CHAPTER 1

Year One

Ash Wednesday

A Reading (Lesson) from the Book of Jonah [3:1–4:11]

The word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up,go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tellyou." So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word ofthe Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days'walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. Andhe cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" Andthe people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone,great and small, put on sackcloth. When the news reached theking of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, coveredhimself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamationmade in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No humanbeing or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall notfeed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall becovered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shallturn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands.Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn fromhis fierce anger, so that we do not perish." When God saw what theydid, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mindabout the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and hedid not do it. But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he becameangry. He prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord! Is not this what Isaid while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshishat the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful,slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relentfrom punishing. And now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for itis better for me to die than to live." And the Lord said, "Is it right foryou to be angry?" Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down eastof the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in theshade, waiting to see what would become of the city. The Lord Godappointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade overhis head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happyabout the bush. But when dawn came up the next day, God appointeda worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered. When the sun rose,God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head ofJonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, "It isbetter for me to die than to live." But God said to Jonah, "Is it rightfor you to be angry about the bush?" And he said, "Yes, angry enoughto die." Then the Lord said, "You are concerned about the bush, forwhich you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came intobeing in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concernedabout Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundredand twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand fromtheir left, and also many animals?"

A Reading (Lesson) from the Letter to the Hebrews [12:1–14]

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, letus also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and letus run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesusthe pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy thatwas set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and hastaken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider himwho endured such hostility against himself from sinners, so that youmay not grow weary or lose heart. In your struggle against sin youhave not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And youhave forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as children—"Mychild, do not regard lighty the discipline of the Lord, or lose heartwhen you are punished by him; for the Lord disciplines those whom heloves, and chastises every child whom he accepts." Endure trials for thesake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child isthere whom a parent does not discipline? If you do not have that disciplinein which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not hischildren. Moreover, we had human parents to discipline us, and werespected them. Should we not be even more willing to be subject tothe Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time asseemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, in order thatwe may share his holiness. Now, discipline always seems painful ratherthan pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousnessto those who have been trained by it. Therefore lift yourdrooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straightpaths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint,but rather be healed. Pursue peace with everyone, and the holinesswithout which no one will see the Lord.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Gospel according to Luke [18:9–14]

Jesus told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that theywere righteous and regarded others with contempt: "Two men went upto the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ThePharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, 'God, I thank you thatI am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like thistax collector. I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.' Butthe tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven,but was beating his breast and saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather thanthe other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all whohumble themselves will be exalted."

Thursday

A Reading (Lesson) from the Book of Deuteronomy [7:6–11]

Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: You are a people holy tothe Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all thepeoples on earth to be his people, his treasured possession. It was notbecause you were more numerous than any other people that the Lordset his heart on you and chose you—for you were the fewest of all peoples.It was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath that heswore to your ancestors, that the Lord has brought you out with amighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from thehand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord yourGod is God, the faithful God who maintains covenant loyalty withthose who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,and who repays in their own person those who reject him. Hedoes not delay but repays in their own person those who reject him.Therefore, observe diligently the commandment—the statutes, and theordinances—that I am commanding you today.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Letter of Paul to Titus [1:1–16]

Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake ofthe faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that is in accordancewith godliness, in the hope of eternal life that God, who neverlies, promised before the ages began—in due time he revealed his wordthrough the proclamation with which I have been entrusted by thecommand of God our Savior, to Titus, my loyal child in the faith weshare: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus ourSavior. I left you behind in Crete for this reason, so that you should putin order what remained to be done, and should appoint elders in everytown, as I directed you: someone who is blameless, married only once,whose children are believers, not accused of debauchery and not rebellious.For a bishop, as God's steward, must be blameless; he must notbe arrogant or quick-tempered or addicted to wine or violent or greedyfor gain; but he must be hospitable, a lover of goodness, prudent,upright, devout, and self-controlled. He must have a firm grasp of theword that is trustworthy in accordance with the teaching, so that hemay be able both to preach with sound doctrine and to refute thosewho contradict it. There are also many rebellious people, idle talkersand deceivers, especially those of the circumcision; they must besilenced, since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for sordidgain what it is not right to teach. It was one of them, their very ownprophet, who said, "Cretans are always liars, vicious brutes, lazy gluttons."That testimony is true. For this reason rebuke them sharply, sothat they may become sound in the faith, not paying attention toJewish myths or to commandments of those who reject the truth. Tothe pure all things are pure, but to the corrupt and unbelieving nothingis pure. Their very minds and consciences are corrupted. They professto know God, but they deny him by their actions. They are detestable,disobedient, unfit for any good work.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Gospel according to John [1:29–34]

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, "Hereis the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he ofwhom I said, 'After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me becausehe was before me.' I myself did not know him; but I came baptizingwith water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel." AndJohn testified, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one whosent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see theSpirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the HolySpirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son ofGod."

