Readings are posted for:
Pentecost 25 First Reading Didache 15
Elect for yourselves bishops and deacons who are a credit to the Lord,
those who are gentle, generous, faithful, and honest. For their ministry to you is identical with that of prophets and teachers. So do not disregard them, for
along with the prophets and teachers they enjoy a place of honor among you.
Correct one another not in anger but in peace as you find it in the gospel. If
anyone wrongs a neighbor, let no one speak to that person, and let him not hear a word from you until he repents.
Offer your prayers, give your charity, and do everything just as you find it in the gospel of our Lord. Second Reading 2 Esdras 13:51–56, NRSV
I said, "O sovereign Lord, explain this to me: Why did I see the man coming up from the sea?"
He said to me, "Just as no one can explore or know what is in the depths of the sea, so no one on earth can see my Son or those who are with him,
except in the time of his day. This is my interpretation of the dream that you saw. And you alone have been enlightened about this, because you have
forsaken your own ways and have applied yourself to mine, and have searched out my law; for you have devoted your life to wisdom, and called
understanding your mother. Therefore I have shown you these things; for there is a reward laid up with the Most High. For it will be that after three more days
I will tell you other things, and explain weighty and wondrous matters to you." Psalm Ode 34
The simple heart finds no hard way.*
Good thoughts have no barriers.
Deep in the illumined mind is no whirlwind.*
Surrounded on every side by the beauty of open country, one is free of
doubt.
Below is like above. Everything is above.*
Below is nothing, but the ignorant think they see.
Now you know grace. It is for your salvation.*
Believe and live and be saved. Hallelujah! Gospel Q Gospel 17:3–4, 6, 22–35
Jesus explained to his disciples, "If a companion does something wrong to you, go to the person and point this out. But do it privately. If your friend
listens and says, 'I'm sorry,' forgive and your bond will be strengthened."
"But how often must I forgive the same person?" asked one of his disciples, "Seven times?"
Jesus answered, "Not just seven times, but seventy times seven.
"Even if your faith is no bigger than a mustard seed, you can say to this
mountain, 'Move!' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Jesus was asked, "When will the kingdom of God arrive?"
He replied, "You won't be able to see the kingdom of God when it comes. People won't be able to say,'it's here' or 'it's over there.' The kingdom of God is among you.
"A time will come when you will long to see the son of man, the Truly Human Being, but you'll see nothing. There will be those who will say, 'Look
over there' or 'Look right here.' But don't go searching! Stay right where you are. Because the son of man, the Truly Human One, will come like lightning flashing from one end of the sky to the other.
"It will be just like it was in the days of Noah. People ate, drank, got married and went on with their lives right up until the day that Noah climbed
aboard the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them. That's how it will be when the son of man, the Truly Human Being, is revealed.
"If two people are sleeping, one will be taken, the other left. If two women are grinding grain at the mill, one will be taken, the other will be left." Pentecost 26
First Reading Didache 16
"Watch" over your life: do not let "your lamps" go out, and do not let your
loins be weak, but "be ready" for "you do not know the hour when our Lord is coming." Meet together frequently in your search for what is good for your
souls, since a "lifetime of faith will be of no advantage" to you unless you prove perfect at the final hour. For in the final days the false prophets and seducers
will be multiplied, and the sheep will turn into wolves and love will turn into hate. As lawlessness increases, they will hate and persecute and betray one
another. And then the world deceiver will appear in the guise of a son of God. He will work "signs and wonders" and the earth will fall into his hands and he
will commit outrages such as have never occurred before.
Then humankind will come into the fiery trial and "many will fall away" and
perish, "but those who persevere" in their faith "will be saved" by the Curse himself.
Then "there will be signs" of the Truth: first the sign of stretched out hands
in heaven, then the sign of "a loud trumpet call", and thirdly the resurrection of the dead, though not all the dead, but as it has been said, "The Lord will come
and all his saints with him. Then the world will see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven." Second Reading Apocalypse of Paul 18:3–19:20, NHL
Paul meets a Child along the road and says to him, "By which road shall I go to Jerusalem?" The little child replied, saying, "Say your name so that I may
show you the road." The little child knew who Paul was. He wished to make conversation with him through his words in order that he might find an excuse for speaking with him.
The little child spoke, saying, "I know who you are, Paul. You are he who was blessed from his mother's womb. For I have come to you that you may
go up to Jerusalem to your fellow apostles. And for this reason you were called. And I am the Spirit who accompanies you . . .
"Let your mind awaken, Paul, and see this mountain upon which you are standing is the mountain of Jericho, so that you may know the hidden things in
those that are visible. Now it is to the twelve apostles that you shall go, for they are elect spirits, and they will greet you."
