Saturday, October 30, 2021

St. John Chrysostom

Isaiah 49:1-6
Acts 20:25-38
John 15:17-25

Isaiah 49:1-6

[1] Listen to me, O coastlands,
and hearken, you peoples from afar.
The LORD called me from the womb,
from the body of my mother he named my name.
[2] He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
in his quiver he hid me away.
[3] And he said to me, “You are my servant,
Israel, in whom I will be glorified.”
[4] But I said, “I have labored in vain,
I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my right is with the LORD,
and my recompense with my God.”
[5] And now the LORD says,
who formed me from the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
and that Israel might be gathered to him,
for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD,
and my God has become my strength —
[6] he says:
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to restore the preserved of Israel;
I will give you as a light to the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”

Acts 20:25-38

[25] And now, behold, I know that all you among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom will see my face no more.
[26] Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you,
[27] for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
[28] Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son.
[29] I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
[30] and from among your own selves will arise men speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.
[31] Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
[32] And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
[33] I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
[34] You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities, and to those who were with me.
[35] In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, `It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
[36] And when he had spoken thus, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
[37] And they all wept and embraced Paul and kissed him,
[38] sorrowing most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they should see his face no more. And they brought him to the ship.

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