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The Collect

Third Sunday in Lent
Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Preface of Lent

Old Testament Reading

Exodus 3:1-15
¹Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ²And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. ³Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." ⁴So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." ⁵Then He said, "Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground." ⁶Moreover He said, "I am the God of your father-the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. ⁷And the LORD said: "I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. ⁸So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. ⁹Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt." ¹¹But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" ¹²So He said, "I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." ¹³Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" ¹⁴And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" ¹⁵Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.' -- NKJV

Psalm

Psalm 103
^{A Psalm of David.
1}Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

²Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

³Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,

⁴Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

⁵Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.

⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

⁹He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.

¹⁰He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

¹²As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.

¹³As a father pities his children,
So the LORD pities those who fear Him.

¹⁴For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.

¹⁵As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

¹⁶For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more.

¹⁷But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
On those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children's children,

¹⁸To such as keep His covenant,
And to those who remember His commandments to do them.

¹⁹The LORD has established His throne in heaven,
And His kingdom rules over all.

²⁰Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Who excel in strength, who do His word,
Heeding the voice of His word.

²¹Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.

²²Bless the LORD, all His works,
In all places of His dominion.
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
-- NKJV

- OR -

Psalm 103:1-11
¹Bless the LORD, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!

²Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

³Who forgives all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases,

⁴Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

⁵Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

⁶The LORD executes righteousness
And justice for all who are oppressed.

⁷He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the children of Israel.

⁸The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.

⁹He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.

¹⁰He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

¹¹For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

-- NKJV

New Testament Reading

1 Corinthians 10:1-13
¹Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, ²all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³all ate the same spiritual food, ⁴and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. ⁵But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. ⁶Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. ⁷And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." ⁸Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; ⁹nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; ¹⁰nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. ¹¹Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. ¹²Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. -- NKJV

Gospel Reading

Luke 13:1-9
¹There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ²And Jesus answered and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. ⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish." ⁶He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' ⁸But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ⁹And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'" -- NKJV

The Preface

Preface of Lent
To be used on Sundays and weekdays alike, except as otherwise appointed for Holy Days and Various Occasions
Through Jesus Christ our Lord; who was in every way tempted as we are, yet did not sin; by whose grace we are able to triumph over every evil, and to live no longer unto ourselves, but unto him who died for us and rose again.
- or this -
Who dost bid thy faithful people cleanse their hearts, and prepare with joy for the Paschal feast; that, fervent in prayer and in works of mercy, and renewed by thy Word and Sacraments, they may come to the fulness of grace which thou hast prepared for those who love thee.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version.
(Unless otherwise noted.)
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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