Sunday between 7 and 13 August
Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
First Reading - 1 Kings 19.4-8
A reading from the first book of Kings.
Elijah went a full day’s journey
into the wilderness.
He sat down
in the shade of a single tree,
and asked that he might die:
‘It is enough, now, Lord;
take away my life,
for I am no better
than my ancestors.’
Then he lay down,
in the shade of the tree,
and slept.
He was woken by an angel,
saying, ‘Get up, and eat.’
And there, at his side,
was some bread, baked on hot stones,
and a jar of water.
He ate, and drank,
and lay down again.
Then he was woken again,
by the angel of the Lord,
saying, ‘Get up, and eat,
for you have a great journey ahead of you.’
Elijah got up,
and ate, and drank.
And he went,
in the strength of that food,
forty days and forty nights,
to Horeb, the mountain of God.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - Ephesians 4.11-16
A reading from the letter of Paul to the Ephesians.
Christ himself
gives to the church
apostles and prophets,
evangelists, pastors, and teachers,
to build up
the body of Christ,
to equip the saints
for the work of ministry,
to lead us to unity
of faith and understanding,
and to lead us to maturity,
and the full stature
of Christ.
So we will no longer be like children,
vulnerable to trickery and deception,
but we will grow up, in every way,
in truth, and in love,
into Christ, who is the head,
with each part of the body
joined and connected together,
and working as it should,
growing strong in love.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - John 6.41-51
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
They began to complain about Jesus,
because he said, ‘I am the bread
that came down from heaven.’
They were saying, ‘This is Jesus,
the son of Joseph.
We know his father,
and his mother.
How can he say
that he
came down from heaven.’
Jesus said, ‘Do not complain
amongst yourselves
at what I have said.
The only one who has
seen the Father
is the one who has
come down
from God;
and everyone who comes to me
is drawn to me
by the Father who sent me;
and I will raise them up
on the last day.
It says in Isaiah,
“They shall all
be taught
by God.”
Everyone who hears
the word
of the Father,
and learns
from the Father,
will come to me.
And everyone who believes and trusts in me
will have eternal life.
I am
the bread of life.
Your ancestors
ate the manna
in the wilderness, and died.
But here is the bread
that comes down from heaven,
that you may eat,
and not die.
I am the living bread
that comes down from heaven.
Whoever eats this bread
will live for ever.
And my body
is the bread
that I give
for the life
of the world.’
This is the Gospel of the Lord.