Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void,[a] darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving[b] over the surface of the water.
3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
Psalm 29
A Psalm of David.
1 Give to the Lord, you heavenly beings,
give to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Give to the Lord the glory of His name;
worship the Lord in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders;
the Lord is over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord sounds with strength;
the voice of the Lord—with majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes them skip like a calf,
Lebanon and Sirion like a wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes
like flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the Wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer to give birth,
and strips the forests bare;
and in His temple everyone says, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood,
the Lord sits as King forever.
11 The Lord will give strength to His people;
the Lord will bless His people with peace.
Ephesians Receive the Holy Spirit
19 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples 2 and said to them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?”
They said to him, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 He said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”
They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that they should believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5 The whole region of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6 John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist. And he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He preached saying, “After me is coming One mightier than I, the straps of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I indeed have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
The Baptism of Jesus(A)
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Coming up out of the water, He immediately saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, saying, “You are My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.