Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁹ How can a young man keep his way pure? By living by Your Word. ¹⁰ I have looked for You with all my heart. Do not let me turn from Your Law. ¹¹ Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I may not sin against You. ¹² Great and honored are You, O Lord. Teach me Your Law. ¹³ I have told with my lips of all the Laws of Your mouth. ¹⁴ I have found as much joy in following Your Law as one finds in much riches. ¹⁵ I will think about Your Law and have respect for Your ways. ¹⁶ I will be glad in Your Law. I will not forget Your Word.

Good Will Come to Israel

44 “But now listen, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. ² This is what the Lord Who made you, Who put you together before you were born, Who will help you, says, ‘Do not be afraid, O Jacob My servant, and you Jeshurun whom I have chosen. ³ For I will pour water on the thirsty land and rivers on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your children, and will bring good to your children’s children. ⁴ They will grow like grass in the fields, and like poplar trees by the rivers.’ ⁵ This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s.’ And that one will call on the name of Jacob. Another will write on his hand, ‘I belong to the Lord,’ and will name Israel’s name with honor.”

Only One God

⁶ The Lord, the King of Israel and the One Who saves and frees from sin, the Lord of All, says, “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God besides Me. ⁷ Who is like Me? Let him make it known. Yes, let him tell Me what happened from the time I made people long ago. And let him tell the things that are coming and what is going to happen. ⁸ Do not fear. Do not be afraid. Have I not made it known to you from long ago? And you have heard Me. Is there a God besides Me? No, there is no other Rock. I know of none.”

Peter Preaches—What Joel Said Would Happen Has Happened

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the eleven missionaries and spoke with a loud voice, “Men of the country of Judea and all of you who are living in Jerusalem, I want you to know what is happening. So listen to what I am going to say. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk as you think. It is only nine o’clock in the morning. ¹⁶ The early preacher Joel said this would happen. ¹⁷ God says, ‘In the last days I will send My Spirit on all men. Then your sons and daughters will speak God’s Word. Your young men will see what God has given them to see. Your old men will dream dreams. ¹⁸ Yes, on those I own, both men and women, I will send My Spirit in those days. They will speak God’s Word. ¹⁹ I will show powerful works in the sky above. There will be things to see in the earth below like blood and fire and clouds of smoke. ²⁰ The sun will turn dark and the moon will turn to blood before the day of the Lord. His coming will be a great and special day. ²¹ It will be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from the punishment of sin.’ ^(A)

Peter Preaches—Jesus Shows Who He Is by What He Did

²² “Jewish men, listen to what I have to say! You knew Jesus of the town of Nazareth by the powerful works He did. God worked through Jesus while He was with you. You all know this. ²³ Jesus was handed over to sinful men. God knew this and planned for it to happen. You had sinful men take Him and nail Him to a cross. ²⁴ But God raised Him up. He allowed Him to be set free from the pain of death. Death could not hold its power over Him.