The Season of Epiphany
Scripture Selections from the Evangelical Heritage Version® 
following the Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Revised May 14, 2018

The Epiphany of Our Lord
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord is dawning upon you.
2Look, darkness covers the earth,
and deep darkness covers the peoples,
but the Lord will dawn upon you,
and his glory will be seen over you.
3Nations will walk to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4Look up. Look all around and see!
All of them have been gathered. They are coming to you.
Your sons will come from far away,
and people will carry your daughters on their side.
5Then you will look and be radiant.
Your heart will race with excitement and burst with joy.
For great riches from the sea will be delivered to you.
The wealth of the nations will come to you.
6Caravans of camels will cover your land,
young camels from Midian and Ephah.
All those from Sheba will come.
They will carry gold and incense,
and they will announce the good news of the praise of the Lord.

Second Lesson
Ephesians 3:2-12
2Surely you have heard of the administration of God’s grace given to me for you, 3namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation (as I have already written briefly). 4When you read this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5This mystery was not made known to people in past generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. 6This mystery is that in Christ Jesus the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and people who also share in the promise through the gospel. 
7I became a servant of this gospel, in keeping with the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. 8To me—even though I am the very least of all the saints—was given this grace: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ 9and to enlighten everyone about the administration of this mystery. In past ages this mystery remained hidden in God, who created all things. 10He did this so that, through the church, the multifaceted wisdom of God in the heavenly places might now be made known to the rulers and authorities. 11This was done according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12In him we can freely approach God with confidence through faith in him. 

Gospel 
Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, 2“Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4He gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet: 
6You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.” 
7Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.” 
9After listening to the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route. 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The First Sunday after the Epiphany—The Baptism of our Lord
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
1 Samuel 16:1-13
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I see a king for myself among his sons.”
2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the person that I point out to you.”
4So Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do and went to Bethlehem. Trembling with fear, the elders of the city came to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”
5He said, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, “Certainly this is the Lord’s anointed.”
7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
10Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?”
Jesse said, “There still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.”
12He sent for him and brought him in. David had red hair and striking eyes, and was good-looking. The Lord said, “Get up! Anoint him, because this is the one.”
13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed on David with power from that day forward. After that Samuel set out and returned to Ramah.

Second Lesson
Titus 3:4–7   
4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward mankind appeared, 5he saved us—not by righteous works that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with the hope of eternal life. 

Gospel 
Luke 3:15–17, 21–22   
15The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. 16John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But someone mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” 
21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. While he was praying, heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.” 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Isaiah 62:1-5
For the sake of Zion I will not be silent.
For the sake of Jerusalem I will not be quiet,
until her righteousness goes forth shining brightly,
and her salvation burns like a torch.
2Nations will see your righteousness,
and all kings will see your glory.
You will be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will assign to you.
3Then you will be a beautiful crown in the Lord’s hand,
and a royal diadem in the palm of your God.
4You will never again be called Abandoned,
and your land will never again be called Desolation,
for you will be called My Delight Is in Her,
and your land will be called Married,
because the Lord delights in you,
and your land will be married.
5For just as a young man marries a virgin,
your sons will marry you,
and just as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride,
your God will rejoice over you.

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 12:1–11   
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans, you were deceived and somehow led away to mute idols. 3Therefore I am informing you that no one speaking by God’s Spirit says, “A curse be upon Jesus,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 
4There are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5There are different kinds of ministries, and yet the same Lord. 6There are various kinds of activity, but the same God, who produces all of them in everyone. 
7Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8To one person a message of wisdom is given by the Spirit; to another, a message of knowledge, as the same Spirit provides it; 9by the same Spirit, faith is given to someone else; and to another, the same Spirit gives healing gifts. 10Another is given powers to do miracles; another, the gift of prophecy; another, the evaluating of spirits; someone else, different kinds of tongues; and another, the interpretation of tongues. 11One and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them to each one individually as he desires. 

