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Today
is: January 4th Second Sunday of Christmas.
First Reading: Jeremiah 31.7-14.
A reading from the book of the prophet Jeremiah.
7 Thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for
Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say, 'Save, O Lord, your
people, the remnant of Israel.' 8 See, I am going
to bring them from the land of the north, and gather
them from the farthest parts of the earth, among
them the blind and the lame, those with child and
those in labour, together; a great company, they
shall return here. 9 With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back, I will
let them walk by brooks of water in a straight path
in which they shall not stumble; for I have become
a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare
it in the coastlands far away; say, 'He who scattered
Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd
a flock.' 11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and
has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height
of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness
of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd; their
life shall become like a watered garden, and they
shall never languish again. 13 Then shall the young
women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and
the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning
into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness
for sorrow. 14 I will give the priests their fill
of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with
my bounty, says the Lord.
Psalm:
147.12-20
But
the Lord delights in / those who / fear him:
who
put their trust / in his / steadfast / love.
Sing
praise to the Lord, / O Je/rusalem:
praise
your / God, / O / Zion;
For
he has strengthened the / bars of your / gates:
and
has / blest your / children with/in you.
He
has established peace / in your / borders:
and
satisfies you / with the / finest / wheat.
He
sends forth his command / to the / earth:
and
his / word runs / very / swiftly.
He
gives / snow like / wool:
and
/ scatters the / hoarfrost like / ashes.
He
casts down his hailstones like / morsels of / bread:
who
/ can en/dure his / frost?
He
sends forth his / word and / melts them:
he
blows with his wind / and the / waters / flow.
He
declares his / word to / Jacob:
his
/ statutes and / judgements to / Israel.
Second Reading: Ephesians 1.3-14
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
3 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ
he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly world. 4 Even before the
world was made, God had already chosen us to be
his through our union with Christ, so that we would
be holy and without fault before him. Because of
his love 5 God had already decided that
through Jesus Christ he would make us his children
- this was his pleasure and purpose. 6 Let
us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free
gift he gave us in his dear Son! 7 For by
the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our
sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,
8 which he gave to us in such large measure!
In all his wisdom and insight 9 God did
what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret
plan he had already decided to complete by means
of Christ. 10 This plan, which God will
complete when the time is right, is to bring all
creation together, everything in heaven and on earth,
with Christ as head. 11 All things are done
according to God's plan and decision; and God chose
us to be his own people in union with Christ because
of his own purpose, based on what he had decided
from the very beginning. 12 Let us, then,
who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's
glory! 13 And you also became God's people
when you heard the true message, the Good News that
brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and
God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving
you the Holy Spirit he had promised. 14
The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive
what God has promised his people, and this assures
us that God will give complete freedom to those
who are his. Let us praise his glory!
Gospel: John 1.1-18
Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according
to John. 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was
in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into
being through him, and without him not one thing
came into being. 4 What has come into being in him
was life and the life was the light of all people.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness
did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness
to testify to the light, so that all might believe
through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but
he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light,
which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came into
being through him; yet the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, and his own people
did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him,
who believed in his name, he gave power to become
children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood
or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man,
but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived
among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory
as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
15 (John testified to him and cried out, 'This was
he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks
ahead of me because he was before me."') 16 From
his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace
and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has
ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close
to the Father's heart, who has made him known.
Post Communion Prayer: All praise to you, almighty
God and heavenly King, who sent your Son into the
world to take our nature upon him and to be born
of a pure virgin: grant that, as we are born again
in him, so he may continually dwell in us and reign
on earth as he reigns in heaven, now and for ever.
Amen
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