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The last Sunday of Advent marks a transition from anticipating God’s restoration of God’s people to confidence that this restoration is actually under way. Today’s first reading, from the book of Micah, looks forward to the birth of a child in Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. In the New Testament, Jesus’ Davidic lineage supports his messianic identity. Both options for today’s psalm emphasize God’s exaltation of those who are weak and not highly regarded by others. Today’s second reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews pursues the theme of God’s choice of unlikely vehicles of grace, arguing that, in the world to come, Jesus’ crucified body serves just as offerings in the Temple do in this world. Finally, today’s Gospel reading sets out the intimate, prophetic connection between the births of John the Baptist and Jesus.

The First Reading
Micah 5:2-5a
A Davidic King for an Ideal Age

Watching the tumultuous fall of the northern kingdom of Israel, the Judean prophet Micah envisions a period of peace under a new King David who will emerge from Bethlehem—David’s birthplace—and rule in an ideal age. The image of a woman in labor (verse 3) is a common metaphor for the hardships that will befall the people of Israel in immediate anticipation of the messianic age of restoration and peace.
—

2. But you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, insignificant among the families of Judah—
   from you will emerge for me one to rule in Israel,
   whose ancestry is of old, from ancient times.
3. Indeed, God shall leave them be until the laboring woman has given birth,
   when the remainder of his kin return for the sake of the people of Israel.
4. He shall stand and shepherd in the strength of the Lord,
   in the splendor of the name of the Lord, his God.
   But they shall endure, for this time the ruler shall be exalted to the ends of the earth.
5. And this will mean peace.

The Psalm
Luke 1:46b-55
Mary’s Song

Luke’s Gospel attributes this hymn, the Magnificat, to Jesus’ mother, Mary, at the time of her meeting with her cousin, Elizabeth (the mother of John the Baptist). Its title derives from the Latin equivalent of the verb “exalt” in the first line. Anticipating the significance of her child’s birth and her own role, Mary articulates the themes of God’s exaltation of the lowly and rejection of human arrogance. These themes echo those of Hannah’s song, which she sang to celebrate bringing the prophet Samuel into the world (1 Samuel 2:1-10). Thus, the Magnificat appears in the New Testament as a continuation of the psalms and prophecy of the Scriptures of Israel.
—

1. Mary said:
2. 46b. “My soul exalts the Lord,

47.      and my spirit exults in God my savior,
48. since God esteemed me, God’s servant, in humble condition.
    So that, look: From this moment, all generations will consider me favored,
49. because the one who is powerful has done great things for me.
    Indeed, God’s name is holy,
50. and God’s mercy is for generations and generations
    among those who fear God,
51. who has acted with a mighty arm:
    scattering the arrogant in their hearts’ purpose,
52. taking down the powerful from thrones,
    and exalting the humble;
53. who has filled up the hungry with good
    and dispatched the rich away empty.
54. God supported Israel as a child, keeping mercy in mind,
55. just as God spoke to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and to Abraham’s seed forever.”

or Psalm 80:1-7
A Plea for the Renewal of the Kingdom of Israel

The psalmist bemoans the Israelites’ loss of sovereignty over their land, with special reference to the Northern Kingdom (including the tribes of Joseph, Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh), which was conquered by Assyria in 722 BCE. In the face of this loss, the psalmist pleads for and anticipates God’s renewal of the Kingdom of Israel. We read the psalmist’s message today as supporting the confidence—central on the Fourth Sunday of Advent—that God’s restoration of God’s people is truly under way.
—

To the conductor, according to “lilies,” a testimony of Asaph, an accompanied psalm.

1. Shepherd of Israel—listen!—
   leading Joseph like a flock,
   astride the cherubim,
   unveil your splendor,
2.      before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh!
   Awaken your might,
   and come as deliverance for us!
3. God, restore us;
   shine your face towards us so that we shall be rescued!
4. Lord, God of heavenly divisions, for how long will you remain angry at your people’s prayer?
5. You have fed them the bread of weeping,
   and made them drink a full measure of tears.
6. You have made us an object of reproach to our neighbors,
   and our enemies snicker to themselves.
7. God of heavenly divisions, restore us;
   shine your face towards us so that we shall be rescued!

The Second Reading
Hebrews 10:5-10
Jesus as the Fulfillment of Animal Sacrifice

Today’s reading from the Epistle to the Hebrews argues in detail that the literal requirements of sacrifice set out in the Scriptures of Israel were intended for this world, not for the world to come that Jesus opens up. Even as sacrifices serve effectively to atone for sin in the earthly Temple, they also set the pattern for the offering of Jesus’ body to remove sin entirely for the time that is to come. The word order of Psalm 40, adjusted by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews so as to apply to Jesus, provides scriptural support for the argument.
—

Coming into the world, the Anointed says:
Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire; yet you provided me a body. You take no
pleasure in burnt-offerings or sin-offerings. Then I said, “Here! I have come! In a
book-scroll, it is written for me: To do your will, God.”
First he states that God does not want or take pleasure in sacrifices, oblations, burnt-offerings, and sin-offerings, although these things are offered according to the Law. Then he asserts, “Here, I have come…to do your will.” He takes the first away in order to establish the second, with the intent that we be sanctified by the offering of the body of Anointed Jesus once for all time.

The Gospel
Luke 1:39-45, [46-55]
Mary’s Declaration of the Grace of Jesus’ Birth

The Gospel reading for today indicates the context in which Mary declared her song of praise, in addition to repeating the song itself. The song is traditionally known as the Magnificat for reasons explained in the introduction to the first option for today’s psalm. The story here begins just after the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she is to bear a son, whom she should name Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, the angelic declaration concerning Jesus’ birth is similar to the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth, and in this reading the two mothers meet and acknowledge one another.
—

Mary arose in those days and eagerly traveled into the hills, to a town of Judea; she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby actually jumped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with holy Spirit. She cried out with a great shout and said, “You are blessed among women, and the fruit of your womb is blessed! How can this be, that my Lord’s mother comes to me? Look: As the sound of your greeting came into my ears, the baby in my womb jumped in exultation. The woman is favored who believed that there will be

• [Mary said:
• “My soul exalts the Lord,
  and my spirit exults in God my savior,
• since God esteemed me, God’s servant, in humble condition.
  So that, look: From this moment, all generations will consider me favored,
• because the one who is powerful has done great things for me.
  Indeed, God’s name is holy,
• and God’s mercy is for generations and generations
  among those who fear God,
• who has acted with a mighty arm:
  scattering the arrogant in their hearts’ purpose,
• taking down the powerful from thrones,
  and exalting the humble;
• who has filled up the hungry with good
  and dispatched the rich away empty.
• God supported Israel as a child, keeping mercy in mind,
• just as God spoke to our ancestors,
  to Abraham and to Abraham’s seed forever.”]

More than the other liturgical seasons of the year, Advent focuses on the future, when God’s vindication of God’s people will come to fruition. This theme, emerging from Israelite expectations of divine restoration, animates today’s first reading from the book of Zephaniah. That passage looks forward to a divine rescue of the people of Israel, one in which those unjustly humiliated are restored and those driven away are gathered together again. Although God’s gracious action is to culminate in the future, divine mercy is already evident in God’s provision in the present (Isaiah 12:2-6). Paul expresses confidence in that provision particularly in his letter to the Philippians, despite his writing it when he was awaiting Roman trial (Philippians 4:4-7). The Gospel reading for today sets out the ethical imperatives that go along with placing trust in God’s judgment.

