Sunday between 26 December and 1 January
Saint John the Evangelist (Year C)
First Reading - 1 Kings 19.9a,11-13a
A reading from the first book of Kings.
Elijah arrived at the mountain of God;
and entered a cave, where he spent the night.
Then the word of the Lord
came to Elijah, saying, ‘Go out,
and stand on the mountain,
for the Lord is about to pass by.’
And there came a great wind, so strong
that it was breaking rocks, from the mountains,
into pieces;
but the Lord was not
in the wind.
And after the wind,
there was an earthquake;
but the Lord was not
in the earthquake.
And after the earthquake, a fire;
but the Lord was not
in the fire.
And after the fire,
a still, small voice,
like a breath, or a whisper.
When Elijah heard it,
he wrapped his cloak around his face,
and went out,
and stood at the entrance of the cave;
and then came the voice of the Lord.
This is the word of the Lord.
Second Reading - 1 John 4.9-12,16b
A reading from the first letter of John.
God’s love for us
is revealed in this:
that God sent
God’s only Son into the world
to draw us
to fullness of life
in him.
And this is love:
not that we loved God,
but that God loved us,
and sent God’s Son
to be the atoning sacrifice
for our sin.
My brothers and sisters,
as God has loved us,
so we should love one another.
No one has ever seen God;
and yet, if we love one another,
God lives in us,
and God’s love
is perfected in us.
God is love,
and those who live in love
live in God,
and God lives in them.
This is the word of the Lord.
Gospel - John 1.1-12,14,16-18
Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
In the beginning
was the Word,
and the Word
was with God,
and the Word
was God.
The Word
was in the beginning
with God.
Through the Word,
all things
came into being.
And in the Word
was life -
the life
that was the light
of all people.
That light
now shines in the darkness,
and the darkness
has not
overcome it.
There was a man sent from God,
whose name was John.
John himself was not
the light,
but came
to bear witness to the light.
The true light,
bringing light to all,
was coming
into the world.
He was in the world -
the world that came into being through him -
and yet the world
did not know him.
He came to his own,
and his own
did not receive him.
But all who
did receive him -
all who believed in his name -
he called
to become children of God.
And the Word became flesh,
and dwelt amongst us.
And we have seen his glory -
the glory of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
From these riches of grace and truth,
we have all received, grace upon grace.
For while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth
came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God;
but the only Son, who is
close to the Father’s heart,
has made God known.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.