Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Blessings of Returning from Exile
7 For this is what the Lord says:
“Cry out with joy for Jacob
and shout for the chief among the nations.
Announce, give praise, and say,
‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’
8 Look, I’m bringing them from the northern region,[a]
and I’ll gather them from the farthest parts of the earth.
Among them will be the blind and the lame,
together with the pregnant woman
and the woman in labor.
A large group will return here.
9 They’ll come crying,
and I’ll lead them as they pray for mercy.[b]
I’ll make them walk by streams of water,
along a straight path on which they won’t stumble.
For I am Israel’s father,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
10 Nations, listen to this message from the Lord,
and declare it in the distant coastlands.
Say, “The one who scattered Israel will gather him
and keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.”
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob
and redeem him from the hand of one stronger than he.
12 They’ll come and cry out with joy
on the heights of Zion.
They’ll be radiant over the Lord’s goodness,
over the grain, the new wine, the fresh oil,
and over the young of the flocks and herds.
Their lives will be like a well-watered garden.
They’ll never again grow faint.[c]
13 The virgins will rejoice with dancing,
together with young men and old men.
For I’ll turn their mourning into joy,
and I’ll comfort them and give them gladness
instead of sorrow.
14 I’ll give the priests abundant provisions,[d]
and my people will be satisfied with my goodness,”
declares the Lord.
12 Glorify the Lord, Jerusalem!
Praise your God, Zion!
13 For he has strengthened the bars of your gates,
blessing your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders,
satisfying[a] you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth,
making[b] his word go forth quickly.
16 He supplies snow like wool,
scattering frost like ashes.
17 He casts down his ice crystals like bread[c] fragments.
Who can endure his freezing cold?
18 He sends out his word
and melts them.
He makes his wind blow
and the water flows.
19 He declares his words to Jacob,
his statutes and decrees to Israel.
20 He has not dealt with any other nation like this;
they never knew[d] his decrees.
Hallelujah!
The Many Blessings of Salvation
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah![a] He has blessed us in the Messiah[b] with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, 4 just as he chose us in the Messiah[c] before the creation of the universe[d] to be holy and blameless in his presence. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself through Jesus the Messiah,[e] according to the pleasure of his will, 6 so that we would praise[f] his glorious grace that he gave us in the Beloved One. 7 In union with him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of God’s[g] grace 8 that he lavished on us, along with all wisdom and understanding, 9 when he made known to us the secret of his will. This was according to his plan that he set forth in the Messiah[h] 10 to usher in[i] the fullness of the times and to bring together in the Messiah[j] all things in heaven and on earth.
11 In the Messiah[k] we were also chosen when we were predestined according to the purpose of the one who does everything that he wills to do, 12 so that we who had already fixed our hope on the Messiah[l] might live for his praise and glory. 13 You, too, have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed in the Messiah,[m] you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until God redeems his own possession[n] for his praise and glory.
The Word and Creation
1 In the beginning, the Word existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 Through him all things were made, and apart from him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life brought light to humanity.[a] 5 And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.[b]
John’s Witness to the Word
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe because of him. 8 John[c] was not the light, but he came[d] to testify about the light. 9 This[e] was the true light that enlightens every person by his coming into the world.[f]
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him. Yet the world did not recognize him.
Responses to the Word
11 He came to his own creation,[a] yet his own people did not receive him. 12 However, to all who received him, those believing in his name, he gave authority to become God’s children, 13 who were born, not merely in a genetic sense,[b] nor from lust,[c] nor from man’s desire, but from the will of[d] God.
The Word Becomes Human
14 The Word became flesh and lived[e] among us. We gazed on his glory, the kind of glory that belongs to the Father’s uniquely existing Son,[f] who is full of grace and truth. 15 John told the truth about him when he cried out, “This is the person about whom I said, ‘The one who comes after me ranks higher than me, because he existed before me.’” 16 We have all received one gracious gift after another from his abundance,[g] 17 because while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus the Messiah.[h] 18 No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God,[i] who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.
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