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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Sixth Sunday
after the Epiphany, Feb. 13, 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 otherwise noted, the ECUSA, C of E and
Canadian readings are identical to the RCL this Sunday.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>OLD TESTAMENT: Deuteronomy
30:15-20 (RCL)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Deut 30:15 (NRSV) See, I have set before you today
life and prosperity, death and adversity. 16If you obey the commandments of the
Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God,
walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances,
then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in
the land that you are entering to possess. 17But if your heart turns away and
you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them,
18I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the
land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19I call heaven and
earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death,
blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,
20loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means
life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord
swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>Sirach 15:15-20 (alt. for RCL, Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sir 15:15 (NRSV) If you choose, you can keep the
commandments,<BR> and to act faithfully is a matter of your own
choice.<BR>16 He has placed before you fire and water;<BR> stretch
out your hand for whichever you choose.<BR>17 Before each person are life and
death,<BR> and whichever one chooses will be given.<BR>18 For great
is the wisdom of the Lord;<BR> he is mighty in power and sees
everything;<BR>19 his eyes are on those who fear him,<BR> and he
knows every human action.<BR>20 He has not commanded anyone to be
wicked,<BR> and he has not given anyone permission to sin. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 119:1-8 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 119:1 (NRSV) Happy are those whose way is blameless,<BR>
who walk in the law of the Lord.<BR>2 Happy are those who keep his
decrees,<BR> who seek him with their whole heart,<BR>3 who also do
no wrong,<BR> but walk in his ways.<BR>4 You have commanded your
precepts<BR> to be kept diligently.<BR>5 O that my ways may be
steadfast<BR> in keeping your statutes!<BR>6 Then I shall not be put
to shame,<BR> having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.<BR>7 I
will praise you with an upright heart,<BR> when I learn your
righteous ordinances.<BR>8 I will observe your statutes;<BR> do not
utterly forsake me. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 119:1 (NRSV) Happy are those whose way is blameless,<BR>
who walk in the law of the Lord.<BR>2 Happy are those who keep his
decrees,<BR> who seek him with their whole heart,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4 You have commanded your precepts<BR> to be kept
diligently.<BR>5 O that my ways may be steadfast<BR> in keeping your
statutes!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>17 Deal bountifully with your servant,<BR> so that I may live
and observe your word.<BR>18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold<BR>
wondrous things out of your law.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,<BR> and I will
observe it to the end.<BR>34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your
law<BR> and observe it with my whole heart. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Cor 3:1 (NRSV) And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as
spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I
fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even
now you are still not ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For as long as
there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and
behaving according to human inclinations? 4For when one says, ‘I belong to
Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to
believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave
the growth. 7So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth. 8The one who plants and the one who waters
have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labor of
each. 9For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s
building. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>1 Corinthians 2:6-10 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Cor 2::6 (NRSV) Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not
a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish.
7But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages
for our glory. 8None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had,
they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9But, as it is
written,<BR>‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,<BR> nor the human
heart conceived,<BR>what God has prepared for those who love him’—<BR>10these
things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches
everything, even the depths of God. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: Matthew 5:21-37
(RCL)<BR>
Matthew 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37 (Roman
Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Matt 5:17 (NRSV) ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or
the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. 18For truly I tell you,
until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter,
will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks
one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will
be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them
will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your
righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter
the kingdom of heaven. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> 21You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You
shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” 22But I
say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to
judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the
council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.
23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your
brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the
altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and
offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the
way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the
judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you
will never get out until you have paid the last penny.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>27 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28But
I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed
adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it
out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for
your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to
sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your
members than for your whole body to go into hell.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>31 ‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a
certificate of divorce.” 32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife,
except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever
marries a divorced woman commits adultery.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>33 ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You
shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.”
34But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne
of God, 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is
the city of the great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make
one hair white or black. 37Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything
more than this comes from the evil 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>