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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Eighth
Sunday after the Epiphany (Second Sunday before Lent), Feb. 27, 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, Canadian and C of E readings are identical to the RCL this
Sunday.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 49:8-16a
(RCL)<BR>
Isaiah 49:14-15 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Isa. 49:8 (NRSV) Thus says the Lord:<BR>In a time of favour I have answered
you,<BR> on a day of salvation I have helped you;<BR>I have kept you
and given you<BR> as a covenant to the people,<BR>to establish the
land,<BR> to apportion the desolate heritages;<BR>9 saying to the
prisoners, "Come out",<BR> to those who are in darkness, "Show
yourselves."<BR>They shall feed along the ways,<BR> on all the bare
heights shall be their pasture;<BR>10 they shall not hunger or
thirst,<BR> neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them
down,<BR>for he who has pity on them will lead them,<BR> and by
springs of water will guide them.<BR>11 And I will turn all my mountains into a
road,<BR> and my highways shall be raised up.<BR>12 Lo, these shall
come from far away,<BR> and lo, these from the north and from the
west,<BR> and these from the land of Syene.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;<BR> break
forth, O mountains, into singing!<BR>For the Lord has comforted his
people,<BR> and will have compassion on his suffering ones.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>14 But Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me,<BR> my Lord has
forgotten me."<BR>15 Can a woman forget her nursing-child,<BR> or
show no compassion for the child of her womb?<BR>Even these may
forget,<BR> yet I will not forget you.<BR>16 See, I have inscribed
you on the palms of my hands;</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Genesis 1.1 - 2.3 (C of E)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gen. 1:1 (NRSV) In the beginning when God created* the heavens and the
earth, 2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God* swept over the face of the waters. 3Then God said, "Let
there be light"; and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good; and
God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the
darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first
day.<BR> 6 And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of
the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7So God made the
dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were
above the dome. And it was so. 8God called the dome Sky. And there was evening
and there was morning, the second day.<BR> 9 And God said,
"Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the
dry land appear." And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters
that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11Then
God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit
trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was
so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind,
and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it
was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, the third
day.<BR> 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of
the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for
seasons and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the dome of the sky
to give light upon the earth." And it was so. 16God made the two great lights -
the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and
the stars. 17God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth,
18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the
darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was
morning, the fourth day.<BR> 20 And God said, "Let the waters
bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across
the dome of the sky." 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living
creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every
winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them,
saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds
multiply on the earth." 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth
day.<BR> 24 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living
creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the
earth of every kind." And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of
every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the
ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.<BR> 26
Then God said, "Let us make humankind* in our image, according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the
air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,* and over
every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."<BR>27 So God created humankind
in his image,<BR> in the image of God he created
them;<BR> male and female he created them.<BR>28God blessed them,
and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue
it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and
over every living thing that moves upon the earth." 29God said, "See, I have
given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30And to every
beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps
on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green
plant for food." And it was so. 31God saw everything that he had made, and
indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth
day.<BR> 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and
all their multitude. 2And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had
done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. 3So
God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all
the work that he had done in creation. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 131</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A Song of Ascents. Of David.<BR>1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted
up,<BR> my eyes are not raised too high;<BR>I do not occupy myself
with things<BR> too great and too marvellous for me.<BR>2 But I have
calmed and quieted my soul,<BR> like a weaned child with its
mother;<BR> my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>3 O Israel, hope in the Lord<BR> from this time on and for
evermore. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Psalm 136:1-9 (10-22) 23-26 (C of E)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,<BR> for his
steadfast love endures for ever.<BR>2 O give thanks to the God of
gods,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever.<BR>3 O give
thanks to the Lord of lords,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for
ever;</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4 who alone does great wonders,<BR> for his steadfast love
endures for ever;<BR>5 who by understanding made the heavens,<BR>
for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>6 who spread out the earth on the
waters,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>7 who made
the great lights,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>8
the sun to rule over the day,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for
ever;<BR>9 the moon and stars to rule over the night,<BR> for his
steadfast love endures for ever;</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn,<BR> for his
steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>11 and brought Israel out from among
them,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>12 with a
strong hand and an outstretched arm,<BR> for his steadfast love
endures for ever;<BR>13 who divided the Red Sea* in two,<BR> for his
steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>14 and made Israel pass through the midst of
it,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>15 but overthrew
Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea,*<BR> for his steadfast love
endures for ever;<BR>16 who led his people through the
wilderness,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>17 who
struck down great kings,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for
ever;<BR>18 and killed famous kings,<BR> for his steadfast love
endures for ever;<BR>19 Sihon, king of the Amorites,<BR> for his
steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>20 and Og, king of Bashan,<BR>
for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>21 and gave their land as a
heritage,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>22 a
heritage to his servant Israel,<BR> for his steadfast love endures
for ever.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>23 It is he who remembered us in our low estate,<BR> for his
steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>24 and rescued us from our
foes,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for ever;<BR>25 who gives
food to all flesh,<BR> for his steadfast love endures for
ever.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>26 O give thanks to the God of heaven,<BR> for his steadfast
love endures for ever. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 For God alone my soul waits in silence;<BR> from him comes my
salvation.<BR>2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,<BR> my
fortress; I shall never be shaken.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5 For God alone my soul waits in silence,<BR> for my hope is
from him.<BR>6 He alone is my rock and my salvation,<BR> my
fortress; I shall not be shaken.<BR>7 On God rests my deliverance and my
honour;<BR> my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>8 Trust in him at all times, O people;<BR> pour out your heart
before him;<BR> God is a refuge for us.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is one higher than the
above.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (RCL, Roman
Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Cor. 4:1 (NRSV) Think of us in this way, as servants of Christ and
stewards of God’s mysteries. 2Moreover, it is required of stewards that they
should be found trustworthy. 3But with me it is a very small thing that I should
be judged by you or by any human court. I do not even judge myself. 4I am not
aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord
who judges me. 5Therefore do not pronounce judgement before the time, before the
Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will
disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from
God. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Romans 8.18-25 (C of E)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Rom. 8:18 (NRSV) I consider that the sufferings of this present time are
not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the
creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;
20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the
will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set
free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the
children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labour
pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the
first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the
redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is
not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not
see, we wait for it with patience.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: Matthew 6:24-34 (RCL, Roman
Catholic)<BR>
Matthew 6.25-34 (C of E)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Matt. 6:24 (NRSV) ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either
hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and wealth.*<BR> 25 "Therefore I
tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will
drink,* or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and
the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow
nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you
not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour
to your span of life?* 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell
you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if
God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is
thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you - you of little
faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we
drink?' or 'What will we wear?' 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all
these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these
things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God* and his* righteousness, and
all these things will be given to you as well.<BR> 34 "So do
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's
trouble is enough for today.<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>