The following are the readings for the Third Sunday of Lent, March 23, 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 55: 1 - 9   (RCL)

Isai 55:1 (NRSV) Ho, everyone who thirsts, 
come to the waters; 
and you that have no money, 
come, buy and eat! 
Come, buy wine and milk 
without money and without price. 
2 Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, 
and your labor for that which does not satisfy? 
Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, 
and delight yourselves in rich food. 
3 Incline your ear, and come to me; 
listen, so that you may live. 
I will make with you an everlasting covenant, 
my steadfast, sure love for David. 
4 See, I made him a witness to the peoples, 
a leader and commander for the peoples. 
5 See, you shall call nations that you do not know, 
and nations that do not know you shall run to you, 
because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, 
for he has glorified you. 
6 Seek the LORD while he may be found, 
call upon him while he is near; 
7 let the wicked forsake their way, 
and the unrighteous their thoughts; 
let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, 
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 
nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. 
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 
so are my ways higher than your ways 
and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

Exodus 3: 1 - 15   (ECUSA)
Exodus 3: 1 - 8a, 13 - 15   (Roman Catholic)

Exod 3:1 (NRSV) Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jeth'ro, the priest of Mid'ian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Ho'reb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, "I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up." 4 When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am." 5 Then he said, "Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." 6 He said further, "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 at God. 
7 Then the LORD said, "I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, 8 and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the country of the Ca'naanites, the Hit'tites, the Am'orites, the Per'izzites, the Hi'vites, and the Jeb'usites. 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt." 11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" 12 He said, "I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain." 
13 But Moses said to God, "If I come to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,' and they ask me, "What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." 
 He said further, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the Israelites, "The LORD, the God of your ancestors, 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 my title for all generations. 

PSALM 63: 1 - 8   (RCL)

Psal 63:1 (NRSV) O God, you are my God, I seek you, 
my soul thirsts for you; 
my flesh faints for you, 
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. 
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, 
beholding your power and glory. 
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, 
my lips will praise you. 
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; 
I will lift up my hands and call on your name. 
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, 
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips 
6 when I think of you on my bed, 
and meditate on you in the watches of the night; 
7 for you have been my help, 
and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. 
8 My soul clings to you; 
your right hand upholds me. 

Note: Verse numbering in your Psalter may differ from the above.

63   Deus, Deus meus    (ECUSA BCP)
 
1  	O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *
 	my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
 	as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.
 
2  	Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, *
 	that I might behold your power and your glory.
 
3  	For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *
 	my lips shall give you praise.
 
4  	So will I bless you as long as I live *
 	and lift up my hands in your Name.
 
5  	My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, *
 	and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,
 
6  	When I remember you upon my bed, *
 	and meditate on you in the night watches.
 
7  	For you have been my helper, *
 	and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8  	My soul clings to you; *
 	your right hand holds me fast.

Psalm 103: 1 - 4, 6 - 8, 11   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 103:1 (NRSV) Bless the LORD, O my soul, 
and all that is within me, 
bless his holy name. 
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, 
and do not forget all his benefits-- 
3 who forgives all your iniquity, 
who heals all your diseases, 
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, 
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 

6 The LORD works vindication 
and justice for all who are oppressed. 
7 He made known his ways to Moses, 
his acts to the people of Israel. 
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, 
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, 
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 

NEW TESTAMENT:  1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 13   (all but Roman Catholic)
                                     1 Corinthians 10: 1 - 6, 10 - 12   (Roman Catholic)

1Cor 10:1 (NRSV) I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, 2 and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, 3 and all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. 
6 Now these things occurred as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters as some of them did; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to play." 8 We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. 9 We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. 11 These things happened to them to serve as an example, and they were written down to instruct us, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12 So if you think you are standing, watch out that you do not fall. 13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it. 

GOSPEL:   Luke 13: 1 - 9   (all)

Luke 13:1 (NRSV) At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Silo'am fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." 
6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7 So he said to the gardener, "See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 8 He replied, "Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"