Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Peter Speaks to the People
14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles. He spoke loudly so that all the people could hear. He said, “My Jewish brothers and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me. I will tell you something you need to know. Listen carefully.
36 “So, all the people of Israel should know this for certain: God has made Jesus to be Lord and Messiah. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”
37 When the people heard this, they felt very, very sorry. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
38 Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will forgive your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for the people who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”
40 Peter warned them with many other words; he begged them, “Save yourselves from the evil of the people who live now!” 41 Then those who accepted what Peter said were baptized. On that day about 3000 people were added to the group of believers.
116 I love the Lord for hearing me,
for listening to my prayers.
2 Yes, he paid attention to me,
so I will always call to him whenever I need help.
3 Death’s ropes were around me.
The grave was closing in on me.
I was worried and afraid.
4 Then I called on the Lord’s name.
I said, “Lord, save me!”
12 What can I give the Lord
for all that he has done for me?
13 He saved me,
so I will give him a drink offering,
and I will call on the Lord’s name.
14 I will give the Lord what I promised.
I will go in front of all his people now.
15 Very dear to the Lord are the lives of his followers.
He cares when they face death.
16 Lord, I am your servant!
Yes, I am your slave, as my mother was.
You set me free from the chains of death.
17 I will give you a thank offering.
I will call on the Lord’s name.
18 I will stand before the gathering of his people
and give the Lord what I promised.
19 I will do this in Jerusalem,
in the courtyards of the Lord’s Temple.
Praise the Lord!
17 You pray to God and call him Father, but he will judge everyone the same way—by what they do. So while you are visiting here on earth, you should live with respect for God. 18 You know that in the past the way you were living was useless. It was a way of life you learned from those who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver. 19 You were bought with the precious blood of Christ’s death. He was a pure and perfect sacrificial Lamb. 20 Christ was chosen before the world was made, but he was shown to the world in these last times for you. 21 You believe in God through Christ. God is the one who raised him from death and gave honor to him. So your faith and your hope are in God.
22 You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. Now you can have true love for your brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply—with all your heart. 23 You have been born again. This new life did not come from something that dies. It came from something that cannot die. You were born again through God’s life-giving message that lasts forever.
On The Road to Emmaus(A)
13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a town named Emmaus. It is about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking about everything that had happened. 15 While they were talking, discussing these things, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. 16 (But the two men were not allowed to recognize Jesus.) 17 He asked them, “What’s this I hear you discussing with each other as you walk?”
The two men stopped, their faces looking very sad. 18 The one named Cleopas said, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who doesn’t know what has just happened there.”
19 Jesus said, “What are you talking about?”
They said, “It’s about Jesus, the one from Nazareth. To God and to all the people he was a great prophet. He said and did many powerful things. 20 But our leaders and the leading priests handed him over to be judged and killed. They nailed him to a cross. 21 We were hoping that he would be the one to free Israel. But then all this happened.
“And now something else: It has been three days since he was killed, 22 but today some of our women told us an amazing thing. Early this morning they went to the tomb where the body of Jesus was laid. 23 But they did not find his body there. They came and told us they had seen some angels in a vision. The angels told them Jesus was alive! 24 So some of our group went to the tomb too. It was just as the women said. They saw the tomb, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 Then Jesus said to the two men, “You are foolish and slow to realize what is true. You should believe everything the prophets said. 26 The prophets said the Messiah must suffer these things before he begins his time of glory.” 27 Then he began to explain everything that had been written about himself in the Scriptures. He started with the books of Moses and then he talked about what the prophets had said about him.
28 They came near the town of Emmaus, and Jesus acted as if he did not plan to stop there. 29 But they wanted him to stay. They begged him, “Stay with us. It’s almost night. There’s hardly any daylight left.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 Joining them at the supper table, Jesus took some bread and gave thanks. Then he broke some off and gave it to them. 31 Just then the men were allowed to recognize him. But when they saw who he was, he disappeared. 32 They said to each other, “When he talked to us on the road, it felt like a fire burning in us. How exciting it was when he explained to us the true meaning of the Scriptures!”
33 So the two men got up then and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the followers of Jesus meeting together. The eleven apostles and the people with them 34 said, “The Lord really has risen from death! He appeared to Simon.”
35 Then the two men told what had happened on the road. They talked about how they recognized Jesus when he shared the bread with them.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International