FIRST
READING: Acts 8: 26 - 40
26
But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Rise and go toward the
south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This
is a desert road.
27
And he rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a minister
of the Can'dace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of all her
treasure, had come to Jerusalem to worship
28
and was returning; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet
Isaiah.
29
And the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
30
So Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and
asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"
31
And he said, "How can I, unless some one guides me?" And he
invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32
Now the passage of the scripture which he was reading was this: "As
a sheep led to the slaughter or a lamb before its shearer is dumb, so
he opens not his mouth.
33
In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his
generation? For his life is taken up from the earth."
34
And the eunuch said to Philip, "About whom, pray, does the
prophet say this, about himself or about some one else?"
35
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this scripture he
told him the good news of Jesus.
36
And as they went along the road they came to some water, and the
eunuch said, "See, here is water! What is to prevent my being
baptized?"
38
And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into
the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
39
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught
up Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way
rejoicing.
40
But Philip was found at Azo'tus, and passing on he preached the
gospel to all the towns till he came to Caesare'a.
PSALM: Psalms 66: 8 - 9, 16 - 17, 20
8
Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9
who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
16
Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done
for me.
17
I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
20
Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his
steadfast love from me!
GOSPEL: John 6: 44 - 51
44
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; and I
will raise him up at the last day.
45
It is written in the prophets, `And they shall all be taught by God.'
Every one who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.
46
Not that any one has seen the Father except him who is from God; he
has seen the Father.
47
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.
48
I am the bread of life.
49
Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50
This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of
it and not die.
51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of
this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give
for the life of the world is my flesh."
