Episcopal Readings

Readings for the Feast of
St Mark
According to the use of the Episcopal Church

Morning Prayer

1: I will exalt you, O God my King, *
and bless your Name for ever and ever.
2: Every day will I bless you *
and praise your Name for ever and ever.
3: Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.
4: One generation shall praise your works to another *
and shall declare your power.
5: I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty *
and all your marvelous works.
6: They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and I will tell of your greatness.
7: They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness; *
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.
8: The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.
9: The LORD is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.
10: All your works praise you, O LORD, *
and your faithful servants bless you.
11: They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;
12: That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.
14: The LORD is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.
15: The LORD upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.
16: The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, *
and you give them their food in due season.
17: You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
18: The LORD is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.
19: The LORD is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.
20: He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.
21: The LORD preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.
22: My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.

My child, when you come to serve the Lord,
   prepare yourself for testing.
Set your heart right and be steadfast,
   and do not be impetuous in time of calamity.
Cling to him and do not depart,
   so that your last days may be prosperous.
Accept whatever befalls you,
   and in times of humiliation be patient.
For gold is tested in the fire,
   and those found acceptable, in the furnace of humiliation.
Trust in him, and he will help you;
   make your ways straight, and hope in him.

You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy;
   do not stray, or else you may fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust in him,
   and your reward will not be lost.
You who fear the Lord, hope for good things,
   for lasting joy and mercy.
Consider the generations of old and see:
   has anyone trusted in the Lord and been disappointed?
Or has anyone persevered in the fear of the Lord and been forsaken?
   Or has anyone called upon him and been neglected?
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful;
   he forgives sins and saves in time of distress.

New Testament Reading
Acts 12:25-13:3

Then after completing their mission Barnabas and Saul returned to Jerusalem and brought with them John, whose other name was Mark.

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

COLLECT
Almighty God,
who by the hand of Mark the evangelist
have given to your Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God:
We thank you for this witness,
and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Evening Prayer

Psalm 67

Deus misereatur

1: May God be merciful to us and bless us, *
show us the light of his countenance and come to us.
2: Let your ways be known upon earth, *
your saving health among all nations.
3: Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
4: Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide all the nations upon earth.
5: Let the peoples praise you, O God; *
let all the peoples praise you.
6: The earth has brought forth her increase; *
may God, our own God, give us his blessing.
7: May God give us his blessing, *
and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.

Psalm 96

Cantate Domino

1: Sing to the LORD a new song; *
sing to the LORD, all the whole earth.
2: Sing to the LORD and bless his Name; *
proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day.
3: Declare his glory among the nations *
and his wonders among all peoples.
4: For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
he is more to be feared than all gods.
5: As for all the gods of the nations, they are but idols; *
but it is the LORD who made the heavens.
6: Oh, the majesty and magnificence of his presence! *
Oh, the power and the splendor of his sanctuary!
7: Ascribe to the LORD, you families of the peoples; *
ascribe to the LORD honor and power.
8: Ascribe to the LORD the honor due his Name; *
bring offerings and come into his courts.
9: Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness; *
let the whole earth tremble before him.
10: Tell it out among the nations: "The LORD is King! *
he has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity."
11: Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
let the sea thunder and all that is in it; *
let the field be joyful and all that is therein.
12: Then shall all the trees of the wood shout for joy
before the LORD when he comes, *
when he comes to judge the earth.
13: He will judge the world with righteousness *
and the peoples with his truth.

Old Testament Reading
Isaiah 62:6-12

Upon your walls, O Jerusalem,
   I have posted sentinels;
all day and all night
   they shall never be silent.
You who remind the Lord,
   take no rest,
and give him no rest
   until he establishes Jerusalem
   and makes it renowned throughout the earth.
The Lord has sworn by his right hand
   and by his mighty arm:
I will not again give your grain
   to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners shall not drink the wine
   for which you have laboured;
but those who garner it shall eat it
   and praise the Lord,
and those who gather it shall drink it
   in my holy courts.

Go through, go through the gates,
   prepare the way for the people;
build up, build up the highway,
   clear it of stones,
   lift up an ensign over the peoples.
The Lord has proclaimed
   to the end of the earth:
Say to daughter Zion,
   ‘See, your salvation comes;
his reward is with him,
   and his recompense before him.’
They shall be called, ‘The Holy People,
   The Redeemed of the Lord’;
and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out,
   A City Not Forsaken.’

New Testament Reading
2 Timothy 4:1-11

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.

As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

Do your best to come to me soon, for Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.

COLLECT
Almighty God,
who by the hand of Mark the evangelist
have given to your Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God:
We thank you for this witness,
and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

Eucharist

COLLECT
Almighty God,
who by the hand of Mark the evangelist
have given to your Church the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God:
We thank you for this witness,
and pray that we may be firmly grounded in its truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.

First Reading

Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains
   are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news,
   who announces salvation,
   who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’
Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,
   together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see
   the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
   you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people,
   he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
   before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see
   the salvation of our God.

Psalm 2 or Psalm 2:7-10

Quare fremuerunt gentes?

[1: Why are the nations in an uproar? *
Why do the peoples mutter empty threats?
2: Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt,
and the princes plot together, *
against the LORD and against his Anointed?
3: "Let us break their yoke," they say; *
"let us cast off their bonds from us."
4: He whose throne is in heaven is laughing; *
the Lord has them in derision.
5: Then he speaks to them in his wrath, *
and his rage fills them with terror.
6: "I myself have set my king *
upon my holy hill of Zion."]
7: Let me announce the decree of the LORD: *
he said to me, "You are my Son;
this day have I begotten you.
8: Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance *
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
9: You shall crush them with an iron rod *
and shatter them like a piece of pottery."
10: And now, you kings, be wise; *
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
[11: Submit to the LORD with fear, *
and with trembling bow before him;
12: Lest he be angry and you perish; *
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
13: Happy are they all *
who take refuge in him!]

Epistle

Ephesians 4:7-8,11-16

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said,
‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.’ The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.

Gospel

Mark 1:1-15

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,
‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way;
the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
   “Prepare the way of the Lord,
   make his paths straight” ’,
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’

or

Mark 16:15-20

And Jesus said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.’

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

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