Saturday, September 19, 2020

Feast of the Holy Cross

Isaiah 51:4-11
I Timothy 6:13-16
John 7:37-52

Isaiah 51:4-11

[4] “Listen to me, my people,
and give ear to me, my nation;
for a law will go forth from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
[5] My deliverance draws near speedily,
my salvation has gone forth,
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
[6] Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and they who dwell in it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be for ever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.
[7] “Hearken to me, you who know righteousness,
the people in whose heart is my law;
fear not the reproach of men,
and be not dismayed at their revilings.
[8] For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will eat them like wool;
but my deliverance will be for ever,
and my salvation to all generations.”
[9] Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the LORD;
awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago.
Was it not thou that didst cut Rahab in pieces,
that didst pierce the dragon?
[10] Was it not thou that didst dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep;
that didst make the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to pass over?
[11] And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

I Timothy 6:13-16

[13] In the presence of God who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession,
[14] I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ;
[15] and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
[16] who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

John 7:37-52

[37] On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.
[38] He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, `Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’”
[39] Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
[40] When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.”
[41] Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?
[42] Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”
[43] So there was a division among the people over him.
[44] Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.
[45] The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?”
[46] The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!”
[47] The Pharisees answered them, “Are you led astray, you also?
[48] Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him?
[49] But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed.”
[50] Nicode’mus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them,
[51] “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”
[52] They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee.”

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible is copyright © National Council of Churches of Christ in America