Sunday Lectionary Readings

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The Collect

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Preface of the Epiphany, or of the Lord's Day

Old Testament Reading

Jeremiah 1:4-10
⁴Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: ⁵" Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." ⁶Then said I: " Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a youth." ⁷But the LORD said to me: " Do not say, 'I am a youth,' For you shall go to all to whom I send you, And whatever I command you, you shall speak. ⁸Do not be afraid of their faces, For I am with you to deliver you," says the LORD. ⁹Then the LORD put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the LORD said to me: " Behold, I have put My words in your mouth. ¹⁰See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, To root out and to pull down, To destroy and to throw down, To build and to plant." -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 71:1-17
¹In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.

²Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.

³Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.

⁴Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.

⁶By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother's womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.

⁷I have become as a wonder to many,
But You are my strong refuge.

⁸Let my mouth be filled with Your praise
And with Your glory all the day.

⁹Do not cast me off in the time of old age;
Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

¹⁰For my enemies speak against me;
And those who lie in wait for my life take counsel together,

¹¹Saying, "God has forsaken him;
Pursue and take him, for there is none to deliver him."

¹²O God, do not be far from me;
O my God, make haste to help me!

¹³Let them be confounded and consumed
Who are adversaries of my life;
Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor
Who seek my hurt.

¹⁴But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.

¹⁵My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.

¹⁶I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

¹⁷O God, You have taught me from my youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

-- NKJV

- OR -

Psalm 71:1-6,15-17
¹In You, O LORD, I put my trust;
Let me never be put to shame.

²Deliver me in Your righteousness, and cause me to escape;
Incline Your ear to me, and save me.

³Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.

⁴Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For You are my hope, O Lord GOD;
You are my trust from my youth.

⁶By You I have been upheld from birth;
You are He who took me out of my mother's womb.
My praise shall be continually of You.

¹⁵My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.

¹⁶I will go in the strength of the Lord GOD;
I will make mention of Your righteousness, of Yours only.

¹⁷O God, You have taught me from my youth;
And to this day I declare Your wondrous works.

-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

1 Corinthians 14:12-20
¹²Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel. ¹³Therefore let him who speaks in a tongue pray that he may interpret. ¹⁴For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. ¹⁵What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. ¹⁶Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say "Amen" at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? ¹⁷For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified. ¹⁸I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all; ¹⁹yet in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue. ²⁰Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Luke 4:21-32
²¹And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." ²²So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, "Is this not Joseph's son?" ²³He said to them, "You will surely say this proverb to Me, 'Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.'" ²⁴Then He said, "Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; ²⁶but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath,in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ²⁷And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian." ²⁸So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, ²⁹and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. ³⁰Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. ³¹Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. ³²And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. -- NKJV

The Preface

Preface of Epiphany
To be used on Sundays and weekdays alike, except as otherwise appointed for Holy Days and Various Occasions
Because in the mystery of the Word made flesh, you have caused a new light to shine in our hearts, to give the knowledge of your glory in the face of your son Jesus Christ our Lord.

- or this -

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.
- or this -
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.
- or this -
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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