Selected Scripture Readings
| July 14, 2019 |
| EPISTLE: Romans (10: 1 - 10) Brothers and Sisters! My heart's desire, my prayer to God of the Israelites, is that they may be saved. Indeed, I can testify that they are zealous for God though their zeal is unenlightened. Unaware of God's justice and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the justice of God. Christ is the end of the law. Through him, justice comes to everyone who believes. Moses writes of the justice that comes from the law, “The one who observes the law shall live by it.” But of the justice that comes from faith he says, “Do not say in your heart, 'Who shall go up into heaven?' (that is, to bring Christ down), or 'Who shall go down into the abyss?' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” What is it he does say? “The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach). For if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Faith in the heart leads to justification, confession on the lips to salvation. GOSPEL: Matthew(8: 28 - 9:1) At that time as Jesus approached the Gadarene
boundary, he encountered two men coming out
of the tombs. They were possessed by demons
and were so savage that no one could travel
along that road. With a sudden shriek they cried:
“Why meddle with us, Son of God? Have you
come to torture us before the appointed time?”
Some distance away a large herd of swine was
feeding. The demons kept appealing to him, “If
you expel us, send us into the herd of swine.” He
answered, “Out with you!” At that they came
forth and entered the swine. The whole herd
went rushing down the bluff into the sea and
were drowned. The swineherds took to their
heels, and upon their arrival in the town related
everything that had happened, including the
story about the two possessed men. The upshot
was that the entire town came out to meet
Jesus. When they caught sight of him, they
begged him to leave their neighbourhood. Then
he reentered the boat, made the crossing, and
came back to his own town.
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| July 21, 2019 |
| EPISTLE: Romans (12: 6-14)
Brothers and Sisters! We have gifts that differ
according to the favor bestowed on each of us.
One’s gift may be prophecy; its use should be in
proportion to his faith. It may be the gift of
ministry; it should be used for service. One who
is a teacher should use his gift for teaching; one
with the power of exhortation, should exhort. He
who gives alms should do so generously; he
who rules should exercise his authority with
care; he who performs works of mercy should
do so cheerfully. Your love must be sincere.
Detest what is evil, cling to what is good. Love
one another with the affection of brothers.
Anticipate each other in showing respect. Do
not grow slack but be fervent in spirit; he whom
you serve is the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be
patient under trial, persevere in prayer. Look on the needs of the saints as your own; be
generous in offering hospitality. Bless your
persecutors; bless and do not curse them.
At that time Jesus reentered the boat, made the
crossing, and came back to his own town. There
the people at once brought to him a paralyzed
man lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith
he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son,
your sins are forgiven.” At that some of the
scribes said to themselves, “The man
blasphemes.” Jesus was aware of what they
were thinking and said: “Why do you harbor evil
thoughts? Which is less trouble to say, ‘Your
sins are forgiven’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? To
help you realize that the Son of Man has
authority on earth to forgive sins” -- he then said
to the paralyzed man -- “Stand up! Roll up your
mat, and go home.” The man stood up and went
toward his home. At the sight, a feeling of awe
came over the crowd, and they praised God for
giving such authority to men.
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July 28, 2019 |
| EPISTLE: Romans (15: 1-7) Brothers and Sisters! We who are strong in faith should be patient with the scruples of those whose faith is weak; we must not be selfish. Each should please his neighbour so as to do him good by building up his spirit. Thus, in accord with Scripture, Christ did not please himself: “The reproaches they uttered against you fell on me.” Everything written before our time was written for our instruction, that we might derive hope from the lessons of patience and the words of encouragement in the Scriptures. May God, the source of all patience and encouragement, enable you to live in perfect harmony with one another according to the spirit of Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and voice you may glorify God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, as Christ accepted you, for the glory of God. GOSPEL: Matthew (9: 27-35) At that time as Jesus moved on, two blind men came after him crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he got to the house, the blind men caught up with him. Jesus said to them, “Are you confident I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they told him. At that he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith it shall be done to you,” and they recovered their sight. Then Jesus warned them sternly, “See to it that no one knows of this.” But they went off and spread word of him through the whole area. As they were leaving, suddenly some people brought him a mute who was possessed by a demon. Once the demon was expelled the mute began to speak, to the great surprise of the crowds, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!” they exclaimed. But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out demons through the prince of demons.” Jesus continued his tour of all the towns and villages. He taught in their synagogues, he proclaimed the good news of God’s reign, and he cured every sickness and disease. |
| TBA |
| EPISTLE: TBA GOSPEL: TBA This page was last updated July 13, 2019 |