II CORINTHIANS 5:16-21
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to [Godself] through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to [Godself], not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making [God’s] appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

ADDITIONAL TEXTS

Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your judgments are like the great deep; you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
Psalm 36:5-9

I ask, then, has God rejected [God’s] people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected [God’s] people whom [God] foreknew…. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you [Gentiles], a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not vaunt yourselves over the branches. If you do vaunt yourselves, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe.
Romans 11:1-2, 17-20

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love… Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and [God’s] love is perfected in us.
I John 4:7-8, 11-12

ADDITIONAL LECTIONARY TEXTS:
Joshua 5:9-12
Psalm 32
Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Texts are from the NRSV.