Irreverently Reverend

  Advent III 57  When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a boy.  58  Her neighbors and relatives celebrated with her because they had heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy.  59  On the eighth day, it came time to circumcise the child. They wanted to name him Zechariah because that was his father’s name.  60  But his mother replied, “No, his name will be John.” 61  They said to her, “None of your relatives have that name.”  62  Then they began gesturing to his father to see what he wanted to call him. 63  After asking for a tablet, he surprised everyone by writing, “His name is John.”  64  At that moment, Zechariah was able to speak again, and he began praising God. 65  All their neighbors were filled with awe, and everyone throughout the Judean highlands talked about what had happened.  66  All who heard about this considered it carefully. They said, “What the...

  Fourth Sunday of Advent In the beginning was the Word     and the Word was with God     and the Word was God. 2 The Word was with God in the beginning. 3 Everything came into being through the Word,     and without the Word     nothing came into being. What came into being 4      through the Word was life,     and the life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness,     and the darkness doesn’t extinguish the light. 6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him everyone would believe in the light. 8 He himself wasn’t the light, but his mission was to testify concerning the light. 9 The true light that shines on all people     was coming into the world. 10 The light was in the world,     and the world came into being through the light,    ...

  Advent II In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be call...

  First Sunday after Epiphany In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,  2  asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”  3  When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;  4  and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  5  They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6  ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,     are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler     who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7  Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  8...