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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>The following are the readings for the Second
Sunday of Advent, December 9, according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal
(ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common
Worship) lectionaries. Unless noted otherwise, the lectionaries of ECUSA, Canada
and the C of E are identical to the RCL this Sunday. The NRSV translation is
used.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial>
<DIV><BR>OLD TESTAMENT Baruch 5: 1 - 9 (all)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5:1 (NRSV) Take off the garment of your sorrow and affliction, O
Jerusalem,<BR>and put on forever the beauty of the glory from God.<BR>2 Put on
the robe of the righteousness that comes from God;<BR>put on your head the
diadem of the glory of the Everlasting;<BR>3 for God will show your splendor
everywhere under heaven.<BR>4 For God will give you evermore the
name,<BR>"Righteous Peace, Godly Glory." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5 Arise, O Jerusalem, stand upon the height;<BR>look toward the
east,<BR>and see your children gathered from west and east<BR>at the word of the
Holy One,<BR>rejoicing that God has remembered them.<BR>6 For they went out from
you on foot,<BR>led away by their enemies;<BR>but God will bring them back to
you,<BR>carried in glory, as on a royal throne.<BR>7 For God has ordered that
every high mountain <BR> and the everlasting hills be made
low<BR>and the valleys filled up, to make level ground,<BR>so that Israel may
walk safely in the glory of God.<BR>8 The woods and every fragrant tree<BR>have
shaded Israel at God's command.<BR>9 For God will lead Israel with joy,<BR>in
the light of his glory,<BR>with the mercy and righteousness that come from
him.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Malachi 3 1 - 4 (alt. for RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mala 3:1 (NRSV) See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before
me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger
of the covenant in whom you delight--indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of
hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he
appears? <BR>For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; 3 he will
sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of
Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the
LORD in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be
pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>PSALM Luke 1: 68 - 79 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Luke 1:68 (NRSV) "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, <BR>for he has looked
favorably on his people and redeemed them. <BR>69 He has raised up a mighty
savior for us <BR>in the house of his servant David, <BR>70 as he spoke through
the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, <BR>71 that we would be saved from
our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. <BR>72 Thus he has shown the
mercy promised to our ancestors, <BR>and has remembered his holy covenant,
<BR>73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, <BR>to grant us 74 that
we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, <BR>might serve him without
fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness <BR>before him all our days. <BR>76 And
you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; <BR>for you will go
before the Lord to prepare his ways, <BR>77 to give knowledge of salvation to
his people <BR>by the forgiveness of their sins. <BR>78 By the tender mercy of
our God, <BR>the dawn from on high will break upon us, <BR>79 to give light to
those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, <BR>to guide our feet into
the way of peace." </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Note: The C of E would use the version in Common Worship; the ACC would use
this or the one of the versions in the Canadian BAS and ECUSA would use one of
the canticles in the BCP (Benedictus, or the Song of Zechariah)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>Psalm 126 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 126:1 (NRSV) When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion<BR>we were
like those who dream. <BR>2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, <BR>and our
tongue with shouts of joy; <BR>then it was said among the nations, <BR>"The LORD
has done great things for them." <BR>3 The LORD has done great things for us,
<BR>and we rejoiced. <BR>4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, <BR>like the
watercourses in the Neg'eb. <BR>5 May those who sow in tears <BR>reap with
shouts of joy. <BR>6 Those who go out weeping, <BR>bearing the seed for sowing,
<BR>shall come home with shouts of joy, <BR>carrying their sheaves. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>NEW TESTAMENT Philippians 1: 3 - 11
(RCL)<BR>
Philippians 1: 4 - 6, 8 - 11 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Phil 1:3 (NRSV) I thank my God every time I remember you, 4 constantly
praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, 5 because of your
sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the
day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to think this way about all of you,
because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me,
both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For
God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ
Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with
knowledge and full insight 10 to help you to determine what is best, so that in
the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, 11 having produced the harvest
of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of
God. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><BR>GOSPEL Luke 3: 1 - 6 (all)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Luke 3:1 (NRSV) In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tibe'rius,
when Pon'tius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Her'od was ruler of Galilee, and
his brother Philip ruler of the region of Iturae'a and Trachoni'tis, and
Lysa'nias ruler of Abile'ne, 2 during the high priesthood of An'nas and
Ca'iaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechari'ah in the wilderness. 3
He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins, 4 as it is written in the book of the
words of the prophet Isai'ah, <BR>"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness
<BR>"Prepare the way of the Lord, <BR>make his paths straight. <BR>5 Every
valley shall be filled, <BR>and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
<BR>and the crooked shall be made straight, <BR>and the rough ways made smooth;
<BR>6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" <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>