Wen Meng seriously. Wen Meng opened the space card. The most terrifying disaster beast in the galaxy appeared at the same time. The magnetic field and celestial phenomena of the Emperor Star were in complete chaos, as if it were the end of the world. These ancient god-like beasts of calamity bowed to her, Glaring at the enemy with fierce eyes. The woman's face turned pale, filled with terror "Did that scare you?" Wen Meng laughed "I've always wanted to ask you, do you really know, "Actually, you are the impostor?" Finally.. Wen Meng's former fiancé, General of the Empire, roared with reddened eyes, "Tell me! How many more men do I have to defeat to win your heart??" Chief Inspector of the police station, the mad scientist director, the aristocratic business tycoon... all being called out at the same time. And the one, two, three standing behind her... there were too many, Wen Meng couldn't remember them all. This world is a vast battlefield of Asuras.

A stubborn young Duke on the verge of being replaced by his heartless and greedy uncle comes to the realization that he needs to fight if he wants to keep what is his. But after the war he lost his will to fight, to live. He no longer fit in with high society, he was scared inside and out and he didn't know how to fight a battle with reputation instead of swords. On a mission to find an imposter, he runs into his late captain's younger sister. In a strange turn of events, she swears a life debt to him and immediately begins to improve his broken reputation with her wild and bright demeanor. The orphaned daughter of an Earl runs circles around her conniving guardians constantly ruining their attempts to marry her off so they can inherit the Earldom, all while secretly preventing the Poor Earldom she loves from going to ruin. Strong-willed and smart she thinks she's got it all figured out. She just needs to block all potential marriages and keep her land and people afloat for another year and a half and she'll be free. But what happens when she's outsmarted and out-maneuvered by someone unexpected? And is she really as immune to good looks and charm as she thought... or was she way overestimating herself?

Mazoku and his friends go on an epic conquest to eliminate all of the Forsaken Realm while also getting stronger to becone the next Power Kings!

Star quarterback, captain of the football team, pretty face, perfect body, great personality, and brains; Andrew Jones is just--well perfect. That is until he realizes that he keeps dying, and time continues to reverse back to any day when he—you know—dies. Even worse, Andrew is being hunted by strange, masked men, the new kid in school—Sebastian—keeps playing his hero (while not-so-obviously showcasing his immense crush for Andrew), and now Andrew can raise the dead (which would be cool if he ironically didn’t find out that now he’s immortal?). Dealing with homework and his social life is enough, but now at 17, Andrew has to deal with this bullshit? Andrew’s life switches from perfect to chaotic as he learns more about himself, his powers, the differences between friend and foe, and—well—love, as Andrew himself starts to fall in love with Sebastian while also searching for his purpose—his reason to exist.

One day, Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase are accused of being too dependent on one another. Believing this to be untrue, Percy and Annabeth set out to prove their accusers wrong. The perfect opportunity arrises when Annabeth transfers to Goode, where nobody but Paul knows about their relationship. Acting their usual selves, Percy and Annabeth decide to make their challenge into a competition: to see how long they can go without anybody from school discovering their relationship. The only question is, how long can they REALLY survive without the comfort of the other? (this is a fanfic but it wouldn't let me edit to say it is)