Jeremiah 31:7-14
For thus says
the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘Save, O Lord, your people,
the remnant of Israel.’
See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north,
and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth,
among them the blind and the lame,
those with child and those in labour, together;
a great company, they shall return here.
With weeping they shall come,
and with consolations I will lead them back,
I will let them walk by brooks of water,
in a straight path in which they shall not stumble;
for I have become a father to Israel,
and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Hear the word of
the Lord, O nations,
and declare it in the coastlands far away;
say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him,
and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion,
and they shall be radiant over the goodness of
the Lord,
over the grain, the wine, and the oil,
and over the young of the flock and the herd;
their life shall become like a watered garden,
and they shall never languish again.
Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance,
and the young men and the old shall be merry.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
Psalm 84:1-8
How
lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
Even
the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise.
Happy
are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
As they go through the valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
O Lord God
of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us
in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless
before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through
Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of
his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. I have heard
of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and
for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in
my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know
him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what
is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of
his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
Luke 2:41-52
Now
every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the
Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the
festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy
Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know
it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s
journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and
friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search
for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the
teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard
him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his
parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Child,
why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching
for you in great anxiety.’ He said to them, ‘Why were you searching for
me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ But they did
not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came
to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in
her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and
human favor.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)