LENT 4 YEAR A
Provision for Lent 4 is included in the Revised Common Lectionary and the Church of England provision, but the Church of England adds alternative readings for Mothering Sunday (see below).


FIRST READING 1 Samuel 16.1-13

A reading from the first book of Samuel.

1 The LORD said to Samuel, 'How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.'
2 Samuel said, 'How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.' And the LORD said, 'Take a heifer with you, and say, "I have come to sacrifice to the LORD."
3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.'
4 Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, 'Do you come peaceably?'
5 He said, 'Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.' And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, 'Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the LORD.'
7 But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.'
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, 'Neither has the LORD chosen this one.'
9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, 'Neither has the LORD chosen this one.'
10 Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, 'The LORD has not chosen any of these.'
11 Samuel said to Jesse, 'Are all your sons here?' And he said, 'There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.' And Samuel said to Jesse, 'Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.'
12 He sent and brought David in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, 'Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.'
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.


PSALM Psalm 23

R R The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. R R
3 He revives my soul and guides me along right pathways for his name's sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. R R
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. R R


SECOND READING Ephesians 5.8-14

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.

8 Once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light -
9 for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
10 Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly;
13 but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,
14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, 'Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'


GOSPEL John 9.1-41

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

1 As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?'
3 Jesus answered, 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him.
4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.'
6 When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man's eyes,
7 saying to him, 'Go, wash in the pool of Siloam' (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.
8 The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, 'Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?'
9 Some were saying, 'It is he.' Others were saying, 'No, but it is someone like him.' He kept saying, 'I am the man.'
10 But they kept asking him, 'Then how were your eyes opened?'
11 He answered, 'The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, "Go to Siloam and wash." Then I went and washed and received my sight.'
12 They said to him, 'Where is he?' He said, 'I do not know.'
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind.
14 Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15 Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, 'He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.'
16 Some of the Pharisees said, 'This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.' But others said, 'How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?' And they were divided.
17 So they said again to the blind man, 'What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.' He said, 'He is a prophet.'
18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight
19 and asked them, 'Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?'
20 His parents answered, 'We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21 but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.'
22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore his parents said, 'He is of age; ask him.'
24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, 'Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.'
25 He answered, 'I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.'
26 They said to him, 'What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?'
27 He answered them, 'I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?'
28 Then they reviled him, saying, 'You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.'
30 The man answered, 'Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.
31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will.
32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind.
33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.'
34 They answered him, 'You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?' And they drove him out.
35 Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?'
36 He answered, 'And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.'
37 Jesus said to him, 'You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.'
38 He said, 'Lord, I believe.' And he worshipped him.
39 Jesus said, 'I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.'
40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, 'Surely we are not blind, are we?'
41 Jesus said to them, 'If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, "We see," your sin remains.'

Or

MOTHERING SUNDAY YEARS A B C

FIRST READING (Alternative readings)

Either Exodus 2.1-10

A reading from the book of Exodus.
1 A man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.
2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months.
3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.
4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.
6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, 'This must be one of the Hebrews' children,' she said.
7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, 'Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?'
8 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Yes.' So the girl went and called the child's mother.
9 Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.' So the woman took the child and nursed it.
10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, 'because,' she said, 'I drew him out of the water.'

Or 1 Samuel 1.20-28
A reading from the first book of Samuel.

20 Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, 'I have asked him of the LORD.'
21 The man Elkanah and all his household went up to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and to pay his vow.
22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, 'As soon as the child is weaned, I will bring him, that he may appear in the presence of the LORD, and remain there for ever; I will offer him as a nazirite for all time.'
23 Her husband Elkanah said to her, 'Do what seems best to you, wait until you have weaned him; only - may the LORD establish his word.' So the woman remained and nursed her son, until she weaned him.
24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. She brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh; and the child was young.
25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and they brought the child to Eli.
26 And she said, 'Oh, my lord! As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to the LORD.
27 For this child I prayed; and the LORD has granted me the petition that I made to him.
28 Therefore I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he lives, he is given to the LORD.' She left him there for the LORD.

PSALM

Either Psalm 34.11-20

R R [Come, children, and listen to me:] I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

11 Come, children, and listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Who among you loves life and desires long life to enjoy prosperity? R R
13 Keep your tongue from evil-speaking and your lips from lying words.
14 Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. R R
15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to root out the remembrance of them from the earth. R R
17 The righteous cry and the Lord hears them and delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and will save those whose spirits are crushed. R R
19 Many are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord will deliver him out of them all.
20 He will keep safe all his bones; not one of them shall be broken. R R

Or Psalm 127.1-4

R R It is the Lord who builds the house.

1 Unless the Lord builds the house, their labour is in vain who build it.
2 Unless the Lord watches over the city, in vain the guard keeps vigil. R R
3 It is in vain that you rise so early and go to bed so late; vain, too, to eat the bread of toil, for he gives to his belovèd sleep.
4 Children are a heritage from the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a gift. R R

SECOND READING (Alternative readings)

Either 2 Corinthians 1.3-7

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation,
4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ.
6 If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation.

Or Colossians 3.12-17

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Colossians.

12 As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

GOSPEL (Alternative readings)

Either Luke 2.33-35

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke.

33 The child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Jesus.
34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, 'This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed
35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed - and a sword will pierce your own soul too.'

Or John 19.25b-27

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.

25 Standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, 'Woman, here is your son.'
27 Then he said to the disciple, 'Here is your mother.' And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.