Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Then the Lord spoke again to Ahaz: 11 “Ask for a sign(A) from the Lord your God—it can be as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven.”
12 But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask. I will not test the Lord.”
13 Isaiah(B) said, “Listen, house of David! Is it not enough for you to try the patience of men? Will you also try the patience of my God?(C) 14 Therefore, the Lord himself will give you[a] a sign: See, the virgin will conceive,[b] have a son, and name him Immanuel.[c](D) 15 By the time he learns to reject what is bad and choose what is good,(E) he will be eating curds[d] and honey.(F) 16 For before the boy knows to reject what is bad and choose what is good, the land of the two kings you dread will be abandoned.
Psalm 80
A Prayer for Restoration
For the choir director: according to “The Lilies.”(A) A testimony of Asaph.(B) A psalm.
1 Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
who leads Joseph like a flock;(C)
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,(D)
shine(E) 2 on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.(F)
Rally your power and come to save us.(G)
3 Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,(H)
so that we may be saved.(I)
4 Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?(J)
5 You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure[a]
of tears to drink.(K)
6 You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.(L)
7 Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.(M)
The Gospel of God for Rome
1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle[a](A) and set apart(B) for the gospel of God(C)— 2 which he promised beforehand(D) through his prophets(E) in the Holy Scriptures— 3 concerning his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was a descendant of David[b](F) according to the flesh(G) 4 and was appointed to be the powerful(H) Son of God(I) according to the Spirit of holiness[c] by the resurrection of the dead. 5 Through him we have received grace and apostleship(J) to bring about[d] the obedience(K) of faith for the sake of his name among all the Gentiles,[e](L) 6 including you who are also called by Jesus Christ.(M)
7 To all who are in Rome, loved by God,(N) called(O) as saints.(P)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Nativity of the Messiah
18 The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After his mother Mary had been engaged[a] to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.(A) 19 So her husband, Joseph, being a righteous man,(B) and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.(C)
20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.(D) 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus,(E) because he will save his people from their sins.”(F)
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 See, the virgin will become pregnant
and give birth to a son,
and they will name him Immanuel,[b]
which is translated “God is with us.”(G)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her(H) 25 but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son.[c] And he named him Jesus.(I)
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