Monday 23 April 2007 DAILY LECTIONARY

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Monday 23 April 2007 
DAILY LECTIONARY

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Daniel 4:19-27

Then Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar, was severely distressed for a
while. His thoughts terrified him. The king said, ‘Belteshazzar, do not
let the dream or the interpretation terrify you.’ Belteshazzar answered,
‘My lord, may the dream be for those who hate you, and its
interpretation for your enemies! The tree that you saw, which grew
great and strong, so that its top reached to heaven and was visible to
the end of the whole earth, whose foliage was beautiful and its fruit
abundant, and which provided food for all, under which animals of the
field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air had nests— it
is you, O king! You have grown great and strong. Your greatness has
increased and reaches to heaven, and your sovereignty to the ends of
the earth. And whereas the king saw a holy watcher coming down from
heaven and saying, “Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave its
stump and roots in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze, in the
grass of the field; and let him be bathed with the dew of heaven, and
let his lot be with the animals of the field, until seven times pass
over him”— this is the interpretation, O king, and it is a decree of
the Most High that has come upon my lord the king: You shall be driven
away from human society, and your dwelling shall be with the wild
animals. You shall be made to eat grass like oxen, you shall be bathed
with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, until you
have learned that the Most High has sovereignty over the kingdom of
mortals, and gives it to whom he will. As it was commanded to leave the
stump and roots of the tree, your kingdom shall be re-established for
you from the time that you learn that Heaven is sovereign. Therefore, O
king, may my counsel be acceptable to you: atone for your sins with
righteousness, and your iniquities with mercy to the oppressed, so that
your prosperity may be prolonged.’
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1 John 3:19-4:6

And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure
our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is
greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our
hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive
from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what
pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his
Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All
who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by
this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into
the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that
confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and
every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is
the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is
coming; and now it is already in the world. Little children, you are
from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore
what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. We are
from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God
does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the
spirit of error.
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Luke 4:14-30

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee,
and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He
began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the
synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read,
and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the
scroll and found the place where it was written: 
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
   because he has anointed me
     to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
   and recovery of sight to the blind,
     to let the oppressed go free, 
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ 
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat
down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began
to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your
hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words
that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’ He
said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor,
cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the
things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly
I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the
truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when
the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a
severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them
except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in
Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed
except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue
were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led
him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they
might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them
and went on his way.
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Morning Psalms:  Psalm 25

Psalm 25

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 
O my God, in you I trust;
   do not let me be put to shame;
   do not let my enemies exult over me. 
Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
   let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. 


Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
   teach me your paths. 
Lead me in your truth, and teach me,
   for you are the God of my salvation;
   for you I wait all day long. 


Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
   for they have been from of old. 
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
   according to your steadfast love remember me,
   for your goodness’ sake, O Lord! 


Good and upright is the Lord;
   therefore he instructs sinners in the way. 
He leads the humble in what is right,
   and teaches the humble his way. 
All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
   for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. 


For your name’s sake, O Lord,
   pardon my guilt, for it is great. 
Who are they that fear the Lord?
   He will teach them the way that they should choose. 


They will abide in prosperity,
   and their children shall possess the land. 
The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
   and he makes his covenant known to them. 
My eyes are ever towards the Lord,
   for he will pluck my feet out of the net. 


Turn to me and be gracious to me,
   for I am lonely and afflicted. 
Relieve the troubles of my heart,
   and bring me out of my distress. 
Consider my affliction and my trouble,
   and forgive all my sins. 


Consider how many are my foes,
   and with what violent hatred they hate me. 
O guard my life, and deliver me;
   do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 
May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
   for I wait for you. 


Redeem Israel, O God,
   out of all its troubles.
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Evening Psalms: Psalm 9, 15

Psalm 9

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
   I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 
I will be glad and exult in you;
   I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 


When my enemies turned back,
   they stumbled and perished before you. 
For you have maintained my just cause;
   you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgement. 


You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
   you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. 
The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
   their cities you have rooted out;
   the very memory of them has perished. 


But the Lord sits enthroned for ever,
   he has established his throne for judgement. 
He judges the world with righteousness;
   he judges the peoples with equity. 


The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
   a stronghold in times of trouble. 
And those who know your name put their trust in you,
   for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. 


Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
   Declare his deeds among the peoples. 
For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
   he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 


Be gracious to me, O Lord.
   See what I suffer from those who hate me;
   you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death, 
so that I may recount all your praises,
   and, in the gates of daughter Zion,
   rejoice in your deliverance. 


The nations have sunk in the pit that they made;
   in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught. 
The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgement;
   the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands.
          Higgaion. Selah


The wicked shall depart to Sheol,
   all the nations that forget God. 


For the needy shall not always be forgotten,
   nor the hope of the poor perish for ever. 


Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail;
   let the nations be judged before you. 
Put them in fear, O Lord;
   let the nations know that they are only human.
          Selah



Psalm 15

O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill? 


Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart; 
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbours; 
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honour those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt; 
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent. 


Those who do these things shall never be moved.
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