FIRST READING:
Acts
9:
26 - 31
26
And when he had come to Jerusalem he attempted to join the disciples;
and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was
a disciple.
27
But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared
to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and
how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
28
So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem,
29
preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed
against the Hellenists; but they were seeking to kill him.
30
And when the brethren knew it, they brought him down to Caesare'a,
and sent him off to Tarsus.
31
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Sama'ria had peace
and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the
comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.
PSALM: Psalms 22: 26 - 28, 30 - 32
26
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall
praise the LORD! May your hearts live for ever!
27
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and
all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
28
For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
30
Posterity shall serve him; men shall tell of the Lord to the coming
generation,
31
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, that he has
wrought it.
SECOND READING: 1 John 3: 18 - 24
18 Little children, let us not love in
word or speech but in deed and in truth.
19 By this we shall know that we are of
the truth, and reassure our hearts before him
20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for
God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.
21 Beloved, if our hearts do not
condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 and we receive from him whatever we
ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
23 And this is his commandment, that we
should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one
another, just as he has commanded us.
24 All who keep his commandments abide
in him, and he in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by
the Spirit which he has given us.
GOSPEL: John 15: 1 - 8
1 "I am the true vine, and my
Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch of mine that bears no
fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he
prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
3 You are already made clean by the
word which I have spoken to you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the
branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches.
He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,
for apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If a man does not abide in me, he is
cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered,
thrown into the fire and burned.
7 If you abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.
8 By this my Father is glorified, that
you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.
