Lessons                                                                       Bread of Life                                                          25 January 2025

Nehemiah 8:1–3, 5–6, 8–10

          1 All the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. ₂So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, on the first day of the seventh month. ₃And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. . . .

          ₅And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was above all the people, and as he opened it all the people stood. ₆And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, "Amen, Amen," lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. . . .

          ₈They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

          ₉And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, "This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep." For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. ₁₀Then he said to them, "Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Psalm 19:7–14

₇The law of the Lord is perfect,

          reviv- | ing the soul;*

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

          making wise the | simple;

₈the precepts of the Lord are right,

          rejoicing | the heart;*

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

          enlightening | the eyes;

₉the fear of the Lord is clean,

          enduring for- | ever;*

the just decrees of the Lord are true,

          and righteous alto- | gether.

₁₀More to be desired are they than gold,

          even | much fine gold;*

sweeter also than honey

          and drippings of the | honeycomb.

₁₁Moreover, by them is your | servant warned;*

          in keeping them there is | great reward.

₁₂Who can dis- | cern his errors?*

          Declare me innocent from | hidden faults.

₁₃Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

          let them not have dominion | over me!*

Then I shall be blameless,

          and innocent of great trans- | gression.

₁₄Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

          be acceptable | in your sight,*

          O Lord, my rock and my re- | deemer.

1 Corinthians 12:12–31a

          ₁₂For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ₁₃For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

          ₁₄For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ₁₅If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. ₁₆And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. ₁₇If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? ₁₈But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ₁₉If all were a single member, where would the body be? ₂₀As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

          ₂₁The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." ₂₂On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ₂₃and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ₂₄which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ₂₅that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ₂₆If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

          ₂₇Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. ₂₈And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. ₂₉Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ₃₀Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ₃₁But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

Luke 4:16–30

          ₁₆[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ₁₇And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

₁₈"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

          because he has anointed me

                    to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

          and recovering of sight to the blind,

                    to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

₁₉to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

₂₀And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ₂₁And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." ₂₂And all spoke well of him and marveled at the gracious words that were coming from his mouth. And they said, "Is not this Joseph's son?" ₂₃And he said to them, "Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself.' What we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well." ₂₄And he said, "Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. ₂₅But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, ₂₆and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. ₂₇And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." ₂₈When they heard these things, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. ₂₉And they rose up and drove him out of the town and brought him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they could throw him down the cliff. ₃₀But passing through their midst, he went away.