Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Love, peace and thanksgiving
12 These are the clothes you must put on, then, since God has chosen you, made you holy, and lavished his love upon you. You must be tender-hearted, kind, humble, meek, and ready to put up with anything. 13 You must bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against someone else, you must forgive each other. Just as the master forgave you, you must do the same. 14 On top of all this you must put on love, which ties everything together and makes it complete. 15 Let the Messiah’s peace be the deciding factor in your hearts; that’s what you were called to, within the one body. And be thankful.
16 Let the Messiah’s word dwell richly among you, as you teach and exhort one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God with grateful hearts. 17 And whatever you do, in word or action, do everything in the name of the master, Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the father.
The boy Jesus
41 Jesus’ parents used to go to Jerusalem every year for the Passover festival. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the feast days were over, they began the journey back, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t know; 44 they thought he was in the traveling party. They went a day’s journey before looking for him among their relatives and friends.
45 When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 And so it happened that after three days they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was astonished at his understanding and his answers.
48 When they saw him they were quite overwhelmed.
“Child,” said his mother, “why did you do this to us? Look—your father and I have been in a terrible state looking for you!”
49 “Why were you looking for me?” he replied. “Didn’t you know that I would have to be involved with my father’s work?”
50 They didn’t understand what he had said to them. 51 He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and lived under their authority. And his mother kept all these things in her heart.
52 So Jesus became wiser and taller, gaining favor both with God and with the people.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.