Paul raised his eyes and saw them greeting him. Psalm Wisdom of Solomon 4:11–18, NRSV
Wisdom teaches her children*
and gives help to those who seek her.
Whoever loves her loves life,*
and those who seek her from early morning are filled with joy.
Whoever holds her fast inherits glory,*
and the Lord blesses the place she enters.
Those who serve her minister to the Holy One;*
the Lord loves those who love her.
Those who obey her will judge the nations,*
and all who listen to her will live secure.
If they remain faithful, they will inherit her;*
their descendants will also obtain her.
For at first she will walk with them on tortuous paths;*
she will bring fear and dread upon then,
and will torment them by her discipline until she trusts them,*
and she will test them with her ordinances.
Then she will come straight back to them again and gladden them,*
and will reveal her secrets to them. Gospel Q Gospel 19:12–26, 22:28–30
Jesus said, "A nobleman once went off to a distant land to become king.
just before he left, he called together his ten most trusted servants and gave each of them ten silver coins. 'See what you can earn with this money while I am gone,' he instructed them.
"His fellow citizens, however, hated him and sent a delegation saying, 'We don't want this man to rule over us!'
Nevertheless, he received the kingship and returned home. He summoned the servants to find out what each one had done with the money.
The first one said, 'I've turned the ten coins into one hundred!'
'Excellent.' the new king replied. 'Because you've proven trustworthy in
this small matter, I'm going to put you in charge of ten towns.'
The second one reported, 'I've earned five times what you gave me.'
'Then you'll be in charge of five towns,' replied the king.
Another servant stepped forward and said, 'Sir, here are your coins. I kept
them wrapped in a handkerchief because you're a hard man and I'm afraid of you. You always try to get something for nothing. You reap where you do not sow.'
'Listen to what you're saying!' the king said. 'You're trapped by your own words. You say that I'm a difficult man, that I try to get something for nothing.
If that is true, why didn't you do something with the money to make a profit? You've disobeyed me.'
Turning to the others, he said, 'Take the silver coins from him and give
them to the fellow who turned ten coins into one hundred.'
'But sir!' they protested. 'He already has a hundred coins.'
'Yes,' the king replied, 'and to the person who has something, more will be given and that person will have abundance. The person who has nothing of real
value will lose even what he thinks he has.'"
Jesus said to his followers, "You have stayed close to me through all my trials. You will eat and drink with me in the realm of God."
First Sunday of Advent (Fourth Sunday Before Christmas) Reading Testament of Adam 3, OTP
Adam said to his son, Seth, "You have heard, my son, that God is going to come into the world after a long time, he will be conceived of a virgin and put
on a body, be born like a human being, and grow up as a child. He will perform signs and wonders on the earth, will walk on the waves of the sea. He
will rebuke the winds and they will be silenced. He will motion to the waves and they will stand still. He will open the eyes of the blind and cleanse the lepers.
He will cause the deaf to hear, and the mute to speak. He will straighten the hunchbacked, strengthen the paralyzed, find the lost, drive out evil spirits, and cast out demons.
"He spoke to me about this in Paradise after I picked some of the fruit in which death was hiding: 'Adam, Adam do not fear. You wanted to be a god; I
will make you a god, not right now, but after a space of many years. I am consigning you to death, and the maggot and the worm will eat your body.'
"And I answered and said to him, 'Why, my Lord?' And he said to me, 'Because you listened to the words of the serpent, you and your posterity will
be food for the serpent. But after a short time there will be mercy on you because you were created in my image, and I will not leave you to waste away in Sheol.
For your sake I will be born of the Virgin Mary. For your sake I will taste death and enter the house of the dead. For your sake I will make a new
heaven, and I will be established over your posterity. And after three days, while I am in the tomb, I will raise up the body I received from you. And I will
set you at the right hand of my divinity. And I will make you a god just like you wanted. And I will receive favor from God and I will restore to you and to
your posterity that which is the justice of heaven.' . . ."
And I, Seth, wrote this testament. And my father died, and they buried him
at the east of Paradise opposite the first city built on the earth, which was named after Enoch. And Adam was borne to his grave by the angels and
powers of heaven because he had been created in the image of God. And the sun and the moon were darkened, and there was thick darkness for seven days.
And we sealed the testament and we put it in the cave with the treasures with the offerings Adam had taken out of Paradise, gold and myrrh and
frankincense. And the sons of kings, the magi, will come and get them, and they will take them to the son of God, to Bethlehem of Judea, to the cave.Psalm Ode 14
As the eyes of a child turn toward father, so my eyes turn to You, Lord,*
at all times You are my consolation and joy.
Do not turn Your mercy from me, O Lord, nor Your kindness,*
but stretch out Your right hand and be my guide to the end.
Care for me, save me from evil,*
and let Your serenity and love be with me.
Teach me to sing of truth*
that I may produce fruit in You.
