Word Wide Open: The Baptism of the Lord (C) - 1/12/25

First Reading (Isaiah 40:15, 9-11)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.

Comfort, give comfort to my people,

            says your God.

Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her

            that her service is at an end,

            her guilt is expiated;

indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD

            double for all her sins.

            A voice cries out:

In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!

            Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

Every valley shall be filled in,

            every mountain and hill shall be made low;

the rugged land shall be made a plain,

            the rough country, a broad valley. 

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

            and all people shall see it together;

            for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain,

            Zion, herald of glad tidings;

cry out at the top of your voice,

            Jerusalem, herald of good news!

Fear not to cry out

            and say to the cities of Judah:

            Here is your God!

Here comes with power

            the Lord GOD,

            who rules by a strong arm;

here is his reward with him,

            his recompense before him.

Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;

            in his arms he gathers the lambs,

carrying them in his bosom,

            and leading the ewes with care.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does the Lord deliver us from our service?

Second Reading (Titus 2:11-14, 3:4-7)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to Titus. 

Beloved:

The grace of God has appeared, saving all

and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires

and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age,

as we await the blessed hope,

the appearance of the glory of our great God

and savior Jesus Christ,

who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness

and to cleanse for himself a people as his own,

eager to do what is good.

            When the kindness and generous love

                        of God our savior appeared,

            not because of any righteous deeds we had done

                        but because of his mercy,

            He saved us through the bath of rebirth

                        and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

            whom he richly poured out on us

                        through Jesus Christ our savior,

            so that we might be justified by his grace

                        and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How are we called to live in this age?

Gospel (Luke 3:15-16, 21-22)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

The people were filled with expectation,

and all were asking in their hearts

whether John might be the Christ.

John answered them all, saying, 

“I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

After all the people had been baptized 

and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, 

heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him

in bodily form like a dove. 

And a voice came from heaven, 

“You are my beloved Son;

with you I am well pleased.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? Why was Jesus baptized? What do we need to do to “please” God?

Word Wide Open: The Fourth Sunday of Advent (C) - 12/22/24

First Reading (Micah 5:1-4a)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Micah.

    Thus says the LORD:

    You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah

        too small to be among the clans of Judah,

    from you shall come forth for me

        one who is to be ruler in Israel;

    whose origin is from of old,

        from ancient times.

    Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time

        when she who is to give birth has borne,

    and the rest of his kindred shall return

        to the children of Israel.

    He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock

        by the strength of the LORD,

        in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;

    and they shall remain, for now his greatness

        shall reach to the ends of the earth;

        he shall be peace.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does the Lord bring peace?

Second Reading (Hebrews 10:5-10)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews. 

Brothers and sisters:

When Christ came into the world, he said:

    “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,

        but a body you prepared for me;

    in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight.

    Then I said, ‘As is written of me in the scroll,

    behold, I come to do your will, O God.’“

First he says, “Sacrifices and offerings,

holocausts and sin offerings, 

you neither desired nor delighted in.”

These are offered according to the law.

Then he says, :Behold, I come to do your will.”

He takes away the first to establish the second.

By this “will,”  we have been consecrated 

through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? Why were the sacrifices offered never enough?

Gospel (Luke 1:39-45)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Mary set out

and traveled to the hill country in haste

to a town of Judah, 

where she entered the house of Zechariah

and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,

the infant leaped in her womb, 

and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, 

cried out in a loud voice and said, 

“Blessed are you among women, 

and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

And how does this happen to me, 

that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, 

the infant in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed are you who believed

that what was spoken to you by the Lord

would be fulfilled.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What is the significance of the Visitation? Why should Mary be a big part of our faith lives?

Word Wide Open: The Third Sunday of Advent (C) - 12/15/24

First Reading (Zephaniah 3:14-18a)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah.

  Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!

        Sing joyfully, O Israel!

    Be glad and exult with all your heart,

        O daughter Jerusalem!

    The LORD has removed the judgment against you

        he has turned away your enemies;

    the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,

        you have no further misfortune to fear.

    On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:

        Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!

    The LORD, your God, is in your midst,

        a mighty savior;

    he will rejoice over you with gladness,

        and renew you in his love,

    he will sing joyfully because of you,

        as one sings at festivals.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How does His love renew us?

