The Text for November 30, the 1st Sunday in Advent, 2014

First Reading: Isaiah 64:1–9

O that you would tear open the heavens and come down,

so that the mountains would quake at your presence — 

  ²as when fire kindles brushwood

and the fire causes water to boil — 

to make your name known to your adversaries,

so that the nations might tremble at your presence!

  ³When you did awesome deeds that we did not expect,

you came down, the mountains quaked at your presence.

  ⁴From ages past no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who works for those who wait for him.

  ⁵You meet those who gladly do right,

those who remember you in your ways.

But you were angry, and we sinned;

because you hid yourself we transgressed. 

  ⁶We have all become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth.

We all fade like a leaf,

and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

  ⁷There is no one who calls on your name,

or attempts to take hold of you;

for you have hidden your face from us,

and have delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

  ⁸Yet, O LORD, you are our Father;

we are the clay, and you are our potter;

we are all the work of your hand.

  ⁹Do not be exceedingly angry, O LORD,

and do not remember iniquity forever.

Now consider, we are all your people.

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3–9

³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus,  ⁵for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind —  ⁶just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you —  ⁷so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁸He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ⁹God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gospel: Mark 13:24–37

²⁴But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light,

  ²⁵and the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

  ²⁶Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in clouds' with great power and glory.  ²⁷Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

²⁸From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near.  ²⁹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.  ³⁰Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.  ³¹Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

³²But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  ³³Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come.  ³⁴It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch.  ³⁵Therefore, keep awake — for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn,  ³⁶or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly.  ³⁷And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."