Open to me the harp of Your Holy Spirit*
so I may praise You, Lord, with all its notes.
From Your sea of mercy help me;*
help me in the hour of my need. Hallelujah! Gospel Infancy Gospel of James 11–12, SV
And she took her water jar and went out to fill it with water. Suddenly there was a voice saying to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with
you. Blessed are you among women." Mary began looking around, both right and left, to see where the voice was coming from. She became terrified and
went home. After putting the water jar down and taking up the purple thread, she sat down on her chair and began to spin.
A heavenly messenger suddenly stood before her: "Don't be afraid, Mary. You see, you've found favor in the sight of the Lord of all. You will conceive by means of his word."
But as she listened, Mary was doubtful and said, "If I actually conceive by the Lord, the living God, will I also give birth the way women usually do?"
And the messenger of the Lord replied, "No, Mary, because the power of God will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy,
son of the Most High. And you will name him Jesus — the name means 'he will save his people from their sins.'"
And Mary said, "Here I am, the Lord's slave before him. I pray that all you've told me comes true."
And she finished spinning the purple and the scarlet thread and took her
work up to the high priest. The high priest accepted them and praised her and said, "Mary, the Lord God has extolled your name, and so you will be blessed by all the generations of the earth."
Mary rejoiced and left to visit her relative Elizabeth. She knocked at the door. Elizabeth heard her, tossed aside the scarlet thread, ran to the door, and
opened it for her. And she blessed her and said, "Who am I that the mother of my Lord should visit me? You see, the baby inside me has jumped for joy and blessed you."
But Mary forgot the mysteries which the heavenly messenger Gabriel had spoken, and she looked up to the sky and said, "Who am I that every generation on earth will congratulate me now?"
She spent three months with Elizabeth. Day by day her womb kept swelling. And so Mary became frightened, returned home, and hid from the
people of Israel. She was just sixteen years old when these mysterious things happened to her.
Second Sunday of Advent (Third Sunday Before Christmas) Reading Deuteronomy 22:23–24, Tanakh
In the case of a virgin who is engaged to a man — if a man comes upon her
in town and lies with her, you shall take the two of them out to the gate of that town and stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help in
the town, and the man because he violated another man's wife. Thus you will sweep away evil from your midst.Psalm Ode 38:1–6
I move up into the light of Truth as into a chariot*
and Truth takes me and causes me to come.
Truth causes me to pass across canyons and ravines*
and preserves me against waves smashing against cliffs.
Truth is my haven of salvation*
and puts me in the arms of Eternal life.
Truth goes with me, soothes me, keeps me from error,*
because You were and are the Truth.
There is no danger for me because I constantly walk with You.*
When I obey You, I am not in error.
Error flees from You and never meets You.*
Truth proceeds on the upright Way.
Gospel Infancy Gospel of James 13–14, SV
Mary was in her sixth month when one day Joseph came home from his
building projects, entered his house, and found her pregnant. He struck himself in the face, threw himself to the ground on sackcloth, and began to cry bitterly:
"What sort of face should I present to the Lord God? What prayer can I say on her behalf since I received her as a virgin from the temple of the Lord God
and didn't protect her? Who has set this trap for me? Who has done this evil deed in my house? Who has lured this virgin away from me and violated her?
The story of Adam has been repeated in my case, hasn't it? For just as Adam was praying when the serpent came and found Eve alone, deceived her, and corrupted her, so the same thing has happened to me."
So Joseph got up from the sackcloth and summoned Mary and said to her, "God has taken a special interest in you — how could you have done this?
Have you forgotten the Lord your God? Why have you brought shame on yourself, you who were raised in the Holy of Holies and fed by a heavenly messenger?"
But she began to cry bitter tears: "I'm innocent. I haven't had sex with any man."
And Joseph said to her, "Then where did the child you're carrying come from?"
And she replied, "As the Lord my God lives, I don't know where it came from."
And Joseph became very frightened and no longer spoke with her as he pondered what he was going to do with her. And Joseph said to himself, "If I
try to cover up her sin, I'll end up going against the law of the Lord. And if I disclose her condition to the people of Israel, I'm afraid that the child inside
her might be heaven-sent and I'll end up handing innocent blood over to a death sentence. So what should I do with her? I know, I'll divorce her quietly."
But when night came a messenger of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream and said: "Don't be afraid of this girl, because the child in her is the
Holy Spirit's doing. She will have a son and you will name him Jesus — the name means 'he will save his people from their sins.'" And Joseph got up from
his sleep and praised the God of Israel, who had given him this favor. And so he began to protect the girl. Third Sunday of Advent (Second Sunday Before Christmas)
Reading Isaiah 7:10–14, Tanakh
The Lord spoke further to Ahaz: "Ask for a sign from the LORD your
God, anywhere down to Sheol or up to the sky." But Ahaz replied, "I will not ask, and I will not test the LORD." "Listen, House of David," Isaiah retorted,
"is it not enough for you to treat men as helpless that you also treat my God as helpless? Assuredly, my Lord sill give you a sign of His own accord! Look the
woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel.Psalm Ode 38:7–14
Whatever I do not understand, You make clear to me.*
You warn me of all the drugs of error and pains of death which some consider sweetness.
