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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Ninth Sunday
after Pentecost, July 25, (Proper 12) 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></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>OLD TESTAMENT: Hosea 1: 2 - 10 (RCL) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Hose 1:2 (NRSV) When the LORD first spoke through
Hose'a, the LORD said to Hose'a, "Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and
have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the
LORD." 3 So he went and took Go'mer daughter of Dibla'im, and she conceived and
bore him a son. <BR>4 And the LORD said to him, "Name him Jez'reel; for in a
little while I will punish the house of Je'hu for the blood of Jez'reel, and I
will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will
break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jez'reel." <BR>6 She conceived again
and bore a daughter. Then the LORD said to him, "Name her Lo-ruha'mah, for I
will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. 7 But I will
have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the LORD their God; I
will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by
horsemen." <BR>8 When she had weaned Lo-ruha'mah, she conceived and bore a son.
9 Then the LORD said, "Name him Lo-am'mi, for you are not my people and I am not
your God." <BR>10 Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand
of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where
it was said to them, "You are not my people," it shall be said to them,
"Children of the living God." </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>Genesis 18: 20 - 32 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gene 18:20 (NRSV) Then the LORD said, "How great is the outcry against
Sod'om and Gomor'rah and how very grave their sin! 21 I must go down and see
whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me;
and if not, I will know." <BR>22 So the men turned from there, and went toward
Sod'om, while Abraham remained standing before the LORD. 23 Then Abraham came
near and said, "Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24
Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the
place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it
from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the
righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all
the earth do what is just?" 26 And the LORD said, "If I find at Sod'om fifty
righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake." 27
Abraham answered, "Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but
dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you
destroy the whole city for lack of five?" And he said, "I will not destroy it if
I find forty-five there." 29 Again he spoke to him, "Suppose forty are found
there." He answered, "For the sake of forty I will not do it." 30 Then he said,
"Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there." He
answered, "I will not do it, if I find thirty there." 31 He said, "Let me take
it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there." He
answered, "For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it." 32 Then he said, "Oh
do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found
there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>2 Kings 5: 1 - 15b (Can. BAS)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2Kin 5:1 (NRSV) {The Healing of Naaman} Naaman, commander of the army of
the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by
him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior,
suffered from leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a
young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. 3 She
said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria!
He would cure him of his leprosy." 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord just
what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 And the king of Aram said, "Go
then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." <BR>He went, taking
with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of
garments. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this
letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may
cure him of his leprosy." 7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his
clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to
me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a
quarrel with me." <BR>8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of
Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn
your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in
Israel." 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the
entrance of Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash
in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be
clean." 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me
he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God,
and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana
and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could
I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. 13 But his
servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you
to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all
he said to you was, "Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and immersed
himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his
flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. <BR>15 Then
he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before
him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in
Israel." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 85 (RCL) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 85:1 (NRSV) LORD, you were favorable to your land; <BR>you restored
the fortunes of Jacob. <BR>2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; <BR>you
pardoned all their sin. [Se'lah] <BR>3 You withdrew all your wrath; <BR>you
turned from your hot anger. <BR>4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
<BR>and put away your indignation toward us. <BR>5 Will you be angry with us
forever? <BR>Will you prolong your anger to all generations? <BR>6 Will you not
revive us again, <BR>so that your people may rejoice in you? <BR>7 Show us your
steadfast love, O LORD, <BR>and grant us your salvation. <BR>8 Let me hear what
God the LORD will speak, <BR>for he will speak peace to his people, <BR>to his
faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.<BR>9 Surely his salvation is
at hand for those who fear him, <BR>that his glory may dwell in our land. <BR>10
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; <BR>righteousness and peace will kiss
each other. <BR>11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, <BR>and
righteousness will look down from the sky. <BR>12 The LORD will give what is
good, <BR>and our land will yield its increase. <BR>13 Righteousness will go
before him, <BR>and will make a path for his steps. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Psalm 138 (alt. for RCL)<BR>Psalm 138: 1 - 3, 6 -
8 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 138:1 (NRSV) I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart;
<BR>before the gods I sing your praise; <BR>2 I bow down toward your holy temple
<BR>and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness;
<BR>for you have exalted your name and your word <BR>above everything. <BR>3 On
the day I called, you answered me, <BR>you increased my strength of soul. <BR>4
All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, <BR>for they have heard the
words of your mouth. <BR>5 They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, <BR>for
great is the glory of the LORD. <BR>6 For though the LORD is high, he regards
the lowly; <BR>but the haughty he perceives from far away. <BR>7 Though I walk
in the midst of trouble, <BR>you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies;
<BR>you stretch out your hand, <BR>and your right hand delivers me. <BR>8 The
LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; <BR>your steadfast love, O LORD, endures
forever. <BR>Do not forsake the work of your hands. </DIV>
<DIV><BR> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 21: 1 - 7 (Can. BAS)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 21:1 (NRSV) {To the leader. A Psalm of David.} In your strength the
king rejoices, O LORD, <BR>and in your help how greatly he exults! <BR>2 You
have given him his heart's desire, <BR>and have not withheld the request of his
lips. [Selah] <BR>3 For you meet him with rich blessings; <BR>you set a crown of
fine gold on his head. <BR>4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him-
<BR>length of days forever and ever. <BR>5 His glory is great through your help;
<BR>splendor and majesty you bestow on him. <BR>6 You bestow on him blessings
forever; <BR>you make him glad with the joy of your presence. <BR>7 For the king
trusts in the LORD, <BR>and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall
not be moved. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>NEW TESTAMENT: Colossians 2: 6 - 15 (16 - 19) (RCL)
<BR>
Colossians 2: 6 - 15 (Can. BAS)
<BR>
Colossians 2: 12 - 14 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Colo 2:6 (NRSV) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord,
continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established
in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. <BR>8 See to
it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according
to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not
according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10
and you have come to fullness in him, who is the head of every ruler and
authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a spiritual circumcision, by
putting off the body of the flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 when you
were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in
the power of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in
trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together
with him, when he forgave us all our trespasses, 14 erasing the record that
stood against us with its legal demands. He set this aside, nailing it to the
cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of
them, triumphing over them in it. <BR>16 Therefore do not let anyone condemn you
in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths.
17 These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to
Christ. 18 Do not let anyone disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement and
worship of angels, dwelling on visions, puffed up without cause by a human way
of thinking, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body,
nourished and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows with a growth
that is from God. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: Luke 11: 1 - 13 (all) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Luke 11:1 (NRSV) He was praying in a certain place, and after he had
finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John
taught his disciples." 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say: <BR>Father,
hallowed be your name. <BR>Your kingdom come. <BR>3 Give us each day our daily
bread.<BR>4 And forgive us our sins, <BR>for we ourselves forgive everyone
indebted to us. <BR>And do not bring us to the time of trial." <BR>5 And he said
to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say
to him, "Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 for a friend of mine has
arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.' 7 And he answers from within,
"Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me
in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he
will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because
of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. <BR>9 "So I
say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and
the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone
who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is
there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake
instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how
much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
<BR></DIV>
<DIV> </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>