The First Reading
Zephaniah 3:14-20
The Joy of Israel’s Restoration

This reading from the book of Zephaniah directs to the people of Israel at the beginning of the seventh century BCE an oracle of restoration and return to their homes and homeland. In the context of Advent, the excerpt underscores the continuity of God’s redemptive purpose.
—

14. Sing out, daughter of Zion;
    raise a cry, Israel!
    Rejoice and exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!
15. The Lord has overturned your judgment;
    God has turned aside your enemies.
    The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
    you need not fear evil any longer.
16. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, Zion!
    Let your hands not sink in despair!
17. The Lord, your God, is in your midst,
    a saving warrior.
    God will rejoice over you in happiness;
    God will renew you^[1] in God’s love.
    God will rejoice over you with a ringing cry.
18. Those who suffered^[2] from the appointed time—[when] I punished you—
    were an expiation tax^[3] on Jerusalem, a reproach.
19. At that time, I will act against all who humble you,
    and I will rescue any who stumbles,
    and any who was driven away I will gather up.
    And I will make them an object of praise and a name in all the land in which they were shamed.
20. At that time, I will bring you,
    and at the time I will gather you:
    then I will make you a name and an object of praise among all the peoples of the earth,
    when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.

The Psalm
Isaiah 12:2-6
Joyfully Make Known God’s Works

Writing in reference to the Assyrian invasions of Israel and Judah (eighth century BCE), the prophet Isaiah offers a hymn to God as the one who rescues from trouble. The prophet exhorts the people of God to follow him in trusting God’s deliverance and declaring through song the joy and confidence God’s deliverance brings.
—

2. Behold, God is my rescue!
   I will trust and not fear.
   For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and my song and has been my rescue.
3. In joy you will draw water from the wells of deliverance.
4. And you will say on that day,
   give thanks to the Lord;
   call upon God’s name;
   announce among the peoples God’s actions;
   make known that God’s name is exalted!
5. Praise the Lord with music, for God has acted majestically;
   this is known in all the land.
6. Shout and sing out in joy, inhabitant of Zion!—
   for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

The Second Reading
Philippians 4:4-7
Exhortation to Joy and Peace

The Apostle Paul exhorts the believers in Philippi to rejoice and to pray with thankfulness, despite any difficulty or opposition, because the Lord is near. Paul assures them that through prayer they can experience God’s peace as they stand united in the Anointed Jesus.
—

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your considerateness be known by everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything—by prayer and petition with thankfulness—let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which exceeds all human reasoning, will guard your hearts and your minds in the Anointed Jesus. 

The Gospel
Luke 3:7-18
John the Baptist’s Proclamation

Alongside anticipating God’s future acts, John the Baptist set out ethical demands for how people should conduct themselves in the present as they prepare for divine judgment. As presented in Luke’s Gospel in particular, John included even soldiers in his announcement, although they were far from the traditional definition of the people of God.
—

Then he was saying to the crowds traveling out to be immersed by him: “Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? So: make fruit worthy of repentance! Do not even begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have a father—Abraham,’ because I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise children for Abraham! The axe is already laid into the root of the trees: so every tree not making good fruit is cut out and thrown into fire.”

The crowds questioned him and said, “So what shall we do?” He answered and said to them, “One who has two tunics should give to the one who has none! And one who has food should do likewise!” Tax-agents also came to be immersed and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” To them he said, “No transactions beyond what is authorized for you!” And even soldiers questioned him, saying, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Extort from no one, and do not gouge! And make do with your wages.” In the people’s anticipation, everyone debated in their hearts concerning John, if perhaps he were the Anointed. John answered them all, saying, “I indeed immerse you in water, but the one stronger than I am comes, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loosen. He himself will immerse you in holy Spirit and fire. His pitchfork is in hand to clear out the threshing floor and to gather the grain into the storehouse, but the refuse he will incinerate with unquenchable fire.” So John exhorted in many other ways and announced to the people.

Advent’s emphasis on the finality of divine judgment for the world is deeply embedded in the Scriptures of Israel. Baruch’s prophecy (Baruch 5:1-9) stresses the joy of judgment, because God’s coming for Jerusalem both vindicates and enhances righteousness; Malachi anticipates a heavenly messenger who will announce the full purification that is to come (Malachi 3:1-4), a role assigned to John the Baptist in the Gospels. John, in fact, is the child who lies at the center of the canticle of Zechariah, which serves as today’s psalm (Luke 1:68-79). Paul’s Letter to the Philippians exemplifies how the anticipation of divine judgment in early Christian expectation focused on “the day of the Anointed Jesus” (Philippians 1:3-11), when Jesus, raised from the dead, becomes the instrument of God’s intervention. Today’s Gospel reading places John the Baptist in time, but also stresses his significance for the end of time as anticipated in the Scriptures of Israel.

The First Reading
Baruch 5:1-9
The Vindication of Jerusalem

The book of Baruch appears in the Apocrypha, meaning that it is part of the Greek version of the Scriptures of Israel (the Septuagint) but is not found in the Hebrew Bible. It presents as though it expresses the perspective of the time of Jeremiah, and its author claimed that the book was written by Jeremiah’s scribe. The book’s author in fact wrote it after the crisis of the second century BCE, however, when foreign rulers threatened to convert the Temple in Jerusalem into a shrine to Zeus.
—

Jerusalem: Remove the clothing of your mourning and affliction; put on the beauty that forever comes from God’s glory. Clothe yourself with the cloak of righteousness from God; set upon your head the diadem of the Eternal’s glory. God will show your splendor to every place under heaven; your name from God will forever be called, “Righteous reconciliation, worshipful glory.”

Arise, Jerusalem: Stand on the height and look towards the east. See your children brought together from west and east by the command of the Holy One, rejoicing that God has remembered. They went away from you on foot, led by enemies, but God will lead them back to you, carried in glory like a royal throne. God has directed every high mountain and ancient hill to be brought low, and valleys to be filled up, making the ground level so that Israel can proceed safely in God’s glory. Forests and every pleasing tree shade Israel at God’s direction. God shall personally lead Israel with joy in the light of his glory, with the mercy and righteousness that come from God.

or Malachi 3:1-4
God Comes with Purifying Power

In the period of the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple, the prophet Malachi announces the imminent appearance of God, anticipated by a heavenly messenger. When God comes, Temple worship will be restored to its proper practice and purpose.
—

Look! I am sending my messenger who will clear a path before me. Suddenly, the ruler whom you seek will arrive at the Temple. The messenger of the covenant, for whom you yearn—look!—he is coming, says the Lord of the heavenly divisions. Who can endure the day when he comes, and who will stand fast when he appears? For he is like a smelter’s fire and launderers’ lye. He will judge as a smelter, a purifier of silver, to purify the Levites and to refine them like gold and silver, so that they will properly bring offerings to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and of Jerusalem will please the Lord, as in ancient days and former times.

