The
prophet Zephaniah’s message is mostly one of judgment for sin. This reading,
however, which comes from the conclusion of the book, prophesies joy for Judah
and Jerusalem. Judgment has led to repentance, and God’s salvation is at hand.
14Sing
aloud, O daughter Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
15The
Lord has taken away the judgments
against you,
he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord,
is in your midst;
you shall fear disaster no more.
16On
that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands grow weak.
17The
Lord, your God, is in your midst,
a warrior who gives victory;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing
18as
on a day of festival.
I will remove disaster from you,
so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19I
will deal with all your oppressors
at that time.
And I will save the lame
and gather the outcast,
and I will change their shame into praise
and renown in all the earth.
20At
that time I will bring you home,
at the time when I gather you;
for I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
In
your midst is the Holy One of Israel. (Is. 12:6)
2Surely
God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not |
be afraid,
for the Lord God is
my strength and my might, and has become |
my salvation.
3With
joy you |
will draw water
from the wells |
of salvation. R
4And
you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord,
call |
on God’s name;
make known the deeds of the Lord
among the nations; proclaim that this name |
is exalted.
5Sing
praises to the Lord, for he has
done |
gloriously;
let this be known in |
all the earth.
6Shout
aloud and sing for joy, O |
royal Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy |
One of Israel. R
Despite
being in prison, Paul is remarkably upbeat as he writes this letter. Here, he
urges his friends in Philippi to trust God with all their worries and concerns,
with the hope they will experience God’s joy and peace.
4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say,
Rejoice. 5Let
your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do
not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And
the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.
John
the Baptist heralds the mighty one “who is coming.” John teaches that
preparation for God’s reign is not a matter of identity but of bearing fruits
of merciful justice, radical generosity, and vocational integrity.
7John said to the crowds that came out to be
baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath
to come? 8Bear
fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have
Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to
raise up children to Abraham. 9Even
now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
10And
the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” 11In
reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has
none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they
asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13He
said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14Soldiers
also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not
extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with
your wages.”
15As
the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their
hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John
answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more
powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His
winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the
wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18So,
with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.
.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States
of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.