You expose the corrupting of the Corrupter,*
the corrupting Bride and corrupting Bridegroom.
When I ask Truth, "Who are these?"*
You respond, "This is the Deceiver and the Error."
They imitate the Beloved and his Bride*
They cause the world to err and be corrupted.
They invite many to an imitation wedding feast*
and allow them to drink wine of their intoxication.
They cause many to vomit up their wisdom and their knowledge,*
make them senseless, and abandon them.
Those invited stumble about mad and corrupted*
with no understanding and no desire to seek it.
You make me wise so as not to fall into the hands of deceivers,*
I rejoice when Truth goes with me.
You plant me and I am established and live and am saved*
Your hands lay my foundation and I am secure. Gospel Infancy Gospel of James 15–16, SV
Then Annas the scholar came to him and said to him, "Joseph, why haven't you attended our assembly?" And he replied to him, "Because I was worn out from the trip and rested my first day home."
Then Annas turned and saw that Mary was pregnant.
He left in a hurry for the high priest and said to him, "You remember
Joseph, don't you — the man you yourself vouched for? Well, he has committed a serious offense."
And the high priest asked, "In what way?"
Joseph has violated the virgin he received from the temple of the Lord," he replied. "He had his way with her and hasn't disclosed his action to the people of Israel."
And the high priest asked him, "Has Joseph really done this?"
And he replied, "Send temple assistants and you'll find the virgin pregnant."
And so the temple assistants went and found her just as Annas had reported, and then they brought her, along with Joseph, to the court.
"Mary, why have you done this?" the high priest asked her. "Why have you humiliated yourself? Have you forgotten the Lord your God, you who
were raised in the Holy of Holies and were fed by the heavenly messengers? You of all people, who heard their hymns and danced for them — why have you done this?"
And she wept bitterly: "As the Lord God lives, I stand innocent before him. Believe me, I've not had sex with any man."
And the high priest said, "Joseph, why have you done this?"
And Joseph said, "As the Lord lives, I am innocent where she is concerned."
And the high priest said, "Don't perjure yourself, but tell the truth. You've had your way with her and haven't disclosed this action to the people of Israel.
And you haven't humbled yourself under God's mighty hand, so that your offspring might be blessed."
But Joseph was silent.
Then the high priest said, "Return the virgin you received from the temple of the Lord."
And Joseph, bursting into tears . . .
And the high priest said, "I'm going to give you the Lord's drink test, and it will disclose your sin clearly to both of you."
And the high priest took the water and made Joseph drink it and sent him into the wilderness, but he returned unharmed. And he made the girl drink it,
too, and sent her into the wilderness. She also came back unharmed. And everybody was surprised because their sin had not been revealed. And so the
high priest said, "If the Lord God had not exposed your sin, then neither do I condemn you." And he dismissed them. Joseph took Mary and returned home celebrating and praising the God of Israel. Fourth Sunday of Advent (Sunday Next Before Christmas) Reading Genesis 25:19–26, Tanakh
This is the story of Isaac, son of Abraham. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took to wife Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel, the
Aramean of Paddan-aram, sister of Laban the Aramean. Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD responded to his plea, and his wife Rebekah conceived.
But the children struggled inside her womb, and she said, "If so, why do I exist?" She went to inquire of the LORD, and the LORD answered her,
"Two nations are in your womb,
Two separate people shall be mightier than the other,
And the older shall serve the younger."
When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. The first one emerged red, like a hairy mantle all over; so they named him
Esau. Then his brother emerged, holding on to the heel of Esau; so they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.Psalm Ode 38:15–19
You plant me and I am established and live and am saved*
Your hands lay my foundation and I am secure.
Truth sets the root, waters, adapts, and blesses*
Truth yields fruits forever.
Truth penetrates deeply, springs up, and spreads out.*
Truth is full and growing.
I praise You, Lord, in Your planting and cultivation,*
in Your care and the blessing of Your lips.
I praise You in the beautiful planting of Your right hand,*
in the fruition of Your planting in the understanding of the mind. Gospel Infancy Gospel of James 17
Now an order came from Emperor Augustus that everybody in Bethlehem of Judea be enrolled in the census. And Joseph wondered, "I'll enroll my sons,
but what am I going to do with this girl? How will I enroll her? As my wife? I'm ashamed to do that. As my daughter? The people of Israel know she's not
my daughter. How this is to be decided depends on the Lord."
