Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Lord Is Always Merciful
1 (A) Tell the Lord
how thankful you are,
because he is kind
and always merciful.
2 Let Israel shout,
“God is always merciful!”
19 Open the gates of justice!
I will enter and tell the Lord
how thankful I am.
20 Here is the gate of the Lord!
Everyone who does right
may enter this gate.
21 I praise the Lord
for answering my prayers
and saving me.
22 (A)(B) The stone that the builders
tossed aside
has now become
the most important stone.
23 The Lord has done this,
and it is amazing to us.
24 This day belongs to the Lord!
Let's celebrate
and be glad today.
25 (C) We'll ask the Lord to save us!
We'll sincerely ask the Lord
to let us win.
26 (D) God bless the one who comes
in the name of the Lord!
We praise you from here
in the house of the Lord.
27 The Lord is our God,
and he has given us light!
Start the celebration!
March with palm branches
all the way to the altar.[a]
28 The Lord is my God!
I will praise him and tell him
how thankful I am.
29 Tell the Lord
how thankful you are,
because he is kind
and always merciful.
10 Jeremiah, you say that this land is a desert without people or animals, and for now, you are right. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted, and people and animals are nowhere to be seen. But someday you will hear 11 (A) happy voices and the sounds of parties and wedding celebrations. And when people come to my temple to offer sacrifices to thank me, you will hear them say:
“We praise you,
Lord All-Powerful!
You are good to us,
and your love never fails.”
The land will once again be productive. 12-13 Now it is empty, without people or animals. But when that time comes, shepherds will take care of their flocks in pastures near every town in the hill country, in the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert, in the land of the Benjamin tribe, and around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord's Wonderful Promise
14 (B) The Lord said:
I made a wonderful promise to Israel and Judah,[a] and the days are coming when I will keep it.
15 I promise that the time will come
when I will appoint a king
from the family of David,
a king who will be honest
and rule with justice.
16 In those days,
Judah will be safe;
Jerusalem will have peace
and will be named,
“The Lord Gives Justice.”
Jesus Again Tells about His Death
(Matthew 20.17-19; Luke 18.31-34)
32 The disciples were confused as Jesus led them toward Jerusalem, and his other followers were afraid. Once again, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside and told them what was going to happen to him. He said:
33 We are now on our way to Jerusalem where the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses. They will sentence him to death and hand him over to foreigners,[a] 34 who will make fun of him and spit on him. They will beat him and kill him. But three days later he will rise to life.
Jesus Heals Blind Bartimaeus
(Matthew 20.29-34; Luke 18.35-43)
46 Jesus and his disciples went to Jericho. And as they were leaving, they were followed by a large crowd. A blind beggar by the name of Bartimaeus son of Timaeus was sitting beside the road. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus from Nazareth, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David,[a] have pity on me!” 48 Many people told the man to stop, but he shouted even louder, “Son of David, have pity on me!”
49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him over!”
They called out to the blind man and said, “Don't be afraid! Come on! He is calling for you.” 50 The man threw off his coat as he jumped up and ran to Jesus.
51 Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”
The blind man answered, “Master,[b] I want to see!”
52 Jesus told him, “You may go. Your eyes are healed because of your faith.”
At once the man could see, and he went down the road with Jesus.
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