The Psalm
Luke 1:68-79
Blessing God for Present and Future Vindication

Luke’s Gospel uniquely includes a series of canticles—psalm-like poetic compositions—within its narrative of Jesus’ birth. In this case, Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, celebrates John’s birth and anticipates his role in the vindication of Israel.
—

The Lord God of Israel is blessed, having intervened and made redemption for God’s people, and raising for us a horn of salvation in the House of David, God’s servant, just as was promised from the beginning through the mouth of God’s holy prophets:
salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to do mercy with our
ancestors, and to remember the holy covenant. This is the oath that God swore to Abraham, our forefather:
to grant that we, being delivered from the hand of enemies, can without fear worship Godin proper piety and righteousness all our days. And you, child, shall be called Most High’s prophet:
because you will proceed before the Lord to prepare the Lord’s way,
to give knowledge of salvation to the people, by release of their sins,
through our God’s urgent compassion, by which the dawn from on high intervenes for us,
to shine on those in darkness and those residing in death’s shadow,
and to direct our feet into a peaceful way.

The Second Reading
Philippians 1:3-11
Paul’s Prayer of Thankfulness for the Philippian Believers’ Partnership

In the opening of his letter to the believers in Philippi, Paul expresses in prayer his thankfulness for their partnership. Paul’s prayer captures his deep affection for the Philippians and his gratitude for their having partnered with him during his imprisonment and trial in Rome. Paul is confident that their actions will work to their advantage at the coming divine judgment in connection with “the day of the Anointed Jesus.”
—

I always thank my God with every remembrance of you. In every prayer for you all, I make my request with joy because of your partnership in the proclamation of God’s victory from that first day until now. I have always believed that the One who began a good work in you will carry it to completion until the day of the Anointed Jesus. Indeed, it is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart in that you really are all partakers with me in the grace both of my imprisonment and of my defense and vindication of God’s victory proclamation. For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the urgent compassion of the Anointed Jesus. I pray that your love may yet increase more and more, in full knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve that which is best, and so that you might be pure and blameless for the day of the Anointed, being filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus the Anointed to the glory and praise of God.

The Gospel
Luke 3:1-6
John the Baptist’s Appearance

In all of the Gospels, John the Baptist’s significance lies in how he prepares the way for Jesus, and so prepares the way for God’s judgment. Luke’s Gospel sets the key prophetic statement (from Isaiah 40:3), which Luke attributes to John, in a specific historical context.
—

In the fifteenth year of Caesar Tiberius’ government, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod regional administrator of Galilee, while Philip his brother was regional administrator of Ituraea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias regional administrator of Abilene, during Annas’ and Caiaphas’ high priesthood, God’s message came upon John, son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he came into every surrounding land of the Jordan, announcing an immersion of repentance for sins’ release. Thus it has been written in the book of the prophet Isaiah’s words: “Voice of one calling in the wilderness—Prepare the Lord’s way; make God’s paths straight. Every valley shall be filled up, and every mountain and hill brought down. And it shall be: the crooked, straight and the rough, smooth ways. And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

Advent begins the liturgical year of the church. The season focuses on what God does to bring creation to its fulfillment. It builds on the anticipation of Jesus’ birth long ago to suggest what God will do in a future that we do not yet know. In the passage for today from Luke’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of himself as coming in judgment as the powers of this world melt away. In today’s passage from the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul’s charge to the community of believers in Thessalonica articulates the Advent theme that expectation of God’s action in the future demands ethical engagement in the present. Psalm 25 joins in the living sense of a current connection with God. The Scriptures of Israel are accorded special consideration during Advent because they articulate promises that Jesus and the New Testament insist are in the process of being realized. In today’s first reading, Jeremiah envisions the reconciliation of the peoples of Israel under a descendant of David; the Gospels portray Jesus as that son of David.

The First Reading
Jeremiah 33:14-16
A Promise of Future Restoration

In this reading, the prophet reassures those experiencing the trauma of exile that God’s word of promise is reliable. Despite the inevitability of the humiliation they are facing, the people can count on God’s promise to bring justice and vindication to both the northern and southern kingdoms of biblical Israel through a true, future descendant of King David.
—

Look! Days are coming—word of the Lord—when I will establish the good thing that I have promised to the House of Israel and the House of Judah. In those days, at that time, I will make a true branch sprout for David, who will realize justice and vindication for the country: in those days Judah will be rescued and Jerusalem will rest in safety. So it will be called: “The Lord is our vindication.”

The Psalm
Psalm 25:1-10
A Prayer for God’s Protection and Compassion

Psalm 25 alternates between petitions for God’s compassionate forgiveness of sin and pleas for the divine wisdom to ensure the psalmist will avoid future transgression. This reading is particularly appropriate for Advent, a time of self-correction and instruction.
—

Of David.

1. For you, Lord, I yearn with all that I am!
2. My God, in you I place my trust.
   May I not suffer humiliation;
   let not my enemies exult over me!
3. May those who eagerly await you not suffer humiliation;
   let those who act treacherously be humiliated!
4. Declare your paths to me, Lord;
   teach me your ways!
5. Lead me along your paths of truth;
   teach me, for you are the God of my deliverance;
   I have always eagerly awaited you.
6. Remember your compassion, Lord, and your steadfast love,
   for they are eternal.
7. The transgressions of my youth and my sins remember not;
   in keeping with your steadfast love, remember me,
   on account of your goodness, Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord;
   therefore God instructs sinners in the correct way.
9. God leads the disadvantaged with justice,
   teaching God’s path to the impoverished.
10. All the ways of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness
    for those who keep God’s covenant and decrees.

The Second Reading
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
A Prayer for the Believers in Thessalonica

Paul’s prayer for the believers in Thessalonica is an encouragement and example to pray for God’s strengthening of their faith as they continue to love one another, especially in anticipation of the Lord’s arrival.
—

What thanks can we possibly give back to God for you in Thessalonica, for all the joy in which we rejoice before God because of you? We pray earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and provide what is lacking in your faith.

Now, may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus guide our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we do for you, in order to establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the arrival of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. 

The Gospel
Luke 21:25-36
The Human Being Coming in Judgment

Luke’s Gospel balances two factors in its presentation of Jesus’ speech concerning his coming in judgment. From the outset, Luke insists in Jesus’ name that the powers of the present world are to be set aside. At the same time, this disturbing prospect accompanies the fundamental ground of hope that God’s unfolding intervention in the world signals the vindication of those who are righteous. Keen anticipation of this result encourages prayerful observation and alertness.
—

Jesus continued to say: “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on earth, torment of nations in anxiety at the roar of the sea and the waves, people fainting away from fear and dread of the things coming upon the inhabited world, because the powers in the heavens shall be shaken. And then they shall see this human being coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, straighten up and lift your heads, since your redemption approaches!”

And he offered them a comparison: “Look—the fig tree and all the trees. Once they have put forth shoots, you see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. In this same way, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Amen I say to you, that this generation shall not pass until all things happen. Heaven and earth will pass, but my words shall not pass. So take heed of yourselves, so your hearts are not loaded down with depravity and drunkenness and everyday worries and then that day bursts upon you, like a trap. For it will come upon all those who dwell upon the face of all the earth. Rather, stay alert at every moment, praying that you are strong enough to flee all these things that are about to happen and to stand at the end before this human being.”

