Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Birth of the Prince of Peace
9 [a]Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of the former times when He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali.(A) But in the future He will bring honor to the Way of the Sea, to the land east of the Jordan, and to Galilee of the nations.
2 [b]The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;(B)
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness.(C)
3 You have enlarged the nation
and increased its joy.[c](D)
The people have rejoiced before You
as they rejoice at harvest time
and as they rejoice when dividing spoils.(E)
4 For You have shattered their oppressive yoke(F)
and the rod on their shoulders,
the staff of their oppressor,
just as You did on the day of Midian.(G)
4 I have asked one thing from the Lord;
it is what I desire:
to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,(A)
gazing on the beauty of the Lord(B)
and seeking Him in His temple.(C)
5 For He will conceal me in His shelter
in the day of adversity;
He will hide me under the cover of His tent;
He will set me high on a rock.(D)
6 Then my head will be high
above my enemies around me;(E)
I will offer sacrifices in His tent with shouts of joy.(F)
I will sing and make music to the Lord.(G)
7 Lord, hear my voice when I call;
be gracious to me and answer me.(H)
8 My heart says this about You,
“You[a] are to seek My face.”
Lord, I will seek Your face.(I)
9 Do not hide Your face from me;(J)
do not turn Your servant away in anger.(K)
You have been my helper;(L)
do not leave me or abandon me,
God of my salvation.
Divisions at Corinth
10 Now I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, that there be no divisions among you, and that you be united with the same understanding and the same conviction. 11 For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers, by members of Chloe’s household, that there is rivalry(A) among you. 12 What I am saying is this: Each of you says, “I’m with Paul,” or “I’m with Apollos,”(B) or “I’m with Cephas,”(C) or “I’m with Christ.”(D) 13 Is Christ divided?(E) Was it Paul who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in Paul’s name? 14 I thank God[a][b] that I baptized none of you except Crispus(F) and Gaius,(G) 15 so that no one can say you were baptized in my name. 16 I did, in fact, baptize the household(H) of Stephanas;(I) beyond that, I don’t know if I baptized anyone else. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize—not with clever words, so that the cross(J) of Christ will not be emptied of its effect.
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.(K)
Ministry in Galilee
12 When He heard that John had been arrested,(A) He withdrew into Galilee.(B) 13 He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum(C) by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
along the sea road, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles!
16 The people who live in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those living in the shadowland of death,
light has dawned.[a](D)[b]
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven(E) has come near!”
The First Disciples
18 As(F) He was walking along the Sea of Galilee,(G) He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for[c] people!” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Teaching, Preaching, and Healing
23 Jesus was going all over Galilee,(H) teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every[d] disease and sickness among the people.(I)
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