a thread opens
And you shall have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
The Vigil
Today’s scroll, one verse at a time — each linked to the last by the cross-references rather than by any model of you. The same vigil for everyone, and a different one tomorrow.
And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had shown great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
from Luke 1:14 · a strong link
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
from Luke 1:58
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
from Romans 12:15 · a strong link
For you had compassion of me in my chains, and took joyfully the plundering of your goods, knowing in yourselves that you have in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
from Hebrews 13:3 · a strong link
a thread opens
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then has God also to the Gentiles granted repentance to life.
from Acts 20:21
Him has God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
from Acts 11:18
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
from Acts 5:31
In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endures.
from Isaiah 9:6 · a strong link
The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
from Psalms 72:7
a thread opens
Be it known to you therefore, men and brothers, that through this man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins:
I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.
from Acts 13:38
To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins.
from I John 2:12 · a strong link
In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
from Acts 10:43
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
from Zechariah 13:1
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.
from Psalms 51:7 · a strong link
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.
from I John 1:7
a thread opens
Because he has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he has ordained; of which he has given assurance to all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
from Acts 17:31
To him that overcomes I will grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
from Matthew 25:31
He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches; To him that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
from Revelation of John 3:21 · a strong link
a thread opens
For truly against your holy child Jesus, whom you have anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,
And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
from Acts 4:27 · a strong link
I give you charge in the sight of God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
from Matthew 27:2
For as the Father raises up the dead, and gives them life; even so the Son gives life to whom he will.
from I Timothy 6:13
See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
from John 5:21
a thread opens
You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do you.
To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? look, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen: look, the word of the LORD is to them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
from Acts 7:51
Who has believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
from Jeremiah 6:10
That the saying of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke, Lord, who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
from Isaiah 53:1 · a strong link
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our report?
from John 12:38 · a strong link
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
from Romans 10:16
a thread opens
And he said to me, Depart: for I will send you far hence to the Gentiles.
But the Lord said to him, Go your way: for he is a chosen vessel to me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
from Acts 22:21 · a strong link
By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:
from Acts 9:15
But cursed be the deceiver, which has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, says the LORD of hosts, and my name is dreadful among the pagans.
from Romans 1:5
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
from Malachi 1:14
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
from Zechariah 14:9
How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
from Daniel 2:44
That is the whole thread.
Every verse the cross-references reach from Luke 1:14 along this chain. Today’s own vigil is laid separately.
Each verse follows the one before it along the chain a study Bible draws — a century old, public, and compiled by people arguing about Scripture rather than about how long you stay. Every card says which verse it came from and opens the chapter it belongs to. Today’s vigil is the same for every reader and is worked out from the date alone, so there is no account, no counter, and nothing stored in your browser or ours.
The text is the Lantern Modern Standard. The links are openbible.info’s cross-reference set (CC BY), the same apparatus behind the reader’s Echoes drawer. Read a whole book · Today’s table