Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Hosea’s Wife and Children

² When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous^(A) woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness^(B) to the Lord.” ³ So he married Gomer^(C) daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call him Jezreel,^(D) because I will soon punish the house of Jehu for the massacre at Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of Israel. ⁵ In that day I will break Israel’s bow in the Valley of Jezreel.^(E)”

⁶ Gomer^(F) conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. Then the Lord said to Hosea, “Call her Lo-Ruhamah (which means “not loved”),^(G) for I will no longer show love to Israel,^(H) that I should at all forgive them. ⁷ Yet I will show love to Judah; and I will save them—not by bow,^(I) sword or battle, or by horses and horsemen, but I, the Lord their God,^(J) will save them.”

⁸ After she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah,^(K) Gomer had another son. ⁹ Then the Lord said, “Call him Lo-Ammi (which means “not my people”), for you are not my people, and I am not your God.^[a](L)

¹⁰ “Yet the Israelites will be like the sand on the seashore, which cannot be measured or counted.^(M) In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ they will be called ‘children of the living God.’^(N)

Psalm 85^[a]

For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

Spiritual Fullness in Christ

⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,^(A) continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted^(B) and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,^(C) and overflowing with thankfulness.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,^(D) which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces^[a] of this world^(E) rather than on Christ.

⁹ For in Christ all the fullness^(F) of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head^(G) over every power and authority.^{(H) 11} In him you were also circumcised^(I) with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh^[b](J) was put off when you were circumcised by^[c] Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism,^(K) in which you were also raised with him^(L) through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.^(M)

¹³ When you were dead in your sins^(N) and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[d] alive^(O) with Christ. He forgave us all our sins,^{(P) 14} having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness,^(Q) which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.^{(R) 15} And having disarmed the powers and authorities,^(S) he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them^(T) by the cross.^[e]

Freedom From Human Rules

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you^(A) by what you eat or drink,^(B) or with regard to a religious festival,^(C) a New Moon celebration^(D) or a Sabbath day.^{(E) 17} These are a shadow of the things that were to come;^(F) the reality, however, is found in Christ. ¹⁸ Do not let anyone who delights in false humility^(G) and the worship of angels disqualify you.^(H) Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. ¹⁹ They have lost connection with the head,^(I) from whom the whole body,^(J) supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.^(K)

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer^(A)(B)

11 One day Jesus was praying^(C) in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord,^(D) teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity^[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.^(H)

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you;^(I) seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for^[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”