Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
68 [a]“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.(A)
69 [b]He has raised up a horn for our salvation
within the house of David his servant,(B)
70 even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:
71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,(C)
72 to show mercy to our fathers(D)
and to be mindful of his holy covenant(E)
73 and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,(F)
and to grant us that, 74 rescued from the hand of enemies,
without fear we might worship him 75 in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.(G)
76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,
for you will go before the Lord[c] to prepare his ways,(H)
77 to give his people knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God(I)
by which the daybreak from on high[d] will visit us(J)
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
The Need to Serve God
13 Your words are too much for me, says the Lord.
You ask, “What have we spoken against you?”
14 (A)You have said, “It is useless to serve God;
what do we gain by observing God’s requirements,
And by going about as mourners[a]
before the Lord of hosts?
15 But we call the arrogant blessed;
for evildoers not only prosper
but even test God and escape.”
16 (B)Then those who fear the Lord spoke with one another,
and the Lord listened attentively;
A record book[b] was written before him
of those who fear the Lord and esteem his name.
17 (C)They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day when I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
18 Then you will again distinguish
between the just and the wicked,
Between the person who serves God,
and the one who does not.
18 What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed?(A) And in that I rejoice.[a]
Indeed I shall continue to rejoice, 19 [b]for I know that this will result in deliverance for me[c] through your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.(B) 20 My eager expectation and hope is that I shall not be put to shame in any way, but that with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.(C) 21 For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.(D) 22 If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose.(E) 23 I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, [for] that is far better.(F) 24 Yet that I remain [in] the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. 25 And this I know with confidence, that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may abound on account of me when I come to you again.
III. Instructions for the Community
Steadfastness in Faith.[d]
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.