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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Fourth
Sunday of Easter, April 25, according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal
(ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common
Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard
Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C
of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The readings are posted on our web site: <<A
href="http://satucket.com/lectionary">http://satucket.com/lectionary</A>>, in
RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>FIRST READING: Acts 9: 36 - 43 (RCL)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Acts 9:36 (NRSV) Now in Jop'pa there was a disciple
whose name was Tab'itha, which in Greek is Dor'cas. She was devoted to good
works and acts of charity. 37 At that time she became ill and died. When they
had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38 Since Lyd'da was near
Jop'pa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with
the request, "Please come to us without delay." 39 So Peter got up and went with
them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows
stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dor'cas had
made while she was with them. 40 Peter put all of them outside, and then he
knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tab'itha, get up." Then
she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41 He gave her his hand and
helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42
This became known throughout Jop'pa, and many believed in the Lord. 43 Meanwhile
he stayed in Jop'pa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>Acts 13: 15 - 16, 26 - 33 (Can. BAS) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 13:15 (NRSV) After the reading of the law and the prophets, the
officials of the synagogue sent them a message, saying, "Brothers, if you have
any word of exhortation for the people, give it." 16 So Paul stood up and with a
gesture began to speak: <BR>"You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>26 "My brothers, you descendants of Abraham's family, and others who fear
God, to us the message of this salvation has been sent. 27 Because the residents
of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of
the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by
condemning him. 28 Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they
asked Pilate to have him killed. 29 When they had carried out everything that
was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
30 But God raised him from the dead; 31 and for many days he appeared to those
who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and they are now his witnesses
to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to our
ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus; as also
it is written in the second psalm, <BR>"You are my Son; <BR>today I have
begotten you.' </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Acts 13: 14, 43 - 52 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 13:14 (NRSV) but they went on from Per'ga and came to An'tioch in
Pisid'ia. And on the sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.
</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>43 When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout
converts to Ju'daism followed Paul and Bar'nabas, who spoke to them and urged
them to continue in the grace of God. <BR>44 The next sabbath almost the whole
city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds,
they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was
spoken by Paul. 46 Then both Paul and Bar'nabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It
was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you
reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now
turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, <BR>"I
have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, <BR>so that you may bring salvation
to the ends of the earth.'" <BR>48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad
and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal
life became believers. 49 Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the
region. 50 But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the
leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Bar'nabas,
and drove them out of their region. 51 So they shook the dust off their feet in
protest against them, and went to Ico'nium. 52 And the disciples were filled
with joy and with the Holy Spirit. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 23 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 23:1 (NRSV) The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. <BR>2 He makes
me lie down in green pastures; <BR>he leads me beside still waters; <BR>3 he
restores my soul.<BR>He leads me in right paths <BR>for his name's sake. <BR>4
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, <BR>I fear no evil; <BR>for you
are with me; <BR>your rod and your staff-- <BR>they comfort me. <BR>5 You
prepare a table before me <BR>in the presence of my enemies; <BR>you anoint my
head with oil; <BR>my cup overflows. <BR>6 Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me <BR>all the days of my life, <BR>and I shall dwell in the house of the
LORD <BR>my whole life long. </DIV>
<DIV><BR> <BR>Psalm 100: 1 - 3, 5 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 100:1 (NRSV) Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. <BR>2
Worship the LORD with gladness; <BR>come into his presence with singing. <BR>3
Know that the LORD is God. <BR>It is he that made us, and we are his; <BR>we are
his people, and the sheep of his pasture. <BR>4 Enter his gates with
thanksgiving, <BR>and his courts with praise. <BR>Give thanks to him, bless his
name. <BR>5 For the LORD is good; <BR>his steadfast love endures forever,
<BR>and his faithfulness to all generations. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>SECOND READING: Revelation 7: 9 - 17 (all but Roman Catholic)
<BR>
Revelation 7: 9, 14b - 17 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Reve 7:9 (NRSV) After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that
no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and
languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with
palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
<BR>"Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
<BR>11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the
four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God, 12 singing, <BR>"Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom <BR>and
thanksgiving and honor <BR>and power and might <BR>be to our God forever and
ever! Amen." <BR>13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these,
robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you are
the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of
the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood
of the Lamb. <BR>15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, <BR>and
worship him day and night within his temple, <BR>and the one who is seated on
the throne will shelter them. <BR>16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no
more; <BR>the sun will not strike them, <BR>nor any scorching heat; <BR>17 for
the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, <BR>and he will
guide them to springs of the water of life, <BR>and God will wipe away every
tear from their eyes." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: John 10: 22 - 30 (all but Roman Catholic)
<BR>
John 10: 27 - 30 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>John 10:22 (NRSV) At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in
Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico
of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will
you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus
answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my
Father's name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not
belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them
out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no
one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one."
<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Chad Wohlers<BR>Woodbury, Vermont USA<BR><A
href="mailto:chadwohl@satucket.com">chadwohl@satucket.com</A><BR><A
href="mailto:cwohlers@bridgew.edu">cwohlers@bridgew.edu</A><BR></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>