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<DIV>The following are the readings for the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany,
Feb. 12, 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, C of E and Canadian readings are
identical to the RCL this Sunday.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>OLD TESTAMENT: Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Deut 30:15 (NRSV) See, I have set before you today life and prosperity,
death and adversity. 16 If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I
am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and
observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and
become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are
entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but
are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, 18 I declare to you
today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are
crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 I call heaven and earth to witness
against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and
curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20 loving the
Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you
and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give
to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sirach 15:15-20 (alt. for RCL, Roman Catholic) </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sir 15:15 (NRSV) If you choose, you can keep the commandments,</DIV>
<DIV> and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.</DIV>
<DIV>16 He has placed before you fire and water;</DIV>
<DIV> stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.</DIV>
<DIV>17 Before each person are life and death,</DIV>
<DIV> and whichever one chooses will be given.</DIV>
<DIV>18 For great is the wisdom of the Lord;</DIV>
<DIV> he is mighty in power and sees everything;</DIV>
<DIV>19 his eyes are on those who fear him,</DIV>
<DIV> and he knows every human action.</DIV>
<DIV>20 He has not commanded anyone to be wicked,</DIV>
<DIV> and he has not given anyone permission to sin. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>PSALM 119:1-8 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 119:1 (NRSV) Happy are those whose way is blameless,</DIV>
<DIV> who walk in the law of the Lord.</DIV>
<DIV>2 Happy are those who keep his decrees,</DIV>
<DIV> who seek him with their whole heart,</DIV>
<DIV>3 who also do no wrong,</DIV>
<DIV> but walk in his ways.</DIV>
<DIV>4 You have commanded your precepts</DIV>
<DIV> to be kept diligently.</DIV>
<DIV>5 O that my ways may be steadfast</DIV>
<DIV> in keeping your statutes!</DIV>
<DIV>6 Then I shall not be put to shame,</DIV>
<DIV> having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.</DIV>
<DIV>7 I will praise you with an upright heart,</DIV>
<DIV> when I learn your righteous ordinances.</DIV>
<DIV>8 I will observe your statutes;</DIV>
<DIV> do not utterly forsake me. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>119 (ECUSA BCP)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Aleph Beati immaculati</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Happy are they whose way is blameless,
*</DIV>
<DIV> who walk in the law of the Lord!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2 Happy are they who observe his decrees
*</DIV>
<DIV> and seek him with all their hearts!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>3 Who never do any wrong, *</DIV>
<DIV> but always walk in his ways.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4 You laid down your commandments, *</DIV>
<DIV> that we should fully keep them.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5 Oh, that my ways were made so direct
*</DIV>
<DIV> that I might keep your statutes!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>6 Then I should not be put to shame, *</DIV>
<DIV> when I regard all your commandments.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>7 I will thank you with an unfeigned heart,
*</DIV>
<DIV> when I have learned your righteous
judgments.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>8 I will keep your statutes; *</DIV>
<DIV> do not utterly forsake me.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Psalm 119:1 (NRSV) Happy are those whose way is blameless,</DIV>
<DIV> who walk in the law of the Lord.</DIV>
<DIV>2 Happy are those who keep his decrees,</DIV>
<DIV> who seek him with their whole heart,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>4 You have commanded your precepts</DIV>
<DIV> to be kept diligently.</DIV>
<DIV>5 O that my ways may be steadfast</DIV>
<DIV> in keeping your statutes!</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>17 Deal bountifully with your servant,</DIV>
<DIV> so that I may live and observe your word.</DIV>
<DIV>18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold</DIV>
<DIV> wondrous things out of your law.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,</DIV>
<DIV> and I will observe it to the end.</DIV>
<DIV>34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law</DIV>
<DIV> and observe it with my whole heart. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>NEW TESTAMENT: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Cor 3:1 (NRSV) And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as
spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I
fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even
now you are still not ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For as long as
there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and
behaving according to human inclinations? 4 For when one says, ‘I belong to
Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>5 What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to
believe, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God
gave the growth. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is
anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 The one who plants and the one
who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the
labor of each. 9 For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s
field, God’s building. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Corinthians 2:6-10 (Roman Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1 Cor 2::6 (NRSV) Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not
a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. 7
But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages
for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they
had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is
written,</DIV>
<DIV>‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,</DIV>
<DIV> nor the human heart conceived,</DIV>
<DIV>what God has prepared for those who love him’—</DIV>
<DIV>10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit
searches everything, even the depths of God. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>GOSPEL: Matthew 5:21-37 (RCL)</DIV>
<DIV>
Matthew 5:17-37 or 5:20-22a, 27-28, 33-34a, 37 (Roman
Catholic)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Matt 5:17 (NRSV) ‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or
the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell
you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a
letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever
breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the
same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and
teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you,
unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will
never enter the kingdom of heaven. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>21 You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall
not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.” 22 But I say to
you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to
judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the
council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your
brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the
altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and
offer your gift. 25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the
way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the
judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you
will never get out until you have paid the last penny.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>27 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.” 28
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already
committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to
sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your
members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right
hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to
lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>31 ‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a
certificate of divorce.” 32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife,
except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever
marries a divorced woman commits adultery.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>33 ‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You
shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” 34
But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of
God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the
city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make
one hair white or black. 37 Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything
more than this comes from the evil one.</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>