Romans 9.18-33
(Epistle, Prophet Hosea)
18So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.
19You will say then to me, “Why does he still find fault? For who withstands his will?”
20But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed ask him who formed it, “Why did you make me like this?”
21Or hasn’t the potter a right over the clay, from the same lump to make one part a vessel for honor, and another for dishonor?
22What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,
23and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory—
24us, whom he also called, not from the Jews only, but also from the Gentiles?
25As he says also in Hosea, “I will call them ‘my people,’ which were not my people; and her ‘beloved,’ who was not beloved.”
26“It will be that in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘children of the living God.’”
27Isaiah cries concerning Israel, “If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant who will be saved;
28for he will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth.”
29As Isaiah has said before, “Unless the Lord of Armies had left us a seed, we would have become like Sodom, and would have been made like Gomorrah.”
30What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who didn’t follow after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith;
31but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, didn’t arrive at the law of righteousness.
32Why? Because they didn’t seek it by faith, but as it were by works of the law. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
33even as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense; and no one who believes in him will be disappointed.”
Luke 9.49-56
(Gospel)
49John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow with us.”
50Jesus said to him, “Don’t forbid him, for he who is not against us is for us.”
51It came to pass, when the days were near that he should be taken up, he intently set his face to go to Jerusalem
52and sent messengers before his face. They went and entered into a village of the Samaritans, so as to prepare for him.
53They didn’t receive him, because he was traveling with his face set toward Jerusalem.
54When his disciples, James and John, saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from the sky and destroy them, just as Elijah did?”
55But he turned and rebuked them, “You don’t know of what kind of spirit you are.
56For the Son of Man didn’t come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” They went to another village.
Ephesians 5.33-6.9
(Epistle)
33Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
2“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise:
3“that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”
4You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ,
6not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
7with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men,
8knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same good again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.
9You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.