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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Seventh
Sunday of Easter, May 23, 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 RCL allows the use of the readings for
Ascension Day on this Sunday (but not ECUSA, the Can. BAS nor C of
E).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>FIRST READING: Acts 16: 16 - 34
(all but Roman Catholic)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Acts 16:16 (NRSV) One day, as we were going to the
place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought
her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. 17 While she followed Paul
and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who
proclaim to you a way of salvation." 18 She kept doing this for many days. But
Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name
of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. <BR>19 But
when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul
and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. 20 When
they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are
disturbing our city; they are Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not
lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." 22 The crowd joined in attacking
them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them
to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a severe flogging, they
threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. 24
Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened
their feet in the stocks. <BR>25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly
there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were
shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were
unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he
drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the
prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm
yourself, for we are all here." 29 The jailer called for lights, and rushing in,
he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside
and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They answered, "Believe on the
Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 They spoke the
word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of
the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family
were baptized without delay. 34 He brought them up into the house and set food
before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a
believer in God. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>Acts 7: 55 - 60 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 7:55 (NRSV) But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and
saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 "Look," he
said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of
God!" 57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together
against him. 58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him;
and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59
While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." 60
Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin
against them." When he had said this, he died. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 97 (RCL)<BR>Psalm 97: 1 - 2, 6 - 7, 9
(Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 97:1 (NRSV) The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice; <BR>let the many
coastlands be glad! <BR>2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
<BR>righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. <BR>3 Fire goes
before him, <BR>and consumes his adversaries on every side. <BR>4 His lightnings
light up the world; <BR>the earth sees and trembles. <BR>5 The mountains melt
like wax before the LORD, <BR>before the Lord of all the earth. <BR>6 The
heavens proclaim his righteousness; <BR>and all the peoples behold his glory.
<BR>7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, <BR>those who make their boast
in worthless idols; <BR>all gods bow down before him. <BR>8 Zion hears and is
glad, <BR>and the towns of Judah rejoice, <BR>because of your judgments, O God.
<BR>9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; <BR>you are exalted far
above all gods. <BR>10 The LORD loves those who hate evil; <BR>he guards the
lives of his faithful; <BR>he rescues them from the hand of the wicked. <BR>11
Light dawns for the righteous, <BR>and joy for the upright in heart. <BR>12
Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, <BR>and give thanks to his holy name!
</DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>SECOND READING: Revelation 22: 12 - 14, 16 - 17, 20 -
21
(RCL)<BR>
Revelation 22: 12 - 14, 16 - 17, 20 (Roman Catholic, Can. BAS)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Reve 22:12 (NRSV) "See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay
according to everyone's work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the
last, the beginning and the end." <BR>14 Blessed are those who wash their robes,
so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by
the gates. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>16 "It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the
churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."
<BR>17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." <BR>And let everyone who hears say,
"Come." <BR>And let everyone who is thirsty come. <BR>Let anyone who wishes take
the water of life as a gift. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."
<BR>Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! <BR>21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the
saints. Amen. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: John 17: 20 - 26 (all)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>John 17:20 (NRSV) "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of
those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As
you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the
world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I
have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in
me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you
have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire
that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my
glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the
world. <BR>25 "Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you;
and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I
will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in
them, and I in them." <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>