Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Chapter 60
Zion’s Glory Dawns
1 [a]Arise and shine forth, for your light has come
and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
2 Even though darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness enshrouds the peoples,
upon you the Lord will shine,
and over you his glory will appear.
3 Nations will be guided by your light
and kings by the brightness of your radiance.
4 Raise your eyes and look around;
they are all assembling and returning to you.
Your sons are coming from far away,
and your daughters will be carried
in the arms of their nurses.
5 [b]Then you will be radiant at what you behold,
and your hearts will throb and rejoice.
For the riches of the sea will be brought to you,
and the wealth of the nations will come to you.
6 Droves of camels will cover your land,
the young camels from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba will come,
laden with gold and frankincense,
while the people proclaim the praises of the Lord.
Psalm 72[a]
The Kingdom of the Messiah
1 Of Solomon.
O God, endow the king with your judgment,
the son of kings with your righteousness.
2 [b]He will govern your people fairly
and deal justly with your poor ones.
3 The mountains will yield peace for the people,
and the hills, righteousness.
4 He will defend the afflicted among the people,
save the children of the poor,
and overwhelm the oppressor.
5 He will reign as long as the sun,
as long as the moon, through all generations.
6 He will descend like rain on the meadow,
like showers that water the earth.
7 Justice will reign in his days,
and peace will abound
until the moon is no more.
10 The kings of Tarshish[a] and the Islands
will offer him tribute;
the kings of Sheba and Seba
will present him with gifts.
11 All kings will pay him homage,
and all nations will serve him.
12 For he will save the poor who cry out
and the needy who have no one to help them.
13 He will have pity on the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the needy he will save.
14 He will free them from oppression and violence,
for their blood is precious in his sight.
Paul’s Commission To Preach the Mystery[a]
Chapter 3
The Mystery Made Known. 1 This is the reason why I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—[b] 2 For you surely must have heard of the mystery of God’s grace that was entrusted to me on your behalf, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by a revelation, as I have briefly written. 4 Reading this, you will be able to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
5 It was not disclosed to human beings in previous generations, but now it has been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6 namely that the Gentiles have become coheirs, members of the same body, and sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Mission to the Gentiles. 7 I became its minister by God’s grace bestowed on me through the working of his power. 8 Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 9 and to enlighten all concerning the administration of the mystery that had been kept hidden throughout the ages in God, the creator of all things.
10 In this way, the wisdom of God in its infinite variety might be made known through the Church to the principalities and powers in the heavens. 11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have free access to God in boldness and confidence because of our faith in him.
Chapter 2
The Wise Men Render Homage to the Messiah.[a] 1 After Jesus had been born in Bethlehem[b] of Judea during the reign of King Herod, wise men traveled from the east and arrived in Jerusalem, 2 inquiring, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw the rising of his star, and we have come to pay him homage.”
3 On hearing about their inquiry, King Herod was greatly troubled, as was true of the whole of Jerusalem. 4 Therefore, he summoned all the chief priests[c] and the scribes and questioned them about where the Christ was to be born. 5 They replied, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus has the prophet written:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”[d]
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men, and he ascertained from them the exact time of the star’s appearance, 8 after which he sent them on to Bethlehem, saying: “Go forth and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I can go and pay him homage.”
9 After receiving these instructions from the king, the wise men set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising proceeded ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 The sight of the star filled them with great joy, 11 and when they entered the house they beheld the child with Mary his mother. Falling to their knees, they paid him homage. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.[e] 12 And since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another route.
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