Epiphany 2

January 17

Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her

vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The

nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called

by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in

the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more

be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be

called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and

your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your

builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God

rejoice over you.

 

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be

uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray

to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one

speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say

“Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the

same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are

varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To

each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given

through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge

according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of

healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to

another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the

interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots

to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

 

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was

there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave

out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her,

“Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His

mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six

stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty

gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the

brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So

they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not

know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the

steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first,

and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the

good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and

revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

 

Epiphany 3

January 24

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the

scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel.

Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and

women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the

seventh month. He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early

morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could

understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And

Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the

people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord,

the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands.

Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the

sense, so that the people understood the reading. And Nehemiah, who was the

governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to

all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For

all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go

your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for

whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for

the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

 

1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body,

though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all

baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to

drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If

the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that

would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am

not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the

body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body

were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the

members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member,

where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye

cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I

have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be

weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable

we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with

greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has

so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may

be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one

another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored,

all rejoice together with it. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members

of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third

teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of

leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all

teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in

tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.

 

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him

spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and

was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up,

he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found

the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has

anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the

captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the

year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant,

and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to

say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

Epiphany 4

January 31

Jeremiah 1:4-10

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I

knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to

the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am

only a boy.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a boy’; for you shall go

to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be

afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.” Then the Lord put

out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me, “Now I have put my

words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to

pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”

 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy

gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all

mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do

not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my

body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is

kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own

way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in

the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they

will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know only in part, and we

prophesy only in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end.

When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child;

when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. For now we see in a mirror,

dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know

fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these

three; and the greatest of these is love.

 

Luke 4:21-30

Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your

hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came

from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” He said to them, “Doubtless

you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here

also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’ ” And

he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the

truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was

shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land;

yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There

were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was

cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were

filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of

the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he

passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

 

Epiphany 5

February 7

Isaiah 6:1-13

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty;

and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each

had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet,

and with two they flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the

Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” The pivots on the thresholds shook

at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is

me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean

lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphs flew

to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The

seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your

guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord

saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send

me!” And he said, “Go and say to this people: ‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend;

keep looking, but do not understand.’ Make the mind of this people dull, and stop

their ears, and shut their eyes, so that they may not look with their eyes, and listen

with their ears, and comprehend with their minds, and turn and be healed.” Then I

said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said: “Until cities lie waste without inhabitant,

and houses without people, and the land is utterly desolate; until the Lord sends

everyone far away, and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land. Even if a tenth

part remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak whose stump

remains standing when it is felled.” The holy seed is its stump.

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to

you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are

being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you

have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in

turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and

that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the

scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to

more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive,

though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of

all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles,

unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace

of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the

contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of

God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have

come to believe.

 

Luke 5:1-11

Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was

pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he saw two boats there at the shore of the

lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one

of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from

the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had

finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water and let down your

nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we have worked all night long but have

caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done this,

they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. So they signaled their

partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both

boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’

knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!” For he and all who

were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; and so also were

James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to

Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” When they had

brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

 

The Last Sunday after Epiphany

February 14

Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the

two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face

shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw

Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But

Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to

him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave

them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When

Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses

went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came

out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the

Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses

would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

 

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put

a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that

was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when

they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in

Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over

their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the

Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with

unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being

transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes

from the Lord, the Spirit. Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in

this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one

hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open

statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight

of God.

 

Luke 9:28-43

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and

James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the

appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they

saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were

speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter

and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake,

they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving

him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three

dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he

said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were

terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This

is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found

alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had

seen. On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd

met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my

son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It

convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I

begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Jesus answered, “You

faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with

you? Bring your son here.” While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the

ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave

him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God.

 

Ash Wednesday

February 17

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the

inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming, it is near—a day of

darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon

the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old,

nor will be again after them in ages to come. Yet even now, says the Lord, return to

me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your

hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and

merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.

Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a

grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion;

sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation;

assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom

leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the

priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep. Let them say, “Spare your people, O Lord,

and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should

it be said among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”

 

2 Corinthians 5:20b—6:10

We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him

to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in

vain. For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of

salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of

salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found

with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way:

through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments,

riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness,

holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the

weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in

ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown,

and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not

killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having

nothing, and yet possessing everything.

