[Propertalk] READINGS for the FOURTH SUNDAY after the EPIPHANY

Sun Jan 23 20:34:05 EST 2011

The following are the readings for the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, Jan. 30, according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, C of E and Canadian lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day.

OLD TESTAMENT:  Micah 6: 1 - 8   (RCL)

Mica 6:1 (NRSV) Hear what the LORD says: 
Rise, plead your case before the mountains, 
and let the hills hear your voice. 
2 Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, 
and you enduring foundations of the earth; 
for the LORD has a controversy with his people, 
and he will contend with Israel. 
3 "O my people, what have I done to you? 
In what have I wearied you? Answer me! 
4 For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, 
and redeemed you from the house of slavery; 
and I sent before you Moses, 
Aaron, and Miriam. 
5 O my people, remember now what King Ba'lak of Mo'ab devised, 
what Ba'laam son of Be'or answered him, 
and what happened from Shit'tim to Gil'gal, 
that you may know the saving acts of the LORD." 
6 "With what shall I come before the LORD, 
and bow myself before God on high? 
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, 
with calves a year old? 
7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, 
with ten thousands of rivers of oil? 
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, 
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" 
8 He has told you, O mortal, what is good; 
and what does the LORD require of you 
but to do justice, and to love kindness, 
and to walk humbly with your God? 

1 Kings 17: 8 - 16   (C of E)

1Kin 17:8 (NRSV) Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, 9 "Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you." 10 So he set out and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the town, a widow was there gathering sticks; he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, so that I may drink." 11 As she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." 13 Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterwards make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the LORD the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth." 15 She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by Elijah. 

Zephaniah 2: 3, 3: 12 - 13  (Roman Catholic)

Zeph 2:3 (NRSV) Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, 
who do his commands; 
seek righteousness, seek humility; 
perhaps you may be hidden 
on the day of the LORD's wrath. 

12 For I will leave in the midst of you 
a people humble and lowly. 
They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD-- 
13 the remnant of Israel; 
they shall do no wrong 
and utter no lies, 
nor shall a deceitful tongue 
be found in their mouths. 
Then they will pasture and lie down, 
and no one shall make them afraid. 

PSALM 15   (RCL)

Psal 15:1 (NRSV) O LORD, who may abide in your tent? 
Who may dwell on your holy hill? 
2 Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, 
and speak the truth from their heart; 
3 who do not slander with their tongue, 
and do no evil to their friends, 
nor take up a reproach against their neighbors; 
4 in whose eyes the wicked are despised, 
but who honor those who fear the LORD; 
who stand by their oath even to their hurt; 
5 who do not lend money at interest, 
and do not take a bribe against the innocent. 
Those who do these things shall never be moved. 

Psalm 37: 1 - 12   (Can. BAS)

37   (ECUSA Psalter)

Part I   Noli aemulari

1   Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
  do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2   For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
  and like the green grass fade away.

3   Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *
  dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4   Take delight in the Lord, *
  and he shall give you your heart's desire.

5   Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
  and he will bring it to pass.

6   He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
  and your just dealing as the noonday.

7   Be still before the Lord *
  and wait patiently for him.

8   Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
  the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9   Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
  do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil. 

10   For evildoers shall be cut off, *
  but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

11   In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
  you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

12   But the lowly shall possess the land; *
  they will delight in abundance of peace.

Psalm 36: 5 - 10   (C of E)

Psal 36:5 (NRSV) Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, 
your faithfulness to the clouds. 
6 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, 
your judgments are like the great deep; 
you save humans and animals alike, O LORD. 
7 How precious is your steadfast love, O God! 
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. 
8 They feast on the abundance of your house, 
and you give them drink from the river of your delights. 
9 For with you is the fountain of life; 
in your light we see light. 
10 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you, 
and your salvation to the upright of heart! 

Psalm 146: 6 - 10   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 146:6 (NRSV) who made heaven and earth, 
the sea, and all that is in them; 
who keeps faith forever; 
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; 
who gives food to the hungry. 
The LORD sets the prisoners free; 
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. 
The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; 
the LORD loves the righteous. 
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; 
he upholds the orphan and the widow, 
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 
10 The LORD will reign forever, 
your God, O Zion, for all generations. 
Praise the LORD! 

NEW TESTAMENT:   1 Corinthians 1: 18 - 31   (RCL)
                                      1 Corinthians 1: 26 - 31   (Roman Catholic)

1Cor 1:18 (NRSV) For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, 
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, 
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." 
20 Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. 22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, 23 but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength. 
26 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, 29 so that no one might boast in the presence of God. 30 He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 in order that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 

GOSPEL:   Matthew 5: 1 - 12   (all but C of E)

Matt 5:1 (NRSV) When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 
3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
4 "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 
5 "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 
6 "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 
7 "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 
8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 
9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 
10 "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
11 "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Note: The Roman Catholic Lectionary omits the last part of v. 12.

John 2: 1 - 11   (C of E)

John 2:1 (NRSV) On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." 5 His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6 Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. 9 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 10 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." 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. 

Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, Vermont    USA
chadwohl at satucket.com
cwohlers at bridgew.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://stsams.org/pipermail/propertalk_stsams.org/attachments/20110123/f916380f/attachment.htm>