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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Seventeenth
Sunday after Pentecost, September 23, (Proper 20, ECUSA; Proper 25, Roman
Catholic) according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman
Catholic, Church of England, and Canadian (BAS) Lectionaries. All readings are
taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted
otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada and England are identical to the
RCL this Sunday. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The readings may also be found on our website: <A
href="http://satucket.com/lectionary">http://satucket.com/lectionary</A> in RTF
format, which can be read by just about all word processors.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>OLD TESTAMENT: Proverbs 31: 10 -
31 (RCL)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Prov 31:10 (NRSV) A capable wife who can find?
<BR>She is far more precious than jewels. <BR>11 The heart of her husband trusts
in her, <BR>and he will have no lack of gain. <BR>12 She does him good, and not
harm, <BR>all the days of her life. <BR>13 She seeks wool and flax, <BR>and
works with willing hands. <BR>14 She is like the ships of the merchant, <BR>she
brings her food from far away. <BR>15 She rises while it is still night <BR>and
provides food for her household <BR>and tasks for her servant-girls. <BR>16 She
considers a field and buys it; <BR>with the fruit of her hands she plants a
vineyard. <BR>17 She girds herself with strength, <BR>and makes her arms strong.
<BR>18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. <BR>Her lamp does not
go out at night. <BR>19 She puts her hands to the distaff, <BR>and her hands
hold the spindle. <BR>20 She opens her hand to the poor, <BR>and reaches out her
hands to the needy. <BR>21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
<BR>for all her household are clothed in crimson. <BR>22 She makes herself
coverings; <BR>her clothing is fine linen and purple. <BR>23 Her husband is
known in the city gates, <BR>taking his seat among the elders of the land.
<BR>24 She makes linen garments and sells them; <BR>she supplies the merchant
with sashes. <BR>25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, <BR>and she laughs at
the time to come. <BR>26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, <BR>and the teaching
of kindness is on her tongue. <BR>27 She looks well to the ways of her
household, <BR>and does not eat the bread of idleness. <BR>28 Her children rise
up and call her happy; <BR>her husband too, and he praises her: <BR>29 "Many
women have done excellently, <BR>but you surpass them all." <BR>30 Charm is
deceitful, and beauty is vain, <BR>but a woman who fears the LORD is to be
praised. <BR>31 Give her a share in the fruit of her hands, <BR>and let her
works praise her in the city gates. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>Wisdom 2: 12, 17 - 20 (Roman Catholic)<BR>Wisdom 1:16 -
2:1, 12 - 22 (alt. for RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Wis 1:16 (NRSV) But the ungodly by their words and deeds summoned death;
<BR>considering him a friend, they pined away<BR>and made a covenant with
him,<BR>because they are fit to belong to his company.<BR>2:1 For they reasoned
unsoundly, saying to themselves,<BR>"Short and sorrowful is our life,<BR>and
there is no remedy when a life comes to its end,<BR>and no one has been known to
return from Hades.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>12 "Let us lie in wait for the righteous man,<BR>because he is inconvenient
to us and opposes our actions;<BR>he reproaches us for sins against the
law,<BR>and accuses us of sins against our training.<BR>13 He professes to have
knowledge of God,<BR>and calls himself a child of the Lord.<BR>14 He became to
us a reproof of our thoughts;<BR>15 the very sight of him is a burden to
us,<BR>because his manner of life is unlike that of others,<BR>and his ways are
strange.<BR>16 We are considered by him as something base,<BR>and he avoids our
ways as unclean;<BR>he calls the last end of the righteous happy,<BR>and boasts
that God is his father.<BR>17 Let us see if his words are true,<BR>and let us
test what will happen at the end of his life;<BR>18 for if the righteous man is
God's child, he will help him,<BR>and will deliver him from the hand of his
adversaries.<BR>19 Let us test him with insult and torture,<BR>so that we may
find out how gentle he is,<BR>and make trial of his forbearance.<BR>20 Let us
condemn him to a shameful death,<BR>for, according to what he says, he will be
protected." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>21 Thus they reasoned, but they were led astray,<BR>for their wickedness
blinded them,<BR>22 and they did not know the secret purposes of God,<BR>nor
hoped for the wages of holiness,<BR>nor discerned the prize for blameless
souls;</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Jeremiah 11: 18 - 20 (alt. for RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jere 11:18 (NRSV) It was the LORD who made it known to me, and I knew;
<BR>then you showed me their evil deeds. <BR>19 But I was like a gentle lamb
<BR>led to the slaughter. <BR>And I did not know it was against me <BR>that they
devised schemes, saying, <BR>"Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, <BR>let us
cut him off from the land of the living, <BR>so that his name will no longer be
remembered!" <BR>20 But you, O LORD of hosts, who judge righteously, <BR>who try
the heart and the mind, <BR>let me see your retribution upon them, <BR>for to
you I have committed my cause. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>PSALM 1 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 1:1 (NRSV) Happy are those <BR>who do not follow the advice of the
wicked, <BR>or take the path that sinners tread, <BR>or sit in the seat of
scoffers; <BR>2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, <BR>and on his law
they meditate day and night. <BR>3 They are like trees <BR>planted by streams of
water, <BR>which yield their fruit in its season, <BR>and their leaves do not
wither. <BR>In all that they do, they prosper. <BR>4 The wicked are not so,
<BR>but are like chaff that the wind drives away. <BR>5 Therefore the wicked
will not stand in the judgment, <BR>nor sinners in the congregation of the
righteous; <BR>6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, <BR>but the
way of the wicked will perish. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Psalm 54 (alt. for RCL)<BR>Psalm 54: 1 - 6
(Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 54:1 (NRSV) Save me, O God, by your name, <BR>and vindicate me by your
might. <BR>2 Hear my prayer, O God; <BR>give ear to the words of my mouth. <BR>3
For the insolent have risen against me, <BR>the ruthless seek my life; <BR>they
do not set God before them. [Se'lah] <BR>4 But surely, God is my helper; <BR>the
Lord is the upholder of my life. <BR>5 He will repay my enemies for their evil.
<BR>In your faithfulness, put an end to them. <BR>6 With a freewill offering I
will sacrifice to you; <BR>I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is
good. <BR>7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, <BR>and my eye has
looked in triumph on my enemies. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: Verse numbering in Roman Catholic bibles is 2 greater than the
above.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>NEW TESTAMENT: <BR>James 3:13 - 4:3, 7 - 8a
(RCL)<BR>James 3:16 - 4:3 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jame 3:13 (NRSV) Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good
life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. 14 But if you have
bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to
the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly,
unspiritual, devilish. 16 For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there
will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. 17 But the wisdom from above
is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good
fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. 18 And a harvest of
righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. 4:1 Those conflicts and
disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings
that are at war within you? 2 You want something and do not have it; so you
commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in
disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and
do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your
pleasures. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL: Mark 9: 30 - 37
(all)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mark 9:30 (NRSV) They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did
not want anyone to know it; 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to
them, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill
him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again." 32 But they did not
understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him. <BR>33 Then they came
to Caper'naum; and when he was in the house he asked them, "What were you
arguing about on the way?" 34 But they were silent, for on the way they had
argued with one another who was the greatest. 35 He sat down, called the twelve,
and said to them, "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of
all." 36 Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his
arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes
me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me." </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>