Second Sunday of Advent, Year C
The second of the four Sundays before Christmas Revised Common Lectionary, Year C, the year of Luke Blue
Next read on .
The Gospel: Luke 3:1–6
In the reign of Tiberius Caesar, the word of God comes to John in the wilderness, and he preaches a baptism of repentance, as Isaiah had written.
Luke 3:1-6
Most churches stand for the Gospel, and sing or say a short response before and after it.
The passage
1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 2 in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. 3 He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins. 4 As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight. 5 Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth. 6 All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
The other readings
In the order they are read on Sunday, before the Gospel.
Baruch 5:1-9 or Malachi 3:1-4
Through Malachi, the LORD promises to send a messenger to prepare his way, then come to his temple like a refiner’s fire to purify his people.
Read it here
The text appointed for this first reading isn’t in our library in this translation. Shown here is the Revised Common Lectionary’s own alternate: Malachi.
1 “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says the LORD of Armies. 2 “But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like launderers’ soap; 3 and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they shall offer to the LORD offerings in righteousness. 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasant to the LORD, as in the days of old, and as in ancient years.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
Luke 1:68-79
Zechariah’s song of praise to God, who has come to save his people and whose tender mercy will guide them into the way of peace.
Read it here
68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people; 69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David 70 (as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets who have been from of old), 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; 72 to show mercy toward our fathers, to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath which he swore to Abraham our father, 74 to grant to us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, should serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. 76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the dawn from on high will visit us, 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
Philippians 1:3-11
Paul thanks God for the Philippians, sure that God will finish the good work he began in them, and prays that their love will keep growing.
Read it here
3 I thank my God whenever I remember you, 4 always in every request of mine on behalf of you all, making my requests with joy, 5 for your partnership in furtherance of the Good News from the first day until now; 6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is even right for me to think this way on behalf of all of you, because I have you in my heart, because both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Good News, you all are partakers with me of grace. 8 For God is my witness, how I long after all of you in the tender mercies of Christ Jesus. 9 This I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense to the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
A question to carry into the week
What is one thing Jesus says or does in this Gospel that you want to remember this week?
For your newsletter or sermon notes
These readings are told as stories on our sister site, Free Scripture, one scene at a time in plain words. The lines below are ready to paste. The next eight Sundays, and every story.
Second Sunday of Advent · Revised Common Lectionary, Year C · the same Sunday at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library. Scripture text: World English Bible, public domain.
Revised Common Lectionary copyright © 1992 Consultation on Common Texts. www.commontexts.org Used by permission.