Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Calls Abram

12 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Leave your country, your family and your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. ² And I will make you a great nation. I will bring good to you. I will make your name great, so you will be honored. ³ I will bring good to those who are good to you. And I will curse those who curse you. Good will come to all the families of the earth because of you.”

⁴ So Abram left as the Lord told him to do, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. ⁵ Abram took his wife Sarai, and his brother’s son Lot, and all the things they had gathered, and the people who joined them in Haran. And they left to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan. ⁶ Abram passed through the land as far as the oak of Moreh at Shechem. The Canaanite people were living in the land at that time. ⁷ Then the Lord showed Himself to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your children and to your children’s children.” So Abram built an altar there to the Lord Who had shown Himself to him. ⁸ Then he went from there to the mountain east of Bethel. He put up his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. ⁹ Then Abram traveled on, still going toward the Negev.

Song of Praise

33 Sing for joy in the Lord, you who are right with Him. It is right for the pure in heart to praise Him. ² Give thanks to the Lord with harps. Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. ³ Sing to Him a new song. Play well with loud sounds of joy. ⁴ For the Word of the Lord is right. He is faithful in all He does. ⁵ He loves what is right and good and what is fair. The earth is full of the loving-kindness of the Lord.

⁶ The heavens were made by the Word of the Lord. All the stars were made by the breath of His mouth. ⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as in a bag. He places the waters in store-houses. ⁸ Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the people of the world honor Him. ⁹ For He spoke, and it was done. He spoke with strong words, and it stood strong. ¹⁰ The Lord brings the plans of nations to nothing. He wrecks the plans of the people. ¹¹ The plans of the Lord stand forever. The plans of His heart stand through the future of all people. ¹² Happy is the nation whose God is the Lord. Happy are the people He has chosen for His own.

¹³ God promised to give the world to him and to all his family after him. He did not make this promise because Abraham obeyed the Law. He promised to give the world to Abraham because he put his trust in God. This made him right with God. ¹⁴ If those who obey the Law are to get the world, then a person putting his trust in God means nothing. God’s promise to Abraham would be worth nothing. ¹⁵ God’s anger comes on a man when he does not obey the Law. But if there were no Law, then no one could break it.

¹⁶ So God’s promise is given to us because we put our trust in Him. We can be sure of it. It is because of His loving-favor to us. It is for all the family of Abraham. It is for those who obey the Law. It is for those who put their trust in God as Abraham did. In this way, he is the father of all Christians. ¹⁷ The Holy Writings say, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This promise is good because of Who God is. He makes the dead live again. He speaks, and something is made out of nothing. ¹⁸ Abraham believed he would be the father of many nations. He had no reason to hope for this, but he had been told, “Your children will become many nations.” ^{(A) 19} Abraham was about one hundred years old. His body was about dead, but his faith in God was not weak when he thought of his body. His faith was not weak when he thought of his wife Sarah being past the age of having children. ²⁰ Abraham did not doubt God’s promise. His faith in God was strong, and he gave thanks to God. ²¹ He was sure God was able to do what He had promised. ²² Abraham put his trust in God and was made right with Him. ²³ The words, “He was made right with God,” were not for Abraham only. ²⁴ They were for us also. God will make us right with Himself the same way He did Abraham, if we put our trust in God Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ Jesus died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

Jesus Calls Matthew ^(A)

⁹ As Jesus went from there, He saw a man called Matthew. Matthew was sitting at his work gathering taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” Matthew got up and followed Jesus. ¹⁰ Jesus ate in Matthew’s house. Many men who gathered taxes and many who were sinners came to Matthew’s house and sat down with Jesus and His followers. ¹¹ The proud religious law-keepers saw this. They said to the followers of Jesus, “Why does your Teacher eat with men who gather taxes and with sinners?” ¹² Jesus heard them and said, “People who are well do not need a doctor. ¹³ But go and understand these words, ‘I want loving-kindness and not a gift to be given.’ ^(B) For I have not come to call good people. I have come to call those who are sinners.”

Two Healed Through Faith ^(A)

¹⁸ While Jesus talked to them, a leader of the people came and got down before Him, and worshiped Him. He said, “My daughter has just died. But come, lay Your hand on her and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and followed him. His followers went also. ²⁰ Just then a woman who had been sick with a flow of blood for twelve years came from behind. She touched the bottom of His coat. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch the bottom of His coat, I will be healed.” ²² Then Jesus turned around. He saw her and said, “Daughter, take hope! Your faith has healed you.” At once the woman was healed.

²³ Jesus came into the leader’s house. He saw the people playing music and making much noise. ²⁴ He said to them, “Go now! For the girl is not dead, but is sleeping.” But they laughed at Him. ²⁵ He sent the people outside. Then He went in and took the girl’s hand. She was raised up. ²⁶ News of this went out into all the country.