Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 126^[a]

God, Our Joy and Our Hope

^1 [b]A song of ascents.

⁴ even though I too have reason for confidence in the flesh.

Joyous Sacrifice of All Things for Christ.^[a] If anyone thinks that he has reasons to be confident in the flesh, I have more! ⁵ I was circumcised on the eighth day of my life. I was one of the people of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin.^[b] I am a Hebrew and the son of Hebrews. In regard to the Law, I was a Pharisee; ⁶ in regard to religious zeal, I was a persecutor of the Church; in regard to righteousness under the Law, I was without fault.

⁷ All these I once regarded as assets, but now I have come to regard them as losses because of Christ. ⁸ Even more than that, I count everything as loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all other things, and I regard them as so much rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him.

I do not wish to have any righteousness of my own based on the Law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness given by God in response to faith. ¹⁰ All I want is to come to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and to share in his sufferings by becoming conformed to his death, ¹¹ so that I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

¹² Racing toward the Goal.^[c] It is not that I have already attained this or have yet reached perfection. But I press on to take hold of that for which Christ once took hold of me. ¹³ Brethren, I do not claim to have taken hold of it as yet. Only this one thing: forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the finishing line to win the heavenly prize to which God has called me in Christ Jesus.

Chapter 12

The Anointing at Bethany. ¹ Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ² They gave a dinner there for him. Martha served the meal, and Lazarus was among those at table with him.

³ Mary brought in a pint^[a] of very costly ointment, made from pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and dried them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. ⁴ Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, the one who was about to betray him, said, ⁵ “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and the money given to the poor?” ⁶ He said this not because he had any concern for the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money bag, and he used to steal from it.

⁷ Jesus said in response, “Leave her alone! Let her keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸ The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”