Sunday Lectionary Readings

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The Collect

Ash Wednesday
Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Preface of Lent

Old Testament Reading

Joel 2:1-2,12-17
¹Blow the trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: ²A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, Like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, The like of whom has never been; Nor will there ever be any such after them, Even for many successive generations. ¹²" Now, therefore," says the LORD, " Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning." ¹³So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm. ¹⁴Who knows if He will turn and relent, And leave a blessing behind Him- A grain offering and a drink offering For the LORD your God? ¹⁵Blow the trumpet in Zion, Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; ¹⁶Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room. ¹⁷Let the priests, who minister to the LORD, Weep between the porch and the altar; Let them say, "Spare Your people, O LORD, And do not give Your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ' Where is their God?'" -- NKJV

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Isaiah 58:1-12
¹"Cry aloud, spare not; Lift up your voice like a trumpet; Tell My people their transgression, And the house of Jacob their sins. ²Yet they seek Me daily, And delight to know My ways, As a nation that did righteousness, And did not forsake the ordinance of their God. They ask of Me the ordinances of justice; They take delight in approaching God. ³' Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and You have not seen? Why have we afflicted our souls, and You take no notice?' " In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, And exploit all your laborers. ⁴Indeed you fast for strife and debate, And to strike with the fist of wickedness. You will not fast as you do this day, To make your voice heard on high. ⁵Is it a fast that I have chosen, A day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush, And to spread out sackcloth and ashes? Would you call this a fast, And an acceptable day to the LORD? ⁶" Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? ⁷Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh? ⁸Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. ⁹Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' " If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, ¹⁰If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. ¹¹The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. ¹²Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 103
^{A Psalm of David.}
¹Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

²Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

³Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,

⁴Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

⁵Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.

⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

⁹He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.

¹⁰He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

¹²As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

¹⁴For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

¹⁶For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,

¹⁸To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

¹⁹The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

²⁰Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.

²¹Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

²²Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
-- NKJV

- OR -

Psalm 103:8-14
⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

⁹He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.

¹⁰He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

¹²As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

¹⁴For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10
5:²⁰ Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 6:¹ We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. ² For He says: " In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ³ We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed. ⁴ But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses, ⁵ in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings; ⁶ by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, ⁷ by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, ⁸ by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; ⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; ¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21
¹"Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly. ⁵"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ¹⁶"Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ¹⁹"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ²⁰but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -- 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.
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