And so he saddled his donkey and had her get on it. His son led it and
Samuel brought up the rear. As they neared the three mile marker, Joseph turned around and saw that she was sulking. And he said to himself, "Perhaps
the baby she is carrying is causing her discomfort." Joseph turned around again and saw her laughing and said to her, "Mary, what's going on with you? One
minute I see you laughing and the next minute you're sulking."
And she replied, "Joseph, it's because I imagine two peoples in front of
me, one weeping and mourning and the other celebrating and jumping for joy."
Halfway through the trip Mary said to him, "Joseph, help me down from
the donkey — the child inside me is about to be born."
And he helped her down and said to her, "Where will I take you to give
you some privacy, since this place is out in the open?" Christmas Day, December 25 Reading Sibylline Oracles, Book 10, lines 456–479, OTP
In the last times God changed the earth and, coming late as a new light, he rose from the womb of the Virgin Mary. Coming from heaven, he put on a
mortal form. First, then Gabriel was revealed in his strong and holy person. Second, the archangel also addressed the maiden in speech:
"Receive God, Virgin, in your immaculate bosom." Thus speaking, he breathed in the grace of God, even to one who was always a maiden. Fear,
and at the same time, wonder seized her as she listened. She stood trembling. Her mind fluttered while her heart was shaken by the unfamiliar things she heard.
But again she rejoiced, and her heart was healed by the voice. The maiden laughed and reddened her cheek, rejoicing with joy and enchanted in her heart with awe. Courage also came over her.
A word flew to her womb. In time it was made flesh and came to life in the womb, and was fashioned in mortal form and became a boy by virgin birth.
For this is a great wonder to men, but nothing is a great wonder for God the Father and God the Son. The joyful earth fluttered to the child at its birth.
The heavenly throne laughed and the world rejoiced. A wondrous, new shining star was venerated by Magi. The newborn child was revealed in a manger to
those who obey God: cowherds and goatherds and shepherd of sheep. And Bethlehem was said to be the divinely named homeland of the Word.Psalm Ode 19
A cup of milk is offered to me*
and I drink its sweetness as the delight of the Lord.
The Son is the cup and the Father is the one Who is milked.*
The Holy Spirit is she who milks him.
His breasts are full*
and his milk should not drip out wastefully.
The Holy Spirit opens the Father's bosom*
and mingles the milk from the Father's two breasts.
She gives that mingling to the world, which is unknowing.*
Those who drink it are near the Father's right hand.
The Spirit opens the Virgin's womb and she receives the milk.*
The Virgin becomes a mother of great mercy;
She labors and bears a Son without pain.*
No midwife comes.
She bears him strongly, openly, with dignity, with kindness.*
She loves him, swaddles him, and reveals his majesty.
Gospel Infancy Gospel of James 18–19, SV
Joseph found a cave nearby and took Mary inside. He stationed his sons to
guard her and went to look for a Hebrew midwife in the country around Bethlehem.
"Now I, Joseph, was walking along and yet not going anywhere. I looked
up at the vault of the sky and saw it standing still, and then at the clouds and saw them paused in amazement, and at the birds of the sky suspended in
midair. As I looked on the earth, I saw a bowl lying there and workers reclining around it with their hands in the bowl; some were chewing and yet did
not chew; some were picking up something to eat and yet did not pick it up; and some were putting food in their mouths and yet did not do so. Instead, they were all looking upward.
"I saw sheep being driven along and yet the sheep stood still; the shepherd was lifting his hand to strike them, and yet his hand remained raised. And I
observed the current of the river and saw goats with their mouths in the water and yet they were not drinking. Then all of a sudden everything and everybody went on with what they had been doing.
"Then I saw a woman coming down from the hill country, and she asked, 'Where are you going, sir?'
"I replied, 'I am looking for a Hebrew midwife.'
"She inquired, 'Are you an Israelite?'
"I told her, 'Yes.'
"And she said, 'And who's the one having a baby in the cave?'
"I replied, 'My fiancee.'
"And she continued, 'She isn't your wife?'
"I said to her, 'She is Mary, who was raised in the temple of the Lord; I
obtained her by lot as my wife. But she's not really my wife;she's pregnant by the Holy Spirit.'
"The midwife said, 'Really?'"
Joseph responded, "Come and see."
And the midwife went with him. As they stood in front of the cave, a dark
cloud overshadowed it. The midwife said, "I've really been privileged, because today my eyes have seen a miracle in that salvation has come to Israel."
Suddenly the cloud withdrew from the cave and an intense light appeared inside the cave, so that their eyes could not bear to look. And a little later that
light receded until an infant became visible; he took the breast of his mother Mary.
Then the midwife shouted: "What a great day this is for me because I've
seen this new miracle!"