Friday

A Reading (Lesson) from the Book of Deuteronomy [7:12–16]

Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: If you heed these ordinances,by diligently observing them, the Lord your God will maintainwith you the covenant loyalty that he swore to your ancestors; he willlove you, bless you, and multiply you; he will bless the fruit of yourwomb and the fruit of your ground, your grain and your wine andyour oil, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock, in theland that he swore to your ancestors to give you. You shall be the mostblessed of peoples, with neither sterility nor barrenness among you oryour livestock. The Lord will turn away from you every illness; all thedread diseases of Egypt that you experienced, he will not inflict on you,but he will lay them on all who hate you. You shall devour all the peoplesthat the Lord your God is giving over to you, showing them nopity; you shall not serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Letter of Paul to Titus [2:1–15]

As for you, teach what is consistent with sound doctrine. Tell the oldermen to be temperate, serious, prudent, and sound in faith, in love, andin endurance. Likewise, tell the older women to be reverent in behavior,not to be slanderers or slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good,so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands,to love their children, to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers ofthe household, kind, being submissive to their husbands, so that theword of God may not be discredited. Likewise, urge the younger mento be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects a model of goodworks, and in your teaching show integrity, gravity, and sound speechthat cannot be censured, then any opponent will be put to shame, havingnothing evil to say of us. Tell slaves to be submissive to their mastersand to give satisfaction in every respect; they are not to talk back,not to pilfer, but to show complete and perfect fidelity, so that in everythingthey may be an ornament to the doctrine of God our Savior. Forthe grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us torenounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to livelives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for theblessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God andSavior, Jesus Christ. He it is who gave himself for us that he mightredeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his ownwho are zealous for good deeds. Declare these things; exhort andreprove with all authority. Let no one look down on you.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Gospel according to John [1:35–42]

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and ashe watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, "Look, here is the Lamb ofGod!" The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "Whatare you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translatedmeans Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Comeand see." They came and saw where he was staying, and they remainedwith him that day. It was about four o'clock in the afternoon. One ofthe two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, SimonPeter's brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, "Wehave found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). He broughtSimon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son ofJohn. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

Saturday

A Reading (Lesson) from the Book of Deuteronomy [7:17–26]

Moses convened all Israel, and said to them: If you say to yourself,"These nations are more numerous than I; how can I dispossess them?"do not be afraid of them. Just remember what the Lord your God didto Pharaoh and to all Egypt, the great trials that your eyes saw, thesigns and wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm by whichthe Lord your God brought you out. The Lord your God will do thesame to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. Moreover, the Lordyour God will send the pestilence against them, until even the survivorsand the fugitives are destroyed. Have no dread of them, for the Lordyour God, who is present with you, is a great and awesome God. TheLord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little;you will not be able to make a quick end of them, otherwise the wildanimals would become too numerous for you. But the Lord your Godwill give them over to you, and throw them into great panic, until theyare destroyed. He will hand their kings over to you and you shall blotout their name from under heaven; no one will be able to stand againstyou, until you have destroyed them. The images of their gods you shallburn with fire. Do not covet the silver or the gold that is on them andtake it for yourself, because you could be ensnared by it; for it isabhorrent to the Lord your God. Do not bring an abhorrent thing intoyour house, or you will be set apart for destruction like it. You mustutterly detest and abhor it, for it is set apart for destruction.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Letter of Paul to Titus [3:1–15]

Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, tobe ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling,to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For weourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to variouspassions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, despicable,hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness ofGod our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works ofrighteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, throughthe water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit hepoured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, havingbeen justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to thehope of eternal life. The saying is sure. I desire that you insist on thesethings, so that those who have come to believe in God may be carefulto devote themselves to good works; these things are excellent andprofitable to everyone. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions,and quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable andworthless. After a first and second admonition, have nothing more todo with anyone who causes divisions, since you know that such a personis perverted and sinful, being self-condemned. When I sendArtemas to you, or Tychicus, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis,for I have decided to spend the winter there. Make every effort to sendZenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way, and see that they lacknothing. And let people learn to devote themselves to good works inorder to meet urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive. Allwho are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in thefaith. Grace be with all of you.

A Reading (Lesson) from the Gospel according to John [1:43–51]

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and saidto him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city ofAndrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We havefound him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote,Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anythinggood come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come andsee." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him,"Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanaelasked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I sawyou under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied,"Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesusanswered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under thefig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said tohim, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angelsof God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."