(~) Bible Readings for Sunday March 06

 Fourth Sunday in Lent

1 Samuel 16:1-13
Ephesians 5:(1-7)8-14
John 9:1-13(14-27)28-38


Old Testament                     1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have
rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set
out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for
myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears
of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and
say, `I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the
sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for
me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and
came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and
said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to
sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the
sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the
sacrifice.  When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the
Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do
not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have
rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called
Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord
chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither
has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before
Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these."
Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There
remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to
Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."
He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and
was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his
brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that
day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

The Epistle                     Ephesians 5:(1-7)8-14

[Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God. But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must
not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Entirely out
of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be
thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one
who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom
of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because
of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient.
Therefore do not be associated with them.] For once you were darkness, but
now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light-- for the fruit
of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find
out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of
darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what
such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes
visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
"Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

The Gospel                     John 9:1-13(14-27)28-38

As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked
him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born
blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must work the works
of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When he had
said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread
the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam"
(which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The
neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, "Is
this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some were saying, "It
is he."
Others were saying, "No, but it is someone like him." He kept
saying, "I
am the man." But they kept asking him, "Then how were your eyes
opened?"
He answered, "The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and
said to me, `Go to Siloam and wash.' Then I went and washed and received
my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I
do not know." They
brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. [Now it was
a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the
Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to
them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." Some of the
Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe the
sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform such
signs?" And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, "What
do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said, "He is a
prophet." The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received
his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his
sight and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How
then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that this is our
son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he
sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will
speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of the
Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to
be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents
said, "He is of age; ask him." So for the second time they called the man
who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that
this man is a sinner." He answered, "I do not know whether he is a sinner.
One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They said to
him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He answered them,
"I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to
hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?"] Then they
reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know
where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing thing! You
do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that
God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him
and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that
anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from
God, he could do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in
sins, and are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out. Jesus heard
that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, "Do you
believe in the Son of Man?" He answered, "And who is he, sir? Tell me, so
that I may believe in him." Jesus said to him, "You have seen him, and the
one speaking with you is he." He said, "Lord, I believe."
And he worshiped
him.

Ninure Saunders aka Rainbow Christian

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