Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
God Comforts His People
40 “Comfort! Yes, comfort my people,”
says your God.
2 “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her heavy service has been completed,
that her penalty has been paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.”
3 A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord;
and[a] in the desert a straight highway for our God.’
4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be lowered;
the rough ground will become level,
and the mountain ridges made a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all humanity will see it at once;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
The Word of God Endures Forever
6 A voice says, “Cry out!”
So I[b] asked, “What am I to cry out?”
“All humanity is grass,
and all its loyalty[c] is like the flowers of the field.
7 Grass withers and flowers fade away
when the Lord’s breath blows on them;
surely the people are like grass.[d]
8 Grass withers and flowers fade away,
when the Lord’s breath blows on them,
but the word of[e] our God will stand forever.”
Here is Your God
9 “Climb up a high mountain,
you messenger of good news to Zion!
Lift up your voice with strength,
you messenger to Jerusalem!
Lift it up!
Don’t be afraid!
Say to the towns of Judah,
‘Here is your God!’
10 Look! The Lord God comes with strength,
and his arm[f] rules for him.
Look! His reward is with him,
and his payment accompanies him.
11 Like a shepherd, he tends his flock.
He gathers the lambs in his arms,
carries them close to his heart,
and gently leads the mother sheep.”
To the Director: A Psalm by the descendants of Korah.
Restore Us, God
85 Lord you have favored your land
and restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You took away the iniquity of your people,
forgiving all their sins.
8 Let me listen to what God, the Lord, says;
for the Lord will promise peace
to his people, to his holy ones;
may they not return to foolishness.
9 Surely, he will soon deliver those who fear him,
for his glory will live in our land.
10 Gracious love and truth meet;
righteousness and peace kiss.
11 Truth sprouts up from the ground,
while righteousness looks down from the sky.
12 The Lord will also provide what is good,
and our land will yield its produce.
13 Righteousness will go before him
to prepare a path for his steps.
8 Don’t forget this fact, dear friends: With the Lord a single day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some people understand slowness, but is being patient with you. He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to find room for repentence. 10 But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day[a] the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be exposed.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, think of the kind of holy and godly people you ought to be 12 as you look forward to and hasten the coming of the day of God, when the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved and the elements will melt with fire. 13 But in keeping with his promise, we are looking forward to new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to have the Lord[b] find you at peace and without spot or fault. 15 Think of our Lord’s patience as facilitating salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)
1 This is[a] the beginning of the gospel of Jesus the Messiah,[b] the Son of God.[c] 2 As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
“See! I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way.[d]
3 He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord![e]
Make his paths straight!’”[f]
4 John was baptizing in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 People from[g] the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were flocking to him, being baptized by him while they confessed their sins. 6 Now John was dressed in camel’s hair with[h] a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers[i] and wild honey. 7 He kept proclaiming, “The one who is coming after me is stronger than I am, and I am not worthy to bend down and untie his sandal straps. 8 I baptized you with[j] water, but it is he who will baptize you with[k] the Holy Spirit.”
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