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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Fourth
Sunday of Easter, May 15, 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>FIRST READING: Acts 2: 42 - 47 (RCL) </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Acts 2:42 (NRSV) They devoted themselves to the
apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
<BR>43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by
the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45
they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all,
as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple,
they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47
praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord
added to their number those who were being saved. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>Acts 2: 14a, 36 - 41 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Acts 2:14 (NRSV) [On the day of Pentecost] Peter, standing with the eleven,
raised his voice and addressed them, <BR>36 [L]et the entire house of Israel
know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom
you crucified." <BR>37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and
said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" 38 Peter
said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus
Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who
are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." 40 And he testified
with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this
corrupt generation." 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and
that day about three thousand persons were added. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Genesis 7 (alt. for C of E) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gene 7:1 (NRSV) Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all
your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this
generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its
mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate; 3 and
seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind
alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For in seven days I will send rain on the
earth for forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I
will blot out from the face of the ground." 5 And Noah did all that the LORD had
commanded him. <BR>6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters
came on the earth. 7 And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons' wives
went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, and of
animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the
ground, 9 two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had
commanded Noah. 10 And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the
earth. <BR>11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on
the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great
deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. 12 The rain fell
on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah with his
sons, Shem and Ham and Ja'pheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons
entered the ark, 14 they and every wild animal of every kind, and all domestic
animals of every kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and
every bird of every kind--every bird, every winged creature. 15 They went into
the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of
life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God
had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. <BR>17 The flood continued forty
days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose
high above the earth. 18 The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth;
and the ark floated on the face of the waters. 19 The waters swelled so mightily
on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; 20
the waters swelled above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. 21
And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, domestic animals, wild
animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all human beings;
22 everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. 23 He
blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, human beings
and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from
the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And
the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred fifty days. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 23 (all) </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> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>23 Dominus regit me (ECUSA
BCP)<BR> <BR>1 The Lord is my shepherd; *<BR> I
shall not be in want.<BR> <BR>2 He makes me lie down in green
pastures *<BR> and leads me beside still waters.<BR> <BR>3
He revives my soul *<BR> and guides me along right pathways for
his Name's sake.<BR> <BR>4 Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death,<BR>I shall fear no evil; *<BR> for you are with
me;<BR> your rod and your staff, they comfort
me.<BR> <BR>5 You spread a table before me in the presence of
those<BR> who trouble me; *<BR> you have anointed my head
with oil,<BR> and my cup is running over.<BR> <BR>6
Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days<BR> of my life, *<BR> and I will dwell in the house
of the LORD for ever.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>SECOND READING: 1 Peter 2: 19 - 25 (RCL)
<BR>
1 Peter 2: 20b - 25 (Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1Pet 2:19 (NRSV) For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you
endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for
doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer
for it, you have God's approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow
in his steps. <BR>22 "He committed no sin, <BR>and no deceit was found in his
mouth." <BR>23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he
did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He
himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we
might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you
were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and
guardian of your souls. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: If the Old Testament alternatives for C of E were used as the first
reading, the Acts reading above should be used here. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: John 10: 1 - 10 </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>John 10:1 (NRSV) "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the
sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper
opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by
name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of
them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not
follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice
of strangers." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not
understand what he was saying to them. <BR>7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very
truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are
thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate.
Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find
pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they
may have life, and have it abundantly. </DIV>
<DIV> </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></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>