Gospel 
John 2:1–11   
Three days later, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there. 2Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. 
3When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no wine.” 
4Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My time has not come yet.” 
5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 
6Six stone water jars, which the Jews used for ceremonial cleansing, were standing there, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. 8Then he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” And they did. 
9When the master of the banquet tasted the water that had now become wine, he did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew). The master of the banquet called the bridegroom 10and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when the guests have had plenty to drink, then the cheaper wine. You saved the good wine until now!” 
11This, the beginning of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Isaiah 61:1-6
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the afflicted.
He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release for those who are bound,
2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance for our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3to provide for those who mourn in Zion,
to give them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
a cloak of praise instead of a faint spirit,
so that they will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord to display his beauty.
4Then they will rebuild ancient ruins.
They will raise up what was formerly devastated,
and they will renew ruined cities,
which have been devastated for generations.
5Strangers will stand and shepherd your flock,
and foreigners will be your farmers and vinedressers.
6You will be called the Lord’s priests.
You will be named ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations,
and you will boast about their riches.

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 12:12–21, 26–27   
12For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we all were baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free people, and we were all caused to drink one Spirit. 14Furthermore, the body is not one member, but many. 15If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,” it does not on that account cease to be part of the body. 16If the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not part of the body,” it does not on that account cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But now God has arranged the members in the body, each and every one of them, as he desired. 19If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20But as it is, there are many members, yet one body. 
21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need for you,” or again the head to the feet, “I have no need for you.” 
26So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 
27You are the body of Christ, and individually you are members of it. 

Gospel 
Luke 4:14–21   
14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through all the surrounding area. 15He was teaching in their synagogues and being honored by everyone. 
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. 17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 
18The Spirit of the Lord is on me, 
because he anointed me to preach good news to the poor. 
He has sent me to proclaim freedom to the captives 
and recovery of sight to the blind, 
to set free those who are oppressed, 
19and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. 
20He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 
 
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Jeremiah 1:4-10
4The word of the Lord came to me.
5Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you,
and before you were born, I set you apart.
I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.
6But I said, “Ah, Lord God! I really do not know how to speak! I am only a child!”
7The Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone to whom I send you and say whatever I command you. 8Do not be afraid of them, because I am with you, and I will rescue you, declares the Lord.”
9Then the Lord stretched out his hand and touched my mouth. The Lord said to me:
There! I have now placed my words in your mouth.
10Look, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms
to uproot and to tear down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 12:27–13:13   
27You are the body of Christ, and individually you are members of it. 28And God appointed in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then miracles, healing gifts, helpful acts, leadership abilities, kinds of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all miracle workers? 30Do all have healing gifts? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? 31But eagerly seek the greater gifts. And now, I am going to show you a more excellent way. 
13:1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and know all the mysteries and have all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give away everything I own, and if I give up my body that I may be burned but do not have love, I gain nothing. 
4Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not envy. It does not brag. It is not arrogant. 5It does not behave indecently. It is not selfish. It is not irritable. It does not keep a record of wrongs. 6It does not rejoice over unrighteousness but rejoices with the truth. 7It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
8Love never comes to an end. But if there are prophetic gifts, they will be done away with; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be done away with. 9For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, 10but when that which is complete has come, that which is partial will be done away with. 11When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put away childish things. 12Now we see indirectly using a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I was fully known. 
13So now these three remain: faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. 

Gospel 
Luke 4:20–32   
20He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21He began to tell them, “Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 
22They all spoke well of him and were impressed by the words of grace that came from his mouth. And they kept saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” 
23He told them, “Certainly you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ Do here in your hometown everything we heard you did in Capernaum.” 24And he said, “Amen I tell you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25But truly I tell you: There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three years and six months, while a great famine came over all the land. 26Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in Sidon. 27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was healed except Naaman the Syrian.” 
28All those who were in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. 29They got up and drove him out of the town. They led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. 30But he passed through the middle of them and went on his way. 
31He went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbath. 32They were amazed by his teaching, because his message had authority. 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Isaiah 6:1-8
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two they covered their faces. With two they covered their feet. With two they flew. 3One called to another and said,
Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Armies!
The whole earth is full of his glory!
4The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of the one who called, and the temple was filled with smoke.
5Then I said, “I am doomed! I am ruined, because I am a man with unclean lips, and I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Armies!”
6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, carrying a glowing coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7He touched my mouth with the coal and said, “Look, this has touched your lips, so your guilt is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.”
8Then I heard the Lord’s voice, saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?”
Then I said, “Here I am. Send me!”

