Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Isaiah’s Vision

6 In the year of ^(A)King Uzziah’s death ^(B)I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. ² Seraphim were standing above Him, ^(C)each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. ³ And one called out to another and said,

⁴ And the ^[b]foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the ^[c](F)temple was filling with smoke. ⁵ Then I said,

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the ^(K)altar with tongs. ⁷ He ^(L)touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and ^(M)your guilt is taken away and atonement is made for your sin.”

Isaiah’s Commission

⁸ Then I heard the ^(N)voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then ^(O)I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

The Voice of the Lord in the Storm.

A Psalm of David.

¹² So then, brothers and sisters, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— ¹³ for ^(A)if you are living in accord with the flesh, you are going to die; but if by the Spirit you are ^(B)putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴ For all who are ^(C)being led by the Spirit of God, these are ^(D)sons and daughters of God. ¹⁵ For you ^(E)have not received a spirit of slavery ^[a]leading to fear again, but you ^(F)have received ^[b]a spirit of adoption as sons and daughters by which we cry out, “^(G)Abba! ^[c]Father!” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself ^(H)testifies with our spirit that we are ^(I)children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, ^(J)heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ^(K)if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

The New Birth

3 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named ^(A)Nicodemus, a ^(B)ruler of the Jews; ² this man came to ^[a]Jesus at night and said to Him, “^(C)Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these ^[b](D)signs that You do unless ^(E)God is with him.” ³ Jesus responded and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone ^(F)is born ^[c]again he cannot see ^(G)the kingdom of God.”

⁴ Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a person be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born, can he?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless someone is born of ^(H)water and the Spirit, he cannot enter ^(I)the kingdom of God. ^6 (J)That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born ^[d]again.’ ^8 (K)The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit.”

⁹ Nicodemus responded and said to Him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “You are ^(L)the teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? ¹¹ Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(M)we speak of what we know and ^(N)testify of what we have seen, and ^(O)you people do not accept our testimony. ¹² If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? ^13 (P)No one has ascended into heaven, except ^(Q)He who descended from heaven: ^(R)the Son of Man. ¹⁴ And just as ^(S)Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must ^(T)the Son of Man ^(U)be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who ^[e]believes will ^(V)have eternal life in Him.

¹⁶ “For God so ^(W)loved the world, that He ^(X)gave His ^(Y)only Son, so that everyone who ^(Z)believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God ^(AA)did not send the Son into the world ^(AB)to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.