Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
The Coming King
9 Nevertheless there shall be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time He contemptuously treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death,
upon them the light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
and increased the joy;
they rejoice before You
according to the joy of harvest
and as men rejoice
when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
and the bar of his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor
as in the day of Midian’s defeat.
Psalm 27
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom will I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom will I be afraid?
4 One thing I have asked from the Lord,
that will I seek after—
for me to dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to see the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble
He will hide me in His pavilion;
in the shelter of His tabernacle He will hide me;
He will set me up on a rock.
6 Now my head will be lifted up
above my enemies encircling me;
therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice!
Be gracious to me and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,”
my heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face far from me;
do not thrust Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help.
Do not leave me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation.
Divisions in the Church
10 Now I ask you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak in agreement and that there be no divisions among you. But be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now this is what I mean: Every one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”
13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest any should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides them, I do not know whether I baptized any other. 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
18 For to those who are perishing, the preaching of the cross is foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry(A)
12 Now when Jesus heard that John was put in prison, He left for Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying:
15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
16 The people who sat in darkness
saw great light.
And on those who sat in the land of the shadow of death,
light has dawned.”[a]
17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The Calling of the First Disciples(B)
18 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, throwing a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. 19 And He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.
21 And going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22 They immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Ministering to Great Crowds(C)
23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all sorts of diseases among the people.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.