 

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Jesus said, “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them;

for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms,

do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the

streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their

reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand

is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret

will reward you. And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love

to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen

by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go

into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your

Father who sees in secret will reward you. And whenever you fast, do not look dismal,

like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are

fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on

your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by

your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Do

not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and

where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where

neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For

where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Lent 1

February 21

Deuteronomy 26:1-11

When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an

inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the

first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your

God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord

your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in

office at that time, and say to him, “Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have

come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” When the priest

takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your

God, you shall make this response before the Lord your God: “A wandering Aramean

was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number,

and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated

us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the

God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and

our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an

outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and

he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and

honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given

me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your God and bow down before the Lord

your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you,

shall celebrate with all the bounty that the Lord your God has given to you and to

your house.

 

Romans 10:8b-13

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that

we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in

your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with

the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The

scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no

distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all

who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

 

Luke 4:1-13

After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led

by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He

ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The

devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of

bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ” Then

the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And

the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has

been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it

will all be yours.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God,

and serve only him.’ ” Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the

pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself

down from here, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to

protect you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your

foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God

to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an

opportune time.

 

Lent 2

February 28

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18

The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am

your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what

will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of

Damascus?” And Abram said, “You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born

in my house is to be my heir.” But the word of the Lord came to him, “This man shall

not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir.” He brought him

outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count

them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed the

Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness. Then he said to him, “I am the

Lord who brought you from Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess.”

But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?” He said to him,

“Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old,

a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” He brought him all these and cut them in two,

laying each half over against the other; but he did not cut the birds in two. And when

birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away. As the sun was

going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and a deep and terrifying darkness

descended upon him. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, a smoking fire

pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a

covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of

Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates.”

 

Philippians 3:17-4:1

Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the

example you have in us. For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often

told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their

god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the

Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be

conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all

things subject to himself. Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long

for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

 

Luke 13:31-35

At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, “Get away from here, for

Herod wants to kill you.” He said to them, “Go and tell that fox for me, ‘Listen, I am

casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I

finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because

it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ Jerusalem, Jerusalem,

the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I

desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,

and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not

see me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name

of the Lord.’ ”

 

Lent 3

March 7

Exodus 3:1-15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led

his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the

angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the

bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and

look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the Lord saw

that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!”

And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from

your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I

am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of

Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said,

“I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on

account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to

deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and

broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Canaanites, the

Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The cry of the

Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. So

come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” But

Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites

out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is

I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship

God on this mountain.” But Moses said to God, “If I come to the Israelites and say to

them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his

name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” He said

further, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” God also

said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your

ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me

to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.”

 

1 Corinthians 10:1-13

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all

under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in

the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same

spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the

rock was Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were

struck down in the wilderness. Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that

we might not desire evil as they did. Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as

it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play.” We

must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand

fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were

destroyed by serpents. And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed

by the destroyer. These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were

written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. So if you think

you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. No testing has overtaken you that is

not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond

your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be

able to endure it.

 

Luke 163:1-9

At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose

blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. He asked them, “Do you think that

because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other

Galileans? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. Or

those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think

that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you;

but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.” Then he told this parable:

“A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and

found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking

for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting

the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put

manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it

down.’ ”

 

Lent 4

March 14

Joshua 5:9-12

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.”

And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. While the Israelites were camped in

Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the

plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce

of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they

ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops

of the land of Canaan that year.

 

2 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 himself

through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God

was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and

entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since

God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled

to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might

become the righteousness of God.

 

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the

Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners

and eats with them.” So he told them this parable: “There was a man who had two

sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property

that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the

younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he

squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe

famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went

and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields

to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were

eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How

many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying

of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have

sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son;

treat me like one of your hired hands.’ ” So he set off and went to his father. But while

he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put

his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned

against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the

father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe—the best one—and put it on him;

put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and

let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost

and is found!’ And they began to celebrate. Now his elder son was in the field; and

when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one

of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and

your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’

Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead

with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working

like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never

given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this

son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed

the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and

all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of

yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.’ ”

 

Lent 5

March 21

Isaiah 43:16-21

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who

brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they

are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Do not remember the former things, or

consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you

not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild

animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness,

rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for

myself so that they might declare my praise.”

 

Philippians 3:4b-14

I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident

in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of

Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;

as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet

whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than

that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ

Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as

rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a

righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in

Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the

power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his

death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already

obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own,

because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have

made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining

forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly

call of God in Christ Jesus.

 

John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he

had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and

Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume

made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was

filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the

one who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three

hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (He said this not because he cared

about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to

steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she

might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do

not always have me.”