The Season of Epiphany

The Season of Epiphany

Scripture Selections from the Evangelical Heritage Version®
following the Lutheran Service Book3-Year Lectionary, Year C

Revised May 14, 2018

The Epiphany of Our Lord

Lutheran Service Book3-Year Lectionary, Year C

Evangelical Heritage Version®

Old Testament / First Reading

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.

Epistle / Second Reading

Ephesians 3:1-12

For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

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.

Holy 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.

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/

The First Sunday after the Epiphany—The Baptism of our Lord

Lutheran Service Book3-Year Lectionary, Year C

Evangelical Heritage Version®

Old Testament / First Reading

Isaiah 43:1-7

But now this is what the Lord says,

the Lord who created you, O Jacob,

the Lord who formed you, O Israel.

Do not be afraid, because I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name. You are mine.

2When you cross through the waters, I will be with you.

When you cross the rivers, they will not sweep you away.

When you walk through fire, you will not be burned,

and the flame will not set you on fire.

3Because I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior,

I gave Egypt as your ransom,

Cush and Seba in exchange for you.

4Because you are precious and honored in my eyes,

and I myself love you,

I will give people in exchange for you,

and peoples in exchange for your life.

5Do not be afraid, because I am with you.

From the east I will bring your offspring,

and from the west I will gather you.

6I will say to the north, “Give them back!”

and to the south, “Do not hold them.”

Bring my sons from far away

and my daughters from the end of the earth—

7everyone who is called by my name,

everyone I created for my glory,

everyone I formed,

yes, everyone I have made.

Epistle / Second Reading

Romans 6:1–11

What shall we say then? Shall we keep on sinning so that grace may increase? 2Absolutely not! We died to sin. How can we go on living in it any longer? 3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.

5For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united with him in the likeness of his resurrection.

6We know that our old self was crucified with him, to make our sinful body powerless, so that we would not continue to serve sin. 7For the person who has died has been declared free from sin. 8And since we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he will never die again. Death no longer has control over him. 10For the death he died, he died to sin once and for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11In the same way also consider yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Holy Gospel

Luke 3:15–22

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.”

18Then with many other words, he appealed to them and was preaching good news to the people. 19But after John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things he had done—20Herod added this to them all: He locked John in prison.

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.”

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/

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Lutheran Service Book3-Year Lectionary, Year C

Evangelical Heritage Version®

Old Testament / First Reading

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.

Epistle / Second Reading

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.

Holy 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.

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/

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany

Lutheran Service Book3-Year Lectionary, Year C

Evangelical Heritage Version®

Old Testament / First Reading

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

All the people gathered together at the public square that is in front of the Water Gate. They told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded Israel. 2So on the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the Law before the congregation, both men and women and all who were able to understand what they heard. 3From dawn until midday in front of the public square in front of the Water Gate, he read from the scroll, while facing the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.

5All the people could see Ezra as he opened the scroll, because he was elevated above all the people. As he opened the scroll, all the people stood. 6Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen! Amen!” while they lifted up their hands and then knelt and bowed down with their faces to the ground.

8So they read from the Book of the Law of God clearly and interpreted it, and the peopleunderstood what was read.

9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites, who helped the people understand, said to all the people, “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or cry!” because all the people were crying as they heard the words of the Law. 10Nehemiah said to them, “Go, eat rich food and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, because today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Epistle / Second Reading

1 Corinthians 12:12–31a

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.” 22On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are much more necessary. 23As for the parts of the body we consider less honorable, these we provide with more honor. We treat our unpresentable parts with more modesty, 24whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God put the body together in a way that gave more honor to the parts that lack it. 25He did it so that there might not be any division in the body, but that the members might all have the same concern for one another. 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. 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.