Second Reading (Philippians 4:4-7)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians. 

Brothers and sisters:

Rejoice in the Lord always.

I shall say it again:  rejoice!

Your kindness should be known to all.

The Lord is near.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, 

by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 

make your requests known to God.

Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding 

will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How do we rejoice in the Lord?

Gospel (Luke 3:10-18)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

The crowds asked John the Baptist,

“What should we do?”

He said to them in reply,

“Whoever has two cloaks

should share with the person who has none. 

And whoever has food should do likewise.”

Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,

“Teacher, what should we do?”

He answered them, 

“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”

Soldiers also asked him,

“And what is it that we should do?”

He told them,

“Do not practice extortion, 

do not falsely accuse anyone, 

and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation, 

and all were asking in their hearts 

whether John might be the Christ.

John answered them all, saying, 

“I am baptizing you with water,

but one mightier than I is coming.

I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor

and to gather the wheat into his barn, 

but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Exhorting them in many other ways, 

he preached good news to the people.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? How can we give ourselves to others? What does it mean to be baptized with the Holy Spirit?

Word Wide Open: The First Sunday of Advent (C) - 12/1/24

 First Reading (Jeremiah 33:14-16)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah.

The days are coming, says the LORD, 

    when I will fulfill the promise 

    I made to the house of Israel and Judah.

In those days, in that time, 

    I will raise up for David a just shoot ; 

    he shall do what is right and just in the land.

In those days Judah shall be safe 

    and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; 

    this is what they shall call her: 

    “The LORD our justice.”

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean that the Lord is our justice?

Second Reading (Thessalonians 3:12-4:2)

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. 

Brothers and sisters:

May the Lord make you increase and abound in love

for one another and for all,

just as we have for you, 

so as to strengthen your hearts, 

to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father 

at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.  Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters, 

we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,

as you received from us 

how you should conduct yourselves to please God

and as you are conducting yourselves

you do so even more.

For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? How do we conduct ourselves to please God?

Gospel (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke.

Jesus said to his disciples:

“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, 

and on earth nations will be in dismay, 

perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.

People will die of fright 

in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, 

for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

And then they will see the Son of Man 

coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

But when these signs begin to happen, 

stand erect and raise your heads 

because your redemption is at hand.

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy 

from carousing and drunkenness 

and the anxieties of daily life, 

and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.

For that day will assault everyone

who lives on the face of the earth.

Be vigilant at all times 

and pray that you have the strength 

to escape the tribulations that are imminent 

and to stand before the Son of Man.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What are the signs we should be looking for? What makes our hearts “drowsy”?

Word Wide Open: The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe (B) - 11/24/24

First Reading (Daniel 7:13-14)

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Daniel.

As the visions during the night continued, I saw

    one like a Son of man coming,

        on the clouds of heaven;

    when he reached the Ancient One

        and was presented before him,

    the one like a Son of man received dominion, glory, and kingship;

        all peoples, nations, and languages serve him.

    His dominion is an everlasting dominion

        that shall not be taken away,

        his kingship shall not be destroyed.

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? In what ways are we called to serve Christ the king?

Second Reading (Revelation 5:1-8)

A reading from the Book of Revelation. 

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness,

the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father,

to him be glory and power forever and ever.  Amen.

Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,

and every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him.

All the peoples of the earth will lament him.

Yes.  Amen.

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God,

"the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty."

The word of the Lord.

Asking the big questions:Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this reading? What does it mean that Jesus is the firstborn of the dead?

Gospel (John 18:33b-37)

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Pilate said to Jesus,

"Are you the King of the Jews?" 

Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own

or have others told you about me?" 

Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? 

Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. 

What have you done?" 

Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world.

If my kingdom did belong to this world,

my attendants would be fighting

to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. 

But as it is, my kingdom is not here." 

So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" 

Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. 

For this I was born and for this I came into the world,

to testify to the truth. 

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."

The Gospel of the Lord.

Asking the big questions: Do you have any questions about this reading? Is there anything that stuck out to you from this Gospel reading? What exactly is Jesus’ kingdom? Is it not on earth? How can we get better at listening to His voice?