This feast day takes its name from the Latin word for “announcement,” and refers to when, in the Gospel according to Luke, Mary received the news of Jesus’ birth from the angel Gabriel. In the New Testament and the Hebrew Bible, the word commonly translated as “angel” in fact refers to a “messenger” of God, whose purpose is to relate God’s will. Indeed, the name Gabriel itself means “God is my strength” in Hebrew. The readings that culminate in today’s Gospel portion all relate to how God’s might is manifested in birth and marital relations, as well as when people seek to do God’s will.

The First Reading
Isaiah 7:10-14
A Sign of Deliverance

In the first of today’s readings, the nation of Judah and its king, Ahaz, face a profound threat from two kings to their north, Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel. In the midst of this political crisis, Ahaz refuses to receive Isaiah’s word, perhaps in fear of its implications. Isaiah nevertheless declares that word—a sign of deliverance from the immediate threat. The promise is set within the span of time marked by a pregnancy and the newborn’s weaning. The fulfillment of that promised deliverance will confirm for the king and people what the child’s name declares, that “God is with us.”
—

The Lord spoke again to Ahaz: “Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God, be it as deep as Sheol or stretching high above.” But Ahaz replied, “I will not ask, so that I do not test the Lord.”

So Isaiah said, “Listen, then, House of David: Is it not enough for you to exasperate people, that you exasperate my God, too? Therefore, my Lord indeed will give you a sign. Here—this young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son. She will name him, ‘Immanuel.’”

The Psalm
Psalm 45
A Poem for a Royal Wedding

Psalm 45 extols an unnamed Israelite king and the princess who is about to become his bride. The king is just and powerful; his bride, beautiful and adorned in gold. The reference in verse 6 to the king as God’s anointed is one foundation for the Christian understanding that the king depicted here is Jesus. This interpretation, however, ignores many of the psalm’s other details. The psalm’s distinctive first verse deserves note. Uniquely among the psalms, the author here refers to his own poetic impulse and skill (verse 1).
—

For the director, according to “Lilies,” of the sons of Korah, a poem of discernment, a song of love.

1. My heart is stirred by a good thing.
   I recite my verses to a king.
   My tongue is the pen of a skilled scribe.
2. You are the most beautiful among men.
   Grace is poured out on your lips.
   Therefore, God blesses you always.
3. Strap your sword onto your thigh, mighty one!—
   your splendor and majesty!
4. In your majesty, find success!
   Ride in the cause of truth and righteous humility.
   May your right hand make you skilled in awesome deeds!
5. Your arrows are sharp—
   nations will fall under you!—
   into the heart of the king’s enemies.
6. Your throne—wondrous king!—forever and ever.
   A scepter of fairness is the scepter of your reign.
7. You love justice and hate evil.
   Therefore, wondrous king, your God anointed you
   with oil of gladness, over your companions.
8. Myrrh, aloes, and cassia-cinnamon infuse all your garments.
   From ivory palaces, stringed instruments give you joy.
9. Daughters of kings are among your prized women.
   The queen takes her place at your right hand in gold of Ophir.
10. Listen, daughter! Look! Turn your ear!
    Forget your people and your father’s house.
11.      The king craves your beauty.
    Since he is your lord,
    bow to him.
12. With a gift, daughter of Tyre, the richest of people will seek your favor.
13. All-glorious, a king’s daughter is within, her raiment of embroidered gold.
14.      In many-colored cloth she is led to the king.
    Maidens, her attendants, after her are brought to you.
15.      They are led in happiness and joy.
    They enter a royal palace.
16. Your sons will take the place of your ancestors.
    You will appoint them princes throughout the land.
17. I will commemorate your name in every generation.
    Therefore, nations will praise you forever and ever.

or Psalm 40:5-10
Proclaiming God’s Greatness

The psalmist declares the need publicly to extol God’s wonders and mighty deeds that rescue God’s followers from harm. Such public proclamation follows God’s instruction (verse 8) and pleases God even more than animal sacrifice (verse 6). The portion of the psalm in this reading reflects on God’s past actions in redeeming the psalmist from danger. In the verses that follow, which are excluded here, the psalmist sets out the hope that God similarly will offer protection from threats and dangers that the psalmist currently faces.
—

5. Many deeds have you yourself done, Lord, my God—
   your wonderous plans for us!
   None compare to you.
   Were I to open my mouth and speak these things,
   they would be more than can be told!
6. Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire—
   you have opened my ears.
   A burnt- or sin-offering you do not demand.
7. Then I said, “Here! I have come!
   In a book-scroll, it is written for me:
8.      To do your will, my God, is my desire.
   Your instruction is at my core.”
9. I reported tidings of righteousness in a vast congregation.
   I will not restrain my lips,
   you know, Lord.
10. Your righteousness I did not hide within my heart.
    Your faithfulness and redeeming power I have told.
    I have not concealed your steadfast love and fidelity
    for a vast congregation.

The Second Reading
Hebrews 10:4-10
Jesus as the Fulfillment of Animal Sacrifice

The Epistle to the Hebrews argues in detail that the literal requirements of sacrifice set out in the Scriptures of Israel were intended for this world, not the world to come that Jesus opens up. Even as sacrifices serve effectively to atone for sin in the earthly Temple, they also set the pattern for the offering of Jesus’ body to remove sin entirely for the time that is to come. The word order of Psalm 40, today’s alternate psalm reading, adjusted by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews so as to apply to Jesus, provides scriptural support for the argument.
—

It is simply impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to remove sin. That is why, when Jesus comes into the world, he says:
Sacrifice and offerings you do not desire; yet you provided me a body. You take no
pleasure in burnt-offerings or sin-offerings. Then I said, “Here! I have come! In a
book-scroll, it is written for me: To do your will, God.”
First he states that God does not want or take pleasure in sacrifices, oblations, burnt-offerings, and sin-offerings, although these things are offered according to the Law. Then he asserts, “Here, I have come…to do your will.” He rejects the first in order to establish the second, with the intent that we be sanctified by the offering of the body of Anointed Jesus once for all time.

The Gospel
Luke 1:26-38
Gabriel’s Announcement to Mary

Gabriel’s visit to Mary focuses attention on Jesus’ identity as God’s son and David’s heir from his birth. Gabriel announces that because holy Spirit will be involved in the conception of the child, the resultant birth is holy. In this section of Luke’s Gospel, as in Jewish tradition, holy Spirit refers to God’s self-disclosure to favored individuals. It is not the same as the later conception of the third component of the Trinity. Similarly, Luke here presents Jesus as son of God in the holiness of his birth, not as divine in trinitarian terms.
—

In the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy with John the Baptist], the messenger Gabriel was sent from God to a Galilean town named Nazareth, to go to a maiden contracted in marriage to a man whose name was Joseph, from David’s line, and the name of the maiden was Mary. Gabriel went to her and said, “Greetings, God-favored: The Lord is with you!” But she was shaken through at the word, puzzled at what sort of address this could be. The messenger said to her, “Do not fear, Mary, because you have found grace with God. Look: You will conceive in the womb and give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Most High’s son, and the Lord God will give him his father David’s throne, to reign over Jacob’s house forever; of his kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the messenger, “How will this be, since I am not intimate with a husband?” The messenger replied and said to her, “Over you holy Spirit will come, and Most High’s power will overshadow you: that which is produced as holy will be called God’s son. And look: Elizabeth is your relative—she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who is called barren! Not a single thing God says will be impossible.” Mary said, “Here is the Lord’s servant; may it happen to me according to what you say!” And the messenger went away from her.

