Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Coming of the Messenger
3 “Watch out! I’m sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly, the Lord you are looking for will come to his Temple. He is the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Watch out! He is coming!” says the Lord of the Heavenly Armies.
2 But who will survive the day when he comes? Or who can stand when he appears? Because he’s like a refiner’s fire and a launderer’s soap, 3 he will sit refining and purifying silver, purifying the descendants of Levi, refining them like gold and silver. Then they’ll bring a righteous offering to the Lord. 4 Then the offering to the Lord by Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable as it was in the past, even as in former years.
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!
He has taken care of his people and has set them free.
69 He has raised up a mighty Savior[a] for us
from the family of his servant David,
70 just as he promised long ago
through the mouth of his holy prophets
71 that he would save us from our enemies
and from the grip of all who hate us.
72 He has shown mercy to our ancestors
and remembered his holy covenant,
73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.
He granted us 74 deliverance from our enemies’ grip
so that we could serve him without fear
75 and be holy and righteous before him all of our days.
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way
77 and to give his people knowledge of salvation
through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
his light[b] from on high has visited us,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and in death’s shadow,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Philippians
3 I thank my God every time I remember you,[a] 4 always praying joyfully in every one of my prayers for all of you 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am convinced of this, that the one who began a good action among[b] you will bring it to completion by the Day of the Messiah[c] Jesus. 7 For it is only right for me to think this way about all of you, because you’re constantly on my mind.[d] Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, all of you are partners with me in this privilege.[e] 8 For God is my witness how much I long for all of you with the compassion that the Messiah[f] Jesus provides.
9 And this is my prayer, that your love will keep on growing more and more with full knowledge and insight, 10 so that you may be able to choose what is best and be pure and blameless until the day when the Messiah[g] returns, 11 having been filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Messiah[h] so that God will be glorified and praised.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way for Jesus(A)
3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Caesar Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 and Annas and Caiaphas high priests, a message from God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. 3 John[a] went throughout the entire Jordan region, proclaiming a baptism about repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“He is a voice calling out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord![b] Make his paths straight!
5 Every valley will be filled,
and every mountain and hill will be leveled.
The crooked ways will be made straight,
and the rough roads will be made smooth.
6 Everyone[c] will see the salvation
that God has provided.’”[d]
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