The following are the readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, April 3, according to the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Canadian BAS, and the Church of England (Common Worship) lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the ECUSA, Canadian and C of E lectionaries are identical to the RCL for this day.

The readings are posted on our web site: <<http://satucket.com/lectionary>>, in RTF format, which can be read by all word processors.

OLD TESTAMENT:  Isaiah 43: 16 - 21   (all)

Isai 43:16 (NRSV) Thus says the LORD, 
who makes a way in the sea, 
a path in the mighty waters, 
17 who brings out chariot and horse, 
army and warrior; 
they lie down, they cannot rise, 
they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: 
18 Do not remember the former things, 
or consider the things of old. 
19 I am about to do a new thing; 
now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? 
I will make a way in the wilderness 
and rivers in the desert. 
20 The wild animals will honor me, 
the jackals and the ostriches; 
for I give water in the wilderness, 
rivers in the desert, 
to give drink to my chosen people, 
21 the people whom I formed for myself 
so that they might declare my praise. 

PSALM 126   (all)

Psal 126:1 (NRSV) When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,  
we were like those who dream. 
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, 
and our tongue with shouts of joy; 
then it was said among the nations, 
"The LORD has done great things for them." 
3 The LORD has done great things for us, 
and we rejoiced. 
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, 
like the watercourses in the Neg'eb. 
5 May those who sow in tears 
reap with shouts of joy. 
6 Those who go out weeping, 
bearing the seed for sowing, 
shall come home with shouts of joy, 
carrying their sheaves. 

126   In convertendo   (ECUSA BCP)
 
1  	When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
 then were we like those who dream.
 
2  	Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
 and our tongue with shouts of joy.
 
3  	Then they said among the nations, *
 "The Lord has done great things for them."
 
4  	The Lord has done great things for us, *
 and we are glad indeed.
 
5  	Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
 like the watercourses of the Negev.
 
6  	Those who sowed with tears *
 will reap with songs of joy.
 
7  	Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
 will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

NEW TESTAMENT:  Philippians 3: 4b - 14   (RCL)
                                     Philippians 3: 8 - 14   (Roman Catholic)

Phil 3:4 (NRSV) If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Phar'isee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 
7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, 11 if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 
12 Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. 

GOSPEL:   John 12: 1 - 8   (RCL)

John 12:1 (NRSV) Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Beth'any, the home of Laz'arus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Laz'arus was one of those at the table with him. 3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscar'iot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me." 

John 8: 1 - 11   (Roman Catholic)

John 8:1 (NRSV) while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him and he sat down and began to teach them. 3 The scribes and the Phar'isees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, 4 they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" 6 They said this to test him, so that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." 8 And once again he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they went away, one by one, beginning with the elders; and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" 11 She said, "No one, sir." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your way, and from now on do not sin again."