See Holy Week Years A, B, & C for Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday

Many followers of Jesus read the promise of Jeremiah 31:31—which speaks of a “new covenant” with the people, Israel—as involving fresh opportunities for forgiveness (Psalm 51) and connection to God (Psalm 119), a priesthood based on the example of Jesus (the Epistle to the Hebrews), and the extension of God’s grace to all the peoples of the earth (the Gospel according to John). The Lectionary explores these themes on the Fifth Sunday in Lent.

The First Reading
Jeremiah 31:31-34
A New Covenant

The prophet Jeremiah announces God’s persistent commitment to the people, Israel with a promise to move beyond prior betrayals and establish covenantal intimacy once again with those whom God had brought out of Egypt.
—

Look! A time is coming, says the Lord, when I will carve out with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah a new covenant. It will not be like the covenant I carved out with their ancestors—that day when I took them by the hand to bring them out from the land of Egypt, my covenant that they demolished, though I had made myself their master, says the Lord. Rather, this is the covenant that I will carve out with the House of Israel after that time, says the Lord: I will set my instruction within them and I will write it on their heart; I will be their God and they will be my people. A person will no longer continue teaching a neighbor or a relative: “Know the Lord!” Rather, they will all know me, from the smallest of them to the greatest, says the Lord. Indeed, I will pardon their guilt and to their sin I will no longer give a thought.

The Psalm
Psalm 51:1-12
A Prayer for Forgiveness

Thematically appropriate to the Lenten season of penitence, Psalm 51 is also the psalm reading for Ash Wednesday. It presents King David’s plea for divine forgiveness. Central here is not just David’s desire to be cleansed of past wrong-doings, but also his hope for God’s help so that he might stop sinning and only teach and follow God’s ways. As presented here in The Revised Common Lectionary, the psalm ends with a request for God’s protection. In the psalm’s full form, its final verses—which are excluded here—pray that God rebuild the city of Jerusalem, allowing expiatory sacrifices again to be offered on the Temple’s altar.
—

To the conductor, a song of David, when Nathan the Prophet came to him after he had relations with Bathsheba.

1. Have mercy on me, God, as suits your steadfast love;
   according to the greatness of your mercy, wipe away my sins!
2. Cleanse me thoroughly of my guilt;
   purify me of my sin!—
3. for I admit my transgressions;
   my sin is ever before me.
4. Against you, only you, I have sinned;
   I did what is evil in your eyes,
   so that your sentence is justified,
   and your judgment warranted.
5. Indeed, I was birthed guilty;
   my mother conceived me sinful.
6. Yet you desire the truth about that which is concealed.
   Regarding that which is hidden, give me insight!
7. Sprinkle me with a hyssop stem to purify me;
   cleanse me whiter than snow!
8. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness;
   let the bones you crushed rejoice!
9. Hide your face from my sins;
   wipe away all of my guilt!
10. Fashion for me a pure heart, God;
    renew in me a steadfast spirit.
11. Do not banish me from your presence;
    do not take from me the spirit of your holiness.
12. Let me again enjoy your protection,
    and may a willing spirit sustain me.

Psalm 119:9-16
The Joy of Observing the Law

Psalm 119 is an alphabetical acrostic comprising 176 verses. Beginning with the Hebrew letter aleph and continuing through the Hebrew alphabet, the psalmist presents consecutive sets of eight verses that begin with the same Hebrew letter. Verses 9-16, found here, all begin with the letter beth, which in all instances except verse 12 is the Hebrew preposition meaning “with,” “in,” or “by.” Even within the semantic limitations imposed by the acrostic form, the psalmist presents a cogent message. Observance of God’s law is the foundation of a life of righteousness and joy.
—

9. By what means does a youth follow a righteous path?
   By observing your words.
10. With all my heart I seek you—
    do not allow me to stray from your commandments.
11. In my heart I store up your words,
    so that I never sin against you.
12. Blessed are you, Lord—
    teach me your statutes!
13. With my lips, I recount all the ordinances that come from your mouth.
14. By following your precepts, I became joyful, as over any treasure.
15. I meditate on your decrees and observe your paths.
16. In your statutes I take delight;
    I will not forget your words.

The Second Reading
Hebrews 5:5-10
The Priesthood of Jesus

The Epistle to the Hebrews presents Jesus as fulfilling the role the Scriptures of Israel assign to the High Priest. In this passage, he is compared to Melchizedek, the priest who blessed Abraham in Genesis 14:18-20. The offering Jesus makes in his death, which involves suffering, however, contrasts with Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine.
—

In being made High Priest, the Anointed did not glorify himself; God did that for him when he said: “You are my Son; today I have become your parent.” God also said elsewhere, “You are a priest forever, following the example of Melchizedek.” In the days of his flesh he offered both prayers and entreaties, with a loud shout and tears, to the one who was able to rescue him from death, and he was heard as a result of this devotion. Although a Son, he learned obedience from what he suffered, and being perfected he became for all who are obedient to him the basis of eternal rescue, designated by God a High Priest following the example of Melchizedek.

The Gospel
John 12:20-33
Jesus and the Greeks

Early Christianity, although it originated within Judaism, emerged as a religion within the Greco-Roman world that was for the most part non-Jewish and Greek-speaking. In this passage from John’s Gospel, people from the Greek majority-to-be appear, approaching two of Jesus’ disciples who spoke Greek, but they do not contact Jesus himself. When the disciples speak to Jesus about whether or not he is willing to meet with these non-Jews, Jesus explains that, for events to unfold in a way that includes them, his Passion must first reach its end.
—

Among those who went up [to Jerusalem] to worship during the feast there were Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and made a request: “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and spoke to Andrew; Andrew and Philip together went and spoke to Jesus. But Jesus replied, “The hour has come for this human being to be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains an isolated kernel. But if it does die, it produces much wheat. Whoever loves life, loses it, and whoever hates life in this world will protect it forever. Anyone who serves me shall follow me, and where I am, there also my servant shall be. The Father will honor whoever serves me. Now I am shaken to the core, and what should I say—‘Father, rescue me from this hour’? After all, I came to this hour for this. Father, glorify your name!” Then a sound came from heaven: “I have glorified, and again shall glorify!” Some of the crowd there heard and said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus replied and said, “This sound has not come for me, but for you! The judgment of this world is now: now the ruler of this world will be overthrown! When I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw everyone in to myself.” He said this, signalling by what death he was going to die.

The season of Lent considers not only the reasons for human sinfulness but also how God deals with this perennial problem. One of the most perplexing features of sin is how persistently people fall into the same patterns of destructive behavior—even with a knowledge of sin’s immediate consequences. In all the readings appointed for Fourth Sunday, God nonetheless extends grace in response to the diverse manifestations of sin they describe.

