THE READINGS

August 2, 2015

FIRST READING: Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15

The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the

wilderness.

The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD

in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have

brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and

each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test

them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.

Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to

the whole congregation of the Israelites, 'Draw near to the LORD, for he has heard your

complaining.'"

And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they

looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

The

LORD spoke to Moses and said,

"I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say

to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of

bread; then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.'"

In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a

layer of dew around the camp.

When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of

the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.

When the

Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it

was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat."

PSALM: Psalm 78:23-29 - please read responsively

So God commanded the clouds above

and opened the doors of heaven,

raining down manna upon them to eat

and giving them grain from heaven.

So mortals ate the bread of angels;

God provided for them food enough.

The LORD caused the east wind to blow in the heavens

and powerfully led out the south wind,

raining down flesh upon them like dust

and flying birds like the sand of the seas,

letting them fall in the midst of the camp

and round about the dwellings.

So the people ate and were well filled,

for God gave them what they craved.

SECOND READING: Ephesians 4:1-16

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you

have been called,

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another

in love,

making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There

is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,

one

Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all

and in all.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he

gave gifts to his people."

(When it says, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he

had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

He who descended is the same one

who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)

The gifts he gave

were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and

teachers,

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to

maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

We must no longer be children,

tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, by their

craftiness in deceitful scheming.

But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every

way into him who is the head, into Christ,

from whom the whole body, joined and knit

together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly,

promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

Stand

P: The holy gospel according to St. John, the 6th chapter.

C: Glory to you, O Lord.

GOSPEL: John 6:24-35

When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were [beside the sea,] they

themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found

him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw

signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

Do not work for the food that perishes,

but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on

him that God the Father has set his seal."

Then they said to him, "What must we do to

perform the works of God?"

Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you

believe in him whom he has sent."

So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give

us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?

Our

ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heav-

en to eat.'"

Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you

the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.

For

the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

They

said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.

Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be

thirsty."

P: The Gospel of the Lord.

C: Praise to you, O Christ.