Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 97[a]
97 The Lord reigns.
Let the earth be happy.
Let the many coastlands rejoice.
2 Dark clouds surround him;
equity and justice are the foundation of his throne.[b]
3 Fire goes before him;
on every side[c] it burns up his enemies.
4 His lightning bolts light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The sky declares his justice,
and all the nations see his splendor.
7 All who worship idols are ashamed,
those who boast about worthless idols.
All the gods bow down before him.[d]
8 Zion hears and rejoices,
the towns[e] of Judah are happy,
because of your judgments, O Lord.
9 For you, O Lord, are the Most High[f] over the whole earth;
you are elevated high above all gods.
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!
He protects[g] the lives of his faithful followers;
he delivers them from the power[h] of the wicked.
11 The godly bask in the light;
the morally upright experience joy.[i]
12 You godly ones, rejoice in the Lord.
Give thanks to his holy name.[j]
33 The Lord said to Moses, “Go up[a] from here, you and the people whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land I promised on oath[b] to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’[c] 2 I will send an angel[d] before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.[e] 3 Go up[f] to a land flowing with milk and honey. But[g] I will not go up among you, for you are a stiff-necked people, and I might destroy you[h] on the way.”
4 When the people heard this troubling word[i] they mourned;[j] no one put on his ornaments. 5 For[k] the Lord had said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people. If I went up among you for a moment,[l] I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments[m] that I may know[n] what I should do to you.’”[o] 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments by Mount Horeb.
13 Brothers and sisters,[a] I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded:[b] Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, 14 with this goal in mind,[c] I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God[d] in Christ Jesus. 15 Therefore let those of us who are “perfect” embrace this point of view.[e] If you think otherwise, God will reveal to you the error of your ways.[f] 16 Nevertheless, let us live up to the standard[g] that we have already attained.[h]
17 Be imitators of me,[i] brothers and sisters,[j] and watch carefully those who are living this way, just as you have us as an example. 18 For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things.[k] 20 But our citizenship is in heaven—and we also eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform these humble bodies of ours[l] into the likeness of his glorious body by means of that power by which he is able to subject all things to himself.
Christian Practices
4 So then, my brothers and sisters,[m] dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!
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