The First Reading
Numbers 21:4-9
The Bronze Serpent in the Wilderness

When the Israelites complained about their long journey through the wilderness toward the promised land, God grew angry. In response to the people’s repentance and Moses’ prayer, God provided relief, renewing the sustenance and protection that the people needed. The bronze snake that God told Moses to lift up above Israel as a remedy for its burning rebellion would, in the eyes of John the gospeler, anticipate the way that Christ would be lifted up as a remedy for the burning rebellion of all people.
—

From Mount Hor the Israelites traveled the Reed Sea route to skirt the land of Edom, but the people’s temper grew short along the way. The people spoke out against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this wilderness? There really is no food and no water, and we are sick of this miserable bread.” So God sent venomous snakes among the people and they bit the people, so that a great number of Israelites died.

Then the people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke out against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord to remove these snakes from us.” So Moses prayed on behalf of the people. God said to Moses, “Make a figure of the venomous snake and put it on a pole. Whoever has been bitten and looks at it will live.” Moses made a bronze snake and put it on the pole. Afterward, whenever a snake bit a person and the person turned toward the bronze snake, that person would live.

The Psalm
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Give Thanks for God’s Steadfast Love!

God’s greatness is manifest in the experience of those in need. The reversal of their fortune bespeaks God’s steadfast love. God redeems from distress those who have been subject to devastating external forces (verses 1-3) and even those whose own foolish and rebellious behavior led them to death’s door (verses 17-19). For this constant love, God merits our thanks.
—

1. Thank the Lord, who is good;
   God’s steadfast love never ends.
2. Let those the Lord redeemed speak!—
   those God redeemed from distress.
3. God gathered them from foreign lands—
   from the east, the west, the north, and from the sea.

17. By their rebellious way and their sins, fools afflicted themselves.
18. They loathed all food;
    they reached the gates of death.
19. They screamed to the Lord out of their distress;
    from their anguish, God redeemed them.
20. God issued the word and healed them;
    God rescued them from death’s pit.
21. Let them thank the Lord for steadfast love,
    for God’s extraordinary acts for all humanity.
22. Let them sacrifice offerings of thanks,
    and, in joy, recount God’s deeds.

The Second Reading
Ephesians 2:1-10
The Place Established in Heaven

Paul, in Galatians 4:1-9, followed the apostolic preaching of his time in declaring baptism as the moment when a person left behind the compulsion to follow elemental desires and turned to a life guided by Spirit. This passage from the Epistle to the Ephesians extends that thought to portray the life of faith as a whole as a transition away from the selfish world of flesh and towards a secure fellowship with Christ in heaven.
—

You were dead: in your transgressions and sins, you followed the standards of this world, the rule of mundane power—the spirit now working among the children of disobedience. We all once trafficked in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of demons. With the rest of humanity we were by nature offspring of wrath.

Nonetheless, God—rich in compassion—loved us with overflowing love. We were dead in our transgressions; God made us alive in the Anointed One. By grace you have been rescued, and God raised you with Jesus, the Anointed, and established your place in heaven in order to show for ages to come the abundant richness of divine grace generously poured out to us in Jesus, the Anointed. Again: by grace you have been rescued through faith. This does not come from us, but is God’s gift; this does not come from what we do, so no one can boast. We are God’s work, created in Jesus, the Anointed, for doing good in ways that God has prepared so that we will follow them.

The Gospel
John 3:14-21
God’s Love in Sending the Son

This reading, which is unique to John’s Gospel, moves from a very specific comparison, between the Hebrew Bible and the pattern of Jesus’ death and redemption, into a comprehensive and universal declaration. Delivered as a quotation from Jesus’ teaching, the passage first compares the Crucifixion to Moses—directed by God—lifting up a snake made of bronze for the Israelites to see. Everyone who looked at the bronze snake was saved from the snake bites that they had suffered (Numbers 21:6-9). This is God’s method, who loves the entire world by giving his Son to die. All who have faith in that death, and in the deeds of light that Jesus did, have passed from darkness and judgment to vindication in the light of God.
—

“In exactly the way Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so must this human being be lifted up, so everyone who has faith in him has eternal life. In this way God loved the world, so much that he gave his unique Son: everyone who has faith in him is not lost, but has eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but to rescue the world through him. Whoever has faith in him is not judged; whoever does not have faith has already been judged, since that one does not have faith in the name of the unique Son of God. This is the verdict: light came into the world, and people loved the dark rather than the light because their deeds were malicious. Everyone acting maliciously hates the light and does not come toward the light lest their deeds be exposed. But everyone really ‘doing’ the truth comes toward the light for their deeds to be revealed—because they are accomplished by God.”

The lifestyle that God shows his people promotes their thriving in liberation from slavery, as the opening of the Ten Commandments in today’s first reading emphasizes. Psalm 19 celebrates the truth of God’s instruction as embodied even in nature, while Paul insists in the reading from the First Epistle to the Corinthians that even sophisticated human knowledge is sometimes very different from the wisdom that God conveys in Christ. The Gospel reading of the day portrays Jesus defending the Temple in opposition to those who would exploit it for their own advantage.

The First Reading
Exodus 20:1-17
The Commandments

After the Exodus, God led the Israelites through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. The Book of Exodus presents God’s revelation there as “the Book of the Covenant.” It opens with God’s reminder of the mighty act of the Exodus and a description of how Israel shall begin to live as God’s own people.
—

God spoke all these words:

I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out from the land of Egypt, from the state of slavery. You shall not have any other gods in place of me. You shall not make yourself a statue or any form of what is in heaven above or on the earth below, nor of what is in the water under the earth. You shall neither bow to them nor worship them, for I am the Lord, your God—a God demanding loyalty: bringing the guilt of ancestors to bear on the second, third, and fourth generations of those who hate me, while renewing loyalty to thousands, to those who love me and hold to my commandments. You shall not take up the name of the Lord your God for no good reason.

Remember the Day of Rest, to dedicate it to God. Six days you shall work and do all your business. The seventh day is a rest for the Lord your God: you shall not do any business—you or your son or your daughter, your male or female servant or your livestock or the temporary residents in your city. Since in six days God fashioned the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and settled back on the seventh day, God blessed the Day of Rest and set it apart.

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days will stretch out on the land the Lord your God gives you.

You shall not murder.

You shall not betray your marriage.

You shall not steal.

You shall not give false testimony about your neighbor.

You shall not yearn for your neighbor’s house.

You shall not yearn for your neighbor’s wife or male or female servant or ox or donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s.

