Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
God’s one and only son
1 In many ways and by many means God spoke in ancient times to our ancestors in the prophets; 2 but at the end of these days he spoke to us in a son.
He appointed this son to be heir of all things;
through him, in addition, he created the worlds.
3 He is the shining reflection of God’s own glory,
the precise expression of his own very being;
he sustains all things through his powerful word.
He accomplished the cleansing needed for sins,
and sat down at the right of the Majesty Supreme.
4 See how much greater he is than the angels:
the name he is granted is finer than theirs.
5 For to which angel did God ever say, “You are my son, today I became your father”? Or, again, “I will be his father, and he will be my son”?
The Messiah is superior to angels
6 Again, when God brings the firstborn son into the world, he says,
Let all God’s angels worship him.
7 In relation to the angels, this is what it says:
God makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of fire.
8 In relation to the son, however, it says,
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom;
9 you loved justice and hated lawlessness,
therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness,
as superior to your comrades.
10 And, again:
You established the earth, O Lord, from the beginning;
and the heavens are the works of your hands;
11 they will be destroyed, but you will remain;
all of them will grow old like clothing,
12 you will roll them up like a cloak,
and they will be changed like clothing.
But you are the same, and your years will never give out.
The Word made flesh
1 In the beginning was the Word. The Word was close beside God, and the Word was God. 2 In the beginning, he was close beside God.
3 All things came into existence through him; not one thing that exists came into existence without him. 4 Life was in him, and this life was the light of the human race. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
6 There was a man called John, who was sent from God. 7 He came as evidence, to give evidence about the light, so that everyone might believe through him. 8 He was not himself the light, but he came to give evidence about the light.
9 The true light, which gives light to every human being, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to anyone who did accept him, he gave the right to become God’s children; yes, to anyone who believed in his name. 13 They were not born from blood, or from fleshly desire, or from the intention of a man, but from God.
14 And the Word became flesh, and lived among us. We gazed upon his glory, glory like that of the father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.