Year A – Proper 16
Full-text of the Appointed Lessons (RSV and NRSV), with instructions for lectors
August 23 – 13 Pentecost – RCL
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Exodus 1:8-2:10
The Egyptian king orders that all male Hebrew children must be killed. Moses’ mother saves him by hiding him in a basket, where he is found by the king’s daughter.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of Exodus:
(Lead in with) RSV: Now there arose…; NRSV: Now a new king arose…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war befall us, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens; and they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Ra-amses. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. So they made the people of Israel serve with rigor, and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field; in all their work they made them serve with rigor. Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. So the king of Egypt called the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this, and let the male children live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and are delivered before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live.” Now a man from the house of Levi went and took to wife a daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could hide him no longer she took for him a basket made of bulrushes, and daubed it with bitumen and pitch; and she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds at the river’s brink. And his sister stood at a distance, to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, and her maidens walked beside the river; she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to fetch it. When she opened it she saw the child; and lo, the babe was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away, and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. And the child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son; and she named him Moses, for she said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”
New Revised Standard Version
Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.” Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
ILLUMINATION for the Alternate First Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Isaiah 51:1-6
God promises his people, who have endured the hardships of exile, that his deliverance is coming soon and his salvation will last for all time.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Thus says the Lord…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord: “Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the LORD; look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him and made him many. For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go forth from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. My deliverance draws near speedily, my salvation has gone forth, and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended.”
New Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord: “Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.”
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Romans 12:1-8
Paul urges listeners to offer their whole selves, body and soul, as a thankful response to God’s gift of salvation through Jesus.
A reading (lesson) from the Letter of Paul to the Romans:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: I appeal to you therefore…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him. For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
New Revised Standard Version
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God– what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Matthew 16:13-20
Peter boldly declares that Jesus is the Messiah. In response, Jesus gives Peter the power and responsibility of leadership.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: When Jesus came …
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
New Revised Standard Version
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
August 23 – 13 Pentecost – BCP
ILLUMINATION for the First Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Isaiah 51:1-6
God promises his people, who have endured the hardships of exile, that his deliverance is coming soon and his salvation will last for all time.
A reading (lesson) from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: Thus says the Lord…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord: “Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the LORD; look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for when he was but one I called him, and I blessed him and made him many. For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give ear to me, my nation; for a law will go forth from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. My deliverance draws near speedily, my salvation has gone forth, and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be for ever, and my deliverance will never be ended.”
New Revised Standard Version
Thus says the Lord: “Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the LORD. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he was but one when I called him, but I blessed him and made him many. For the LORD will comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Listen to me, my people, and give heed to me, my nation; for a teaching will go out from me, and my justice for a light to the peoples. I will bring near my deliverance swiftly, my salvation has gone out and my arms will rule the peoples; the coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and those who live on it will die like gnats; but my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.”
ILLUMINATION for the Second Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Romans 11:33-36
Echoing the prophet Isaiah, Paul marvels at the glory of God’s ways even as he describes their mystery.
A reading (lesson) from the Letter of Paul to the Romans:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: O the depth of the riches…
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc.
Revised Standard Version
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
New Revised Standard Version
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.
ILLUMINATION for the Gospel Lesson
13 Pentecost (Proper 16), Year A, Aug. 23, 2026
Matthew 16:13-20
Peter boldly declares that Jesus is the Messiah. In response, Jesus gives Peter the power and responsibility of leadership.
A reading (lesson) from the Gospel according to Matthew:
(Lead in with) RSV and NRSV: When Jesus came …
Conclude with The word of the Lord or Here endeth, etc. If read by an ordained person as the eucharistic gospel, conclude with The gospel of the Lord.
Revised Standard Version
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
New Revised Standard Version
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission.
The Living Word | Lectionary Preaching Aids
Exploring the Texts
“At the waters of baptism, parents sense, though in a confused way, a Buddhist truth of ecumenical significance: ‘Life is suffering.’ The Christian response is, however, not escape, but complete entry into suffering and death, and the emergence, in Christ, of new life.”
“Who are we but the infants of Christ? We have been offered at a font, pulled from the snare of death, fed with the body and blood that endure to eternal life, and filled with the Word both preached and infused that fits us to God’s will, ‘what is good and acceptable and perfect’ (Rom. 12:2).”
“A Christian is to understand the physical body as already having been offered, slaughtered, and kindled — in short, as already belonging to God in holiness. Whether we will it is irrelevant: our bodies belong to him who bought them with his own bodily sacrifice. We live a post-redemption existence.”