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 14:12b–20   
Since you are eager for spiritual gifts, seek to use them abundantly in a way that will build up the church. 
13That is why a person who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. 15So what is to be done? I will pray using my spirit, and I will pray also using my understanding. I will sing using my spirit, and I will sing also using my understanding. 16Otherwise, how will an uninformed person say the “Amen” after you give thanks, since he does not know what you are saying? 17To be sure, you are giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19But in the church I would rather speak five words with my understanding, in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. 
20Brothers, do not be children in your thinking, but be like babies in regard to evil, and be mature in your thinking. 

Gospel 
Luke 5:1–11   
One time, while the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. 2He saw two boats there along the lakeshore. The fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. 3Jesus got into one of the boats, which belonged to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from the shore. He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat. 4When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” 
5Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. 7They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” 9For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, 10and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. 
Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.” 
11After they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Jeremiah 17:5-8
5This is what the Lord says.
Cursed is anyone who trusts in mankind,
who seeks his strength from human flesh,
and who turns his heart away from the Lord.
6He will be like a juniper bush in the wasteland.
He will not see good things when they come.
He lives in a dry place in the wilderness,
in a salty land where no one lives.
7But blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord,
whose confidence is in him.
8He will be like a tree planted by water.
It sends out its roots to the stream.
It does not fear the heat when it comes.
Its leaves will remain green.
It is not concerned about a time of drought.
It does not stop producing fruit.

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20   
12Now if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how is it that some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 
16For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then it also follows that those who fell asleep in Christ perished. 19If our hope in Christ applies only to this life, we are the most pitiful people of all. 
20But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

Gospel 
Luke 6:17–26   
17He went down with them and stood on a level place with a large crowd of his disciples, and a large number of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, as well as from the coastal area of Tyre and Sidon. These people came to listen to him and to be healed of their diseases. 18Those who were troubled by unclean spirits were also cured. 19The whole crowd kept trying to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all. 
20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples and said: 
Blessed are you who are poor, 
because yours is the kingdom of God. 
21Blessed are you who hunger now, 
because you will be satisfied. 
Blessed are you who weep now, 
because you will laugh. 
22Blessed are you whenever people hate you, 
and whenever they exclude and insult you 
and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man. 
23“Rejoice in that day and leap for joy because of this: Your reward is great in heaven! The fact is, their fathers constantly did the same things to the prophets. 
24But woe to you who are rich, 
because you are receiving your comfort now. 
25Woe to you who are well fed now, 
because you will be hungry. 
Woe to you who laugh now, 
because you will be mourning and weeping. 
26Woe to you when all people speak well of you, 
because that is how their fathers constantly treated the false prophets. 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Genesis 45:3–8a, 15 
3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” 
His brothers could not answer him, because they were terrified by his presence. 4Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me, please.” 
They came closer. He said, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5Now do not be upset or angry with yourselves for selling me to this place, since God sent me ahead of you to preserve life. 6For two years now the famine has been in the land, and there are still five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. 7God sent me ahead of you to preserve you as survivors on the earth, and to keep you alive by a great act of deliverance. 8So it was not you who sent me here, but God. 
15He kissed all his brothers and wept over them. After that his brothers talked with him. 

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 15:35–38a, 42–49   
35But someone will object, “How can it be that the dead are raised? With what kind of body are they going to come?” 
36You are being foolish. What you sow is not made alive unless it dies. 37And what you sow is not the body that will be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or some other grain. 38But God gives it a body of the kind he wanted it to have. 
42That is the way the resurrection of the dead will be. What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown as a natural body; it is raised as a spiritual body. 
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living natural being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46However, that which is spiritual is not first; rather, first comes the natural, then the spiritual. 47The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven. 48As was the man made of dust, so are the people who are made of dust, and as is the heavenly man, so the heavenly people will be. 49And just as we have borne the image of the man made of dust, let us also bear the image of the heavenly man. 

