Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
The Potter and the Clay
18 The word which came to Jeremiah from Yahweh saying, 2 “Arise and (A)go down to the potter’s house, and there I will make you hear My words.” 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was making something on the [a]wheel. 4 But the vessel that he was making of clay was ruined in the hand of the potter, so he turned around and made it into another vessel, according to what was right in the eyes of the potter to make.
5 Then the word of Yahweh came to me saying, 6 “Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?” declares Yahweh. “Behold, like the (B)clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. 7 At one moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (C)uproot, to tear down, or to make it perish; 8 (D)but if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will [b](E)relent concerning the calamity I planned to do against it. 9 Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to (F)build up or to plant it; 10 but if it does (G)evil in My sight by not listening to My voice, then I will [c](H)relent concerning the good which I promised, to do good to it. 11 So now then, speak to the men of Judah and against the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Behold, I am (I)forming calamity against you and devising a plan against you. Oh (J)turn back, each of you from his evil way, and do good in your ways and your deeds.”’
Where Can I Go from Your Spirit?
For the choir director. Of David. A Psalm.
139 O Yahweh, You have (A)searched me and known me.
2 You (B)know [a]when I sit down and [b]when I rise up;
You (C)understand my thought from afar.
3 You [c](D)scrutinize my [d]path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 [e]Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Yahweh, You (E)know it all.
5 You have (F)enclosed me behind and before,
And You have (G)put Your hand upon me.
6 Such (H)knowledge is (I)too wonderful for me;
It is too high, I cannot attain to it.
13 For You (A)formed my [a]inward parts;
You (B)wove me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will give thanks to You, for [b]I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
(C)Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
15 My [c](D)frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And (E)intricately woven in the (F)depths of the earth;
16 Your (G)eyes have seen my unshaped substance;
And in (H)Your book all of them were written
The (I)days that were formed for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.
Philemon’s Love and Faith
1 (A)Paul, (B)a prisoner of (C)Christ Jesus, and (D)Timothy [a]our brother,
To Philemon our beloved brother and (E)fellow worker, 2 and to Apphia [b](F)our sister, and to (G)Archippus our (H)fellow soldier, and to (I)the church in your house: 3 (J)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 (K)I thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers, 5 because I (L)hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the [c]saints; 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective [d]through the (M)full knowledge of every good thing which is in you [e]for the sake of Christ. 7 For I have come to have much (N)joy and comfort in your love, because the [f]hearts of the [g]saints have been (O)refreshed through you, brother.
8 Therefore, (P)though I have much boldness in Christ to command you to do what is (Q)proper, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather (R)plead with you—since I am such a person as Paul, [h]the (S)aged, and now also (T)a prisoner of (U)Christ Jesus—
Plea for Onesimus
10 I (V)plead with you for my (W)child [i](X)Onesimus, of whom I became a [j]father in my chains, 11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. 12 I have sent him back to you in person, that is, my very heart, 13 whom I intended to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my (Y)chains for the gospel, 14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would (Z)not be, in effect, by compulsion but voluntary. 15 For perhaps (AA)he was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, 16 (AB)no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, (AC)a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both (AD)in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 If then you regard me a (AE)partner, accept him as you would accept me. 18 But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 (AF)I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it ((AG)not to [k]mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). 20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord. (AH)Refresh my heart in Christ!
21 (AI)Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.
The Cost of Discipleship
25 Now many crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, 26 “(A)If anyone comes to Me, and does not [a]hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. 27 Whoever does not (B)carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Lest, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and (C)consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends [b]a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So then, none of you can be My disciple who (D)does not give up all his own possessions.
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