Preaching Today
Amy Peeler: Fully Human
“In this epic and definitive story of Israel, we have something to learn about the abundant patient human life God wants us to live. We have nothing less to learn than how to be fully human, which is to live with the confident knowledge of our place in God’s presence.”
James Stanton: A Living Sacrifice
“Paul, the Christian, tells us that real life — real personhood, real freedom — comes from knowing God. Rather than building up one’s own life through the exercise of the self, Paul says we must bring our lives to God and offer them as a sacrifice — a living sacrifice!”
Damian Feeney: What’s the Gossip?
“If the one you worship, and the one you receive in this Mass, is who Simon Peter says he is, then it reorganizes your whole life. Your reality is changed, centering as it now does upon the truth that Jesus Christ is God. Come to him, listen to him, let him forgive you, let him feed you, and be caught up in the whirlwind of love and mercy that is his to give, and yours to receive.”
Classic Texts
Bernard of Clairvaux: Darkness
“Those who suffer a lack of this divine word are forced to enter Egypt, that is, darkness. For they are enveloped in the darkness of ignorance and subject to the dominion of Pharoah, that is, the devil who is the leader of Egypt.”
Peter Chrysologus: Though Slain, He Lives
“This sacrifice follows the pattern of Christ himself, who by his life sacrificed his body for the life of the world; he truly made his body a living sacrifice because, though slain, he lives. Be therefore, yourselves both a sacrifice to God and priests. Do not lose what the divine authority gave and conceded to you.”
Martin Luther King: The Nonconformists
“It is the nonconformists that have made history. Not those who always look to see which way the majority is going before they make a decision. Not those who are afraid to say no when everybody else is saying yes; but history has been made by those who could stand up before the crowd and not bow.”
Articles on the Messiah
Jeff Boldt: Jesus Christ in the Old Testament
“The kind of spiritual experience the apostles had was the result of their eyes being opened to Jesus in the Old Testament. In fact, Jesus only opened their eyes to see who he was when they understood him through Scripture. That is to say that he didn’t want them to know who he was unless they saw him in Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets.”
Christopher Seitz: The Voice of the Old Testament
“This isn’t mere predication, followed by fulfillment at a later point in time, but a genuine participation in something eternal and providentially prepared by God. Prepared for us, so that we might have voice, alongside Israel, having been brought near by the one cross.”
Carroll Simcox: The Saving Strangeness
“In his very strangeness lies, not our hermeneutic problem, but our hope for salvation. A Jesus we could readily understand because he ‘talks sense’ to us and ‘is just one of us’ we could put right into our pocket; he could do nothing for us at all. Even our human benefactors all turn out to have been in some respects our superiors—hence in some degree strange to us.”
Articles on Moses
Brandt Montgomery: Go Down, Moses
“Not only do we see God acting through the continuing faithfulness of Israel, but also from within Pharaoh’s own household to prepare for his people’s deliverance.”
Graham Kings: Perennial Problem
Out of Egypt,
Moses was freed,
received my Law,
and led my people.
Joseph L. Mangina: Defamiliarizing Biblical Narrative: Or, On Keeping Scripture Weird
“God is the reason we need to keep on keeping the Bible weird. Which is actually not all that difficult, since it is weird, wonderful, full of bloody foreskins and resurrected bodies and suppers with strangers. The Bible speaks of matters like these because they are of the stuff of human life, and therefore of God’s way with us.”
Articles on the House of God
Matthew Alderman: The Shackles of the Present
“Roman Catholic liturgical renovator Richard S. Vosko comments that the church building ‘is not, per se, the place where God dwells. Rather, it is a meeting house where the community engages with God and one another.’ As a young Roman Catholic, it pains me to watch Anglicans adopt the buzzwords that made my childhood Masses so stale and colorless.”
Kirk Petersen: A Refuge of Beauty — St. Timothy’s, Winston-Salem
“‘Our liturgy is unique in this area, it’s very Anglo-Catholic with our devotions and piety,’ Rice said. ‘Beauty is something we’ve embraced as one of the transcendentals, as a theological statement. We wanted that physical space to reflect what we’ve been living and teaching and proclaiming … to be a refuge of beauty in a world that’s increasingly so ugly.’”
Jamie Howison: Belonging to Our Place
“We learned last year that our buildings do shape us, and give concrete shape to what we can do together. We also emerged with a strong reminder that before all else a church is a people, gathered together—to pray, sing, listen, reflect, worship, and break bread together—and then sent out, beyond the walls of the church building, as witnessing disciples of Jesus.”
