December 17, 2020
Thursday, December 17, 2020
Sts. Indus and Domna,
Sts. Clericus the Priest and the 20,000 Martyrs of Nicomedia
Wisdom 3:1-8
Jeremiah 30:18-22
I Peter 4:12-19
John 15:17-25
Wisdom 3:1-8
[1] But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
and no torment will ever touch them.
[2] In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died,
and their departure was thought to be an affliction,
[3] and their going from us to be their destruction;
but they are at peace.
[4] For though in the sight of men they were punished,
their hope is full of immortality.
[5] Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good,
because God tested them and found them worthy of himself;
[6] like gold in the furnace he tried them,
and like a sacrificial burnt offering he accepted them.
[7] In the time of their visitation they will shine forth,
and will run like sparks through the stubble.
[8] They will govern nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord will reign over them for ever.
Jeremiah 30:18-22
[18] “Thus says the LORD:
Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob,
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city shall be rebuilt upon its mound,
and the palace shall stand where it used to be.
[19] Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,
and the voices of those who make merry.
I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;
I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.
[20] Their children shall be as they were of old,
and their congregation shall be established before me;
and I will punish all who oppress them.
[21] Their prince shall be one of themselves,
their ruler shall come forth from their midst;
I will make him draw near, and he shall approach me,
for who would dare of himself to approach me? says the LORD.
[22] And you shall be my people,
and I will be your God.”
I Peter 4:12-19
[12] Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which comes upon you to prove you, as though something strange were happening to you.
[13] But rejoice in so far as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
[14] If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
[15] But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker;
[16] yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.
[17] For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
[18] And “If the righteous man is scarcely saved,
where will the impious and sinner appear?”
[19] Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.
John 15:17-25
[17] This I command you, to love one another.
[18] “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
[19] If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
[20] Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.
[21] But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me.
[22] If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.
[23] He who hates me hates my Father also.
[24] If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.
[25] It is to fulfil the word that is written in their law, `They hated me without a cause.’
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible is copyright © National Council of Churches of Christ in America
Tag:lectionary