Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

⁵ Then the prophet Jeremiah spoke to the prophet Hananiah in the presence of the priests and in the presence of all the people who stood in the house of the Lord, ⁶ and the prophet Jeremiah said, ^(A)“Amen! The Lord do so; the Lord perform your words which you have prophesied, to bring back the vessels of the Lord’s house and all who were carried away captive, from Babylon to this place. ⁷ Nevertheless hear now this word that I speak in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: ⁸ The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries and great kingdoms—of war and disaster and pestilence. ⁹ As for ^(B)the prophet who prophesies of ^(C)peace, when the word of the prophet comes to pass, the prophet will be known as one whom the Lord has truly sent.”

Remembering the Covenant with David, and Sorrow for Lost Blessings

A ^[a]Contemplation of ^(A)Ethan the Ezrahite.

^12 (A)Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. ¹³ And do not present your ^(B)members as ^[a]instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but ^(C)present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. ¹⁴ For ^(D)sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

From Slaves of Sin to Slaves of God

¹⁵ What then? Shall we sin ^(E)because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! ¹⁶ Do you not know that ^(F)to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? ¹⁷ But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart ^(G)that form of doctrine to which you were ^[b]delivered. ¹⁸ And ^(H)having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. ¹⁹ I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness ^[c]for holiness.

²⁰ For when you were ^(I)slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. ^21 (J)What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For ^(K)the end of those things is death. ²² But now ^(L)having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit ^[d]to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. ²³ For ^(M)the wages of sin is death, but ^(N)the ^[e]gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

A Cup of Cold Water^(A)

^40 (B)“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ^41 (C)He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. ^42 (D)And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”