The Psalm
Psalm 19
God’s Instruction Is Truth

Psalm 19’s three sections are tightly connected. The natural world proclaims God’s greatness (verses 1-6). This greatness is represented in God’s precepts, which define how people must live so as to bring joy and wholeness to their lives (verses 7-11). With this truth in mind, the psalmist prays for God’s compassion, hoping that God will discount inadvertent sin and keep the petitioner from all transgression.
—

1. The skies tell God’s glory;
   the firmament declares God’s handiwork.
2. Day to day pours forth speech;
   night to night declares knowledge.
3. There is no perceptible speech and no distinguishable words;
   their voice is not audibly heard.
4. But their measure goes out across the entire world,
   and their words to the ends of the earth.
   In them God set up a tent for the sun—
5.      like a bridegroom who leaves his dressing chamber,
   joyous as a champion running a course.
6. Its starting point is the edge of the skies,
   and its rounds take it to the other side.
   Nothing is veiled from its heat.
7. The instruction of the Lord is flawless,
   restoring the soul.
   The testimony of the Lord is trustworthy,
   giving wisdom to the simple.
8. The precepts of the Lord are upright,
   gladdening the heart.
   The commandment of the Lord is perfect,
   giving light to the eyes.
9. Reverence for the Lord is pure,
   established evermore.
   The judgments of the Lord are truth,
   entirely just—
10. more desirable than gold,
    than much fine gold;
    and sweeter than honey,
    than what flows from the honeycomb.
11. Certainly, whoever worships you is guided by them;
    observing them brings much return.
12. But inadvertent errors—can we discern them?
    Of such hidden errors, hold me guiltless!
13. Please, from willful error, shield the one who worships you.
    May such errors not dominate me!
    Thus I will be blameless
    and innocent of great transgression.
14. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be desirable to you, Lord, my
    rock and my redeemer.

The Second Reading
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Christ as the Wisdom of God

Attacks by local philosophers in Corinth who mocked the new faith proved especially disturbing to the Apostle Paul. Paul responded to them with a blistering comparison between their pretentious claims and God’s wisdom. He understood Christ’s cross as the true reflection of God’s wisdom, although his opponents dismissed this preaching as foolishness. The opponents included both “Greeks,” or non-Jews, and Jews—here referring to the people of Israel and not only Judeans.
—

For those whose lives are being lost, the idea of the cross is foolishness; but for those who are being rescued, it is God’s power. After all, it is written: “I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and invalidate the intellectuals’ understanding.” Where is today’s sage, where is today’s judge, where is today’s advocate? God has made the wisdom of this world foolish! Since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God by means of its own wisdom, God decided, by means of the foolishness of what we preach, to rescue those who have faith. While Jews want signs and Greeks seek wisdom, we preach the crucified Anointed One—a snare for Jews and foolishness for gentiles; but for those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Anointed is God’s power and God’s wisdom.

The Gospel
John 2:13-22
Jesus Clears the Temple

John’s Gospel, unlike the first three Gospels, relates Jesus’ action in the Temple near the beginning of its narrative. By telling the story early on and not in connection with the Crucifixion, John uses it to characterize Jesus and his teachings as a replacement for the Temple and an alternative to all forms of worship practice that the gospel writer viewed as commercially exploitative.
—

The Passover of the Judeans was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple precinct he found sellers of cattle, sheep, and pigeons, as well as comfortably seated convertors of coins. From cords he made a whip and drove them all out of the Temple precinct, together with the sheep and cattle, and swept away the coins of the money-changers, overturning the tables. He said to the pigeon-sellers, “Take all this away: do not make my Father’s house a marketplace.” His students recalled that it is written: “Indignation for your house will consume me.” The Judeans objected and said to him, “What sign are you showing us by doing this?” Jesus replied and said, “Take this Temple down, and in three days I will raise it.” Then the Judeans said, “This Temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you can raise it in three days?” Yet he spoke of the temple of his body. When he was raised from the dead, his students remembered that he said this and had faith in the Scripture and in the word that Jesus spoke.

Everything about the Lenten journey to the cross focuses on God’s power and promise, which the Resurrection will show to be greater than any human design; they are the only things worthy of our faith. The author of Genesis and the Apostle Paul both saw the faith embodied in Abraham and Sarah. The psalmist in Psalm 22 knew that generations of the needy would testify to God’s blessing, and Jesus in Mark’s Gospel challenges his disciples to trust that blessing. In the alternate Gospel reading for today from the Gospel according to Mark, we witness God’s validation of Jesus as heir to Israel’s faith, servant of those in need, and teacher of those who would follow him.

The First Reading
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
God’s Covenant Promising an Abundant Future

God appears to Abram with the name El Shaddai, echoing the sense of God as the power of storm and nature. Abram learns of the covenant by which he and his wife, Sarai, will be blessed with a son. The covenant will continue between God and many generations of Abram and Sarai’s descendants, making them the ancestors of many nations and peoples. The covenant’s fulfillment, embodied in multitudes of people and in royal figures, finds expression in their new names.

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai conduct your life in my presence and with integrity. I am setting out my covenant between myself and you; I will make very much of you.” Then Abram collapsed face down, and God spoke with him: “Listen! Here is my covenant with you: you will be a father of many nations. You will not be called Abram anymore; your name will be Abraham, since I am making you a father of many nations. I will assure your power to multiply abundantly, so that you become nations, and kings will come from you. I establish my covenant as an ever-present covenant between myself and you, along with your descendants after you throughout their generations—to be God for you and for your descendants after you.”

Then God said to Abraham, “Sarai, your wife, will not be called Sarai, but her name will be Sarah. I will bless her, even giving you a son by her. I will bless her so that she becomes nations, and kings of peoples will come from her.”

The Psalm
Psalm 22:23-31
Praise God’s Power and Loving Compassion

God’s righteous rule merits our praise. Today’s psalm moves from God’s care for individuals, whose affliction God does not ignore (verse 24), to the congregation of Israel, in which God’s praise is heard (verse 25), to the farthest reaches of the earth (verse 27), and to all nations (verses 28-31). Recognizing God as eternal Lord of all nations, Psalm 22 expands upon the theme of the eternal covenant made with Abraham, described in today’s first reading (Genesis 17).
—

23. Praise God, those who revere the Lord!
    Glorify God, all descendants of Jacob!
    Stand in awe of God, all seed of Israel!
24. For God did not despise, God did not detest the affliction of the lowly.
    Nor did God turn away from them.
    God listened when the afflicted cried out.
25. On your behalf is my praise in the great congregation.
    My vows I will fulfill in the presence of those who revere the Lord.
26. The needy shall eat and be satisfied.
    Those who seek the Lord will praise God.
    May your hearts live forever!
27. Let all the farthest reaches of the earth recognize and turn to the Lord.
    Let all the families of the nations bow down before God.
28. For sovereignty belongs to the Lord,
    who rules the nations.
29. All the strong of the earth ate and bowed down.
    Before God shall kneel all who go down to dust,
    who are mortal.
30. Their descendants shall worship God.
    The Lord shall be proclaimed to future generations.
31. They will come and declare his righteousness to a people yet to be born,
    for God has acted.

The Second Reading
Romans 4:13-25
Abraham, Our Father

In the writings of the Apostle Paul, Abraham appears as the father of all peoples, as well as of Israel. Abraham “had faith in the Lord, and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6) centuries before Moses received the law at Mount Sinai. For that reason, Paul argues in this passage from the Epistle to the Romans, as he does elsewhere, that Abraham stands for the principle of faith for the world’s “many nations,” not only among those who keep the law.
—

The promise to Abraham and his descendants, that they will inherit the world, was not on the basis of law, but on the basis of righteousness that comes from faith, since if heirs are marked out by law, faith is voided and the promise is overturned. Law utilizes wrath, and where there is no law, neither is there transgression. For this reason, heirs are marked out by faith, so that grace confirms the promise to all descendants—not only to those who are marked out by law, but also to those who are marked out by Abraham’s faith. He, after all, is the father of us all, as it is written: “I have appointed you father of many nations,” in that he “had faith in God,” who brings alive the dead and calls what is from what is not. He had faith, piling hope upon hope, that he could become father of many nations, according to the assertion: “So will be your descendants.” One hundred years old, he did not consider his dying body, nor Sarah’s deadened womb, with any weakness of faith. He did not dismiss the promise of God with faithlessness, but was empowered in faith as he gave glory to God, convinced God would act as promised. Therefore, “it was credited to him as righteousness.” The phrase “it was credited to him” was written not only about him, but also about us, to whom righteousness is about to be credited, because we have faith in God, who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus, who was delivered over for our trespasses and was raised to set us right.

