Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

God Calls Jeremiah

⁴ The Lord spoke these words to me:

⁶ Then I said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Don’t say, ‘I am only a boy.’ You must go everywhere that I send you. You must say everything I tell you to say. ⁸ Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you. I will protect you,” says the Lord.

⁹ Then the Lord reached out with his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ Today I have put you in charge of nations and kingdoms. You will pull up and tear down, destroy and overthrow. You will build up and plant.”

An Old Person’s Prayer

13 I may speak in different languages of men or even angels. But if I do not have love, then I am only a noisy bell or a ringing cymbal. ² I may have the gift of prophecy; I may understand all the secret things of God and all knowledge; and I may have faith so great that I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. ³ I may give everything I have to feed the poor. And I may even give my body as an offering to be burned.^[a] But I gain nothing by doing these things if I do not have love.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud. ⁵ Love is not rude, is not selfish, and does not become angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it. ⁶ Love takes no pleasure in evil, but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love patiently accepts all things. It always trusts, always hopes, and always continues strong.

⁸ Love never ends. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will be ended. There are gifts of speaking in different languages, but those gifts will end. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will be ended. ⁹ These things will end, because this knowledge and these prophecies we have are not complete. ¹⁰ But when perfection comes, the things that are not complete will end. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child; I thought like a child; I made plans like a child. When I became a man, I stopped those childish ways. ¹² It is the same with us. Now we see as if we are looking into a dark mirror. But at that time, in the future, we shall see clearly. Now I know only a part. But at that time I will know fully, as God has known me. ¹³ So these three things continue forever: faith, hope and love. And the greatest of these is love.

²¹ He began to speak to them. He said, “While you heard these words just now, they were coming true!”

²² All the people praised Jesus. They were amazed at the beautiful words he spoke. They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

²³ Jesus said to them, “I know that you will tell me the old saying: ‘Doctor, heal yourself.’ You want to say, ‘We heard about the things you did in Capernaum. Do those things here in your own town!’” ²⁴ Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. A prophet is not accepted in his own town. ²⁵ What I say is true. During the time of Elijah it did not rain in Israel for three and a half years. There was no food anywhere in the whole country. And there were many widows in Israel during that time. ²⁶ But Elijah was sent to none of those widows. He was sent only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many with a harmful skin disease living in Israel during the time of the prophet Elisha. But none of them were healed except Naaman, who was from the country of Syria.”

²⁸ When all the people in the synagogue heard these things, they became very angry. ²⁹ They got up and forced Jesus out of town. The town was built on a hill. They took Jesus to the edge of the hill and wanted to throw him off. ³⁰ But Jesus walked through the crowd and went on his way.