Monday, September 14
Exaltation (Elevation) of the Precious Cross
Appointed readings
8 passagesVespers · Old Testament
Exodus 15:22–16:1
22Thus Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea; then they went out into the Wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the desert and found no water to drink.
23Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore he named that place Bitterness.
24Then the people complained against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'
25So he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. There He proved him
26and said, 'If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is pleasing in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His ordinances, I will put none of the diseases on you that I brought on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord your God who heals you.'
27Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
1Now they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt.
Vespers · Old Testament
Proverbs 3:11–18
11My son, do not despise the instruction of the Lord, Neither grow weary under His reproof.
12For whom the Lord loves He instructs, And chastises every son He receives.
13Blessed is a man who finds wisdom, And a mortal who sees discernment;
14For the profits gained from wisdom are better Than the treasures of gold and silver.
15And wisdom is more valuable than precious stones, And nothing evil will withstand her;
16She is well known to all who come near her, And no honor is worthy of her.
17For length of days and years of life are in her right hand, And in her left hand are riches and glory;
18Righteousness proceeds from her mouth, And she carries law and mercy upon her tongue.
Vespers · Old Testament
Isaiah 60:11–16
11Your gates shall be opened continually, and they shall not be shut day or night, to bring you the power of the Gentiles, and their kings leading them.
12For the nations and their kings who will not serve you shall perish, and those nations will be utterly desolate.
13The glory of Lebanon shall come to you, with the cypress, the pine, and the cedar together, to glorify My holy place.
14The sons of those who humbled and provoked you shall go to you in fear, and you shall be called City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15Because you were forsaken and hated, and there was no one to help you, therefore I will make you an eternal joy, the gladness of generations to generations.
16You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles and eat the wealth of kings. You shall know I am the Lord who saves you and the God of Israel who delivers you.
Matins · Gospel
John 12:28–36
28Father, glorify Your name.'
29Then a voice came from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.' Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, 'An angel has spoken to Him.'
30Jesus answered and said, 'This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.'
33This He said, signifying by what death He would die.
34The people answered Him, 'We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?'
35Then Jesus said to them, 'A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.
36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.' These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.
Epistle
1 Corinthians 1:18–24
18For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
19For it is written: 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.'
20Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
21For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
22For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
23but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
24but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Epistle
Galatians 4:28–5:10
28Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
30Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? 'Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.'
31So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.
1Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
2Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing.
3And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law.
4You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
5For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
7You ran well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?
8This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you.
9A little leaven leavens the whole lump.
10I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind; but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.
Gospel
John 19:6–11, 13–20, 25–28, 30–35
6Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, 'Crucify Him, crucify Him!'
7Pilate said to them, 'You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.' The Jews answered him, 'We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.'
8Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid,
9and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, 'Where are You from?' But Jesus gave him no answer.
10Then Pilate said to Him, 'Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have power to crucify You, and power to release You?'
11Jesus answered, 'You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.'
12From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, 'If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.'
13When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14Now it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, 'Behold your King!'
15But they cried out, 'Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!'
16Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away. Pilate said to them, 'Shall I crucify your King?'
17And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, The chief priests answered, 'We have no king but Caesar!'
18where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.
19Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
21Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, 'Do not write, 'The King of the Jews,' but, 'He said, 'I am the King of the Jews.' ' '
22Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'
23Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier apart, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.
24They said therefore among themselves, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,' that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: 'They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.' Therefore the soldiers did these things.
25Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!'
27Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
28After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!'
29Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
30So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished!' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
31Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
33But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
34But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
35And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
Gospel
Mark 6:54–7:8
54And when they came out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him,
55ran through that whole surrounding region, and began to carry about on beds those who were sick to wherever they heard He was.
56Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.
1Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem.
2Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.
3For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.
4When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches.
5Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, 'Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?'
6He answered and said to them, 'Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me.
7And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'
8For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men —the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.