Friday in Season after Pentecost

Semicontinuous (Track 1)

FIRST READING

Ruth 2:1-9

Verse 1. Now Naomi had a relative on her husband’s side, a prominent man of noble character from the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. Verse 2. And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go into the fields and glean heads of grain after someone in whose sight I may find favor.” “Go ahead, my daughter,” Naomi replied. Verse 3. So Ruth departed and went out into the field and gleaned after the harvesters. And she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech. Verse 4. Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied. Verse 5. And Boaz asked the foreman of his harvesters, “Whose young woman is this?” Verse 6. The foreman answered, “She is the Moabitess who returned with Naomi from the land of Moab. Verse 7. She has said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the harvesters.’ So she came out and has continued from morning until now, except that she rested a short time in the shelter.” Verse 8. Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls. Verse 9. Let your eyes be on the field they are harvesting, and follow along after these girls. Indeed, I have ordered the young men not to touch you. And when you are thirsty, go and drink from the jars the young men have filled.”

PSALM

Psalm 146

Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul.

I will praise the LORD all my life; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes, in mortal man, who cannot save.

When his spirit departs, he returns to the ground; on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,

the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He remains faithful forever.

He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,

the LORD opens the eyes of the blind, the LORD lifts those who are weighed down, the LORD loves the righteous.

The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.

The LORD reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Hallelujah!

Complementary (Track 2)

FIRST READING

Leviticus 19:32-37

Verse 32. You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD. Verse 33. When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you must not oppress him. Verse 34. You must treat the foreigner living among you as native-born and love him as yourself, for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Verse 35. You must not use dishonest measures of length, weight, or volume. Verse 36. You shall maintain honest scales and weights, an honest ephah, and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Verse 37. You must keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and follow them. I am the LORD.”

PSALM

Psalm 119:1-8

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD.

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.

They do no iniquity; they walk in His ways.

You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently.

Oh, that my ways were committed to keeping Your statutes!

Then I would not be ashamed when I consider all Your commandments.

I will praise You with an upright heart when I learn Your righteous judgments.

I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly forsake me.

SECOND READING

Romans 3:21-31

Verse 21. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. Verse 22. And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, Verse 23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Verse 24. and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Verse 25. God presented Him as an atoning sacrifice in His blood through faith, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand. Verse 26. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and to justify the one who has faith in Jesus. Verse 27. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith. Verse 28. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Verse 29. Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, Verse 30. since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Verse 31. Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Certainly not! Instead, we uphold the law.