Gospel 
Luke 6:27–38   
27“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. 28Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, offer the other too. If someone takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes away your things, do not demand them back. 
31“Treat others just as you would want them to treat you. 32If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? To be sure, even the sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners do the same thing. 34If you lend to those from whom you expect to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even the sinners lend to sinners in order to be paid back in full. 35Instead, love your enemies, do good and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the unthankful and the evil. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. 
37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. In fact, the measure with which you measure will be measured back to you.” 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Jeremiah 7:1-7
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord.
2Stand in the gate of the House of the Lord and proclaim this message there.
Hear the word of the Lord, all you people of Judah who are coming through this gate to worship the Lord. 3This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says.
Reform your ways and your actions, and I will establish you in this place. 4Do not trust in deceptive words and say, “This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.”
5Sincerely reform your ways and your actions. Carry out justice between a man and his neighbor. 6Do not oppress the alien who lives in your land, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place. Do not follow after other gods to your own harm. If you avoid these things, 7I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your fathers forever and ever.
8Take warning. You are trusting in deceptive words that cannot help you.
9Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and swear falsely? Will you offer sacrifices to Baal and follow other gods you do not know? 10Will you come and stand before me in this temple that bears my Name, and say, “We are safe,” the whole time you do all these detestable things? 11This house bears my Name! Have you made it a den of robbers? Watch out! I myself have been watching, declares the Lord.

Second Lesson
1 Corinthians 16:5–9, 13–14   
5I will come to you when I have passed through Macedonia, for I am going to go through Macedonia. 6Perhaps I will have an extended stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may send me on my way, wherever I go. 7For I do not wish to see you now in passing. I hope to stay with you for a while, if the Lord permits. 8But I will stay on in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9because a door has opened for me, a great opportunity for action, and there are many adversaries. 
13Keep alert. Stand firm in the faith. Demonstrate manly courage. Be strong. 14Let everything you do be done in love. 

Gospel 
Luke 6:39–49   
39He also told them a parable: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Won’t they both fall into a pit? 40A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 42Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck in your eye,’ when you do not see the beam in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck in your brother’s eye. 
43“Certainly a good tree does not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree does not produce good fruit. 44In fact, each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorn bushes, and they do not gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45The good person brings what is good out of the good stored in his heart, and the evil person brings what is evil out of the evil within. To be sure, what his mouth speaks flows from the heart. 
46“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: 48He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid a foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river beat against that house but could not shake it, because it was founded on bedrock. 49But the one who listened to my words and did not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river broke against it, it fell immediately, and that house was completely destroyed.” 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved. 

The Last Sunday after the Epiphany—The Transfiguration of Our Lord
Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal 3-Year Lectionary, Year C
Evangelical Heritage Version®

First Lesson
Exodus 34:29–35   
29When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not realize that the skin of his face was shining because he had been speaking with the Lord. 30When Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, they were amazed that the skin of his face was shining, so they were afraid to come close to him. 31Moses called to them, so Aaron and all the rulers of the community returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. 32Afterward all the people of Israel came close to him, and he gave them all of the commands that the Lord had spoken to him on Mount Sinai. 33When Moses was finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34But whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off until he came out again. Then he would come out and tell the people of Israel what he had been commanded. 35Whenever the people of Israel saw Moses’ face, they would see that the skin of Moses’ face was shining. Then Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with the Lord again. 

Second Lesson
2 Corinthians 4:3–6   
3But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled among those who are perishing. 4In the case of those people, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from clearly seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is God’s image. 
5Indeed, we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For the God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” is the same one who made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. 

Gospel 
Luke 9:28–36   
28About eight days after he said these words, Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30Just then, two men, Moses and Elijah, were talking with him! 31They appeared in glory and were talking about his departure, which he was going to bring to fulfillment in Jerusalem. 
32Peter and those with him were weighed down with sleep, but when they were completely awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 
33As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let’s make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not realize what he was saying. 
34While he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them. They were afraid as they went into the cloud. 35Then a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” 36After the voice had spoken, they found Jesus alone. They kept this secret and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. 

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version® (EHV®) copyright © 2018 The Wartburg Project. All rights reserved.
www.wartburgproject.org

Some quotations from the Old Testament are samples and may not reflect the final wording. 
Comments and suggestions may be submitted at: wartburgproject.org/contact/

Lectionary listings from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House. All rights reserved.