And the midwife left the cave and met Salome and said to her, "Salome, Salome, let me tell you about a new marvel: a virgin has given birth, and you
know that's impossible!"
And Salome replied, "As the Lord my God lives, unless I insert my finger and examine her, I will never believe that a virgin has given birth."
December 31
First Reading The Infancy Gospel of Thomas 1–2, SV
I, Thomas the Israelite, am reporting to you, all my non-Jewish brothers and sisters, to make known the extraordinary childhood deeds of our Lord
Jesus Christ — what he did after his birth in my region. This is how it all started.
When this boy, Jesus, was five years old, he was playing at the ford of a
rushing stream. He was collecting the flowing water into ponds and made the water instantly pure. He did this with a single command. He then made soft
clay and shaped into into twelve sparrows. He did this on the sabbath day, and many other boys were playing with him.
But when a Jew saw what Jesus was doing while playing on the sabbath day, he immediately went off and told Joseph, Jesus' father: "See here, your
boy is at the ford and has taken mud and fashioned twelve birds with it, and has so violated the sabbath."
So Joseph went there, and as soon as he spotted him he shouted, "Why are you doing what's not permitted on the sabbath?"
But Jesus simply clapped his hands and shouted to the sparrows: "Be off, fly away, and remember me, you who are now alive!" And the sparrows took off and flew away noisily.
The Jews watched with amazement, then left the scene to report to their leaders what they had seen Jesus doing.Second Reading The Infancy Gospel of Thomas 3, SV
The son of Annas the scholar, standing there with Jesus, took a willow branch and drained the water Jesus had collected. Jesus, however, saw what
had happened and became angry, saying to him, "Damn you, you irreverent fool! What harm did the ponds of water do to you? From this moment you,
too, will dry up like a tree, and you'll never produce leaves or root or bear fruit."
In an instant the boy had completely withered away. Then Jesus departed
and left for the house of Joseph. The parents of the boy who had withered away picked him up and were carrying him out, sad because he was so young.
And they came to Joseph and accused him: "It's your fault — your boy did all this." Psalm Select a Christmas Carol
Gospel The Infancy Gospel of Thomas 5, SV
So Joseph summoned his child and admonished him in private, saying,
"Why are you doing all this? These people are suffering and so they hate and harass us." Jesus said, "I know that the words I spoke are not my words. Still,
I'll keep quiet for your sake. But those people must take their punishment." There and then his accusers became blind.
Those who saw this became very fearful and at a loss. All they could say was,
"Every word he says, whether good or bad, has become a deed — a miracle, even!" When Joseph saw that Jesus had done such a thing, he got angry and
grabbed his ear and pulled very hard. The boy became infuriated with him and replied, "It's one thing for you to seek and not find; it's quite another for you
to act unwisely. Don't you know that I don't really belong to you? Don't make me upset."
Epiphany 1 — The Baptism of Jesus First Reading Isaiah 40:1–8, Tanakh
Comfort, oh comfort My people,
Says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
And declare to her
That her term of service is over,
That her iniquity is expiated;
For she has received at the hand of the LORD
Double for all her sins.
A voice rings out:
"Clear in the desert
A road for the LORD!
Level in the wilderness
A highway for our God!
Let every valley be raised,
Every hill and mount made low.
Let the rugged ground become level
And the ridges become plain.
The Presence of the Lord shall appear
And all flesh, as one, shall behold —
For the LORD Himself has spoken."
A voice rings out: "Proclaim!"
Another asks, "What shall I proclaim?"
"All flesh is grass,
All its goodness like flowers of the field:
Grass withers, flowers fade
When the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Indeed, man is but grass:
Grass withers, flowers fade —
But the word of our God is always fulfilled!"Second Reading Mark 1:1–6 SV, Q 3:7–9, 16b–17, Robinson
The good news of Jesus the Anointed begins with something Isaiah the prophet wrote: Here is my messenger,
whom I send on ahead of you
to prepare your way!
A voice of someone shouting in the wilderness:
"Make ready the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight." So, John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness calling for baptism and a
change of heart that lead to forgiveness of sins. And everyone from the Judean countryside and all the residents of Jerusalem streamed out to him and got
baptized by him in the Jordan river, admitting their sins. And John wore a mantel made of camel hair and had a leather belt around his waist and lived on locusts and raw honey. . . .
He saw the crowds coming to be baptized: Snakes' litter! Who warned you to run from the impending rage? So bear fruit worthy of repentance, and
do not presume to tell yourselves: We have as forefather Abraham! For I tell you: God can produce children for Abraham right out of these rocks! And the
ax already lies at the root of the trees. So every tree not bearing healthy fruit is to be chopped down and thrown on the fire.
