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<DIV>The following are the readings for the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, July
26, (Proper 12, ECUSA; Proper 17, RCL & 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.</DIV>
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<DIV>OLD TESTAMENT: 2 Samuel 11: 1 - 15 (RCL)</DIV>
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<DIV>2Sam 11:1 (NRSV) In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to
battle, David sent Jo'ab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged
the Am'monites, and besieged Rab'bah. But David remained at Jerusalem. </DIV>
<DIV>2 It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was
walking about on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman
bathing; the woman was very beautiful. 3 David sent someone to inquire about the
woman. It was reported, "This is Bathshe'ba daughter of Eli'am, the wife of
Uri'ah the Hit'tite." 4 So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to
him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then
she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent and told David,
"I am pregnant." </DIV>
<DIV>6 So David sent word to Jo'ab, "Send me Uri'ah the Hit'tite." And Jo'ab
sent Uri'ah to David. 7 When Uri'ah came to him, David asked how Jo'ab and the
people fared, and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uri'ah, "Go down
to your house, and wash your feet." Uri'ah went out of the king's house, and
there followed him a present from the king. 9 But Uri'ah slept at the entrance
of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to
his house. 10 When they told David, "Uri'ah did not go down to his house," David
said to Uri'ah, "You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to
your house?" 11 Uri'ah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah remain in
booths; and my lord Jo'ab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open
field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my
wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing." 12 Then
David said to Uri'ah, "Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you
back." So Uri'ah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, 13 David
invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the
evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he
did not go down to his house. </DIV>
<DIV>14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Jo'ab, and sent it by the hand of
Uri'ah. 15 In the letter he wrote, "Set Uri'ah in the forefront of the hardest
fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die."
</DIV>
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<DIV>2 Kings 4: 42 - 44 (Roman Catholic, alt. for RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2Kin 4:42 (NRSV) A man came from Ba'al-shal'ishah, bringing food from the
first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain
in his sack. Eli'sha said, "Give it to the people and let them eat." 43 But his
servant said, "How can I set this before a hundred people?" So he repeated,
"Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the LORD, "They shall eat
and have some left.'" 44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left,
according to the word of the LORD. </DIV>
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<DIV>PSALM 14 (RCL)</DIV>
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<DIV>Psal 14:1 (NRSV) Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." </DIV>
<DIV>They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; </DIV>
<DIV>there is no one who does good. </DIV>
<DIV>2 The LORD looks down from heaven on humankind </DIV>
<DIV>to see if there are any who are wise, </DIV>
<DIV>who seek after God. </DIV>
<DIV>3 They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; </DIV>
<DIV>there is no one who does good, </DIV>
<DIV>no, not one. </DIV>
<DIV>4 Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers </DIV>
<DIV>who eat up my people as they eat bread, </DIV>
<DIV>and do not call upon the LORD? </DIV>
<DIV>5 There they shall be in great terror, </DIV>
<DIV>for God is with the company of the righteous. </DIV>
<DIV>6 You would confound the plans of the poor, </DIV>
<DIV>but the LORD is their refuge. </DIV>
<DIV>7 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! </DIV>
<DIV>When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, </DIV>
<DIV>Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.</DIV>
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<DIV>Psalm 145: 10 - 11, 15 - 18 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 145: 10 - 18 (alt. for RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psal 145:10 (NRSV) All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, </DIV>
<DIV>and all your faithful shall bless you. </DIV>
<DIV>11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, </DIV>
<DIV>and tell of your power, </DIV>
<DIV>12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, </DIV>
<DIV>and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. </DIV>
<DIV>13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, </DIV>
<DIV>and your dominion endures throughout all generations. </DIV>
<DIV>The LORD is faithful in all his words, </DIV>
<DIV>and gracious in all his deeds. </DIV>
<DIV>14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, </DIV>
<DIV>and raises up all who are bowed down. </DIV>
<DIV>15 The eyes of all look to you, </DIV>
<DIV>and you give them their food in due season. </DIV>
<DIV>16 You open your hand, </DIV>
<DIV>satisfying the desire of every living thing. </DIV>
<DIV>17 The LORD is just in all his ways, </DIV>
<DIV>and kind in all his doings. </DIV>
<DIV>18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, </DIV>
<DIV>to all who call on him in truth. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 3: 14 - 21 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ephe 3:14 (NRSV) For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from
whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that,
according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened
in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell
in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I
pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the
breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that
surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
</DIV>
<DIV>20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish
abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ephesians 4: 1 - 6 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Ephe 4:1 (NRSV) I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a
life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility
and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every
effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one
body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5
one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all
and through all and in all. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>GOSPEL: John 6: 1 - 21 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV>
John 6: 1 - 15 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>John 6:1 (NRSV) After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of
Galilee, also called the Sea of Tibe'rias. 2 A large crowd kept following him,
because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the
mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival
of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward
him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"
6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7
Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of
them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother,
said to him, 9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But
what are they among so many people?" 10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down."
Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five
thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he
distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they
wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the
fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up,
and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten,
they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done,
they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."
</DIV>
<DIV>15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force
to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. </DIV>
<DIV>16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a
boat, and started across the sea to Caper'naum. It was now dark, and Jesus had
not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the
sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them,
"It is I; do not be afraid." 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and
immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. </DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">Chad
Wohlers<BR>Woodbury, VT
USA<BR>chadwohl@satucket.com<BR></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>