Mark 1:14-20

14Now after John was arrested,
Jesus came to Galilee,
proclaiming the good news of God,
15and saying, ...The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God has come near;
repent, and believe in the good news.o
16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee,
he saw Simon and his brother Andrew
casting a net into the sea'for they were fishermen.
17And Jesus said to them,
...Follow me and I will make you fish for people.o
18And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
19As he went a little farther,
he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John,
who were in their boat mending the nets.
20Immediately he called them;
and they left their father Zebedee
in the boat with the hired men,
and followed him.

For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born,
and a time to die;


a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill,
and a time to heal;

a time to break down,
and a time to build up;

a time to weep,
and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn,
and a time to dance;

a time to throw away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;


a time to embrace,
and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek,
and a time to lose;

a time to keep,
and a time to throw away;

a time to tear,
and a time to sew;


a time to keep silence,
and a time to speak;

a time to love,
and a time to hate;


a time for war,
and a time for peace.

What gain have the workers from their toil?
I have seen the business
that God has given to everyone
to be busy with.

He has made everything suitable for its time;
moreover,
he has put a sense of past and future
into their minds,

yet they cannot find out
what God has done
from the beginning to the end.

I know that there is nothing better for them
than to be happy and enjoy themselves
as long as they live;

moreover,
it is God's gift
that all should eat and drink
and take pleasure in all their toil.

Revelation 1:1-6a

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth;
for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.

And I saw the holy city,
the new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
'See, the home* of God is among mortals.
He will dwell* with them;
they will be his peoples,*
and God himself will be with them;*
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.


Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.'
And the one who was seated on the throne said,
'See, I am making all things new.'

Also he said,
'Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.'

Then he said to me,
'It is done!
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end.

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness,
Proclaiming a baptism of repentance
For the forgiveness of sins.

And people from the whole Judean countryside
And all the people of Jerusalem
Were going out to him,
And were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
Confessing their sins.

Now John was clothed with camel's hair,
With a leather belt around his waist,
And he ate locusts and wild honey.

He proclaimed,
...The one who is more powerful than I
is coming after me;
I am not worthy to stoop down
And untie the thong of his sandals.

I have baptized you with water;
But he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee
And was baptized by John in the Jordan.

And just as he was coming up out of the water,
He saw the heavens torn apart
And the Spirit descending like a dove on him.

And a voice came from heaven,
...You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.o

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli.
The word of the Lord was rare in those days;
Visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli,
whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see,
was lying in his room;

The lamp of God had not yet gone out,
And Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord,
Where the ark of God was.

Then the Lord called, ...Samuel! Samuel!o
And he said, ...Here I am!o

And ran to Eli, and said,
...Here I am, for you called me.o
But he said, ...I did not call; lie down again.o
So he went and lay down.

The Lord called again, ...Samuel!o
Samuel got up and went to Eli,
And said, ...Here I am, for you called me.o
But he said, ...I did not call, my son, lie down again.o

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord,
And the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

The Lord called Samuel again, a third time.
And he got up and went to Eli,
And said, ...Here I am, for you called me.o
Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.

Therefore Eli said to Samuel, ...Go lie down;
And if he calls you, you shall say,
...Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.o
So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the Lord came and stood there,
calling as before, ...Samuel! Samuel!o
And Samuel said,
...Speak, for your servant is listening.o

Matthew 2:1-12 The Magi

2In the time of King Herod,
after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2asking,
...Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?
For we observed his star at its rising,
and have come to pay him homage.o

3When King Herod heard this,
he was frightened,
and all Jerusalem with him;
4and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5They told him,
...In Bethlehem of Judea;
for so it has been written by the prophet:
6'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'o

7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men
and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.
8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
...Go and search diligently for the child;
and when you have found him, bring me word
so that I may also go and pay him homage.o

9When they had heard the king, they set out;
and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10When they saw that the star had stopped,
they were overwhelmed with joy.

11On entering the house,
they saw the child with Mary his mother;
and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Then, opening their treasure chests,
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they left for their own country by another road.