I baptize you in water, but the one to come after me is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to take off. He will baptize you in Holy Spirit and
fire. His pitchfork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn on a fire that can never be put out.
Psalm Ode 24
The dove flies over the head of the Anointed One who is her head*
She sings over him and her voice is heard.
The inhabitants are afraid and travelers shudder.*
Birds take flight and all creeping things die in their holes.
Chasms open and close, seeking God as a woman in labor...*
Chasms sink and are sealed by the Lord.
People perish in their old ways of thinking.*
Everyone is imperfect and dies, saying nothing.
The Lord destroys the imagination of all who do not have truth.*
They are weak in wisdom and are rejected, lacking truth.
The Lord discloses the Way and spreads grace in alien lands.*
Those who understand know holiness. Hallelujah!
Gospel Mark 1:9–13, SV, and Q 4:1–4, 9–12, 5–8, 13, Robinson
During that same period Jesus came from Nazareth, Galilee, and was
baptized in the Jordan by John. And just as he got up out of the water, he saw the skies torn open and the spirit coming down toward him like a dove. There
was a voice from the skies: "You are my dear son in whom I delight."
And right away the spirit drives him out into the wilderness, where he
remained for forty days, being put to the test by Satan. While he was living there among the wild animals, the heavenly messengers looked after him . . .
And the devil told him: If you are God's Son, order that these stones become loaves. And Jesus answered him: It is written: A person is not to live only from bread.
The devil took him along to Jerusalem and put him on the tip of the temple and told him: If you are God's Son, throw yourself down. For it is written: He
will command his angels about you, and on their hands they will bear you, so that you do not strike your foot against a stone. And Jesus in reply told him: It
is written: Do not put to the test the Lord your God.
And the devil took him along to a very high mountain and showed him all
the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and told him: All these I will give you, if you bow down before me. And in reply Jesus told him; It is written: Bow down to the Lord your God, and serve only him.
And the devil left him. Epiphany 2 First Reading Deuteronomy 30:11–14, Tanakh
Surely, this Instruction which I enjoin upon you this day is not too baffling for you nor is it beyond your reach. It is not in the heavens, that you should
say, "Who among us can go up to the heavens and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?" Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say,
"Who among us can cross to the other side of the sea and get it for us and impart it to us, that we may observe it?" No, the thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.Second Reading Gospel of Philip 70:34–71:4, 74:29–31, 77:8–15, NHL
Jesus revealed himself at the Jordan: it was the fullness of the kingdom of heaven. He who was begotten before everything was begotten anew. He who
was anointed was anointed anew. He who was redeemed in turn redeemed others . . .
As soon as Jesus went down into the water he came out laughing at everything
of this world, not because he considers it a trifle, but because he is full of contempt for it . . .
By perfecting the water of Baptism, Jesus emptied it of death. Thus we do go down into the water, but we do not go down into death in order that we
may not be poured out into the spirit of the world. When that spirit blows, it brings winter. When the Holy Spirit breathes, the summer comes. Psalm Sirach 51:13–18, NRSV
While I was still young, before I went on my travels,*
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer.
Before the temple I asked for her,*
and I will search for her until the end.
From the first blossom to the ripening grape*
my heart delighted in her.
My foot walked on the straight path;*
from my youth I followed her steps.
I inclined my ear a little and received her,*
and I found for myself much instruction.
I made progress in her;*
to him who gives wisdom I will give glory.
For I resolved to live according to wisdom,*
and I was zealous for the good, and I shall never be disappointed.
Gospel Gospel of Thomas Prologue 1–5, SV
These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas
Thomas recorded. And he said, "Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death."
Jesus says, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel,
and will rule over all, (and when they rule, they will rest.)
Jesus says, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the Father's imperial rule is
in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will proceed you. Rather, the Father's imperial rule is
inside you and outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if
you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty."
Jesus says, "A person old in days won't hesitate to ask a little child seven
days old about the place of life, and that person will live. For many of the first will be last, (and the last first) and will become a single one."
Jesus says, "Know what is in front of your face, and what is hidden from you will be disclosed to you. For there is nothing hidden that won't be revealed.
(There is nothing buried that won't be raised.) Epiphany 3 First Reading Isaiah 64:1–3, Tanakh
If You would but tear open the heavens and come down,
So that the mountains would quake before You —
As when fire kindles brushwood,
And fire makes water boil —
To make Your name known to Your adversaries
So that nations will tremble at Your Presence,
When You did wonders we dared not hope for,
You came down
And mountains quaked before You.
Such things had never been heard or noted.
No eye has seen them O God, but You,
Who act for those who trust in You.Second Reading Gospel of the Hebrews 3, SV
The whole fountain of the holy spirit comes down on him. For the Lord is spirit and where the spirit is, there is freedom.
