08/21/2023

Reading 1:Isaiah 51:1-6

 1Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,

  you that seek the Lord.

 Look to the rock from which you were hewn,

  and to the quarry from which you were dug.

 2Look to Abraham your father

  and to Sarah who bore you;

 for he was but one when I called him,

  but I blessed him and made him many.

 3For the Lord will comfort Zion;

  he will comfort all her waste places,

 and will make her wilderness like Eden,

  her desert like the garden of the Lord;

 joy and gladness will be found in her,

  thanksgiving and the voice of song.

 4Listen to me, my people,

  and give heed to me, my nation;

 for a teaching will go out from me,

  and my justice for a light to the peoples.

 5I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,

  my salvation has gone out

  and my arms will rule the peoples;

 the coastlands wait for me,

  and for my arm they hope.

 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

  and look at the earth beneath;

 for the heavens will vanish like smoke,

  the earth will wear out like a garment,

  and those who live on it will die like gnats;

 but my salvation will be forever,

  and my deliverance will never be ended.

Psalm:Psalm 138

1I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart;

 before the gods I will sing your praise.

2I will bow down toward your holy temple and praise your name, because of your steadfast love and faithfulness; for you have glorified your name and your word above all things.

3When I called, you answered me;

 you increased my strength within me.

4All the rulers of the earth will praise you, O Lord,

 when they have heard the words of your mouth. 

5They will sing of the ways of the Lord,

 that great is the glory of the Lord.

6The Lord is high, yet cares for the lowly,

 perceiving the haughty from afar.

7Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;

 you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.

8You will make good your purpose for me;

O Lord, your steadfast love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands. 

Second Reading: Romans 12:1-8

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

 3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-20

13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.