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Sunday, March 3rd, 2024

Psalm 116:12–19

12What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits to me?
13I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

15Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his saints.
16O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the son of your maidservant.
You have loosed my bonds.
17I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of the Lord.
18I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

Old Testament Reading Job 34:10–33

10“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:
far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
11For according to the work of a man he will repay him,
and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
12Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,
and the Almighty will not pervert justice.
13Who gave him charge over the earth,
and who laid on him the whole world?
14If he should set his heart to it
and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,
15all flesh would perish together,
and man would return to dust.
16“If you have understanding, hear this;
listen to what I say.
17Shall one who hates justice govern?
Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,
18who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’
and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’
19who shows no partiality to princes,
nor regards the rich more than the poor,
for they are all the work of his hands?
20In a moment they die;
at midnight the people are shaken and pass away,
and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.
21“For his eyes are on the ways of a man,
and he sees all his steps.
22There is no gloom or deep darkness
where evildoers may hide themselves.
23For God has no need to consider a man further,
that he should go before God in judgment.
24He shatters the mighty without investigation
and sets others in their place.
25Thus, knowing their works,
he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
26He strikes them for their wickedness
in a place for all to see,
27because they turned aside from following him
and had no regard for any of his ways,
28so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him,
and he heard the cry of the afflicted—
29When he is quiet, who can condemn?
When he hides his face, who can behold him,
whether it be a nation or a man?—
30that a godless man should not reign,
that he should not ensnare the people.
31“For has anyone said to God,
‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more;
32teach me what I do not see;
if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
33Will he then make repayment to suit you,
because you reject it?
For you must choose, and not I;
therefore declare what you know.”

New Testament Reading John 11:17–37

17Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. 18Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, 19and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. 20So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” 23Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” 25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” 27She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

28When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31When the Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35Jesus wept. 36So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” 37But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man also have kept this man from dying?”