And it happened that when the Lord came up out of the water, the whole fountain of the holy spirit came down on him and rested on him. It said to him,
"My Son, I was waiting for you in all the prophets, waiting for you to come so I could rest in you. For you are my rest; you are my first-begotten Son who rules forever." Psalm
Ode 11:1–8
My heart is cloven and a flower appears;*
grace springs up and fruit from You, Lord.
You, the Highest One, split me with Your Holy Spirit,*
expose my love for You and fill me with Your love.
Your splitting of my heart is my salvation*
and I follow the way of Your peace, the way of truth.
From the beginning to the end I receive Your knowledge*
and sit on the rock of truth where You place me.
Speaking waters come near my lips*
from the vast fountain of You, Lord.
I drink and am drunk with the living water that never dies,*
and my drunkenness gives me knowledge.
I turned off vanity, turned to You, my God,*
and Your bounty makes me rich.
I throw off the madness of the earth,*
I strip it from me and cast it away. Gospel
Gospel of Thomas 8–11, 17, SV
Jesus says, The truly human being is like a wise fisherman who cast his
net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of little fish. Among them the wise fisherman discovered a fine large fish. He threw all the little fish back into
the sea, and easily chose the large fish. Anyone here with two good ears had better listen!"
Jesus says, "Look, the sower went out, took a handful of seeds, and
scattered them. Some fell on the road, and the birds came and gathered them. Others fell on rock, and they didn't take root in the soil and didn't produce
heads of grain. Others fell on thorns, and they choked the seeds and worms ate them. And others fell on good soil, and it produced a good crop: it yielded sixty per measure and one hundred twenty per measure.
Jesus says, "I have cast fire upon the world, and look, I'm guarding it until it blazes."
Jesus says, "This heaven will pass away, and the one above it will pass away. The dead are not alive, and the living will die. During the days when you
ate what is dead, you made it come alive. When you are in the light, what will you do? On the day when you were one, you became two. But when you become two, what will you do?"
Jesus says, "I will give you what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no hand has touched, what has not arisen in the human heart, (and what
has never occurred to the human mind.) Epiphany 4 First Reading Song of Solomon 1:1–4, Tanakh
Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth,
For your love is more delightful than wine.
Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance,
Your name is like finest oil —
Therefore do maidens love you.
Draw me after you, let us run!
The king has brought me to his chambers.
Let us delight and rejoice in your love,
Savoring it more than wine —
Like new wine they love you!
Second Reading Song of Solomon 2:1–6
I am a rose of Sharon,
A lily of the valleys.
Like a lily among thorns,
So is my darling among the maidens.
Like an apple tree among trees of the forest,
So is my beloved among the youths.
I delight to sit in his shade;
And his fruit is sweet to my mouth.
He brought me to the banquet room
And his banner of love was over me,
"Sustain me with raisin cakes,
Refresh me with apples,
For I am faint with love."
His left hand was under my head,
His right arm embraced me.
Psalm Ode 3
I am putting on Your love O Lord,*
I am clothing myself with You, for You Love me.
How would I know how to love You, Lord,*
if You did not love me?
And who can tell us about love?*
Only one who is loved.
I love You my Beloved and my soul loves You.*
I am where You repose and I will be no stranger.
For You are not petty or jealous,*
my high merciful Lord.
I have gone to unite with You,*
for the lover has found his Beloved,
and because I love the Son,*
I shall become Your child.
Whoever joins the immortal becomes immortal.*
Whoever delights in the Living One is living.
This is the Spirit of the Lord.*
It does not lie. It teaches us his ways.
Be wise. Be understanding,*
and let your eyes be open. Hallelujah! Gospel Luke 8:1–3, SV and Gospel of Philip 59:7–11, 63:32–64:5, NHL
Jesus travelled through towns and villages, preaching and announcing the good news of God's imperial rule. The twelve were with him, and also some
women whom he cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary, the one from Magdala, from whom seven demons had taken their leave, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, who
provided for them out of their resources. . . .
There were three who always walked with the Lord: Mary his mother and
her sister and Magdalene, the one who was called his companion. His sister and his mother and his companion were each a Mary . . .
And the companion of the Savior is Mary Magdalene. But Christ loved her more than all the disciples and used to kiss her often on her mouth. The rest of
the disciples were offended by it and expressed disapproval. They said to him, "Why do you love her more than all of us?" The Savior answered and said to them, "Why do I not love you like her?" From the Uncommon Lectionary : A Companion to Common Lectionaries,
John Beverley Butcher. Polebridge Press, 2002. For the convenience of users of the Uncommon Lectionary, readings will be posted on the Westar website on Tuesdays two weeks in advance. The Uncommon
Lectionary also contains an introduction, notes, commentary, a table of moveable days and a chart of readings, an extended glossary of texts and
terms, and an index of scripture. To get these valuable tools, you must buy the book. |
