*Readings
for Advent
this year are from The Rev. Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and is the
Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in
Fort Worth, Texas. She is the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the
Whole Church and translator of its biblical selections. Learn more about her
and her work at her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/
For
Advent III, December 17, 2023:
Genesis
20:1-7, 9, 11-12, 14, 17: Abraham journeyed toward the region of the
Negeb and settled between Kadesh and Shur and he sojourned in Gerar. 2. Now
Abraham said about his woman, Sarah, “She is my sister.” 3. Then God came to
Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “Beware! You are about to die on
account of the woman whom you have taken; she is a married woman.” 4. Now
Abimelech had not approached her so he said, “Mighty One, will you slay an
innocent people?” 5. Did he not say himself to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she
say herself, ‘He is my brother’? In the integrity of my heart and the innocence
of my hands did I do this.” 6. Then God said to him in the dream, “I know
myself that in the integrity of your heart you did this, and it was I myself
who restrained you from sinning against me. Therefore I did not let you touch
her. 7. And now, restore the man’s woman for he is a prophet and will pray for
you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall
surely die, you and all that is yours.” 9. Then Abimelech called Abraham and
said to him, “What have you done to us? How have I sinned against you that you
have brought upon me and my realm such great guilt? Things which ought not be
done have you done to me.” 11. Then Abraham said, “It was because I thought, surely
there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my
woman. 12. Also, she truly is my sister; she is the daughter of my father but
not the daughter of my mother, and she became my woman.” 14. Then Abimelech
took flocks and herds and enslaved women and men and gave them to Abraham, and
returned to him his woman Sarah. 17. And Abraham prayed to God and God healed
Abimelech and his woman and also healed the women enslaved to him so that they
gave birth.
Psalm
147:1-7:
Praise
the Living God! How good it is to
sing praise to our God; for God is gracious and a song of praise is a delight.
2. The Architect of Heaven builds
up Jerusalem, and gathers the outcasts of Israel. 3. She heals the
brokenhearted, and binds up their sorrows. 4. She numbers the numbers of the
stars; giving to all of them names. 5. Great is our Sovereign, and abundant in
power; her understanding is beyond measure. 6. The Faithful One lifts up the oppressed; she casts the wicked to
the ground. 7. Sing to the Just One with
thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
Acts
16:16-24:
One
day as we were going to the place of prayer, we met an enslaved girl who had a
spirit of divination and brought her masters a great deal of money by
fortune-telling. 17. While she followed after Paul and us, she cried out,
“These persons are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of
salvation.” 18. This she did for many days. But it bothered Paul, who turned
and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of
her.” And it came out that hour. 19. Now when her master saw that their hope of
financial gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and into the marketplace
they dragged them before the authorities. 20. When they had brought them before
the magistrates, they said, “These persons are disturbing our city; they are
Judeans 21. and are preaching traditions that are not right for us to follow as
Romans. 22. The crowd joined against them, and the magistrates had them
stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with batons. 23. After
they had laid many blows on them, they threw them into prison and commanded the
jailer to keep them securely. 24. Receiving these instructions, he put them in
the innermost cell and their feet he fastened in the stocks.
Mark
1:29-45:
Immediately
after [Jesus and the disciples] left the synagogue, they entered the house of
Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30. Now the mother of Simon’s wife was
in bed with a fever, and immediately they told Jesus about her. 31. Jesus came
and lifted her up, taking her by the hand. Then the fever left her and she
ministered to them. 32. As it was becoming evening, when the sun was setting,
they brought to Jesus all who were sick or demon-possessed. 33. And the who
city was gathered around the door. 34. And Jesus cured many who were sick with
various diseases and cast out many demons, and he would not permit them to speak because
they knew him. 35. Now in the morning [of the day after Jesus healed Peter’s
mother-in-law] while it was still dark, he got up and went out to a deserted
place and there he prayed. 36. And Simon and those [the women and men] with him
chased after Jesus. 37. And they found him and said to him, “Everyone is
searching for you.” 38. Then Jesus replied to them, “Let us go on to the
neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there; for that is what I
came to do.” 39. So Jesus went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in
their synagogues and casting out demons. 40. Now a person with a skin disease
came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling said to him, “If you choose, you can
restore me.” 41. Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out his hand and
touched the person and said, “I do choose. Be restored!” 42. Immediately the
skin disease left and the person was restored. 43. And after a stern warning,
Jesus sent the person away at once 44. saying, “See that you say nothing to
anyone; rather, go show yourself to the priest
and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to
them. 45. However, the person went out and began to proclaim it freely and to
spread the word so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly; rather he
stayed out in the country and people came to him from every side.
LET US,
GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ O Living
God, stir up our hearts with rejoicing in the sweet anticipation of the
One who is coming. Release us from the captivity of sin; cause us to sing
praise to You with delight, our gracious God.
O Living
and Ageless God
RESPONSE:
Our Guide and our God forever and ever
~ O Living God,
keep us ever mindful of the struggles of Your people and Your Creation.
Strengthen us to speak constantly to Earth-bound Leaders, globally and locally,
that we all must persist in pursuing the restoration of justice,
mercy, peace, health, and the abstention from evil acts. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
O Living and Ageless God
Our
Guide and our God forever and ever
~ O Living God, grant
relief to all who suffer with life-threatening disease, unemployment, and
hopelessness; and lift the hearts of all who give support. We now join our
hearts to pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O Living and Ageless God
Our
Guide and our God forever and ever
~ O Living God,
who heals the brokenhearted and binds up those with tears of sorrow, turn their
hearts to joy for all who died now live again, restored to everlasting life in
Christ. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
O Living and Ageless God
Our
Guide and our God forever and ever
~ O
Living God, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials…add your own petitions
O Living and Ageless God
Our
Guide and our God forever and ever
~ O Living God,
grant renewal of the joy and the wisdom of Christ's healing message of
compassionate restoration, to all who guide us in all their ministering to us
through Your Word and Sacraments. We pray especially for: add your
own petitions
O Living and Ageless God
Our Guide and our God forever and
ever
The Celebrant adds: Jesus our Christ, teach us again and again, Your selfless ways of caring
for all of God’s people. Call our hearts, our minds, and our souls to
recognize humans of all sorts and conditions with great, or small, or unknown faith,
as worthy of our care, our comfort, and our forgiveness as You would have us
do. We ask through the Guiding of the Holy Spirit, and the Love of the Faithful One, our God, who together
with You are One God, now and forever. Amen.
