Sunday Lectionary Readings

Get Bible readings in PDF | Change Bible Version (Current Version: NKJV)

The Collect

Fourth Sunday in Lent
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of Lent

Old Testament Reading

Joshua 4:19-24
¹⁹Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. ²⁰And those twelve stones which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up in Gilgal. ²¹Then he spoke to the children of Israel, saying: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, 'What are these stones?' ²²then you shall let your children know, saying, 'Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land'; ²³for the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed over, ²⁴that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever." -- NKJV

- AND -

Joshua 5:9-12
⁹Then the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day. ¹⁰Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. ¹¹And they ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread and parched grain, on the very same day. ¹²Then the manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 34
^{A Psalm of David when he pretended madness before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he departed.}
¹I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

³Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

⁴I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.

⁶This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

⁹Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.

¹⁰The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

¹¹Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.

¹²Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?

¹³Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.

¹⁴Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.

¹⁶The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.

¹⁸The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

¹⁹Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

²⁰He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.

²¹Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

²²The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.
-- NKJV

- OR -

Psalm 34:1-8
¹I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

²My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

³Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

⁴I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.

⁵They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.

⁶This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.

⁷The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

2 Corinthians 5:17-21
¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ¹⁸Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, ¹⁹that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Luke 15:11-32
¹¹Then He said: "A certain man had two sons. ¹²And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.' So he divided to them his livelihood. ¹³And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. ¹⁴But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. ¹⁷"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants."' ²⁰"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' ²²"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry. ²⁵"Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.' ²⁸"But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.' ³¹"And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³²It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'" -- NKJV

The Preface

Preface of Lent
To be used on Sundays and weekdays alike, except as otherwise appointed for Holy Days and Various Occasions
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who was tempted in every way as we are, yet did not sin. By his grace we are able to triumph over every evil, and to live no longer for ourselves alone, but for him who died for us and rose again.
- or this -
You bid your faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by your Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fullness of grace which you have prepared for those who love you.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
For a more complete Copyright, please go here.

Errors? Please report them here.