Sunday Lectionary Readings

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The Collect

Second Sunday after Christmas Day
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, you Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Preface of the Incarnation

Old Testament Reading

Jeremiah 31:7-14
⁷For thus says the LORD: " Sing with gladness for Jacob, And shout among the chief of the nations; Proclaim, give praise, and say, ' O LORD, save Your people, The remnant of Israel!' ⁸Behold, I will bring them from the north country, And gather them from the ends of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child And the one who labors with child, together; A great throng shall return there. ⁹They shall come with weeping, And with supplications I will lead them. I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters, In a straight way in which they shall not stumble; For I am a Father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn. ¹⁰" Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ' He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.' ¹¹For the LORD has redeemed Jacob, And ransomed him from the hand of one stronger than he. ¹²Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, Streaming to the goodness of the LORD- For wheat and new wine and oil, For the young of the flock and the herd; Their souls shall be like a well-watered garden, And they shall sorrow no more at all. ¹³" Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. ¹⁴I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the LORD." -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 84
^{To the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.}
¹How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O LORD of hosts!

²My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

³Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young-
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.

⁴Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You. Selah

⁵Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

⁶As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.

⁷They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.

⁸O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

⁹O God, behold our shield,
And look upon the face of Your anointed.

¹⁰For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

¹¹For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD will give grace and glory;
No good thing will He withhold
From those who walk uprightly.

¹²O LORD of hosts,
Blessed is the man who trusts in You!
-- NKJV

- OR -

Psalm 84:1-8
¹How lovely is Your tabernacle,
O LORD of hosts!

²My soul longs, yes, even faints
For the courts of the LORD;
My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.

³Even the sparrow has found a home,
And the swallow a nest for herself,
Where she may lay her young-
Even Your altars, O LORD of hosts,
My King and my God.

⁴Blessed are those who dwell in Your house;
They will still be praising You. Selah

⁵Blessed is the man whose strength is in You,
Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.

⁶As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
They make it a spring;
The rain also covers it with pools.

⁷They go from strength to strength;
Each one appears before God in Zion.

⁸O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer;
Give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah

-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19
³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁵having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, ⁶to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. ¹⁵Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, ¹⁶do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: ¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Matthew 2:13-15,19-23
¹³Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him." ¹⁴When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, ¹⁵and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son." ¹⁹Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead." ²¹Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. ²³And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene." -- NKJV

- OR -

Luke 2:41-52
⁴¹His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." ⁴⁹And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" ⁵⁰But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. ⁵¹Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. -- NKJV

- OR -

Matthew 2:1-12
¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ⁶' But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'" ⁷Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also." ⁹When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. -- NKJV

The Preface

Preface of the Incarnation
To be used on Sundays and weekdays alike, except as otherwise appointed for Holy Days and Various Occasions
Because you gave Jesus Christ, your only Son, to be born for us; who, by the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, was made perfect Man of the flesh of the Virgin Mary his mother; so that we might be delivered from the bondage of sin, and receive power to become your children.

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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