Isaiah 40:1-11
Comfort, O comfort my people1/2


Comfort, O comfort my people,
says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and cry to her
that she has served her term,
that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord's hand
double for all her sins.

3 A voice cries out:
'In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5 Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.'

6 A voice says, 'Cry out!'
And I said, 'What shall I cry?'
All people are grass,
their constancy is like the flower of the field.
7 The grass withers, the flower fades,
when the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers, the flower fades;
but the word of our God will stand for ever.




Isaiah 40:1-11 (page 2 of 2)

9 Get you up to a high mountain,
O Zion, herald of good tidings;*
lift up your voice with strength,
O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,*
lift it up, do not fear;
say to the cities of Judah,
'Here is your God!'


10 See, the Lord God comes with might,
and his arm rules for him;
his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.


11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.










Mark 1:1-8
The preaching of John the Baptizer1/2
(page 1 of 1)

The beginning of the good news*
of Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.*
2
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,*
'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,*
who will prepare your way;
3 the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
...Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straighto ',

4John the baptizer appeared* in the wilderness,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sins.

5And people from the whole Judean countryside
and all the people of Jerusalem
were going out to him,
and were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.

6Now John was clothed with camel's hair,
with a leather belt around his waist,
and he ate locusts and wild honey.

7He proclaimed,
'The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;
I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.
8I have baptized you with* water;
but he will baptize you with* the Holy Spirit.'

Isaiah 64:1-9 (Nov 27, 2011)

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,
So that the mountains would quake at your presence
As when fire kindles brushwood and the fire causes water to boil
To make your name known to your adversaries,
So that the nations might tremble at your presence!

When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,
You came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

From ages past no one has heard, no ear has perceived,
No eye has seen any god besides you,
Who works for those who wait for him.

You meet those who gladly do right,
Those who remember you in your ways.
But you were angry, and we sinned;
Because you hid yourself we transgressed.

We have all become like one who is unclean,
All our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.
We all fade like a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

There is no one who calls on your name,
Or attempts to take hold of you;
For you have hidden your face form us,
And have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

Yet, O Lord, you are our Parent;
We are the clay, and you are our potter;
We are all the work of your hand.

Do not be exceedingly angry, O Lord,
And do not remember iniquity forever.
Now consider, we are all your people.
Mark 13:24-37 (Nov 27, 2011)

But in those days, after that suffering,
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will be falling from heaven,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds'
with great power and glory.
Then he will send out the angels,
and gather his elect from the four winds,
from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

From the fig tree, learn its lesson:
as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves,
you know that the summer is near.
So also, when you see these things taking place,
you know that the Christ is near, at the very gates.
Truly I tell you,
this generation will not pass away until all this things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

But about that day or hour no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home
and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work,
and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.

Therefore, keep awake
for you do not know when the master of the house will come,
in the dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.
And what I say to you I say to all:
Keep awake.o

Judges 4:1-24 Deborah & Barak
November 13, 2011 page 1 of 4

4The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
after Ehud died.

2So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan,
who reigned in Hazor;
the commander of his army was Sisera,
who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim.

3Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help;
for he had nine hundred chariots of iron,
and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years.

4 At that time Deborah,
a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth,
was judging Israel.
5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah
between Ramah and Bethel
in the hill country of Ephraim;
and the Israelites came up to her for judgement.

6She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam
from Kedesh in Naphtali,
and said to him, 'The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you,
...Go, take position at Mount Tabor,
bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali
and the tribe of Zebulun.
7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army,
to meet you by the Wadi Kishon
with his chariots and his troops;
and I will give him into your hand.o '

Page 2 of 4
8
Barak said to her,
'If you will go with me, I will go;
but if you will not go with me, I will not go.'

9And she said,
'I will surely go with you;
nevertheless, the road on which you are going
will not lead to your glory,
for the Lord will sell Sisera
into the hand of a woman.'

Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

10Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh;
and ten thousand warriors went up behind him;
and Deborah went up with him.
11
Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites,*
that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses,
and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim,
which is near Kedesh.

12 When Sisera was told
that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor,
13Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron,
and all the troops who were with him,
from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon.

14Then Deborah said to Barak,
'Up! For this is the day
on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand.
The Lord is indeed going out before you.'
Page 3 of 4

So Barak went down from Mount Tabor
with ten thousand warriors following him.

15And the Lord threw Sisera
and all his chariots and all his army
into a panic* before Barak;

Sisera got down from his chariot
and fled away on foot,
16while Barak pursued the chariots and the army
to Harosheth-ha-goiim.
All the army of Sisera fell by the sword;
no one was left.

17 Now Sisera had fled away on foot
to the tent of Jael wife of Heber the Kenite;
for there was peace
between King Jabin of Hazor
and the clan of Heber the Kenite.

18Jael came out to meet Sisera, and said to him,
'Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; have no fear.'

So he turned aside to her into the tent,
and she covered him with a rug.

19Then he said to her,
'Please give me a little water to drink; for I am thirsty.'

So she opened a skin of milk
and gave him a drink and covered him.

Page 4 of 4

20He said to her,
'Stand at the entrance of the tent,
and if anybody comes and asks you,
...Is anyone here?o
say, ...No.o '

21But Jael wife of Heber took a tent-peg,
and took a hammer in her hand,
and went softly to him
and drove the peg into his temple,
until it went down into the ground
'he was lying fast asleep from weariness'
and he died.

22Then, as Barak came in pursuit of Sisera,
Jael went out to meet him, and said to him,
'Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.'

So he went into her tent;
and there was Sisera lying dead,
with the tent-peg in his temple.

23 So on that day God subdued King Jabin of Canaan
before the Israelites.
24Then the hand of the Israelites bore harder and harder
on King Jabin of Canaan,
until they destroyed King Jabin of Canaan.

Joshua 24:1-15
November 6, 2011

24Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem,
and summoned the elders, the heads,
the judges, and the officers of Israel;
and they presented themselves before God.

2And Joshua said to all the people,
'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel:
Long ago your ancestors
'Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor'
lived beyond the Euphrates
and served other gods.

3Then I took your father Abraham
from beyond the River
and led him through all the land of Canaan
and made his offspring many.

I gave him Isaac;
4and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau.
I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess,
but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt.

5Then I sent Moses and Aaron,
and I plagued Egypt with what I did in its midst;
and afterwards I brought you out.


6When I brought your ancestors out of Egypt,
you came to the sea;
and the Egyptians pursued your ancestors
with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.*

7When they cried out to the Lord,
he put darkness between you and the Egyptians,
and made the sea come upon them and cover them;
and your eyes saw what I did to Egypt.

Afterwards you lived in the wilderness for a long time.

8Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites,
who lived on the other side of the Jordan;
they fought with you, and I handed them over to you,
and you took possession of their land,
and I destroyed them before you.

9Then King Balak, son of Zippor of Moab,
set out to fight against Israel.
He sent and invited Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10but I would not listen to Balaam;
therefore he blessed you;
so I rescued you out of his hand.

11When you went over the Jordan
and came to Jericho,
the citizens of Jericho fought against you,
and also the Amorites, the Perizzites,
the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Girgashites, the Hivites,
and the Jebusites;
and I handed them over to you.

12I sent the hornet* ahead of you,
which drove out before you
the two kings of the Amorites;
it was not by your sword or by your bow.

13I gave you a land
on which you had not laboured,
and towns
that you had not built,
and you live in them;
you eat the fruit of vineyards and olive groves
that you did not plant.
14
'Now therefore revere the Lord,
and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness;
put away the gods that your ancestors served
beyond the River and in Egypt,
and serve the Lord.

15Now if
you are unwilling
to serve the Lord,

choose this day
whom you will serve,

whether the gods your ancestors served
in the region beyond the River

or the gods of the Amorites
in whose land you are living;

but as for me
and my household,
we will serve the Lord.'