Lectionary Readings
Book of Common Prayer - 1979
Sunday, March-30-2014
Fourth Sunday in Lent

The Collect

Fourth Sunday in Lent
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which giveth life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of Lent

Old Testament Reading

1 Samuel 16:1-13
¹Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons." ²And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." But the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' ³Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you." ⁴So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" ⁵And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. ⁶So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before Him!" ⁷But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." ⁸So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." ⁹Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one." ¹⁰Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." ¹¹And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." ¹²So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!" ¹³Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 23

Dominus regit me
1The LORD is my shepherd; *
     I shall not be in want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures *
     and leads me beside still waters.
3He revives my soul *
     and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
     I shall fear no evil; *
     for you are with me;
     your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5You spread a table before me in the presence of those
     who trouble me; *
     you have anointed my head with oil,
     and my cup is running over.
6Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
     of my life, *
     and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

New Testament Reading

Ephesians 5:(1-7)8-14
(¹Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ²And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. ³But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. ⁵For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore do not be partakers with them. )⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light ⁹(for the fruit of the Spiritis in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ¹¹And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. ¹³But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. ¹⁴Therefore He says: " Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light." -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

John 9:1-13(14-27)28-38
¹Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. ²And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" ³Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. ⁴I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." ⁶When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. ⁷And He said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. ⁸Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, "Is not this he who sat and begged?" ⁹Some said, "This is he." Others said, "He is like him." He said, "I am he." ¹⁰Therefore they said to him, "How were your eyes opened?" ¹¹He answered and said, "A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.' So I went and washed, and I received sight." ¹²Then they said to him, "Where is He?" He said, "I do not know." ¹³They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. (¹⁴Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. ¹⁵Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, "He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see." ¹⁶Therefore some of the Pharisees said, "This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" And there was a division among them. ¹⁷They said to the blind man again, "What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet." ¹⁸But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. ¹⁹And they asked them, saying, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?" ²⁰His parents answered them and said, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; ²¹but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself." ²²His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. ²³Therefore his parents said, "He is of age; ask him." ²⁴So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, "Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner." ²⁵He answered and said, "Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see." ²⁶Then they said to him again, "What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?" ²⁷He answered them, "I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?" )²⁸Then they reviled him and said, "You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. ²⁹We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from." ³⁰The man answered and said to them, "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! ³¹Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. ³²Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. ³³If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing." ³⁴They answered and said to him, "You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?" And they cast him out. ³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?" ³⁶He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?" ³⁷And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you." ³⁸Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him. -- NKJV