The Gospel
Mark 8:31-38
Losing One’s Life to Gain One’s Life

In this reading, the suffering that awaits Jesus is also a model for the experience of his followers. Jesus requires self-denial of himself and of his followers as well. For that reason, he uses the Aramaic phrase “son of man” (bar nasha), which means “a human being,” designating both the speaker and all people who are or can be in the speaker’s position. The usage plays a role in the Gospels’ theme of the connection between the pattern of Jesus’ life and that of his followers.
—

Jesus began to teach his students: “This human being must suffer much, be condemned by the elders and high priests and scribes, be killed—and finally after three days arise.” He spoke this word frankly; Rock—Peter—took him aside and began to scold him, but he turned away, saw his students, and scolded Rock. He said, “Get behind me, Satan, because you do not think God’s way, but people’s.”

He summoned the crowd with his students and said to them: “If anyone wants to come after me, deny yourself and take your cross and follow me! Because whoever wishes to save life itself, will lose it; but whoever will lose life for me and for the message, will save it. For what is the profit for a person to gain the whole world but forfeit life? What will a person give in exchange for life? Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, this human being will be ashamed of also, when he comes in the glory of the Father with the holy angels.”

or Mark 9:2-9
The Transfiguration

In this scene, three of Jesus’ students are given a glimpse of Jesus’ true identity. His physical appearance changes to represent his special association with God. The presence of Moses and Elijah puts him in the company of those who, according to the Judaic teaching of the time, lived on with God in heaven. Although he is compared to them, a voice from heaven insists that Jesus alone is God’s Son and that he should be heard.
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After six days Jesus took along Rock—Peter—and James and John and brought them up to a high mountain privately, alone. He was transmuted before them, and his clothing became gleaming, very white, as a launderer on the earth is not able to whiten. Elijah with Moses appeared to them, speaking together with Jesus. Rock reacted and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is fine for us to be here, and we should build three lodges: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Rock did not know how he should react, because they were terrified. And there came a cloud overshadowing them, and a sound from the cloud: “This is my Son, the beloved—hear him.” Suddenly, looking around, the three no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus, alone. They descended from the mountain, and he ordered them strictly not to relate to anyone what they had seen, except when this human being had arisen from the dead.

Because Lent in ancient Christianity was a season of the year set aside for preparing candidates for baptism, the baptism of Jesus, as presented in Mark’s Gospel, suitably anchors the theme of the First Sunday. As the reading from the First Epistle of Peter shows, early Christians saw the story of Noah and the Flood as a symbol of baptism, and Psalm 25 expresses the total commitment to God, and openness to God, that should motivate a person to be baptized.

The First Reading
Genesis 9:8-17
The Covenant with Noah

The first biblical mention of a divine covenant embraces all living beings for all time. It locates the sign of God’s faithfulness in a permanent, natural, and universal symbol, characterizing the covenant as similarly broad and dependable.
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God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “As for me, I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living being that is with you, with bird and with beast and with every animal on earth with you—from all that are emerging with you from the ark to every animal on earth. So I establish my covenant with you, that all flesh will not again be obliterated by the flood-waters, nor will there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

God said: “This is the sign of the covenant that I am setting forth between me and you, and every living being that is with you, for endless generations—my bow I have set in the cloud, which will serve as a covenantal sign between me and the earth. So when the clouds amass over the earth and the bow appears in the cloud, I will remember my covenant between me and you, and every living being in any form, and there will not again be water for a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud I will pay attention to it, remembering the ever-present covenant between God and every living being of any form that is on the earth.”

God said to Noah: “This is the sign of the covenant that I establish between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

The Psalm
Psalm 25:1-10
A Prayer for God’s Protection and Compassion

Psalm 25 alternates between petitions for God’s compassionate forgiveness of sin and pleas for the divine wisdom to ensure the psalmist will avoid future transgression. In the setting of Lent, this psalm expresses a total commitment and openness to God that should motivate a person to be baptized.
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1. For you, Lord, I yearn with all that I am!
2. My God, in you I place my trust.
   May I not suffer humiliation;
   let not my enemies exult over me!
3. May those who eagerly await you not suffer humiliation;
   let those who act treacherously be humiliated!
4. Declare your paths to me, Lord;
   teach me your ways!
5. Lead me along your paths of truth;
   teach me, for you are the God of my deliverance;
   I have always eagerly awaited you.
6. Remember your compassion, Lord, and your steadfast love,
   for they are eternal.
7. The transgressions of my youth and my sins remember not;
   in keeping with your steadfast love, remember me,
   on account of your goodness, Lord.
8. Good and upright is the Lord;
   therefore God instructs sinners in the correct way.
9. God leads the disadvantaged with justice,
   teaching God’s path to the impoverished.
10. All the ways of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness
    for those who keep God’s covenant and decrees.

The Second Reading
1 Peter 3:18-22
Victory through Suffering

The First Epistle of Peter encourages believers by reminding them that their pledge in baptism unites them with Jesus’ victory through suffering and over death. The encouragement comes as an invitation to see the experience of Noah as symbolic of believers’ redemption.
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For the Anointed also suffered once for sins—the righteous for the unrighteous—in order to lead you to God. Though put to bodily death, he was made alive in spirit. In spirit he also went and pronounced judgment to the spirits in prison, who earlier disobeyed during the days of Noah, when God waited patiently. Noah built the ark, in which only a few—eight people, in fact—were rescued through water. Immersion, the real water, now rescues you—not as a removal of filth from the body but as a pledge to God with full commitment—through the resurrection of Jesus the Anointed, who is at the right hand of God having gone into heaven, with angels, authorities, and powers put into submission to him.

The Gospel
Mark 1:9-15
The Baptism of Jesus

This reading calls attention to the link between the Spirit joining Jesus during his baptism by John and the beginning of Jesus’ announcement of the kingdom of God. In Mark’s presentation, the reference to an encounter with Satan after the baptism is severely abbreviated, in order to present Jesus as a man like Adam except in one respect. Like Adam, Jesus is in nature, he is cared for by God, and he confronts a test. Unlike Adam, however, Jesus is empowered by the Spirit. The reference to John’s arrest in this reading alludes to when Herod Antipas ordered John’s capture (and eventual execution) because John criticized Antipas’ marriage to his brother’s former wife (Mark 6:14-29).
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In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was immersed in the Jordan by John. He emerged from the water and at once saw heaven split, and the Spirit settling like a dove upon him. A voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son. I take pleasure in you.” At once the Spirit threw him out into the wilderness. Forty days he was in the wilderness, tested by Satan; he was among animals, and angels provided for him.

After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the message of God by saying, “The time has come and the kingdom of God has approached: repent and believe in the message.”