Advent 1: First Lesson – Isaiah 64:1-9

Our opening Lesson for this new Season of Advent is a three-part Psalm of Lament (or Complaint). In the first movement, the people are desperate for the Lord to act. The second is a mixture of penitence and accusation. And, in the last movement, the people finally acknowledge their sin and ask for the Lord’s mercy.
… A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah …

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
so that the mountains would quake at your presence–
as when fire kindles brushwood
and the fire causes water to boil–
to make your name known to your adversaries,
so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

From ages past no one has heard,
no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
who works for those who wait for him.

You meet those who gladly do right,
those who remember you in your ways.
But you were angry, and we sinned;
because you hid yourself we transgressed.
We have all become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.

We all fade like a leaf,
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
There is no one who calls on your name,
or attempts to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand.

Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD,
and do not remember iniquity forever.
Now consider, we are all your people.

… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!

Advent 1: Second Lesson – 1 Corinthians 1:3-9

The Church in Corinth was an important ministry for Paul. He spent 18 months there, preaching and building the new Christian community. Writing to them later on, he gives thanks for the grace, knowledge and spiritual gifts that God has showered upon them.
… A reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians …

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind– just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you– so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!

Advent 1: Gospel – Mark 13:24-37

It is near the end of the last week of His life on earth and Christ is preparing the disciples for his Second Coming. Be alert, he warns them. Heed the signs. Keep awake!
… The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark …

Jesus said to his disciples,

“In those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see `the Son of Man coming in clouds’ with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake– for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.”

… The Gospel of Christ!

20 Pentecost: First Lesson – Joshua 3:7-17

Moses died just as the Chosen People were preparing to enter the Promised Land and do combat against the pagans who lived there. His assistant, Joshua, assumed command but The Lord felt it was necessary to make it absolutely clear that Joshua was His anointed leader. What followed was a miracle even more spectacular that the crossing of the Red Sea.
… A reading from the Book of Joshua …

The LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, `When you come to the edge of the waters of theJordan, you shall stand still in theJordan.’” Joshua then said to the Israelites, “Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God.” Joshua said, “By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. So now select twelve men from the tribes ofIsrael, one from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of theJordan, the waters of theJordanflowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap.”
When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.
… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!

20 Pentecost: Second Lesson -1 Thessalonians 2:9-13

Jealous Jews hounded Paul and his companions throughout their journey across Thessalonica. They accused the missionaries of preaching the Gospel out of greed, for personal gain. Paul realized that he must refute these accusations, not just for his own integrity, but for the integrity of the Gospel itself.
… A reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians …

You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.
As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.
We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God’s word, which is also at work in you believers.
… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!

20 Pentecost: Gospel – Matthew 23:1-12

In their quest for holiness, the Pharisees devoted themselves to public displays of religiosity and not to internal matters of the heart. Jesus offers them salvation, encouraging them to serve others rather than themselves
… The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father– the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”
… The Gospel of Christ!

19 Pentecost: First Lesson – Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18

In Exodus, when the Lord entered into a covenant relationship with Israel, he told his people to be “a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” Leviticus is God’s instruction book on just how to be holy.
… A reading from the Book of Leviticus …

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
Speak to all the congregation of the people ofIsraeland say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.
You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the LORD.
You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD. 
… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!

19 Pentecost: Second Lesson – 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

Paul’s second missionary journey was marked by brutal disputation with jealous Jewish religious leaders. Even after his departure from Thessalonica, a slander campaign ensued. Paul assures the Thessalonians that his motives were inspired by God and not by impurity.
… A reading from 1 Thessalonians …

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us.
… Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people!

19 Pentecost: Gospel – Matthew 22:34-46

Jesus has been engaged in a running debate, first with the Pharisees and then with the Sadducees. Today the Pharisees return to try again to entrap him. Jesus silences them with a riddle.
… The Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew …

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “`You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
`The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”‘?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
… The Gospel of Christ!