Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

The Beginning of the World

1 God created the sky and the earth. At first, ² the earth was completely empty. There was nothing on the earth. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit moved over^[a] the water.

The First Day—Light

³ Then God said, “Let there be light!” And light began to shine.^{[b] 4} He saw the light, and he knew that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God named the light “day,” and he named the darkness “night.”

There was evening, and then there was morning. This was the first day.

A song of David.

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos was in the city of Corinth, Paul was visiting some places on his way to Ephesus. In Ephesus he found some other followers of the Lord. ² He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

These followers said to him, “We have never even heard of a Holy Spirit!”

³ Paul asked them, “So what kind of baptism did you have?”

They said, “It was the baptism that John taught.”

⁴ Paul said, “John told people to be baptized to show they wanted to change their lives. He told people to believe in the one who would come after him, and that one is Jesus.”

⁵ When these followers heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ Then Paul laid his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came on them. They began speaking different languages and prophesying. ⁷ There were about twelve men in this group.

⁴ So John the Baptizer came and was baptizing people in the desert area. He told them to be baptized to show that they wanted to change their lives, and then their sins would be forgiven. ⁵ All the people from Judea, including everyone from Jerusalem, came out to John. They confessed the bad things they had done, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁶ John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷ This is what John told the people: “There is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who stoops down to untie his sandals. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but the one who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus Is Baptized by John^(A)

⁹ About that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the sky torn open. The Spirit came down on him like a dove. ¹¹ A voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you.”