Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Three Men Visit Abraham

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the large trees of Mamre. Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent. It was the hottest time of the day. ² Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. So he quickly left the entrance to his tent to greet them. He bowed low to the ground.

³ He said, “My lord, if you are pleased with me, don’t pass me by. ⁴ Let me get you some water. Then all of you can wash your feet and rest under this tree. ⁵ Let me get you something to eat to give you strength. Then you can go on your way. I want to do this for you now that you have come to me.”

“All right,” they answered. “Do as you say.”

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick!” he said. “Get about 36 pounds of the finest flour. Prepare it and bake some bread.”

⁷ Then he ran over to the herd. He picked out a choice, tender calf. He gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ Then he brought some butter and milk and the calf that had been prepared. He served them to the three men. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“Over there in the tent,” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year. Your wife Sarah will have a son.”

Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him.

A psalm of David.

The Son of God Is Better Than Everything Else

¹⁵ The Son is the exact likeness of God, who can’t be seen. The Son is first, and he is over all creation. ¹⁶ All things were created in him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can’t be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. All things have been created by him and for him. ¹⁷ Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning. He is the first to be raised from the dead. That happened so that he would be far above everything. ¹⁹ God was pleased to have his whole nature living in Christ. ²⁰ God was pleased to bring all things back to himself. That’s because of what Christ has done. These things include everything on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ’s blood, by his death on the cross.

²¹ At one time you were separated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil ways. ²² But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ’s death has made you holy in God’s sight. So now you don’t have any flaw. You are free from blame. ²³ But you must keep your faith steady and firm. You must not move away from the hope the good news holds out to you. This is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, now serve the good news.

Paul’s Work for the Church

²⁴ I am happy because of what I am suffering for you. My suffering joins with and continues the sufferings of Christ. I suffer for his body, which is the church. ²⁵ I serve the church. God appointed me to bring the complete word of God to you. ²⁶ That word contains the mystery that has been hidden for many ages. But now it has been made known to the Lord’s people. ²⁷ God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of that mystery. He has made it known among the Gentiles. And here is what it is. Christ is in you. He is your hope of glory.

²⁸ Christ is the one we preach about. With all the wisdom we have, we warn and teach everyone. When we bring them to God, we want them to be like Christ. We want them to be grown up as people who belong to Christ.

Jesus at the Home of Martha and Mary

³⁸ Jesus and his disciples went on their way. Jesus came to a village where a woman named Martha lived. She welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister named Mary. Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was busy with all the things that had to be done. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, my sister has left me to do the work by myself. Don’t you care? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered. “You are worried and upset about many things. ⁴² But few things are needed. Really, only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better. And it will not be taken away from her.”