Sunday Lectionary Readings

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The Collect

Proper 26
Almighty and merciful God, it is only by your gift that your faithful people offer you true and laudable service: Grant that we may run without stumbling to obtain your heavenly promises; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of the Lord's Day

Old Testament Reading

Isaiah 1:10-20
¹⁰Hear the word of the LORD, You rulers of Sodom; Give ear to the law of our God, You people of Gomorrah: ¹¹" To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" Says the LORD. " I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams And the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, Or of lambs or goats. ¹²" When you come to appear before Me, Who has required this from your hand, To trample My courts? ¹³Bring no more futile sacrifices; Incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies- I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. ¹⁴Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; They are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. ¹⁵When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you; Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. ¹⁶" Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, ¹⁷Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. ¹⁸" Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, " Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. ¹⁹If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; ²⁰But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword"; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 32
^{A Psalm of David. A Contemplation.}
¹Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.

⁴For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

⁵I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.

⁷You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.

⁹Do not be like the horse or like the mule,
Which have no understanding,
Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle,
Else they will not come near you.

¹⁰Many sorrows shall be to the wicked;
But he who trusts in the LORD, mercy shall surround him.

¹¹Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous;
And shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
-- NKJV

- OR -

Psalm 32:1-8
¹Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered.

²Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³When I kept silent, my bones grew old
Through my groaning all the day long.

⁴For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah

⁵I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I have not hidden.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You
In a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters
They shall not come near him.

⁷You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.

-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

2 Thessalonians 1:1-5(6-10)11-12
¹Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: ²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ³We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, ⁴so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, ⁵which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; (⁶since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, ⁷and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed. )¹¹Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, ¹²that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Luke 19:1-10
¹Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. ²Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. ³And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way. ⁵And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." ⁶So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully. ⁷But when they saw it, they all complained, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner." ⁸Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold." ⁹And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; ¹⁰for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." -- NKJV

The Preface

Preface of the Lord's Day
To be used on Sundays as appointed, but not on the succeeding weekdays
1. Of God the Father
For you are the source of light and life, you made us in your image, and called us to new life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
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2. Of God the Son
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who on the first day of the week overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life.
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3. For by water and the Holy Spirit you have made us a new people in Jesus Christ our Lord, to show forth your glory in all the world.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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