Titus 1.5-2.1
(Epistle)
5I left you in Crete for this reason, that you would set in order the things that were lacking and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you—
6if anyone is blameless, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, who are not accused of loose or unruly behavior.
7For the overseer must be blameless, as God’s steward, not self-pleasing, not easily angered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for dishonest gain;
8but given to hospitality, a lover of good, sober minded, fair, holy, self-controlled,
9holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict those who contradict him.
10For there are also many unruly men, vain talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision,
11whose mouths must be stopped: men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake.
12One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, and idle gluttons.”
13This testimony is true. For this cause, reprove them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith,
14not paying attention to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.
15To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
16They profess that they know God, but by their deeds they deny him, being abominable, disobedient, and unfit for any good work.
1But say the things which fit sound doctrine,
Romans 6.3-11
(Epistle, Afterfeast of Theophany)
3Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
4We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
5For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection;
6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin.
7For he who has died has been freed from sin.
8But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him,
9knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over him!
10For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God.
11Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Luke 20.9-18
(Gospel)
9He began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time.
10At the proper season, he sent a servant to the farmers to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the farmers beat him and sent him away empty.
11He sent yet another servant, and they also beat him and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty.
12He sent yet a third, and they also wounded him and threw him out.
13The lord of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son. It may be that seeing him, they will respect him.’
14“But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’
15Then they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them?
16He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard that, they said, “May that never be!”
17But he looked at them and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone’?
18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”
John 3.22-33
(Gospel, Afterfeast of Theophany)
22After these things, Jesus came with his disciples into the land of Judea. He stayed there with them and baptized.
23John also was baptizing in Enon near Salim, because there was much water there. They came and were baptized;
24for John was not yet thrown into prison.
25Therefore a dispute arose on the part of John’s disciples with some Jews about purification.
26They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he baptizes, and everyone is coming to him.”
27John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.
28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’
29He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore my joy is made full.
30He must increase, but I must decrease.
31“He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.
32What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness.
33He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true.