Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Jeremiah’s Response to Hananiah
5 The prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and all the people who were standing in the temple of the Lord. 6 The prophet Jeremiah said, “Amen!(A) May the Lord do so. May the Lord make the words you have prophesied come true and may He restore the articles of the Lord’s temple and all the exiles from Babylon to this place! 7 Only listen to this message I am speaking in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people. 8 The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, disaster,[a] and plague against many lands and great kingdoms. 9 As for the prophet who prophesies peace—only when the word of the prophet comes true will the prophet be recognized as one the Lord has truly sent.”(B)
Psalm 89
Perplexity about God’s Promises
A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.(A)
1 I will sing about the Lord’s faithful love forever;(B)
I will proclaim Your faithfulness to all generations
with my mouth.(C)
2 For I will declare,
“Faithful love is built up forever;
You establish Your faithfulness in the heavens.”(D)
3 The Lord said,
“I have made a covenant with My chosen one;
I have sworn an oath to David My servant:
4 ‘I will establish your offspring forever
and build up your throne for all generations.’”(E)
15 Happy are the people who know the joyful shout;(A)
Yahweh, they walk in the light of Your presence.(B)
16 They rejoice in Your name all day long,
and they are exalted by Your righteousness.(C)
17 For You are their magnificent strength;(D)
by Your favor our horn is exalted.(E)
18 Surely our shield[a] belongs to the Lord,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.(F)
12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, so that you obey[a] its desires. 13 And do not offer any parts[b] of it to sin(A) as weapons for unrighteousness. But as those who are alive from the dead, offer yourselves to God,(B) and all the parts[c] of yourselves to God as weapons for righteousness. 14 For sin will not rule over you, because you are not under law(C) but under grace.(D)
From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God
15 What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace?(E) Absolutely not!(F) 16 Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone[d] as obedient slaves,(G) you are slaves of that one you obey(H)—either of sin leading to death(I) or of obedience leading to righteousness? 17 But thank God that, although you used to be slaves of sin,(J) you obeyed from the heart that pattern of teaching you were transferred[e] to,(K) 18 and having been liberated from sin,(L) you became enslaved to righteousness. 19 I am using a human analogy[f](M) because of the weakness of your flesh.[g] For just as you offered the parts[h] of yourselves as slaves to moral impurity, and to greater and greater lawlessness, so now offer them as slaves to righteousness, which results in sanctification. 20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.[i](N) 21 So what fruit was produced[j] then from the things you are now ashamed of?(O) For the end of those things is death.(P) 22 But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God,(Q) you have your fruit, which results in sanctification[k](R)—and the end is eternal life!(S) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.(T)
A Cup of Cold Water
40 “The one who welcomes you welcomes Me,(A) and the one who welcomes Me welcomes Him who sent Me.(B) 41 Anyone who[a] welcomes a prophet(C) because he is a prophet[b] will receive a prophet’s reward. And anyone who[c] welcomes a righteous person because he’s righteous[d] will receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And whoever gives(D) just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is a disciple[e](E)—I assure you: He will never lose his reward!”
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